Lesson 3: Geography and Poetry
Activities
Activity 1: Poems and Geography
Materials: My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States by Lee Bennett Hopkins
The poems in the book My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States are all related to the geography and culture of the different regions within the United States. Label the states, cities, and bodies of water that are mentioned in the poems of the Southeast. Use the map on the "Poems and Geography" page.
Student Activity Page
Answer Key
Kentucky; Knoxville, Tennessee; Mississippi River; Alabama; Florida Everglades
Activity 2: Seasons
Materials: My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States by Lee Bennett Hopkins, journal
Reread the poem "Knoxville, Tennessee." In this poem, the poet uses a long list of nouns to describe summer in Knoxville. Brainstorm a list of nouns related to your town during a certain season. Then write a poem in your journal about your community that includes a long list of nouns like in the poem "Knoxville, Tennessee."
Ask your child to read his poem aloud and discuss the nouns he chose for the poem to describe his community during a certain season of the year.
Activity 3: Acrostic
Materials: R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet by Judy Young, blank paper
Read the letter "A is for Acrostic" in R is for Rhyme. Write an acrostic poem about your state on a sheet of white paper.
Read your child's acrostic poem and discuss the facts he chose to include in his poem.