A Poem For Your Thoughts

First Grade

Squiggles.
Indecipherable~ incomprehensible;
Foreign yet familiar.

Cherub faces eyeing pages.
Filled to bursting with squiggles-
A banquet set for voracious appetites.

Prepare the meal with the utmost care~
Serve it on the fine china~
Don't forget the dessert.

Learning how to read shouldn't hurt.


Sometimes we forget what text looks like to brand new eyes that are trying to make sense of it!


This poem is excerpted~ with publisher permission~ from Lifes Literacy Lessons~ by Steven L. Layne (Stenhouse Publishers~ 2013). The book retails for $15 and is available on the Stenhouse Web site. Stenhouse publishes professional development books and videos by teachers and for teachers. Their titles cover a range of content areas -- from literacy and mathematics to science~ social studies~ the arts~ and environmental education -- as well as a variety of topics~ including classroom management~ assessment~ and differentiation.

Do you write poetry? Shareyour poetic reflections with the EducationWorld Community~ or comment on the poem above. We can't wait to see your work!