Poetry Break: "March" by Bobbi Katz

Introduction
Ask students to share what they know about the seasons and the things or activities they associate with each season, especially winter and spring. This poem lends itself to a multiple-voice reading, so ask for volunteers, if you choose. Divide the poem into parts for the readers. One option is Part 1: "March is...SNOW"; Part 2: "and March is....mitt"; Part 3: "two palms...bat"; Part 4: "and ten fingers...higher!" Make sure all students have their own copy of the poem to read.

March
by Bobbi Katz

March is
when a cheerleader
no longer 
      cartwheels
   inside your chest
 because the forecast is
"SNOW"
  and
March is
when your hands begin to dream:
one hand dreams
 about being a fist
   thumping
 into the soft leather cup
   of a baseball mitt;
two palms dream
about closing around a wooden bat;
and ten fingers dream
 about the pull of the wind
  as it catches a kite
   and carries it high in the sky
    and even higher! 

[from Once Around the Sun by Bobbi Katz. (Harcourt Children's Books, 2006 )]

Extension
Invite children to share their reactions to the poem and talk about the images springtime pursuits. Give them paper to draw other images they think of when they think of spring. Point out that this poem shows us what our body parts (hands) associate with spring and invite them to think about how our mouths, feet, skin, ears, noses, etc., might experience it. (Ex. Our mouths taste cold, sweet popsicles. Our noses smell freshly cut grass, newly blooming flowers, or the earthy smell of rain.)