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.