One English Language Arts standard for speaking and listening calls for students to:

Create audio recordings of poetry readings.

I was reminded of this in Poetry Lessons to Meet the Common Core State Standards by Georgia Heard. This is, in itself, a great way to prove to students (individually or in groups) how much they’ve grown and improved in terms of their oral reading. You can assemble an audio portfolio over time. You can also take it a step farther – by setting a poem (their own, a group, or an existing one) to music (a familiar or invented tune).

Here is one posted on FB by the divine Janet Morrison. She has a wealth of teaching experience and also lots of expertise in the field of public health. It was composed by second graders and their teacher (Janet herself) at Corridor Elementary in or near Eugene, Oregon. It’s sung to the tune of Home on the Range.

Handwashing Song

Oh give me a home

Where my germs do not roam

And the kids get through winter healthy –

Where so-oap and scour

Take away a germ’s power

And we battle the flu in this way.

Chorus:

Please, please wash your hands

Then rinse all the bad germs away

Don’t wash ‘em too quick

Or you might just get sick

And in bed at home you must stay.