I am starting a poetry unit next week and I am looking for some poems that have a lot of symbolism in them. My students and I are going to sit outside under the trees and read poetry and discuss symbolism. I'd like to have about 4 or 5 good poems. I have The Lightning is a Yellow Fork by Emily Dickinson and The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. I don't want to get too advanced with the poetry here though. I would hate for the whole thing to totally go over their heads. Does anyone know of any cute, kid-friendly poems with some great symbolism? Thanks in advance!!
A great book to preview a symbolism unit is, The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg. Although it is a 'picture book' it is actually appropriate for 5th graders. If you haven't read it, I will give you clue. What is flat, smooth, roughly two feet across, projects a warm, glowing light and draws billions of people to mindlessly stare at it for endless hours daily?
Carl Sandburg's "Fog" is perfect for imagery. I'm not sure that is what you want though. Symbolism...how about Frost's "Nothing Gold Can Stay"?
Actually I did a poetry unit and used Shel Silversteins "where the sidewalk ends." It actually has lots of sybolism and figurative language. It symbolizes the end of childhood imagination. Most of the poems inside of the book are just funny and cute. but a couple of them are actually very deep. Hope this helps
For teachers wondering about poetry this year: Check Scholastic Storyworks. I was able to locate many uses of similes, metaphors, personification, and symbolism.
