August 16th: National Tell A Joke Day - A Poetry Break

INTRODUCTION
National Tell a Joke Day is August 16! Time to share the old favorites and learn some new jokes to tell everyone. In preparation of the poem reading bring a collection of joke books as well as humorous poetry books like Jack Prelutsky's For Laughing Out Loud: Poems to Tickle Your Funny Bone and The Hopeful Trout and Other Limericks by John Ciardi, and bring your own favorite jokes to share. Remember to read this poem with some vocal attitude!

POEM

The Joke
by Anonymous

The joke you just told isn't funny one bit.
It's pointless and dull, wholly lacking in
........wit
It's so old and stale, it's beginning to
........smell!
Besides it's the one I was going to tell.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
This poem is from:
Prelutsky, Jack. 1983. The Random House Book of Poetry of Children: A Treasure of 572 Poems for Today's Child. Illus. Arnold Lobel. NY: Random House. ISBN: 0394850106.

EXTENSION
Invite the children to share their favorite jokes and humorous poems. Encourage them to create their own joke books that include jokes that they were told by their friends and that they found in books as well as funny poems, including limericks, that they discover while exploring the poetry books.