Poetry Break # 12: Movement
Introduction:
This poem is particularly for preschool and kindergarten students. To introduce, show pictures of some of the animals such
as a crab, snail, kangaroo, and camel. Invite students to share what they know about these animals.
On Our Way
What kind of walk shall we take today?
Leap like a frog? Creep like a snail?
Scamper like a squirrel with a furry tail?
Flutter like a butterfly? Chicken peck?
Stretch like a turtle with a poking-out neck?
Trot like a pony, clip clop clop?
Swing like a monkey in a treetop?
Scuttle like a crab? Kangaroo jump?
Plod like a camel with an up-and-down hump?
We could even try a brand-new way-
Walking down the street
On our own two feet.
Poem written by Even Merriam. Taken from Sing a Song of Popcorn
by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers, editor. New
York: Scholastic Inc., 1988, p. 85. ISBN: 059043974X.
Extension: a) Read the poem once. Next,
demonstrate how some of the less familiar animals (like a camel) move. Finally, read the poem again and ask students to move
by imitating animal movements. For the last three lines, students will stand and walk. b) Choose one animal in the poem, such
as the camel. Read a simple nonfiction and a picture book about the animal. Ask students to draw a picture and tell you a
few facts that they have learned.