What a Day it was at School! (Module 1- School Poetry)

Prelutsky, J. What a day it was at school!. Ill. by Doug Cushman. New York, NY: Greenwillow, 2008. ISBN 978-0-06-082335-1

Jack Prelutsky has done it again! What a Day it was at School! is a collection of humorous poems that will have elementary students, and some adults, giggling uncontrollably. Jack Prelutsky uses upbeat rhymes and rhythm to explore relatable scenes with unpredictable twists. Students will groan with understanding when they hear, “My backpack weighs a thousand pounds, It’s fatter than a cow!” and laugh out loud when one poem suddenly takes an unusual turn and the homework eats the dog. Like a good joke, these poems are best read aloud and shared with a friend. Children are sure to appreciate the vivid and expressive illustrations which feature a wide array of small creatures including both a rat and a cat.

“Teacher’s Pet” perfectly represents the use of rhyme and wit used throughout the collection. This poem could be used to teach many things, including point of view, rhyme, cause and effect, and character education. To utilize this poem in a point of view lesson, one should first discuss point of view and introduce 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person. Students would then split in pairs to practice making up sentences in 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person. After coming together again, the teacher could practice reading short paragraphs from various view points and have students explain the style in which each paragraph was written. As a concluding activity, the teacher would read the first stanza of “Teacher’s Pet” and ask students the point of view. After recording the responses, the teacher would conclude by reading the second stanza. If, after some time, no students express surprise at the change in point of view, the teacher should take time to explain the unexpected twist.

Teacher’s Pet
No one cares for teacher’s pet.
It’s really sort of sad.
He’s always first to raise his hand,
Which makes some people mad.
They often call him awful names,
Like Weasel, Rat, and Skunk,
And moan when he gets answers right-
They’d love to see him flunk.

But teacher’s pet is pretty smart,
So he is seldom wrong,
He also does his very best
To try and get along.
Everyone pokes fun at him,
And that’s why I regret
That I am so unfortunate,
For I am teacher’s pet.