Poems I Wrote When No One Was Looking

Hilarious, Authentic, Realistic, Didactic and Subjective

Poems I Wrote When No One Was Looking by Alan Katz and Illustrations by Edward Koren

Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Copyright 2011

" Katz and Koren follow up Oops! (2008) with another set of 100 or so rhymed (usually) knee-slappers paired to scribbly ink drawings”.

–Kirkus Reviews

"Accompanied by Koren's impish, characteristically furry caricatures, Katz's comedic poems take aim at familiar experiences like family squabbling and avoiding homework, while offering child-centric observations about the world."

--Publishers Weekly, July 2011

This poetry book written by Alan Katz and Illustrated by Edward Koren grasps a reader’s attention from the start from the humorous poems inside. The poems are very relatable to children. Whether the poem is about staying out of trouble, sibling shenanigans and everything that children would experience. This book will make children giggle and laugh all the way through.

Description: Poetry                                              

Suggested Delivery: Real Aloud

Reading Level: Grades 3-4

Electronic Resources:

Poetry4Kids

This electronic resource features and interview with the author himself Alan Katz. This interview is all about his new book Poems I Wrote When No One Was Looking. Students can learn more about author and about why he created this poetry book.

Alan-Katz

This website includes a full biography on the author Alan Katz. It also features teaching resources, activities, author updates and videos of the author.

Poetry

This website is also from poetry4kids but this main site features poetry lesson, games, podcasts and a rhyming dictionary. This site would be a great resource if the students were creating their own poems in class.

Key Vocabulary: Latte, Renewable, Appendix, Thesaurus, Steamroller, Prosperity, and Squawking

Teaching Suggestions:

1. Use this text for a model when students create their own poetry.

2. Use this text for a history lesson and have students create a poem on a historical figure.

3. Use this text for a language arts lesson by teaching students how to rhyme different words.

Comprehension Strategies:

Pre-reading- Have each student take a picture walk through the poetry book. This will help them get a sense of what some of the poems are about. For example, on pg. 7 it shows a boy at the movie theater alone and the seats next him to say mom, dad, and sis but they aren’t there because they are in different movies. The pictures will help the students predict what might happen in that poem.

During Reading- Have the students participate in a word hunt. A word hunt with help enhance the students vocabulary skills. Ask the students to find words that are difficult and have the same pattern such as root words.

Post- Reading- The students will get into groups and create a question to ask the author. This will give the students a chance to critique the poems and let the students engage with the text and what the author has written.

Writing Activity- Have the students create poems that are in ballad format. These are more song like but still include rhymes. Ask the students to create a list of things that happened in school that day and then use those ideas to create a poem. You can give them an example to model what is expected of them.

Katz, Alan, and Edward Koren. Poems I wrote when no one was looking. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2011. Print.