"The Deep Green Forest" by Tanya Dreskin, age 7

"The Deep Green Forest" by Tanya Dreskin, age 7, from The Earth is Painted Green: A Garden of Poems About Our Planet, edited by Barbara Brenner, illustrated by S.O. Schindler, Scholastic Inc, New York. 1994.

If possible, try to do this poetry break around April 22, Earth Day.

Introduction: Display pictures of various rain forests and show a map of locations around the world. Discuss rain forests and write down students comments onto butcher paper to build schema.

Poem:
"The Deep Green Forest"

The deep green forest is dark and quiet;
Ferns grow all along the trail.
Silence.

Extension: Give out blue and green construction paper bookmarks. Have students either copy the poem onto their bookmark or create a poem of their own. Allow students time to decorate their bookmarks.