The One Great Text I shared with my student is a poem called My Pet Germs by Kenn Nesbitt. Kenn Nesbitt is an author of humorous poetry for children, including the books My Hippo Has the Hiccups and Revenge of the Lunch Ladies. I thought this one poem was really cute and funny while also explaining some patterns of germs. The poem also uses good vocabulary such as “epidermis.” The end of the poem leaves the kids with a question that should make them ponder on how many germs there actually are.
I have a half a billion germs
I keep as tiny pets.
They’re cute and clean and never mean
and give me no regrets.
They spend all day engaged in play
upon my skin and hair.
They’re on my clothes, between my toes
and in my underwear.
They dance and shout and bounce about.
They run and jump and slide.
My epidermis teems with germs
who party on my hide.
I never fret about the pets
inside my shirt and socks.
I love them there but wonder where
they keep their litter box?
My student absolutely loved this poem. She laughed throughout the reading and wanted me to read it again once I was finished. She understood and said that “Germs make you sick because they are tiny and we can’t see them.” She also said that “Germs are bad, but I don’t think they go in your underpants and have a party (haha).” I feel like even though the poem was humorous, Ingrid understood the point of the poem. She giggled about three times while also responding with insight! I would recommend this poem and more Kenn Nesbitt poems to use in the classroom!