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.

LS 5623 Mod 6

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What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones



Module 6 Poetry, Drama, Film and Response


BIBLIOGRAPHY


Sones, Sonya. What my girlfriend doesn't know. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2007. ISBN: 9780689876028


CRITICAL ANALYSIS


The sequel to What my Mother Doesn’t Know, this novel is written from Robin’s (the boyfriend) point of view in free verse poetry. He covers topics that are pressing in his life such as first love, bullying and other typical high school issues and insecurities. The novel is honest and emotional as it offers a perspective rarely shared. Readers may be surprised at how a young man’s actions are so closely tied to his feelings. Robin demonstrates how young men may struggle to express their feelings, deal with the pain that others inflict upon them or handle rejection, teasing and temptation.  Truly insighful and entertaining, this is another important novel of prose for young readers.


BOOK HOOK/EXPLEMPLARY OR FAVORITE LINES


I Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Tired Of This: (pg 93)


Of letting


my fingers






Swirl across the silky skin


on Sophie’s hands


While she swirls hers


across mine,






Lacing


and unlacing,






In this kind of floaty,


fingertip dance…






Both of us practically


in a trance.





Author’s website: http://www.sonyasones.com/






EXTERNAL ASSESSMENTS






School Library Journal


This sequel to What My Mother Doesn't Know (S & S, 2001) stands completely on its own. Robin's life at Cambridge High School is miserable. The arty outsider's last name becomes the pejorative slang of the school—as in, "Don't be such a Murphy." His lot improves, however, when popular Sophie becomes his girlfriend despite the detriment to her reputation. Better still, the freshman is invited to audit an art class at Harvard. It is his homecoming; for once, he is the comedian rather than the butt of jokes. One of the college freshmen even shows some romantic interest in him. Written as a novel in verse, this title is a fast-paced, page-turning romp that gives authentic voice to male youth even when it is painfully truthful.


Booklist


In What My Mother Doesn't Know (2001), 14-year-old Sophie, a Cambridge, Massachusetts, teen, describes her surprise when she is drawn to Robin, the school-appointed loser who makes her laugh. In this sequel, Robin picks up the narrative in rapid-fire, first-person free verse as he describes their school's reaction to the relationship: "They're gawking at us / like Sophie's Beauty and I'm the Beast." Sophie compares the two to outlaws: "It's just you and me against the world." But after Sophie's friends dump her, Robin feels guilty for the "random acts of unkindness" she endures: "Sophie may feel like an outlaw, / but thanks to yours truly, / what she really is / is an outcast." A talented artist, Robin finds escape in a Harvard drawing class, where a new friendship threatens his closeness with Sophie. The story of a thrilling and faltering first love may be familiar, but Robin's believable voice is distinctive, and Sones uses her spare words (and a few drawings) to expert effect. From bad puns to breathless accounts of locking lips to anguished worries about losing Sophie, Robin reinforces the picture of an awkward, likable, intelligent, and realistically flawed young man. Many teens will see themselves, and they'll cheer when Sophie and Robin thwart the bullies and reclaim their social standing. Like Sones' other titles, this is a great choice for reluctant and avid readers alike.