The Mad Scientist - A Poetry Break

INTRODUCTION
Happy Halloween! Time to bring out the cute, the scary, the funny costumes and the candy bucket. This is a great poem from a great book of Halloween poetry to share with a class or share with the group of kids at a party. If you can manage it, do some special effects with a flannel board or just in the way you present the poem. Pair this poem with any more from Sklansky's book Skeleton Bones & Goblin Groans.




POEM

The Mad Scientist
by Amy E. Sklansky

He used-


nails
and screws
and nuts
and bolts,

plugs
and wires
with lots of volts,

ceiling fans
and pots
and pans,

toasters,
roasters,
old tin cans.

Then lightning somehow struck the tower
right before the midnight hour.

A spark! A sizzle!
A shock! A stir!

All parts at once began to whirr.

And at long last, his grand design
sprang to life. Meet

FRANKENSTEIN!

EXTENSION
After sharing this poem have the kids describe their own monster. They can also draw pictures of Frankenstein monster described in the poem or a monster of their own creation. For those who want to, they can also write their own poem in describing it.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sklansky, Amy E. 2004. Skeleton Bones & Goblin Groans. Illus. by Karen Dismukes. NY: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN: 080507046X.