Poetry Break – Poetry written by a child

Introduction: Ah, the innocence of childhood. Remember when no matter what your mother did, she was the font of all knowledge? This poem, written by a young boy, brings back that feeling of nostalgia when our parents knew everything...

Untitled
By Bill Collins

When I used to go to the beach
my mother would take a saltshaker
and make the water salty

With great expertise
she would taste, salt, taste
and salt again
five minutes or so
until she decided it was right

Then I would go swimming
thinking my mother
salted the whole ocean
however large it was

I now know
my mother isn’t responsible
for the salty ocean

It takes some of the fun
out of going to the beach

(From SALTING THE OCEAN: 100 POEMS BY YOUNG POETS selected by Naomi Shihab Nye.Greenwillow Books, 2000)


Extension:
Science: What really makes the ocean salty? Are some oceans more salty than others? If so, why? Ask your students these questions, and if possible, schedule a field-trip to explore tide pools.
Geography: Have your students label all the world oceans on a large map, either wall-sized or individual handouts. (Here is a table containing a list of all the world’s oceans and seas.)


Graphic from: http://media.photobucket.com/image/beach%20AND%20salt-shaker/kwharbour/SaltShakerFixed.jpg