Poetry Break: Spring

Looking for a poem to help kick-off spring, I found this lovely Langston Hughes poem in a collection of poetry for young children. The collection is by Jane Yolan, Andrew Fusek Peters and is beautifully illustrated by Polly Dunbar.

April Rain Song

Let the rain kiss you.

Let the rain beat upon your head

With silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk.

The rain makes running pools in the gutter.

The rain plays a little sleep-song

On our roof at night-

And I love the rain.

Langston Hughes

Hughes, Langston. “April Rain Song.” p.74. Yolen, Jane, Andrew Peters, and Polly Dunbar. 2007. Here's a little poem: a very first book of poetry. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press.

Spring is just around the corner. We are starting to see crocuses popping their heads through the ground to peek at the world. What a great time to start a little cup gardens for flowers. Have your students bring in an old mug that no one uses anymore to 'go green'. What a lovely Mother's Day gift, a small plant and poem about spring!

Poetry Book Review: Curriculum Connection

What a cool poetry book to help introduce reptiles and amphibians to your elementary school science class. Douglas Florin’s creative illustrations and poems called “lizards, frogs, and polliwogs” include twenty-one slimly, slithery, cold and creepy amphibians and reptiles. The book is written to engage the class in discussions regarding the uniqueness of his subjects all the while playing with the arrangements of the words. Some of the poems are written in rhyme while others are concrete, like “The Python” or “The Gecko.” The author in a fun and intuitive way illustrates all the poems.

It would be easy to lead a class on a project illustrating their own creative poems, from the nature they observe.

The Spring Peepers

Peep-
Peep-
We steal your sleep.
In scores
Of choruses
We cheep.
Beneath our chin’s
A thin balloon
To help our song
From March till June.
Each spring
We sing
To bring
A mate,
And make you stay
Awake too late.

Florian, Douglas. 2005. Lizards, frogs, and polliwogs: poems and paintings. Voyager books. Orlando: Harcourt.

Poetry Choice: Biographical Poetry

While studying the Civil Rights Movement with young adults, there is one event which brought the reality and horrors of being a young blackman, to the attention of the nation. No discussion on Civil Rights Movement could be complete without the heart-wrenching story of Emmett Till. This fourteen year old, whose gruesome death, brought attention of the difficulties of blacks in the south. And can now be used as a catalyst for conversations on the Movement and current topics on diversity and inclusion.

Marilyn Nelson’s treatment of Emmett Till's short life through poetry lends itself to extended discussions. The book is written in sonnet form, which can also be used in advanced English classes.

I have chosen a poem that emphasises the fear of that time.

Emmett Till’s name still catches in my throat,
like syllables waylaid in a stutterer’s mouth.
A fourteen-year-old stutterer, in the South
To visit relatives and to be taught
the family’s way. His mother had finally brought
that White Sox cap; she’d made him swear an oath
to be careful around white folk. She’d told him the truth
of many a Mississippi anecdote:
some white folks have blind souls. In his suitcase
she’d packed dungarees, T-shirts, underwear,
and comic books. She’d given him a note
for the conductor, waved to his chubby face,
wondered if he’d remember to brush his hair.
Her only child. A body left to bloat.

Nelson, Marilyn, and Philippe Lardy. 2005. A wreath for Emmett Till. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Further information on Emmett Till and the climate of the time can be found at PBS.org. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/till/filmmore/fr.html.

Further Reading. "The Murder of Emmett Till."1999-2003. American Experience. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/till/filmmore/fr.html. (accessed 3/13/2009)

Poetry Choice: Poetry That Does Not Rhyme

Looking very hard for poetry that does not rhyme, I could not figure out the reasons or the needs for this form of poetry. Then in my search, I came across a new anthology, “The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry.”

This new anthology is a beautiful new book filled with poems by over fifty-four new and old poets included within the works by Mother Goose, Langston Hughes, Norma Farber and Robert Frost.

Then I tripped across this little poem by Kalli Dakos.

This poem is fun.

Then I got it!

Unrhymed poetry is a unique way a showing kids that poems, do not need to rhyme. The creation of this type of poetry can be a learning tool for expressing their wonder, surprises and the joys of life. Little vignettes which can be used to help and develop the skills needed to continue finding the proper methodology for advanced skills.

I Brought a Worm

Jane brought a baseball hat

And a ball for sharing time.

But I brought a worm!

Rich brought a goldfish bowl

Without a goldfish.

But I brought a worm!

Lizzy brought an egg with a yolk

And an egg without a yolk.

But I brought a worm!

Joe brought an eraser shaped like a knife

And an olive sandwich.

But I brought a worm!

Jane showed us how to hit

The ball with the bat.

Rich put at class turtle

In the goldfish bowl.

Lizzy showed us how to pick an egg

And take the yolk out.

Joe tried to cut his sandwich

With his eraser knife.

But I ate the worm!

Right there in front of everyone

I ate the worm!

(It was a candy worm.)

Dakos, Kalli. Martin, Bill, and Michael R. Sampson. 2008. p. 88-89. The Bill Martin Jr. big book of poetry. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Poetry Break: Unusual Form

"Technically, it’s not my fault: concrete poems", by John Grandits is my pick for poetry in unusual form. This book you will find covers both unusual form and unrhymed poetry using the words to illustrate the book. The poems are all written with the words forming pictures both figuratively and literally. The poem I chose uses linguine to spell out the first line of the poem on a plate. In other areas of the book the words form stairs, blades of grass, and of course the concrete block which opens the treasures featured in the book.

I had the pleasure to work with Joann Grandits, children’s librarian, so including John’s book was a natural and easy choice for me. All of us, in the Ocean County Library system were so excited when the book came out in 2004 and passed the copies around from department to department.

While exploring this book with children it would be so easy to have them to pick any of the poems within and have them connect, discuss and create.

Stop Playing with Your Food!

I

HATE

L I N G U I N I

I ONLY like spaghetti.

It’s exactly the same, Robert. Pasta is pasta. By the way, your spelled linguine wrong.

I don’t care. It’s flat and it’s stupid.

Put some tomato sauce on it, you’ll never know the difference.

I already know the difference! I’m just going to leave it plain so I can hate it more.

So I’ve been sitting here for an hour because I have to eat everything on my plate.

Grandits, John. 2004. Technically, it’s not my fault: concrete poems. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Poetry Book Review: Verse Novel

DARK SONS



Nikki Grimes has managed to reconcile stories of loss from two very different worlds and times, in this verse novel for young adults. This loss is timeless and the raw emotion which it invokes transcends all the man made barriers that we construct. The title "Dark Sons" refers to the two main characters of the novel. One son is the biblical Ishmael, son of Abraham who is usurped in his father’s love by his half bother Isaac. The other character is Sam whose father leaves them for a younger woman, and starts a new family.

Both stories evoke abandonment and loss. The anguish that both young men encounter is universal. The journeys of the two are paralleled and their growth is beautifully connected by the author.


Here is Sam’s epilogue:


Sam: Dark Sons


I never really noticed

him before,

guzzling miracle water

in the pages

of that first book.

Then one morning,

my daily devotions

took me to Genesis.

I scanned the story of Abraham,

and heard a voice

deep inside of me.

Slow down, it said.

Take a closer look.

And there he was-Ishmael,

someone a lot like me.

A guy whose father

ripped his heart out too.

Me and you, Ishmael,

we’re brothers,

two dark sons,

the spawn of

kick-butt mother,

adopted sons of a Father

who hears.

It’s all good.

You made it

in the end

and so will I.


Grimes, Nikki. 2005. “Sam: Dark Sons.” p. 215. Dark Sons. New York, NY: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.

Poetry Break: NCTE Award Poet

What a great place to look for some neat poems about the first day of school. This anthology contains poems covering a variety of topics, the changing seasons, playing outside with friends, animals at the zoo, reading poems, changing emotions and everything else in between. The poem I chose to highlight appeals to me because of the simple truthfulness behind the words. I couldn't help but connect with this because, when I was in school I remember one of my biggest fears was would I remember anything after summer vacation from last year? Everyone has days when you just can't seem to find your other sock or you misplace your glasses and you feel like you forgotten a piece of your brain.

Lilian Moore hits this one out of the ball park with her neat phrases concerning the confusion of misplacing things...especially your head!

I LEFT MY HEAD

I left my head

somewhere

today.

Put it down for

just

a minute.

Under the

table?

On a chair?

Wish I were

able

to say

where?

Everything I need

is

in it!

Moore, Lilian. 1996 "I Left My Head." p.48. A Jar of Tiny Stars: Poems by NCTE Award-Winning Poets. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong, Boyds Mills Press.

Many great discussions can begin with this poem such as:

How long ago did you last search for a missing item?

this morning?

five minutes ago?

How good did you feel to find what was lost?