LS 5663 Spring 2012: Responding to Poetry

Module 6: Poetry By Kids

Bibliographic information:

Nye, Naomi Shihab, and Ashley Bryan. Salting the ocean: 100 poems by young poets. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2000. ISBN: 9780688161934

Review:

Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young Poets is a collection of original poetry written by poets unknown to readers but well known to award winning poet and compiler Naomi Shihab Nye. These young poets were at one time or another students of Nye’s. Each gave her permission to publish their poetry and so she compiled them all in this one collection. Their use of metaphor, repetition, rhythm and mood results in a collection of quality work readers will enjoy. The subject matter and authentic voice will appeal to readers and perhaps the emotions and points of view expressed will ignite readers’ imaginations as well. The collection is arranged with one poem per page with a few drawings throughout. A table of contents, index and pagination is included. The poets range from first to twelfth graders from Texas, Maine, Wyoming to Oregon. Each poem is a unique surprise and demonstrates the array of style and talent that is present in young students.



Highlighted Poem:

(p.57)

Strong Emmett

 

My name came from my great-great-great grandfather.

He was an Indian from the Choctaw tribe.

His name was Dark Ant.

When he went to get a job out in the city

He changed it to Emmett.

And his whole name was Emmett Perez Tenorio.

And my name means: Ant; Strong; Carry twice its size.

 

By Emmett Tenorio Melendez

Introduction/Activity:

5th grade: presentation of research material



After students complete a research assignment to discover the origins of their name (first, last or both), share the poem from this collection on page 57 that presents Emmett’s findings. Have them present their information in a poetic form.



LS 5663 Spring 2012: Responding to Poetry

Module 6:  Janeczko Collection

Bibliographic information:

Janeczko, Paul B., J. Patrick Lewis, and Tricia Tusa. Wing nuts: screwy haiku. New York: Little, Brown, 2006. ISBN: 9780316607316

Review:

Filled with figurative language, onomatopoeia and homonyms, Paul Janeczko’s WingNuts: Screwy Haiku, is humorous and clever. The metaphors, similes and overall playful language cause readers to think, connect and interact with vocabulary and explore words for meaning and even other words! This collection is a great tool to stimulate readers to look for associations within their expanding vocabularies. Janeczko refers to the poetry in this collection as Senryu, “the kissing cousins of Haiku” and explains that they “are poems of snickers and laughter”. In fact it can be almost impossible to distinguish Haiku from Senryu because the patterns and styles are the same but the differences lie in the poetry’s subjects and mood. Traditionally, Haiku are written about nature and do not include humor. Senryu are often funny and may be written about various topics. Without a doubt, this collection will make readers giggle. Janeczko, a well-known poet and compiler, has joined J. Patrick Lewis and Tricia Tusa in assembling this very entertaining and well written collection of unique poetry. The collection is arranged with one to two poems on two page layouts written by Janeczko or Lewis with Tusa’s ink and water color illustrations accompanying them. There is no table of contents, index or pagination included in the collection.



Highlighted Poems:

(1) On Ferris Wheel

I regret French fries, milkshake-

Those below agree.

(2) Freedom vanishes

As the babysitter arrives…

Kids are tied in nots.

(3) Grumpy bear growl

Blends with chirp of rusty hinge…

Mom and Dad snoring.

 

Introduction/Activity:

2-5th grade: point of view, homonyms, onomatopoeia



After reading WingNuts: Screwy Haiku, re-read these three poems. For the first poem, ask students to create a Haiku from the point of view of those on the ground below the Ferris wheel rider. For the second poem, ask students if they can write their own poem using a homonym. For the third poem, have students create a poem highlighting sounds or onomatopoeia.

LS 5663 Spring 2012: Responding to Poetry

Module 6: Free Choice

Bibliographic information:

Creech, Sharon. Love that dog. New York: HarperCollins, 2001 ISBN: 0060292873

Review:

Award winning author Sharon Creech created an authentic, honest voice for Jack in Love That Dog as he response in verse to his teacher’s assignments, his favorite poet and his own emotions. Jack doesn’t want to write poetry because that’s what girls do. However, after reading Walter Dean Myers’ poetry, Jack discovers that he has much to say. Creech teaches readers about voice, style and mood through Jack’s one sided conversations with his teacher as readers infer the teacher’s words based on Jack’s responses and questions. Readers also join Jack on his journey to discovering the poems hidden in his heart. Creech’s quality writing and hero’s honest emotion and reactions will appeal to readers and may even inspire them to attempt to create their own poetry. Most readers will be able to relate to Jack’s feelings towards poetry, heartbreak over losing his dog and excitement about meeting a favorite author.

Love That Dog is arranged with one poem on each page with dates added for a realistic journaling feel. Because the style of the book is free verse, there is no table of contents or index but the pages are numbered. Creech has however, added a section at the end of the novel titled, “Some of the poems used by Miss Stretchberry” which includes the ”real life” poems that Jack response to in his journal. Either whole or parts of famous poems are printed in this section and allow readers to fully understand the connection Jack was able to make with each poem.



Highlighted Poem:

(p.80-81)

JUNE 1

Mr. Walter Dean Myers Day

I NEVER

In my whole life

EVER

Heard anybody

Who could talk

Like that

Mr. Walter Dean Myers.

All of my blood

In my veins

Was bubbling

And all of the thoughts

In my head

Were buzzing

And

I wanted to keep

Mr. Walter Dean Myers

At our school

Forever.

Introduction/Activity:

2-5th grade: characterization

Read Love That Dog.  Re-read pages 80-81.  Discuss the feelings Jack was expressing in this poem. Ask students how they would feel if they were able to meet their favorite author. Have students write letters to their favorite author asking him/her to come visit their school. Students can refer back to pages 55-59 and read Jack’s letter to Walter Dean Myers to get ideas.

LS 5663 Spring 2012: Poetry Performance

Module 5:  Sidman Poetry

Bibliographic information:


Sidman, Joyce, and Pamela Zagarenski. This is just to say: poems of apology and forgiveness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2007. ISBN: 9781428735682

Review:

Joyce Sidman is the author of many award-winning children’s poetry books. Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night was awarded the Newberry Honor. Two of her books that are Caldecott Honor winners are Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems, it also won a Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors, which also won the Claudia Lewis Poetry Award. She teaches poetry writing to school children and participates in many national poetry events.

This Is Just To Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness, is a beautiful poetry collection written by students who worked with their teacher and Sidman to publish poems of hope, compassion and empathy. Since each poem is written by a different poet, the variety of voice is exciting and appealing. Readers are able to understand the personal feelings of each poet as he/ she deals with shame, regret, confession and pardon.

Divided into two parts, Part 1: Apologies and Part 2: Responses, the collection is arranged with one poem on each page accompanied by Pamela Zagarenski’s bright, collage and computer graphics illustrations. There is a table of contents to help readers locate specific poems or responses but no index is provided. An introduction by a student editor explains the context in which these poems were written allows readers to have a better understanding of the emotion behind each poem.



Highlighted Poems:

(to Maria)

Not Really

I’m sorry I bumped your books that day

And scattered them all over

(but not really).

I’m sorry your locker mirror disappeared

And mysteriously ended up in my desk

(but not really).

I’m sorry I pulled that clip out of your hair

And you had to chase me down the hall

(but not really).

I’m sorry I made you yell at me

Till your face got red and your eyes sparkled

(but not really).

I’m sorry you keep saying

You won’t go out with me.

(Really.)

by Bobby

(to Bobby)

What Girls Want

Girls want a lion with a great shaggy mane.

Girls want a horse, fast and sure.

Girls want a coyote that sings with its heart.

Girls want an eagle, soaring through mountains.

Girls want a breeze that whispers its name.

Girls want a snowfall that makes the world new.

Girls want a dog that wags all over.

Girls want a cat that purrs to the moon.

Girls want a hedgehog that carries it own armor

But doesn’t

Always

Use it.

Just to let you know.

by Maria



Introduction/Activity:

7th grade: poetic element-repetition or pattern

Discuss how poets use patterns and repetition to emphasize the mood or tome of their poem. Ask students, “What sorts of moods are created when patterns are used?” Once upbeat/fun, somber or serious are mentioned, re-read Not Really by Bobby and Maria’s response, What Girls Want. Have students explain the tones the poems convey by repenting certain phrases. Working with a partner, allow students to create two responsive poems using repetition to evoke a specific mood or tone and perform them with their partner.



LS 5663 Spring 2012: Poetry Performance

Module 5:  Performance Poetry


Bibliographic information:

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, and Jeffrey Thompson. The midnight ride of Paul Revere. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1999.. ISBN: 9780792276746

Review:

Born in Portland, Maine, in 1807, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow became a national literary figure by the 1850’s and famous around the world by the time of his death in 1882. American life and history charged his imagination and by 1854 he had become one of America's first self-sustaining authors.

Considered one of America’s greatest poems, the classic Longfellow rhyme, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere allows readers to follow Revere through the countryside of Massachusetts on the night before the first battle of the American Revolution. Filled with repetition, metaphors and similes, the secretive tone of the narrative translates easily into an oral performance with a rhythmic hoof beat “sound track” throughout. Although the original language may be too difficult for young readers or performers, the anxious mood that the poet portrays of that historical night is one that will attract all readers and entertain audiences of all ages.

Because the poem is a narrative, the illustrator, Jeffrey Thompson did not include in his version of the poem a table of contents, index or pagination.  However, Thompson does incorporate a historical note to clarify facts and a map to show Revere’s actual route. His illustrations generate a deeply mysterious sensation that enhances the drama of the well-known poem.  The two page layout features the text embedded in Thompson’s colorful, animated, graphic-style illustrations.  It is the contemporary flavor in Thompson’s images that makes this particular interpretation more attractive to younger readers.

Highlighted Poem: (first and final stanzas)

Listen my children and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;

Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British march

By land or sea from the town tonight,

Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch

Of the North Church tower as a signal light,

One if by land, and two if by sea;

And I on the opposite shore will be,

Ready to ride and spread the alarm

Through every Middlesex village and farm,

For the country folk to be up and to arm."

…

But mostly he watched with eager search

The belfry tower of the Old North Church,

As it rose above the graves on the hill,

Lonely and spectral and somber and still.

And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height

A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!

He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,

But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight

A second lamp in the belfry burns.

…

You know the rest. In the books you have read

How the British Regulars fired and fled,

How the farmers gave them ball for ball,

From behind each fence and farmyard wall,

Chasing the redcoats down the lane,

Then crossing the fields to emerge again

Under the trees at the turn of the road,

And only pausing to fire and load.

So through the night rode Paul Revere;

And so through the night went his cry of alarm

To every Middlesex village and farm,

A cry of defiance, and not of fear,

A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,

And a word that shall echo for evermore!

For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,

Through all our history, to the last,

In the hour of darkness and peril and need,

The people will waken and listen to hear

The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,

And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

Introduction/Activity:

4th grade: rhythm and mood

After reviewing the story of Paul Revere’s ride, read The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. Ask students what techniques the poet used to create rhythm and mood. Once students have offered word choice, rhyme and beat, pass out rhythm sticks or blocks and have students create the beat of a galloping horse. Wear an overcoat, hat and leather gloves to perform the poem to the students’ galloping rhythm. Provide stick horses, hats and coats or gloves and allow students to perform in groups for one another.

LS 5663 Spring 2012: Poetry Performance

Module 5:  Hopkins Award Poetry


Bibliographic information:

Schertle, Alice, and Petra Mathers. Button up!: wrinkled rhymes. New York: Harcourt Children's Books/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. ISBN: 9780152050504

Review:

The national Lee Bennett Hopkins Award for Children’s Poetry is awarded yearly to an anthology of poetry or a single poem published for children by a living American poet or anthologist. The Hopkins Award is administered by The Pennsylvania Center for the Book and Penn State University Libraries.

The 2010 Hopkins Award winner, Button Up! Wrinkled Rhymes by Alice Schertle provides many examples of alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification and repetition. However, the collection’s real appeal is that it is written from the perspective of familiar inanimate objects such as hats, underwear and other clothing. These fifteen clever poems will stimulate readers’ imaginations as they explore the unknown world of items to which they can relate. Every poem is created with quality language and style by one award winning poet especially for this collection.

Readers may enjoy the personalities and moods of these common articles of clothing and may be inspired to look at everyday events from their perspectives. Using the table of contents readers can easily find a specific poem although there is no index. Each two page layout features a poem and an original watercolor illustration by Petra Mathers.

The Hopkins Award website states that the 2010 judges said that Button Up! is full of humor and will “draw children in with laughter and love”. The animated poems in Button Up! encourage expressive and dramatic reading that will urge even the most reluctant readers to read with enthusiasm.



Highlighted Poem:
p. 4

Bertie’s Shoelaces

Good old Bertie,

he lets us hang around.

It doesn’t bother Bertie

when we drag along the ground.

We’re not uptight

as our Bertie Buddy knows.

We’re hang loose laces and

we don’t do bows!

Introduction/Activity:

4th grade: personification

After reviewing the definition of personification, read Button Up, Wrinkled Rhymes. Re-read Bertie’s Shoelaces and have students identify phrases in the poem that demonstrate the use of personification. Have students create original poems using personification about school, home or a vacation written from their backpacks’ point of view.

Module 4: LS 5663 Spring 2012: Biography

Poetry Across the Curriculum: Biographical Poetry

Bibliographic information:

McGill, Alice, and Michael Cummings. In the hollow of your hand: slave lullabies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. ISBN: 0395857554

Review:

Alice McGill’s In the Hollow of Your Hand; Slave Lullabies is a collection of poems passed down by members of her family who were slaves. The rhythmic storytelling and nonsense rhymes will stimulate readers’ emotions and imaginations as they expose them to the real life hardships slaves endured. McGill explains that these poems should be thought of as “musical stories” that express love in spite of the pain and sadness these families suffered. She also provides readers with insight into the lives of the poets/singers through the eyes of their descendants.

The poets are unknown outside of the author’s friends and family. McGill confesses that although she doesn’t know the origin of all of the poems, she tried to determine the sources of these descriptions of trials and celebrations her ancestors experienced. Readers will enjoy the silly as well as slightly frightening moods these poems convey.

The thirteen poems are arranged in a two page layout of a poem, artwork and background information about each poem or poet over two pages. Sheet music as well as a CD are included and allow readers to connect with the poetry on a more meaningful level. Along with an acoustic guitar, fiddle, banjo and other percussion instruments, McGill is the singer and the storyteller on the accompanying CD. Artist Michael Cummings has chosen various fabric and paper bits to create intense and powerful quilt collages to illustrate this collection. There is no pagination, table of contents or index; however the readers will appreciate how the introduction explains the connections the poems have to the real life people in McGill’s life. She also offers an “About the Lullaby” section that tells readers how and why the music and lyrics may have changed due to the traveling that may have occurred from plantation to plantation.



Highlighted Poem:

Rock de Cradle, Joe

(last stanza)

 

Joe went to de pig pen.

Slipped an’ he fell in.

All de gals commence to laugh

An’ Joe commence to grin.

Rock de cradle, rock de cradle,

Rock de cradle, Joe.

Introduction/Activity:

2nd grade: mood

Before reading Rock de Cradle, Joe, ask students if they have ever made up a nonsense song or poem with their friends. Read the story the author includes about the lullaby and then read the poem to students. Ask:  What is the mood the poem portrays?

LS 5663 Spring 2012 Mod 4 Social Studies

Poetry Across the Curriculum: Social Studies Poetry

Bibliographic information:

Hemphill, Stephanie. Wicked girls: a novel of the Salem witch trials. New York: Balzer + Bray, 2010. ISBN 9780061853296

Review:

Hemphill’s phrasing and word choice in Wicked Girls is emotional, descriptive and entertaining. Written in proper old English, it may at times be difficult for some readers to understand. However, readers who have some basic background knowledge of the history of the trials will have a slight advantage over readers who have no prior knowledge of these historical events. Hemphill offers great insight into what it may have been like for both the accused and the accusers. The quality of each poem intensifies the drama and danger that surrounded those involved in these trials.

Hemphill created these poems for this collection based on her research and investigations into the lives of those who were a part of the hearings that took place in the 1600’s known as the Salem Witch Trials or Hunts. The two sections titled, “The Real Girls and What Happened to Them” and “The Real People the Girls Accused” provides readers with an awareness of why and how the author wrote this poetry.

However, the arrangement is difficult to follow and readers may have to consult the descriptions before each poem many times to understand who is speaking. There are too many characters to keep track of and so readers may find themselves confused throughout the book. The story tends to get lost on the reader when he/she has to concentrate on each character’s specific set of circumstances and personality so closely.

The book is organized with headings before each poem to let readers know who is sharing. Page numbers, a table of contents and an index are provided. This collection is not illustrated; however, the list of resources, character descriptions, and factual information about the “real” people that may help readers with little or no background knowledge of this period in American history.



Highlighted Poem:
p. 346

Go Home

November 1692

After a fire rages,

the forest path dusts away.

it may be safe to walk,

but where do you go

when all directions wear

the same black ashen despair?

Introduction/Activity:

5th grade: mood

Explain that this poem is depicting the atmosphere in Salem Village after the trials and hangings had taken place. Read the poem. Ask students to describe the mood in Salem Village. How do you think the accusers feel?

LS 5663 Spring 2012 Mod 4 Science

Poetry Across the Curriculum:  Science Poetry

Bibliographic information:

Asch, Frank, and Ted Levin. Cactus poems. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Co., 1998. ISBN 0152006761

Review:

The nineteen poems Asch and Levin include in Catus Poems teach readers about the desert. Through rhyme, repetition, personification and other figurative language readers understand the food web, the habitats and the animals that are unique to desert climates. If the animals aren’t familiar to the reader, the poems provide enough intrigue to draw readers in and make the unfamiliar more memorable. These poems will inspire every reader to learn more about these distinctive locations and may even persuade them to travel to the deserts and experience these unusual places for themselves.

Each poem is carefully crafted to uncover how plants and animals have adapted to thrive in a desert setting. The secrets of animal behaviors and plants’ functions are all revealed to readers. Levine’s photography illustrates this collection of imaginative portrayals of the Sonora, Mojave, Great Basin and the Chihuahua deserts perfectly.

Although there is only one poem per page there may be several photos used to illustrate it. There is no table of contents or index to help readers locate specific poems but the introduction shares the author’s inspiration for the poetry he included in this book. Also, each poem is accompanied with notes offering information about the topic and the photos used to illustrate it.

Highlighted Poem:

Bobcat Watching

I thought

I was tracking

a bobcat.

I was

sure of

his prints

in the mud.

I felt so smart,

so quiet

and sly.

Hoping to

catch a

glimpse of him,

I hid behind

a tree. Then suddenly

I turned and saw

him

calmly

watching

me.

Introduction/Activity:

2nd grade: point of view

After reading the whole book, reread Bobcat Watching and ask students to write a poem describing the human behaviors the bobcat may have been observing the whole time the writer was looking for the bobcat.

LS 5663 Spring 2012 Mod 3 Verse Novel

Module 3

Kinds of Poetry-Verse Novel

Bibliographic information:

Havill, Juanita, and Stanislawa Kodman. Grow: a novel in verse. Atlanta: Peachtree, 2008. ISBN: 9781561454419

Review:

Juanita Havill published her first children’s book in 1986. The following year she was awarded the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer award. In Grow: A Novel in Verse, she uses metaphors, similes and other figurative language to expertly evoke emotions and images in her readers. Descriptive phrases such as, “can almost hear his brain thinking”, “my stomach hollow with pain” and “his scream has the power of pain times three” help readers to understand the depth of each character’s thoughts or reactions. Her short, expressive style draws readers in and helps to further connect them to the main characters and plot of the novel. Most readers will relate to the troubles of Havill’s characters but all will empathize with their plights. Every poem expresses the growing and changing that occurs in the neighborhood garden and in the lives of the characters. The novel is a series of single titled poems arranged to tell the beginning, middle and end of the story of Berneetha, Darleen and Harlan as they grow and tend to a small urban garden. It is sparsely illustrated with sketches and drawings by Stanislawa Kodman. Although there is pagination and the titles for each poem are in bold type, there is no index or table of contents to help readers find a specific poem.

Highlighted Poem:

page 157 only

The Last Poem is Really the First

I stare at the notebook paper,

thin blue lines

that I’m supposed

to be writing on,

pink up-and-down stripes

to keep me

from scribbling

across the margin.

But we’re supposed

to write poems

today-

long lines all the way to and even

across the pink line if we want,

or short lines

if

we

want.

Introduction/Activity:

4th grade: descriptive writing

Share a few poems from the novel such as Going Shopping on page 51 and Secrets on page 99, and ask students to respond to the descriptions of the clothing or Berneetha’s appearance. Give each student a blank piece of lined notebook paper. As students study the piece of paper, read the first part of The Last Poem is Really the Last on page 157. Have students choose one item from a group of familiar items you have on display to study and write six statements that describe the object.

LS 5663 Spring 2012 Mod 3 Poetic Form

Module 3



Kinds of Poetry-Poetic Form


Bibliographic information:

Clements, Andrew, and Tim Bowers. Dogku. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2007. ISBN: 9780689858239

Review:

Andrew Clements is a well-known author of children’s literature. Although he is not as well known for his poetry, he has a tremendous talent for writing Haiku. Having published over fifty books for children, Clements wrote fifteen well-crafted Haikus just for this publication. In Dogku, readers learn what the world can look like to a lonely, stray dog. Clements’ use of influential, descriptive and emotional language allows readers some insight into Mooch’s perspective of homelessness. The result is a funny, hopeful and heartwarming story to which readers can relate. Events that we see as ordinary and necessary to daily human life are strange, confusing and a little scary to the little stray looking for a family. Arranged to flow as a single story of events spanning a few days, two page illustrations surround one poem in this traditional thirty two page picture book format. Tim Bowers’ oil on canvas illustrations add warmth and specific detail to the meager Haiku style. There is no table of contents, index or pagination. However, the author’s note teaches, models and encourages Haiku writing as Clements explains how he got “hooked on Haiku” years ago.



Highlighted Poem:

Nose out the window,

Ears flapping, hair pushed straight back.

Adventures in smell.

Possible emotional reactions: active, excited, curious

Categorized as: Thought provoking or intriguing


Introduction/Activity:

6th grade: connecting with literature/vocabulary development

Working in small groups and using resources such as dictionaries and thesauri, have students choose words to describe different emotional reactions they might have to a story or poem. Allow each group to share and discuss the meanings and synonyms for their words with the whole class. Read Dogku and allow students to describe the images and emotions that are strongest for them overall. In small groups have students categorize five of the Haikus from the book in regards to the descriptive words they discovered while working in small groups or during another group’s share out.

LS 5663 Spring 2012 Mod 3 New Poetry Book

Module 3


Kinds of Poetry-New Poetry Book

Bibliographic information:

Silverstein, Shel. Every thing on it: poems and drawings. New York: Harper, 2011. ISBN: 9780061998164

Review:

Shel Silverstein was a cartoonist, author, poet, songwriter, and playwright. He is best known for his many children's poems. In 2011, twelve years after his death, Everything On It was published. It is a familiar collection of Silverstein’s rhythmic talent and slightly dark yet upbeat sense of humor. This latest collection is definitely in keeping with what we have come to expect from Silverstein. His famous odd, peculiar and sometimes “gross” subject choices can be found in the collection alongside a few new surprises. The pace of the poetry and his use of figurative language create an emotional and stimulating experience for readers. Silverstein’s style is one of a storyteller. The fantasies and exaggerations he creates with words and simple drawings are quite appealing to children. The collection is arranged in such a way that readers can experience huge belly laughs as well as sensitive thoughtful moments as they make their way from beginning to end. Each poem is accompanied by his signature black and white sketch. The index and pagination make it easy for readers to locate a particular poem. The touching “For You” dedication and final poem entitled, “When I’m Gone” make this collection feel very personal.



Highlighted Poem:

Wild Weed

This kid-eating plant

Is a dangerous creature.

It can wind all around ya

And choke ya and eatcha.

I should chop it or clip it

Or pull it or prune it,

But its leaves are so pretty…

I do hate to ruin it.

Introduction/Activity:

1st grade-5th grade: predicting outcomes

After reading the book, re-read th epoem on page 160, Wild Weed. Have students create an original comic strip telling with pictures and captions what happened next.

LS 5663 Spring 2012



Module 2  NCTE Award Poetry


Bibliographic information:

Hoberman, Mary Ann, and Jane Dyer. Whose garden is it?. Orlando: Gulliver Books/Harcourt, 2004. ISBN: 0152026312

Review:

Whose Garden Is It? by Mary Ann Hoberman is a sweet conversational poem written in a storybook format about all the characters involved in the growth and success of a neighborhood garden. Hoberman won the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) award for poetry in 2003. She has published over thirty books and won the National Book Award in 1978 for A House Is a House for Me. Whose Garden Is It?  is an example of her talent for writing concrete poetry in prose form. It is highly descriptive and rhythmic in its use of rhyme and alliteration. The characters’ voices are most appealing as readers are introduced to the predictable inhabitants of the garden as well as some critters that may not be as well known. The mood of the poem seems to change as characters defend why the garden is theirs. Illustrator Jane Dyer uses bright watercolor images to help develop the tone and personality of each character.

Highlighted Quotes from Poem:

“Not so!” sighed the worm. “Why, I make the soil fine, and that’s why I’m put here. This garden is mine!”

“It’s mine,” buzzed the honeybee. “You’re just a pest here. I pollinate flowers. It’s easy to see this garden would not even be without me!”

“It is mine,” smiled the sun, shining down on the tree. “I bring heat. I bring light. Nothing lives without me.”



Introduction/Activity:

1st grade: point of view/perspective

Before reading the book, ask students what they would expect to find in a garden. After sharing the entire book, re-read the above quotes to students. Ask students: How does each character help the garden to grow? Why do the characters feel that the garden belongs to them? Who is right?

LS 5663 Spring 2012



 Module 2     Florian Poetry






Bibliographic information:

Florian, Douglas. Autumnblings: poems & paintings. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2003. ISBN: 0060092785



Review:

Autumnblings is a collection of poetry and paintings by well known, award winning poet Douglas Florian. The collection features concrete and abstract poetry that stimulates readers’ senses with rhyme, rhythm and repetition. Florian’s text “falls”, “tumbles”, “twirls” and “climbs” in order to create more visual and content connections within some poems. The poetry in this collection highlights elements of the fall season that are often forgotten. Florian sparks reader’s recollection of moments enjoyed during autumn months and brings to light both positive and negative aspects of the season. The table of contents and pagination help readers to easily locate specific poems. The collection of twenty nine poems is organized in one and two page layouts with a painting paired with each poem. Florian has chosen water colors and colored pencils in the tones most often associated with fall.



 

Highlighted Poem:

Geese Piece by Douglas Florian

                                    Can

                                                  you

                                                           tell

                                                                     me

                                                                           which

                                                                                      formation

                                                                                                              do

                                                                                            geese

                                                                                    fly

                                                                        in

                                                           fall

                                       migration?





Introduction/Activity:

4th grade: how the physical layout of text can add interest/meaning to poetry

After sharing the entire book, re-read Geese Piece on pages twenty two and twenty three. Ask students how the arrangement of the text adds interest or meaning to the poem. Ask students to offer other poem topics that could be arranged in ways that would help readers connect with the meaning of the poem. Ex: falling snow or leaves, sunshine, rainbow, flowers blooming.

LS 5663 Spring 2012

Module 2    Multicultural poetry

Bibliographic information:

Mora, Pat, and Rafael López. Yum! mmmm! qué rico!: Americas' sproutings. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc., 2007. ISBN: 9781584302711

Review:

Yum! MmMm! Que’ rico!: America’s Sproutings by Pat Mora is a delicious collection of her Haiku poems celebrating foods native to North and South America. These tasty morsels appeal to readers’ visual and rhythmic senses and tempt their taste buds, too. Most of the poems brought to life are about treats that most readers have eaten.  However, the unfamiliar delicacies are presented in such an enticing way that many readers will want to try them. Each poem is paired with an interesting fact or historical note allowing readers to learn geography, history and cultural facts as they enjoy the imagery and playfulness Mora creates with her words. In her “Dear Reader” note at the end of the book, Mora writes that she always wanted to write about foods in North and South America so she combined them into this one book. This added feature is where readers also learn of her love of poetry and diversity. There is no table of contents, index or pagination to help readers find a specific poem but Mora includes a mini Spanish-English dictionary, acknowledgements and author’s sources at the beginning which helps readers connect with her poetry.  Rafael Lopez creates rich, multidimential illustrations with arylics on wood panels that increase readers' interest in Mora's poems.

Highlighted Poem:

Papaya by Pat Mora

Chewing your perfume,

We taste your leafy jungle.

Yum! Juicy tropics.

Introduction/Activity:

3nd grade: Haiku/Research project

When students are preparing to present the information they have collected for their research assignment on an inventor, teach the characteristics of Haiku (uses just a few words to capture a moment or create a picture in the reader's mind, written in three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line).  Read Yum! MmMm! Que’ rico: America’s Sproutings to demonstrate how Mora used Haiku to present each food. Re-read “Papaya” and ask students what they learned about a Papaya from the poem. Have students write a Haiku about their inventor and include it as part of their presentation of the inventor.

LS 5663 Spring 2012


Module 1     African American Poetry

Bibliographic information:

Steptoe, Javaka. In daddy's arms I am tall: African Americans celebrating fathers. New York: Lee & Low Books, 1997. ISBN: 9781880000311

Review:

In Daddy’s Arms I am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers illustrated by Javaka Steptoe is a unique collection of concrete and abstract poetry honoring fathers. All the poets are of African descent and each poem is an original work written specifically for this collection. The poets represent several generations of new and well know poets, educators and actors. Expressive, figurative language, rhythm and repetition of text are used to bring images of the poets’ memories to life for readers.

There is no pagination, index or table of contents that would allow readers to find one specific poem within the book. The “About The Poets” and “About the Illustrations” inclusions allow readers to gain a deeper understanding of each poet’s background and how the exceptional artwork was created.

Steptoe used a variety of techniques and materials such as torn paper, pastels, fabric and appliques to create truly distinctive collages. Some of the most unusual items in his illustrations are salvaged floorboards, coins, insects, barrettes and soil.

This is a treasure of both poetry and art all readers will enjoy.



Highlighted Poem:

My Father’s Eyes by Sonia Sanchez

I have looked into

my father’s eyes and seen an

african sunset.

Introduction/Activity:

2nd grade: Imagery

After reading the entire book, re-read My Father’s Eyes by Sonia Sanchez. Ask students to draw a picture of what they think the poet is trying to tell us she sees when she looks into her father’s eyes.

LS 5663 Spring 2012


Module 1  Hopkins Collection


Bibliographic information:

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. I am the book: poems. New York: Holiday House, 2011. ISBN: 9780823421190

Review:

I Am The Book by Lee Bennett Hopkins is a collection of concrete and abstract poetry about books and reading. Hopkins has selected poems written by different well known poets such as Naomi Shihab Nye and Jane Yolen as well as some who may not be as familiar to young readers like Jill Corcoran and Avis Harley. However, each poem evokes images with which most readers are like identify. Metaphors, similes, rhyme and meter are used to appeal to the readers’ senses and ignite their imagination.

The table of contents and pagination enable readers to easily locate a single poem within the book. An “About The Poets” inclusion allows readers to gain a deeper understanding of each poet and his or her talent.

Yayo illustrates this collection with creative transformational and representational art using acrylics on canvas. Each painting brings the specifics of its poem partner to life with unique color and clever manipulations of objects. For instance, in one painting the book is actually a tea bag hanging from the side of an oversized tea cup. In another painting, the book is a treasure chest that has been found buried on a beach.

I Am The Book is a treasure of poetry and art that readers will surely find inspirational.



Highlighted Poem:

Paperback Plunder by Michele Krueger

 

Like a sunken treasure

Long forgotten,

I lie half buried under sand.

She remembered

her sunscreen,

her towel and hat.

She folded her blanket,

And that was that.

No last look back

For what she left behind.

Now I am here

For you to find.

Sun-drenched and salty,

Like a giant conch shell.

Lift me to you ear,

Hear the story I shall tell.

Introduction/Activity:

3rd grade: Creative Writing

After reading the entire book, re-read Paperback Plunder by Michele Krueger on page 15. Have students work in pairs or groups of three to four to create an original story that the book/shell might tell.

LS 5663 Spring 2012


Module 1:  School Poetry












Bibliographic information:

Singer, Marilyn, and Lorna Clark. All we needed to say: poems about school from Tanya and Sophie. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1996.  ISBN:  9780689806674.



Review:

All We Need To Say: poems about school from Tanya and Sophie by Marilyn Singer is a collection of poems about the activities and characters associated with an elementary school. Singer arranges the poems to alternate from one girl to the other. The result is almost conversational as we discover each young girl’s perspective on her school experiences. Singer utilizes alliteration and metaphors in her concrete poetry to appeal to all of the readers’ senses. Her selections are relatable to readers and each reinforces the theme of the book. Every poem skillfully evokes images of the girls’ experiences and understanding of their various moods as they stimulate readers’ emotions. However, there is no organizational tool that would allow a reader to easily find one specific poem in the book.

The illustrator, Lorna Clark, uses black and white photographs of very familiar school related settings and objects to add visual interest and supplement the selections. Readers can learn more details about the photographs and the school at which they were taken by reading the Acknowledgements provided on the last page. This well-known poet has provided a touching and artistic story of two children who discover they have more in common than they realized.


Highlighted Poem:

Tanya

Who is first, last and in the middle?

The answer to this riddle

is me

First in reading

writing

‘rithmitic

Last to leave the library every day

And right smack in the middle in gym

I jump

high on the trampoline

But I don’t soar

I sink

one surprising basket

But never four

There’s nothing really

bad

about being in the middle

It’s just that it feels

like you’re fiddling around

twiddling your thumbs

Because no matter how hard

you try

You can’t ever reach

the sky

Introduction/Activity:

5th grade: Character development (perspective)

After reading the entire book, re-read Tanya and ask students to relate to Tanya's perspective by recalling something they were not very good at when they were in Kindergarten or first grade. After a brief group sharing time, have them write a skill or activity on an index card but do not have them write their name on the card. Once all students have something written on a card, collect them. Create groups of students and give each group three of the index cards. Instruct students to study the cards they have been given and as a group determine how they feel first graders today might classify the skills: first, last or middle. Explain to students that it is possible that not every member of the group may agree on how to classify the skill. They must come up with solutions that will as accurately as possible, represent each member's input. Allow for each group to share their perspectives on the skills and how they settled any discrepancies among their group members.