Freshwater
Poems
Some
concepts taught and skills readily reinforced through poems daily:
•love of poetry and language •increase memory skills •develop
concepts •rhyme scheme •rhyming words •word families •endings
•contractions •antonyms/synonyms/homonyms •little words within
big words • vowel sounds • figurative language (metaphors & similes)
•parts of speech (nouns, verbs, etc.) •identifying facts (especially
in Meish Goldish's poems!) •type of poem (couplet, etc.) •handwriting
lessons •alliteration •quotation marks •vocabulary •sequence
•counting skills •dictionary & thesaurus use •poet studies
will bring you back to the menu at the top of the page!
Go
back to Kaunakakai Multiage's Ocean Themes Resource Page
River
by Meish Goldish
Water by Meish Goldish
Oh, Aunt Jenny
Oh Dear!
A Swamp Romp by Doug MacLeod
Way Down Yonder by Jack Prelutsky
Giant by Elizabeth Sawyer
Swimming by Avelyn Davidson
Ferryboats by James S. Tippett
Where Go the Boats? by
Robert Louis Stevenson
Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Jack
Prelutsky
Alligator Pie by Dennis Lee
Lazy Little Alligator
by Tony Mitton
Alligator by Meish Goldish
Feeding Time by Shel Silverstein
One, Two, Three, Four, Five by Avelyn
Davidson
Feeding Time by Shel Silverstein
Fishies in the Water
by Carol Quinn
Fishing
Oh Please Take Me Fishing
by Jack Prelutsky
School of Minnows by Jane
Keefer Frey
My Fish Was Small by Jack
Prelutsky
Crocodile's Toothache by
Shel Silverstein
If You Should Meet a Crocodile
Crocodile by Katie Touff
Crocodile by Meish Goldish
How Doth the Little Crocodile by
Lewis Carroll
The Crocodile by Roald Dahl
Quack! Quack! Quack!
Duck by Meish Goldish
Ten Little Ducks by Avelyn
Davidson
Two Ducks by Ellen Raskin
Ducks by Mary Ann Hoberman
Runaway Ducks
Little Duck
Swan by Meish Goldish
Go Tell Aunt Rhody, American Folk Song
Frog-a-lert! by Dakos
Frog by Meish Goldish
To a Baby Frog by Mabel Chandler
Duch
The Pollywog by Shirley R.
Williams
Jumping Frogs
Turtle by Meish Goldish
A House for One by Laura Arlon
The Little Turtle by Vachel
Lindsay
Mosquito by Meish Goldish
Small sized for students' Poetry Notebooks (39K) - pdf file
Poster sized - Freshwater #1 (2.5MB), Freshwater #2 (2.1MB), Frogs (1MB), Alligators/Crocodiles (2.5MB), Turtles (518K)
(Sorry for the file sizes: I used fancy fonts and need to learn how to optimize them...)
will
always take you back to the poem menuOne,
two, three, four, five—
Once
I caught a fish alive.
Six,
seven, eight, nine, ten—
Then I let it go again.
Why
did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which
finger did it bite?
This little finger on the right.
by
Avelyn Davidson, What's the Time, Mr.
Wolf? Math Rhymes to Read Together, Wright Group (
has
5 copies and big book)
Water,
water everywhere, water all around,
Water in the ocean, water in the ground.
Water
in a river, water in a creek,
Water in a faucet with a drip-drip leak!
Water
in a fountain, water in a lake,
Water
on a flower, as day begins to break.
Water
from a waterfall, rushing down from high,
Water from a dark cloud, raining from the sky.
Water
boiling hot, water frozen ice,
Water in a blue lagoon, clean and clear and nice.
Water
at a fire, gushing through a hose,
Water in a garden, so every flower grows.
Water
for the animals swimming in the sea,
Water, water everywhere for you and for me!
by Meish Goldish, 101 Science Poems & Songs for Young Learners, Instructor Books
By
a river I see:
Fishes swimming,
Tankers floating,
Fishers fishing
Boaters boating,
Bridges rising,
Waters flowing.
Life on the river
Keeps on going!
by Meish Goldish, 101 Science Poems & Songs for Young Learners, Instructor Books
Oh,
Aunt Jenny,
Look at Uncle Jim!
He fell in the duck pond,
And he's learning
how to swim.
from
Bibbilibonty Rigby Literacy 2000 (
has tape & 6 book copies)
There
was a little turtle.
He lived in a box.
He swam in a puddle.
He climbed on the rocks.
He
snapped at a mosquito,
He snapped at a flea.
He snapped at a minnow.
And he snapped at me.
He
caught the mosquito.
He caught the flea.
He caught the minnow.
But he didn't catch me!
by
Vachel Lindsay
From
Three Bags Full, Poems to Share Rigby Literacy
2000 (
has tape & 6 book copies)
Auntie
Lucy
Sat on a goosey.
Whoop — said the goosey…
Away flew Aunt Lucy.
From
Bibbilibonty Rigby Literacy 2000 (
has tape & 6 book copies)
Alligator
pie, alligator pie,
If I don't get some
I think I'm gonna die.
Give away the green grass,
Give away the sky,
But don't give away my alligator pie.
Alligator
stew, alligator stew,
If I don't get some
I don't know what IÍll do.
Give away my furry hat,
Give away my shoe,
But don't give away my alligator stew.
Alligator
soup, alligator soup,
If I don't get some
I think I'm gonna droop.
Give away my hockey-stick,
Give away my hoop,
But don't give away my alligator soup.
By
Dennis Lee from
Talking Tigers, Poems to Share
Rigby Literacy 2000 (
has tape & 6 book copies)
Alligator
Pie student book pdf
file
Five
little ducks that I once knew,
Big ones, little ones, skinny ones too,
But the one little duck with the
Feather
on his back,
All he could do was, "Quack, Quack, Quack!"
All
he could do was, "Quack, Quack, Quack!"
Down
to the river they would go,
Waddling, waddling, to and fro,
But the one little duck with the
Feather
on his back,
All he could do was, "Quack, Quack, Quack!"
All
he could do was, "Quack, Quack, Quack!"
from
Poems in Your Pocket, Poems to Share Rigby Literacy
2000 (
has tape & 6 book copies)
Lazy
little alligator
lying in my lap,
let me sit and stroke you
as you take a little nap.
Hungry
little alligator
waking in my lap,
wonder what's for breakfast:
SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!
by
Tony Mitton 
One
duck, two ducks, splashing in a pool.
Three ducks, four ducks find the water cool.
Five ducks, six ducks want to stay and play.
Seven ducks, eight ducks love a rainy day.
Nine ducks, ten ducks, all with wings outspread,
Shake their shiny feathers and waddle off to bed.
By
Avelyn Davidson, What's the Time, Mr.
Wolf? Math Rhymes to Read Together, Wright Group (has
5 copies and big book)
Oh
alligator, palligator, get up out of bed.
It's breakfast time and I can't find
Our keeper Mister Fred.
He smokes a pipe and wears a little
Derby on his head,
And he was 'sposed to meet me here
To help to get you fed.
by Shel Silverstein
When
I go fishing
I'm always wishing
Some fish will be my prize;
But while I'm fishing,
The fish are wishing
Otherwise.
And
all the wishes
Of all the fishes
Seem always to come true;
So all my wishes
To catch some fishes
Never do.
Author unknown
Fishies in the water
One, two, three, four, five.
Fishies in the water
Dive, dive, dive, dive, dive.
Fishies in the water
Swimming to and fro.
Fishies in the water
Go, go, go, go, go.
Fishies in the water
You'd better not stay.
Fishermen are coming.
Swim, swim, swim away!
by Carol Quinn
I
saw two ducks with chicken pox.
A most amusing paradox.
But one thing I have never seen
Is a whooping crane eat a coffee bean.
Dandelion
Puffs, Poems to Share, Rigby Literacy 2000
(
has tape & 6 book copies)
Two
happy children run off to swim.
Along come another two, and four go splashing in.
Four
laughing children shout, "The water's cool."
Along come another two, and six are in the pool.
Six
giggling children jump in and out.
Along come another two; now eight splash about.
Eight
splashing children bob their heads below.
Two more jump in; now ten are in a row.
Ten
happy children line up for a dive,
But
only half are brave enough, so that leaves five.
Five
shaky children, wishing they would try.
"Come on," call the others, "it isn't very
high."
By
Avelyn Davidson, Skittles, Math Rhymes
to Read Together, Wright Group (has
5 copies and big book)
Frog-a-lert,
Frog-a-lert,
Six frogs in our class.
Frog-a-lert,
Frog-a-lert,
Brought to school by Cass.
Frog-a-lert,
Frog-a-lert,
Hopping everywhere.
Frog-a-lert,
Frog-a-lert,
See the teacher glare.
Frog-a-lert,
Frog-a-lert,
What a crazy day.
Frog-a-lert,
Frog-a-lert,
Hooray! Hooray!
by Dakos
Clomp
Thump
Swamp Lump
Plodding in the Ooze,
Belly Shiver
Jelly Quiver
Squelching in my shoes.
Clomp
Thump
Romp Jump
Mulching all the Mud,
Boot Trudge
Foot Sludge
Thud! Thud! Thud!
by
Doug MacLeod, from
Talking Tigers, Poems to Share
Rigby Literacy 2000 (
has tape & 6 book copies)
If You Should Meet a Crocodile
If
you should meet a crocodile
Don't take a stick
and poke him;
Ignore the welcome in his smile,
Be careful not to
stroke him.
For
as he sleeps upon the Nile,
He thinner gets, and
thinner,
And whenever you meet a crocodile,
He's ready for his
dinner.
Author unknown
Oh
the Crocodile
Went to the dentist
And sat down in the chair,
And the dentist said,
"Now tell me, sir,
Why does it hurt and where?"
And the Crocodile said, "I'll tell you the truth,
I have a terrible ache in my tooth,"
And he opened his jaws so wide, so wide,
That the dentist, he climbed right inside,
And the dentist laughed, "Oh, isn't this fun?"
As he pulled the teeth out, one by one.
And the crocodile cried, "You're hurting me so! Please
put down your pliers and let me go."
But the dentist just laughed with a Ho Ho Ho,
And he said, "I still have twelve to go --
Oops, that's the wrong one I confess,
But what's one crocodile tooth, more or less?"
Then suddenly, the jaws went snap,
And the dentist was gone, right off the map,
And where he went one could only guess......
To North or South or East or West......
He left no forwarding address.
But what's one Dentist more or less?
by Shel Silverstein
The
crocodile
Has a toothy smile.
His teeth are sharp and long.
And in the swamp
When he takes a chomp,
His bite is quick and strong!
So
if you smile
At a crocodile,
There's just one thing I'll say:
If he smiles too,
Be sure that you
Are very far away!
by Meish Goldish
Crocodile:
beady eyes
So beady and bright.
Back rumpy and bumpy.
Long tail dragging behind.
Such a majestic walk you have,
Sinking in on your prey.
By Katie Touff
Pesky
mosquito,
Please fly away!
The buzzing in my ear
Is spoiling my day!
by Meish Goldish
Six
little ducks went out one day,
Over the hill and far away.
Mother Duck said,
"Quack, quack, quack, quack!"
But just five ducks
came quacking back!
Author unknown
Alligator,
alligator, long as can be,
You look like a giant lizard to me!
Swimming in the swamp, with very sharp teeth,
Eyes above the water and jaw beneath.
Alligator, alligator, here's what we'll do:
I'll keep my mouth shut, and you should, too!
by Meish Goldish
Duck
in the water, quack, quack, quack!
Soft, white feathers on your back, back, back!
Duck in the water, splash and splish!
Dip in your bill and catch those fish!
Duck
out of water, walk on land.
Your webbed feet make it hard to stand!
Waddle with your family, waddle in a pack,
Duck out of water, quack, quack, quack!
by Meish Goldish, Animal Poems from A - Z
Frog
on a lily pad! Frog on a log!
Leap, frog! Leap, frog! Leap, leap, frog!
First a tadpole, or baby frog,
Also known as a polliwog!
Growing
bigger, hopping about,
Losing its tail as its legs grow out.
Looking around with bulging eyes,
Using its tongue to catch those flies!
Splash
in the water, get a good soak.
Stretch the hind legs, start to stroke!
Sing your song, frog! Sing for the folk!
Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit! Croak, croak, croak!
by Meish Goldish, Animal Poems from A - Z
Little
tadpole in my pond,
Wiggle, flip and swim.
See that big frog by the pond?
Some day you'll look like him.
Some
day you will grow some legs
And, later, on, I hear,
You'll grow two lungs and lose your gills;
Your tail will disappear.
Like
other tadpoles, you will be
A grown-up frog someday.
You cannot be a baby long,
For that is nature's way.
by Mabel Chandler Duch, Poems to Grow On, p. 55
Down
in the brook where the water runs cool—
That's where the minnows are going to school!
What do they study, I wonder, and then,
When do they get to go home again?
Schools
for the fish aren't like mine, I guess—
No teachers or blackboards or books—just recess!
When Daddy says, "Look! School of minnows there,
Son!"
It sure looks to me like they're just having fun!
by Jane Keefer Frey
The
turtle children,
Sister and brother,
Do not live in one house
With their father and mother.
Each baby turtle
Is happy alone
In a snug little house
Of his very own.
by Laura Arlon
A
fat pollywog
In a pool in the bog
Began to feel frightfully queer.
His body felt strange,
But he didn't have pains,
He only felt solemn and drear.
His
rusty black coat
Got white at the throat
And speckled with green on the
back.
His
tail shrank and shrank,
Then he crawled on the bank
And found that he made a queer
track.
There
were four legs so neat
With lovely webbed feet
Grown right to that fat pollywog.
And the first time he spoke
He cried with a croak,
"Mercy me, I've turned into
a frog!"
by Shirley R. Williams
Ducks
are lucky,
Don't you think?
When they want to
Take a drink,
All they do is
Duck their bill.
(Doesn't matter
If they spill.)
When they want to
Take a swim,
All they do is
Dive right in;
And they never
Seem to sink.
Ducks are lucky,
Don't you think?
by
Mary Ann Hoberman, from Boing! Boing!
Squeak! Poems to Share Rigby Literacy 2000
has tape and 6 books
Well,
well, well,
Turtle in its shell!
On the land or in the sea,
Creeping slow or swimming free.
Crawling 'round on stubby legs,
Digging holes to lay its eggs.
Well, well, well,
Turtle in its shell!
by Meish Goldish
Graceful
on the water,
Graceful in the air,
Gliding oh, so gracefully
The swan is oh, so fair.
Graceful
in the water,
Graceful in the sky,
Gliding oh, so gracefully
The swan is floating by.
by Meish Goldish
Go
tell Aunt Rhody,
Go tell Aunt Rhody,
Go tell Aunt Rhody,
The old gray goose is dead.
The
one she was saving,
The one she was saving,
The one she was saving,
To make a feather bed.
The
old gander is mourning,
The old gander is mourning,
The old gander is mourning,
Because his wife is dead.
The
little goslings are weeping,
The little goslings are weeping,
The little goslings are weeping,
Because their mama's dead.
The
whole family's weeping,
The whole family's weeping,
The whole family's weeping,
Because their mama's dead.
American Folk Song
from
A Pocket Full of Licorice, Poems to Share, Rigby
Literacy 2000 (
has tape and 6 student books)
Over
the river,
Over the bay,
Ferryboats travel
Every day.
Most
of the people
Crowd to the side
Just to enjoy
Their ferryboat ride.
Watching
the seagulls,
Laughing with friends,
I'm always sorry
When the ride ends.
James S. Tippett
One
foot in the river,
One foot in the lake—
What wonderful strides
A giant can take!
The
water goes "squish"
When he wiggles his toes.
Oh, giants have fun,
As anyone knows.
His
red rubber boots
Reach up to his knee.
Why, puddles are nothing
To giants like me!
Elizabeth Sawyer
Dark
brown is the river,
Golden is the sand.
It flows along for ever,
With trees on either hand.
Green
leaves a-floating,
Castles of the foam,
Boats of mine a-boating—
Where will all come home?
On
goes the river
And out past the mill,
Away down the valley,
Away down the gill.
Away
down the river<
A hundred miles or more,
Other little children
Shall bring my boats ashore.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Little Duck Squat in preparation for waddling
In
raincoat of yellow Smooth
"feathers" on each arm.
And
rubbers of red, Touch
feet.
With
rain pouring down on his back, Raise
and lower arms while fluttering fingers.
This
fine little fellow
Just
lifts up his head Stretch
neck.
And
gives out his happiest "Quack." Quack
and waddle about after saying line.
Jumping
Frogs
Squat with knuckles on floor, making short jump with both
legs for each line of poem.
"CHUG-A-RUM."
Here we come.
"CHUG-A-RUM."
Here we come.
And we sing
In the spring
"CHUG-A-RUM."
My
fish was small,
my fish was gold,
but now my fish
is still and cold.
My
fish no more
will splash and splish.
My fish is gone
I flush my fish.
Jack Prelutsky, from A Pizza the Size of the Sun
"Oh
please take me fishing, oh please, pretty please,"
insisted my sister the pest.
She drives me bananas when she's at her worst,
she bugs me when she's at her best.
She
wouldn't give up, so I've got her along,
but I've not decided her fate.
Maybe I'll patiently teach her to fish—
maybe I'll use her for bait!
Jack Prelutsky, from A Pizza the Size of the Sun
Oh
alligator, palligator, get up out of bed
It's breakfast time and I can't find
Our keeper Mister Fred.
He smokes a pipe and wears a little
Derby on his head,
And he was 'sposed to meet me here
To help to get you fed.
Shel Silverstein
How
doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!
How
cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in,
With greatly smiling jaws!
Lewis Carroll
Way
down yonder in the maple swamp
The wild geese gather and the ganders honk.
The mares kick up and the ponies prance,
The old sow whistles and the little pigs dance.
Jack Prelutsky, A. Nonny Mouse Writes Again!
Row,
row, row your boat
Gently down the stream,
Throw
your teacher overboard
And listen to her scream!
Jack Prelutsky, A. Nonny Mouse Writes Again!
No
animal is half so vile
As Crocky-Wock the crocodile.
On Saturdays he likes to crunch
Six juicy children for his lunch,
And he especially enjoys
Just three of each, three girls, three boys.
He smears the boys (to make them hot)
With mustard from the mustard pot.
But
mustard doesn't go with girls,
It tastes all wrong with plaits and curls.
With them, what goes extremely well
Is butterscotch and carame.
It's
such a super marvellous treat
Whe boys are hot and girls are sweet.
At least that's Crocky's point of view.
He ought to know. He's had a few.
That's
all for now. It's time for bed
Lie down and rest your sleepy head…
Ssh! Listen! What is that I hear
Gallumphing softly up the stair?
Go lock the door and fetch my gun!
Go on, child, hurry! Quickly, run!
No, stop! Stand back! He's coming in!
Oh, look, that greasy greenish skin!
The shining teeth, the greedy smile!
It's CROCKY-WOCK, THE CROCODILE!
Roald Dahl, Dirty Beasts
