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.