April 1st: Penny Day

“Brown Penny” by W. B. Yeats

I WHISPERED, 'I am too young,'
And then, 'I am old enough';
Wherefore I threw a penny
To find out if I might love.
'Go and love, go and love, young man,
If the lady be young and fair.'
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
I am looped in the loops of her hair.

O love is the crooked thing,
There is nobody wise enough
To find out all that is in it,
For he would be thinking of love
Till the stars had run away
And the shadows eaten the moon.
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
One cannot begin it too soon.

Finneran, Richard J. The collected poems of W.B. Yeats. New York, NY. Scribner. 1996.

• Go over meaning of poem: tossing a penny in a well to find out his love for a girl.
• Look up superstitions such as lucky penny.

April 2nd: International Children's Book Day

"Learning" by Judith Viorst

I'm learning to say thank you.
And I'm learning to say please.
And I'm learning to use Kleenex,
Not my sweater, when I sneeze.
And I'm learning not to dribble.
And I'm learning not to slurp.
And I'm learning (though it sometimes really hurts me)
Not to burp.
And I'm learning to chew softer
When I eat corn on the cob.
And I'm learning that it's much
Much easier to be a slob.

Prelutsky, Jack. The 20th century children's poetry treasury. Ney York, NY. Random House.

• Students are to write a poem about their favorite book that taught them something useful.
• Create a class book from all of the poems that were written.