Celebrate Poetry All Month Long with Read, Discuss, Do

  Happy National Poetry Month! We are celebrating National Poetry Month with a weekly poetry challenge all month long. To follow along, subscribe to our newsletter or check back here every Monday and Friday throughout the month of April for updates.  Kickoff: Books and resources for National Poetry Month   Week one: Read and write haiku  Article: A Brief History of Poetry by Marci Whitehurst Week two: Read and write odes Article: Eight Creative Ways to Explore Poetry All Year Long by Rebecca J. Gomez Week three: Read and write riddle poems   Week four: Poet's choice! If you and/or your children/students participate in any of our challenges this month, we'd love to hear from you.  You can  email  us or  tag us  on Instagram (use the hashtag #RDDPoetryChallenge or #RDDPoetryMonth). We will be sharing some readers’ poems in a round-up post at the end of the month, so if you’d like your poems to be considered, please let us know when you s...

CAN I BE YOUR DOG? Letter Writing Activity

In Can I Be Your Dog by Troy Cummings, a dog writes letters to various people on Butternut Street, hoping that one of them will be his forever family. Then, after a series of rejections, he receives a surprise note from someone who thinks he would be the perfect partner! This is funny and heartwarming, and it's the perfect book to pair with a letter-writing activity. 

Read: Can I Be Your Dog

Discuss:

  • Why was Arfy writing letters to people on Butternut Street?
  • What are some reasons why Arfy may not have had a family?
  • Have you ever seen a stray dog? 
  • What would the perfect dog for your family be like? If you have a dog, what makes him or her a great pet?
  • Were you surprised when you saw which person wanted to adopt Arfy? Why or why not?
  • When was the last time you wrote a letter or note to someone?

Do: Write a letter of your own. Choose one or both of the following options:

  1. Imagine that you are a dog in need of a home. Write a letter to someone who would be a good person for you. Try to think of ideas that are different from what's in the book. What makes your imaginary dog self special? How might you convince someone to adopt you?
  2. Imagine that you are a person who really wants a dog. Write a note to Arfy explaining why you  would be a perfect fit.
Bonus activity: Put your note in an envelope and address it with a made-up address. Then design your own postage stamp. Look at the end pages in the book if you need inspiration for your stamp.


Comments

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