Developed by Donna Norton Swindal with generous support from the Kerlan Friends and the staff of the Children’s Literature Research Collections at the University of Minnesota

Overview:
The Barbara Esbensen Poetry Portfolio is multi-media learning tool that uses the work of Barabara Esbensen to highlight her versatility as a writer, poet and storyteller. The kit is appropriate for grades 2 through 8 and teachers can adjust the content accordingly for their grade level. The portfolio can be used in two ways:

Option 1. Teachers can request a fully functional “hands-on box” kit from either the Red Balloon (pick-up only, call 651-224-8320) or the Kerlan Collection (pick-up or shipped, call 612-624-4576 or e-mail clrc@umn.edu). This kit contains all the lesson plans, books, transparencies, and supplements that a teacher will need.

Option 2. Teachers can download all of the supplementary material in PDF format from the Kerlan Collection’s web site. You can print out or use a projector to present this material to your class. You will need to provide the Esbensen books listed in the following lesson plans or you can request to borrow just the books from the Kerlan Collection. Just ask for the Esbensen “books only” box.

There is a pre-kit lesson contained in the downloads which could be used before either option or just used on its own.

If you would like to view the lesson plans or download content proceed to the downloads page.