Driver, Haleigh. Original Poem (used with parent’s permission), 2007.
Fletcher, Ralph, Poetry Matters. New York: HarperCollins, 2002.
Florian, Douglas. Handsprings. U.S.A.: Greenwillow, 2006.
George, Kristine O’Connell. Swimming Upstream Middle School Poems. New York: Clarion Books, 2002.
George, Kristine O’Connell. Toasting Marshmallows Camping Poems. New York: Clarion, 2001.
Hesse, Karen. Out of the Dust. New York: Scholastic, 1997.
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2001.
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. My America: a poetry atlas of the United States. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2000.
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Wonderful Words Poems About Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004.
Janeczko, Paul B. That Sweet Diamond. New York: Atheneum, 1998.
Prelutsky, Jack. A Pizza the Size of the Sun. New York: Greenwillow, 1996.
Wong, Janet. Night Garden, Poems from the World of Dreams. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
THAT SWEET DIAMOND - Compilation by Paul Janeczko
THAT SWEET DIAMOND
By: Paul Janeczko
Bibliography: Janeczko, Paul B. Ill. Katchen, Carole. 1998. THAT SWEET DIAMOND. New York: Atheneum. ISBN 068980735X
This is a collection of nineteen topical poems on the sport of baseball. The complete collection is written by Paul Janeczko. He has written poems about a variety of positions on the field as well as umpires and coaches, vendors and fans. The collection takes you into the game of baseball.
BEFORE THE GAME, FOUL BALL, THINGS TO DO DURING A RAIN DELAY, SECTION 7, ROW 1, SEAT 2, NUNS and AFTER THE GAME connect the fans to the excitement of the game as well as the enthusiasm of the die-hard fan.
Particularly touching was the poem SECTION 7, ROW 1, SEAT 3 which identifies an old woman who is such a fan she measures her life through the years of her favorite baseball team; the year of her marriage, the year her son was born, the year her husband died.
A couple of the poems stand out as specifically important to those young boys who dream of making the major leagues. The poem NICKNAMES (what young man does not want to have that “special” nickname?) and the poem HOW TO SPIT – practice makes perfect – check the wind, develop your style, concentrate, and don’t dribble.
The art work is Carole Katchen’s first for a children’s book. The poems and illustrations make a double page spread for each poem. The illustrations are rendered in pastels with most facial expressions and details limited for the reader to imagine it could be him! The most notable contrast to this observation is the player illustrated for HOW TO SPIT.
REVIEWS:
School Library Journal: The sights, sounds, and emotions of a baseball game leap from Janeczko's poetry and Katchen's colorful pastel illustrations. Just about everything associated with the great American pastime is scrutinized, from the refreshments to pointers on how to spit, from fans to field positions and foul balls. The rhythm of the poetry parallels the rhythm of the players' movements.
Kirkus Review: An extremely appealing suite of poems that illuminate the plays and dramatis personae from before the game to after the last out.
CONNECTIONS:
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME by Jack Norworth and Jim Burke – This book has the complete lyrics of the classic baseball song. Sing with the kids the part of the song that they know (probably very little) and then read the book. Ask your music teacher to sing the song to the students and help them to learn it or find it on a CD.
Have students find stats on their favorite ballplayer.
Write a poem about the position they play on the field, or as a fan, or maybe their favorite snack.
By: Paul Janeczko
Bibliography: Janeczko, Paul B. Ill. Katchen, Carole. 1998. THAT SWEET DIAMOND. New York: Atheneum. ISBN 068980735X
This is a collection of nineteen topical poems on the sport of baseball. The complete collection is written by Paul Janeczko. He has written poems about a variety of positions on the field as well as umpires and coaches, vendors and fans. The collection takes you into the game of baseball.
BEFORE THE GAME, FOUL BALL, THINGS TO DO DURING A RAIN DELAY, SECTION 7, ROW 1, SEAT 2, NUNS and AFTER THE GAME connect the fans to the excitement of the game as well as the enthusiasm of the die-hard fan.
Particularly touching was the poem SECTION 7, ROW 1, SEAT 3 which identifies an old woman who is such a fan she measures her life through the years of her favorite baseball team; the year of her marriage, the year her son was born, the year her husband died.
A couple of the poems stand out as specifically important to those young boys who dream of making the major leagues. The poem NICKNAMES (what young man does not want to have that “special” nickname?) and the poem HOW TO SPIT – practice makes perfect – check the wind, develop your style, concentrate, and don’t dribble.
The art work is Carole Katchen’s first for a children’s book. The poems and illustrations make a double page spread for each poem. The illustrations are rendered in pastels with most facial expressions and details limited for the reader to imagine it could be him! The most notable contrast to this observation is the player illustrated for HOW TO SPIT.
REVIEWS:
School Library Journal: The sights, sounds, and emotions of a baseball game leap from Janeczko's poetry and Katchen's colorful pastel illustrations. Just about everything associated with the great American pastime is scrutinized, from the refreshments to pointers on how to spit, from fans to field positions and foul balls. The rhythm of the poetry parallels the rhythm of the players' movements.
Kirkus Review: An extremely appealing suite of poems that illuminate the plays and dramatis personae from before the game to after the last out.
CONNECTIONS:
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME by Jack Norworth and Jim Burke – This book has the complete lyrics of the classic baseball song. Sing with the kids the part of the song that they know (probably very little) and then read the book. Ask your music teacher to sing the song to the students and help them to learn it or find it on a CD.
Have students find stats on their favorite ballplayer.
Write a poem about the position they play on the field, or as a fan, or maybe their favorite snack.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Serious Poem difficult/sensitive subject for child or teen
Introduction: This is an unpublished poem written by my niece. She is a sixth grader and enjoys poetry. Her father is career military, so the war is a very personal subject for her. Her comment follows:
"Another about war. Heh. This one is one of my longest, I'm quite proud of it. Tell me what you think. :)"
THE SHADOWED WAVE OF WAR
By: Haleigh Driver
(age 12)
It hit us like a wave;
One that swept across the nation,
and made people's faces grave.
Of course there were protestors, fighting their own battle in desperation.
There were others who did agree, and some who just didn't mind.
They said it was right. We should have expected it.
And the protestors roared, shrieking that war was unkind!
But yet either way, whether you agree or not, we've been forced into a deep pit.
The war goes on and on,
soldiers deploying one after the other in great waves.
Their cries echo through the land,
Of two breeds, one murderous and lethal, the other distressed and pained.
There is a price to pay for this life we lead,
those who cannot pay it are kicked to the curb.
And then what? They are replaced by another unfortunate soul.
Doomed we all are!
For war is ageless, and will go on forever!
Always ageless war! No matter how hard we fight!
For fighting is not the answer.
No, not until we can see the light, and then take the step to meet it.
Until we can set aside all differences, and become united,
join hands as one in this wide world,
There will be war, creeping after us like shadows.
Not until we can understand,
will this war end.
copyright 2007
Used with Haleigh & her parents' permission
Extensions:
Write letters (with parent permission to servicemen and women)
If a student has military personnel serving overseas gather a care package to send.
Older students: Essay or debate pro/con war
Write original poem about a difficult or serious subject. I actually had my class try this and many of them wrote about the loss of a loved one.
"Another about war. Heh. This one is one of my longest, I'm quite proud of it. Tell me what you think. :)"
THE SHADOWED WAVE OF WAR
By: Haleigh Driver
(age 12)
It hit us like a wave;
One that swept across the nation,
and made people's faces grave.
Of course there were protestors, fighting their own battle in desperation.
There were others who did agree, and some who just didn't mind.
They said it was right. We should have expected it.
And the protestors roared, shrieking that war was unkind!
But yet either way, whether you agree or not, we've been forced into a deep pit.
The war goes on and on,
soldiers deploying one after the other in great waves.
Their cries echo through the land,
Of two breeds, one murderous and lethal, the other distressed and pained.
There is a price to pay for this life we lead,
those who cannot pay it are kicked to the curb.
And then what? They are replaced by another unfortunate soul.
Doomed we all are!
For war is ageless, and will go on forever!
Always ageless war! No matter how hard we fight!
For fighting is not the answer.
No, not until we can see the light, and then take the step to meet it.
Until we can set aside all differences, and become united,
join hands as one in this wide world,
There will be war, creeping after us like shadows.
Not until we can understand,
will this war end.
copyright 2007
Used with Haleigh & her parents' permission
Extensions:
Write letters (with parent permission to servicemen and women)
If a student has military personnel serving overseas gather a care package to send.
Older students: Essay or debate pro/con war
Write original poem about a difficult or serious subject. I actually had my class try this and many of them wrote about the loss of a loved one.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Poem Book for Children/Teens Published after 2000 - SWIMMING UPSTREAM MIDDLE SCHOOL POEMS
Bibliography: George, Kristine O’Connell. Ill. Tilley, Debbie. 2002. SWIMMING UPSTREAM MIDDLE SCHOOL POEMS. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618152504
SUMMARY
This is compilation of poems by Kristine George that deal with the changes that take place as a student enters middle school. The book takes you from the first day of school with “Wake-up Call” to the last day with the “Last Day of School”. The poems cover a variety of experiences that students just entering middle school deal with. These include such things as: 1) moving from class to class as in “Changing Classes” and “Each Class” with each teacher having a different expectation 2) new friends and fitting in with poems such as “Networking”, “S N O B” and “Group” 3) learning to play an instrument in “Band” “New Flute” and “Flute Practice” and 4) discovering the opposite sex in a silly romantic way with the poems “School Dance” and “Does He or Doesn’t He?”.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
I had to look back over my list of previous work for this semester as I was certain I must have used this book already. It is one of my favorite poetry books that I have read this semester. I think that is true because I teach fifth graders and have for a number of years. Each of these poems is so poignant and stirs my heart strings for all of the emotional feelings that I know the kids will be dealing with next year. It also brings memories of my own children’s middle school years. The poems are in a variety of forms from haiku to free verse. The title of the book itself SWIMMING UPSTREAM identifies with the often overwhelming changes taking place within the middle school student emotionally, physically and socially. It is a struggle for many just as swimming upstream is a struggle for those fish that must make their way upstream to complete their journey through life. It is not only a struggle for the students, but for the parents and teachers that deal with all of these changes. This book is just as meaningful to those working with the students as it is to the students themselves. There are four double page black and white illustrations by Debbie Tilley that complement the text with band practice, gossiping and class activities. Each page also has a somewhat abstract pencil drawing of lines and circles. I imagine these would represent the streams and the students swimming up that stream. There is no table of contents for this book. I think it would be helpful to have a table to refer more quickly to a poem that you might want to share. I would recommend this book of poetry to any one that is associated with middle school age children as well as the sharing of the book with the students as well.
REVIEWS
Booklist: These tiny poems--rhymed, free verse, haiku, even an acrostic--cover the first year of junior high--sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. The unnamed female narrator sees the first "jigsaw year" as refitting and recombining old friends and new, old ideas and new.
School Library Journal: Middle school, with all its trials, tribulations, and triumphs, is portrayed humorously and poignantly through the eyes of one girl. Some of the more mundane topics include a locker that won't open, being late to homeroom, carrying around a large piece of wood as a hall pass, and deciding where to sit in the lunchroom. The book also delves into significant issues, from making new friends and a first crush to teasing, gossip, and a bully who may not be so tough after all. The selections are short, mostly filling less than a page, and get to the heart of the matter quickly. The emotions range from confusion, loneliness, and fear to being nervous and tongue-tied.
CONNECTIONS
Band Director: Read each of the poems that deal with playing the flute. Use these as an introduction into the emotions a student trying a new instrument feels. You might want to read these as you progress through the year rather than all at once, or do both. (Another personal heart string for me – as my daughter played the flute in school). Poems include: “Band”, “New Flute”, “Flute Practice”, “More Flute Practice”, “Band Practice”, “Much More Flute Practice”, and “Band Concert”.
Home Room Teacher: Use poems to review middle school rules regarding lockers, hall passes, lunch and other relevant first day overviews. “Locker”, “My Locker”, “Late”, “Homeroom”, “Changing Classes”, “Which Lunch Table?”, “School I.D. Card”, “Each Class”, “Hall Pass”, and “Due Date”,
As the teacher of the students leaving elementary and heading toward middle school have the students brainstorm their feelings and emotions about the changes about to take place. Then have them write a poem about these feelings. It would be wonderful to work with the teacher in the next grade and have them to assign a similar assignment at the end of the next year and then the students can see how their attitudes, emotions and feelings have changed. They will see they made the transfer!
SUMMARY
This is compilation of poems by Kristine George that deal with the changes that take place as a student enters middle school. The book takes you from the first day of school with “Wake-up Call” to the last day with the “Last Day of School”. The poems cover a variety of experiences that students just entering middle school deal with. These include such things as: 1) moving from class to class as in “Changing Classes” and “Each Class” with each teacher having a different expectation 2) new friends and fitting in with poems such as “Networking”, “S N O B” and “Group” 3) learning to play an instrument in “Band” “New Flute” and “Flute Practice” and 4) discovering the opposite sex in a silly romantic way with the poems “School Dance” and “Does He or Doesn’t He?”.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
I had to look back over my list of previous work for this semester as I was certain I must have used this book already. It is one of my favorite poetry books that I have read this semester. I think that is true because I teach fifth graders and have for a number of years. Each of these poems is so poignant and stirs my heart strings for all of the emotional feelings that I know the kids will be dealing with next year. It also brings memories of my own children’s middle school years. The poems are in a variety of forms from haiku to free verse. The title of the book itself SWIMMING UPSTREAM identifies with the often overwhelming changes taking place within the middle school student emotionally, physically and socially. It is a struggle for many just as swimming upstream is a struggle for those fish that must make their way upstream to complete their journey through life. It is not only a struggle for the students, but for the parents and teachers that deal with all of these changes. This book is just as meaningful to those working with the students as it is to the students themselves. There are four double page black and white illustrations by Debbie Tilley that complement the text with band practice, gossiping and class activities. Each page also has a somewhat abstract pencil drawing of lines and circles. I imagine these would represent the streams and the students swimming up that stream. There is no table of contents for this book. I think it would be helpful to have a table to refer more quickly to a poem that you might want to share. I would recommend this book of poetry to any one that is associated with middle school age children as well as the sharing of the book with the students as well.
REVIEWS
Booklist: These tiny poems--rhymed, free verse, haiku, even an acrostic--cover the first year of junior high--sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. The unnamed female narrator sees the first "jigsaw year" as refitting and recombining old friends and new, old ideas and new.
School Library Journal: Middle school, with all its trials, tribulations, and triumphs, is portrayed humorously and poignantly through the eyes of one girl. Some of the more mundane topics include a locker that won't open, being late to homeroom, carrying around a large piece of wood as a hall pass, and deciding where to sit in the lunchroom. The book also delves into significant issues, from making new friends and a first crush to teasing, gossip, and a bully who may not be so tough after all. The selections are short, mostly filling less than a page, and get to the heart of the matter quickly. The emotions range from confusion, loneliness, and fear to being nervous and tongue-tied.
CONNECTIONS
Band Director: Read each of the poems that deal with playing the flute. Use these as an introduction into the emotions a student trying a new instrument feels. You might want to read these as you progress through the year rather than all at once, or do both. (Another personal heart string for me – as my daughter played the flute in school). Poems include: “Band”, “New Flute”, “Flute Practice”, “More Flute Practice”, “Band Practice”, “Much More Flute Practice”, and “Band Concert”.
Home Room Teacher: Use poems to review middle school rules regarding lockers, hall passes, lunch and other relevant first day overviews. “Locker”, “My Locker”, “Late”, “Homeroom”, “Changing Classes”, “Which Lunch Table?”, “School I.D. Card”, “Each Class”, “Hall Pass”, and “Due Date”,
As the teacher of the students leaving elementary and heading toward middle school have the students brainstorm their feelings and emotions about the changes about to take place. Then have them write a poem about these feelings. It would be wonderful to work with the teacher in the next grade and have them to assign a similar assignment at the end of the next year and then the students can see how their attitudes, emotions and feelings have changed. They will see they made the transfer!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Poem with Chorus or Refrain
Introduction: In science while discussing the various biomes have this poem ready to read when discussing the desert. This is a very appropriate poem for those of us who live in arid West Texas. The refrain is particularly appropriate on a hot summer day. Although our area does not have the red mesas we can certainly see the shimmer of the searing heat. The air does not move at all -- as if holding a giant breath. This poem is a wonderful description of desert summer heat.
DESERT
By: Lillian M. Fisher
The desert is holding a giant breath (Chorus)
The air is dusty and dry
Red mesas shimmer in searing heat
Under a blanket of sky.
Coyote’s asleep in slender shade
Dreaming of evening prey
For who would go out in a warm fur coat
To hunt on a summer day?
Lazy brown ants have made their retreat
To a colony under the hill
Tortoise and rabbit, even the birds
Are idle and peacefully still.
The desert is holding a giant breath (Chorus)
The air is dusty and dry
Red mesas shimmer in searing heat
Under a blanket of sky.
Extension:
Discuss other images, feelings, observations that relate to the desert.
Write a poem about summer heat in the desert.
Use this poem while reading:
Hesse, Karen. 1997. OUT OF THE DUST. New York: Scholastic, ISBN 0590360809
or
Stanley, Jerry. 1999. CHILDREN OF THE DUST BOWL THE TRUE STORY OF THE SCHOOL AT WEEDPATCH CAMP. New York: Sagebrush, ISBN 0785716750
[from MY AMERICA: A POETRY ATLAS OF THE UNITED STATES (Simon & Schuster, 2000)]
DESERT
By: Lillian M. Fisher
The desert is holding a giant breath (Chorus)
The air is dusty and dry
Red mesas shimmer in searing heat
Under a blanket of sky.
Coyote’s asleep in slender shade
Dreaming of evening prey
For who would go out in a warm fur coat
To hunt on a summer day?
Lazy brown ants have made their retreat
To a colony under the hill
Tortoise and rabbit, even the birds
Are idle and peacefully still.
The desert is holding a giant breath (Chorus)
The air is dusty and dry
Red mesas shimmer in searing heat
Under a blanket of sky.
Extension:
Discuss other images, feelings, observations that relate to the desert.
Write a poem about summer heat in the desert.
Use this poem while reading:
Hesse, Karen. 1997. OUT OF THE DUST. New York: Scholastic, ISBN 0590360809
or
Stanley, Jerry. 1999. CHILDREN OF THE DUST BOWL THE TRUE STORY OF THE SCHOOL AT WEEDPATCH CAMP. New York: Sagebrush, ISBN 0785716750
[from MY AMERICA: A POETRY ATLAS OF THE UNITED STATES (Simon & Schuster, 2000)]
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
#8 Poetry Book Review MARVELOUS MATH A BOOK OF POEMS
Content Area (Math) Poetry Book Review
MARVELOUS MATH A BOOK OF POEMS Collected by: Lee Bennett Hopkins Illustrated by: Karen Barbour
Bibliography: Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 1997. MATH A BOOK OF POEMS. Ill. By: Barbour, Karen. New York: Simon and Schuster, ISBN 068980658-2.
This topical anthology of sixteen poems was selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and includes two of his own poems as well as poems by Madeleine Comora, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Lillian M. Fisher, Betsy Franco, Joan Bransfield Graham, Felice Holman, Karla Kuskin, David McCord, Beverly McLoughland, Mary O’Neill, Ilo Orleans, J. Thomas Sparough, and Janet S. Wong. The book takes a look at mathematical concepts taught in school, primarily intermediate grades and some also address how math is related to life skills.
The poems TAKE A NUMBER, by Mary O’Neill, TO BUILD A HOUSE by Lillian Fisher, NATURE KNOWS IT’S MATH, by Joan Graham and TIME PASSES by Ilo Orleans give understanding to the question that kids ask “why do I need to know math.” In TAKE A NUMBER, Mary O’Neill asks us to image a world without math. Math is used to calculate time (TIME PASSES), divide the seasons (NATURE KNOWS IT’S MATH), and build a house (TO BUILD A HOUSE). These are only a few of the ways that answer the question “why do I need to know math”.
FRACTIONS by Lee Bennett Hopkins and SOS by Beverly McLoughland identify with the child who is learning new math facts. The colorful illustrations by Karen Barbour add to the mathematical concept. Particularly interesting is the illustration connected with SOS. With the overwhelming look of the child trying to take in the concept of long division, as a teacher, I see the child trying to think of different ways to keep the knowledge in, however, the poem says she can’t get the idea out of her head. The poem says “get it out of my head”, I think “keep it in the head”. FRACTIONS also merits attention with the umbrella, watermelon, cake, and hat divided into pieces. The illustration divides items that are easily recognizable by students in the same way that teachers teach fractions. The one poem that the analytical mind would appreciate is MATH MAKES SENSE TO ME by Betty Franco. Many times these students are the ones that feel out of place, or perhaps bored with mathematical concepts. The reason is it does make sense to them. I think they might appreciate this poem.
A note from the artist included in the book states that she used gouache paint (an opaque watercolor) and usually painted the backgrounds first and then the outlines for the figures, sometimes adding several layers of paints and other times using pencil for outline.
Reviews from HORN BOOK GUIDE suggest K-3 and SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL suggest 3-5. Although the colorful illustrations are appropriate for the younger students, the older kids would appreciate the poems themselves in relation to the math facts that they are addressing in the educational process. They would relate to fractions, division, decimals and multiplication as addressed in several of the poems.
REVIEWS
Horn Book Guide: Illustrated with bright color paintings, sixteen poems present different aspects of mathematics, from its usefulness (it helps prove your brother will always be three years younger than you) to its horror (poor Sammy has a long division problem stuck in his brain).
School Library Journal: Hopkins pulls together poems on mathematics, providing insights from writers such as Karla Kuskin, Janet S. Wong, and Lillian M. Fisher. Several selections share the predictable theme of the significance of math and numbers. Rebecca Kai Dotlich's title poem, for example, asks questions such as, "How fast does a New York taxi go?" and "How slow do feathers fall?" and suggests how to find the answers. Rhymed and open verse styles are represented, as are a variety of tones. Barbour's lively illustrations dance and play around the poems. Her boldly outlined watercolor figures, often wearing ill-fitting hats, fill the pages with childlike whimsy. Children will enjoy studying the oddly colored animals, numbers, and stylized, arched-browed people.
Connections:
SING-ALONG AND LEARN: MARVELOUS MATH by: Ken Sheldon, Scholastic Inc.
Sharing these poems through Poetry Breaks when instructing the various concepts addressed in this collection would give a little down time in a situation that is stressful to many students. It would help to relax the mind a little and take it off the “I don’t get it mode”.
MARVELOUS MATH A BOOK OF POEMS Collected by: Lee Bennett Hopkins Illustrated by: Karen Barbour
Bibliography: Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 1997. MATH A BOOK OF POEMS. Ill. By: Barbour, Karen. New York: Simon and Schuster, ISBN 068980658-2.
This topical anthology of sixteen poems was selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and includes two of his own poems as well as poems by Madeleine Comora, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Lillian M. Fisher, Betsy Franco, Joan Bransfield Graham, Felice Holman, Karla Kuskin, David McCord, Beverly McLoughland, Mary O’Neill, Ilo Orleans, J. Thomas Sparough, and Janet S. Wong. The book takes a look at mathematical concepts taught in school, primarily intermediate grades and some also address how math is related to life skills.
The poems TAKE A NUMBER, by Mary O’Neill, TO BUILD A HOUSE by Lillian Fisher, NATURE KNOWS IT’S MATH, by Joan Graham and TIME PASSES by Ilo Orleans give understanding to the question that kids ask “why do I need to know math.” In TAKE A NUMBER, Mary O’Neill asks us to image a world without math. Math is used to calculate time (TIME PASSES), divide the seasons (NATURE KNOWS IT’S MATH), and build a house (TO BUILD A HOUSE). These are only a few of the ways that answer the question “why do I need to know math”.
FRACTIONS by Lee Bennett Hopkins and SOS by Beverly McLoughland identify with the child who is learning new math facts. The colorful illustrations by Karen Barbour add to the mathematical concept. Particularly interesting is the illustration connected with SOS. With the overwhelming look of the child trying to take in the concept of long division, as a teacher, I see the child trying to think of different ways to keep the knowledge in, however, the poem says she can’t get the idea out of her head. The poem says “get it out of my head”, I think “keep it in the head”. FRACTIONS also merits attention with the umbrella, watermelon, cake, and hat divided into pieces. The illustration divides items that are easily recognizable by students in the same way that teachers teach fractions. The one poem that the analytical mind would appreciate is MATH MAKES SENSE TO ME by Betty Franco. Many times these students are the ones that feel out of place, or perhaps bored with mathematical concepts. The reason is it does make sense to them. I think they might appreciate this poem.
A note from the artist included in the book states that she used gouache paint (an opaque watercolor) and usually painted the backgrounds first and then the outlines for the figures, sometimes adding several layers of paints and other times using pencil for outline.
Reviews from HORN BOOK GUIDE suggest K-3 and SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL suggest 3-5. Although the colorful illustrations are appropriate for the younger students, the older kids would appreciate the poems themselves in relation to the math facts that they are addressing in the educational process. They would relate to fractions, division, decimals and multiplication as addressed in several of the poems.
REVIEWS
Horn Book Guide: Illustrated with bright color paintings, sixteen poems present different aspects of mathematics, from its usefulness (it helps prove your brother will always be three years younger than you) to its horror (poor Sammy has a long division problem stuck in his brain).
School Library Journal: Hopkins pulls together poems on mathematics, providing insights from writers such as Karla Kuskin, Janet S. Wong, and Lillian M. Fisher. Several selections share the predictable theme of the significance of math and numbers. Rebecca Kai Dotlich's title poem, for example, asks questions such as, "How fast does a New York taxi go?" and "How slow do feathers fall?" and suggests how to find the answers. Rhymed and open verse styles are represented, as are a variety of tones. Barbour's lively illustrations dance and play around the poems. Her boldly outlined watercolor figures, often wearing ill-fitting hats, fill the pages with childlike whimsy. Children will enjoy studying the oddly colored animals, numbers, and stylized, arched-browed people.
Connections:
SING-ALONG AND LEARN: MARVELOUS MATH by: Ken Sheldon, Scholastic Inc.
Sharing these poems through Poetry Breaks when instructing the various concepts addressed in this collection would give a little down time in a situation that is stressful to many students. It would help to relax the mind a little and take it off the “I don’t get it mode”.
Monday, March 5, 2007
SPRING POEM
Introduction: Take the kids outside and have them look around and brainstorm changes they see taking place. Then read this poem and see if they have seen some of the changes taking place that are listed in this poem.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT SPRING
By: Douglas Florian
Trees are growing
Streams are flowing
Cool spring showers
Blooming flowers
Caterpillars creep
Peepers peep
Playing sports
Wearing shorts
April Fools’
Swimming pools
Going places
Relay races
Days are longer
Sun is stronger
Every morning songbirds sing –
I love nearly everything!
[from Handsprings (Greenwillow, 2006)]
Extension:
When you go back into the room, write the students initial brainstorming thoughts on the board. Read the poem again. Have the students add other ideas of spring changes to the list. Then allow the students to work independently or in pairs to write a poem of things they like about spring.
Read Douglas Florian’s poem WHAT I HATE ABOUT SPRING (found in the same book) to the students. They can compare the two poems and it will be interesting to see if they can “feel” the difference in the moods of the two.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT SPRING
By: Douglas Florian
Trees are growing
Streams are flowing
Cool spring showers
Blooming flowers
Caterpillars creep
Peepers peep
Playing sports
Wearing shorts
April Fools’
Swimming pools
Going places
Relay races
Days are longer
Sun is stronger
Every morning songbirds sing –
I love nearly everything!
[from Handsprings (Greenwillow, 2006)]
Extension:
When you go back into the room, write the students initial brainstorming thoughts on the board. Read the poem again. Have the students add other ideas of spring changes to the list. Then allow the students to work independently or in pairs to write a poem of things they like about spring.
Read Douglas Florian’s poem WHAT I HATE ABOUT SPRING (found in the same book) to the students. They can compare the two poems and it will be interesting to see if they can “feel” the difference in the moods of the two.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
FREE VERSE NOVEL REVIEW
Poetry Break 6 (book review free verse novel)
OUT OF THE DUST
By: Karen Hesse
Bibliography
Hesse, Karen. 1997. OUT OF THE DUST. New York: Scholastic, ISBN 0590360809
PLOT SUMMARY
Karen Hesse won the 1998 Newbery Award for OUT OF THE DUST which chronicles the life of a teenager and her family during the dust bowl of the 1930’s. Dust covers everything in this area of Oklahoma and brings one disaster after another. As soon as the dust is cleared, another storm rolls in. Billie Jo must also endure the death of her mother, following a tragic accident when Billie Joe throws hot grease out the door to keep the house from burning. Billie Jo, who loves to play the piano, is also severely burned on her hands and unable to play any longer. The book takes the reader through the long healing process of accepting her mother’s death, the burns that she inflicted, and the healing of her relationship with her dad.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The hardships that this Oklahoma family endures are well developed through numerous brief titled verses from the winter of 1934 through the fall of 1935. This first person account gives a glimpse of family life and hardships are recorded in almost diary form, but rather than daily, it is a monthly glimpse. Some months are given more significance than others in the amount of information shared. In January 1934 Billie Jo plays the piano with such inspiration “On Stage” that
When I point my fingers at the keys,
the music
springs right out of me.
Then following the burns to her hands in May of 1935 “Let Down”
I was invited to graduation,
To play the piano.
I couldn’t play.
It had been too long.
My hands wouldn’t work.
I just sat on the piano bench,
Staring down at the keys.
and then finally in November 1935 “Music”
I am getting to know the music again.
And it is getting to know me.
This novel has the organizational structure of a verse novel giving the reader a view of the inner workings of the mind of the character known as Billie Jo. The situations that this family endured during the dust bowl are believable, dramatic and historically correct. Although this book is fiction, it is a very realistic story that deals with healing and grief. As I read this book and began to analyze it, I am of the opinion that the “dust” is not just the physical dust that was described in the book. Not just the mountains of sand, but the monumental tasks of overcoming the backbreaking work, the disappointments, the loss of a mother and the inability to play the piano. Billie Jo had to shake off the dust of disillusionment as well as keeping the house free of dust. The author vividly describes the storms that were so severe that people had to hold on to each other to keep from being lost in storms as dangerous as blizzards as well as the emotional roller coaster of Billie Jo's life.
REVIEWS:
School Library Journal: Set in the Oklahoma dust bowl during the Great Depression, Billie Jo has a great deal to forgive: her father for causing the accident that killed her mother, her mother for leaving when she needed her the most, herself for being the cause of her own sorrow.
Horn Book Guide: In first-person free-verse poems fourteen-year-old Billie Jo relates her Depression-era experiences in the Oklahoma panhandle. Billie Jo's aborted escape from the dust bowl almost gets lost in a procession of bleak events, instead of serving as the book's climax. Yet her voice, nearly every word informed by longing, provides an immediacy that expressively depicts both a grim historical era and one family's healing.
CONNECTIONS:
Parts of this book such as “Dust Storm” (pg. 142) and “Blankets of Black” (pg. 162) would be good to read during a science lesson on weathering, erosion and deposition. We are studying this in science at this time and I plan to share these sections of the book with my class.
http://memory.loc.gov – This is an excellent source for photographs of the era of the dust bowl. There are photographs of the people, land and also refuge camps of those that fled to California. I tried to enter the direct link, but was unsuccessful. However, you can go to the link above and then search for “dust bowl” and you will be taken to the appropriate area.
Related Book: CHILDREN OF THE DUST BOWL THE TRUE STORY OF THE SCHOOL AT WEEDPATCH CAMP By: Jerry Stanley
This book is an excellent way to develop insight to the lives of people living through the 1930’s dust bowl. I would introduce this by telling a story of my mother and dad’s life during the dust bowl. Mom used to tell us stories about how terrible the storms were and how disheartening it was to try to farm without rain and with the wind blowing the seeds and plants down. My parents were newly married and living in Foard County, Texas at the time, so this is of personal interest to me as well.
OUT OF THE DUST
By: Karen Hesse
Bibliography
Hesse, Karen. 1997. OUT OF THE DUST. New York: Scholastic, ISBN 0590360809
PLOT SUMMARY
Karen Hesse won the 1998 Newbery Award for OUT OF THE DUST which chronicles the life of a teenager and her family during the dust bowl of the 1930’s. Dust covers everything in this area of Oklahoma and brings one disaster after another. As soon as the dust is cleared, another storm rolls in. Billie Jo must also endure the death of her mother, following a tragic accident when Billie Joe throws hot grease out the door to keep the house from burning. Billie Jo, who loves to play the piano, is also severely burned on her hands and unable to play any longer. The book takes the reader through the long healing process of accepting her mother’s death, the burns that she inflicted, and the healing of her relationship with her dad.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The hardships that this Oklahoma family endures are well developed through numerous brief titled verses from the winter of 1934 through the fall of 1935. This first person account gives a glimpse of family life and hardships are recorded in almost diary form, but rather than daily, it is a monthly glimpse. Some months are given more significance than others in the amount of information shared. In January 1934 Billie Jo plays the piano with such inspiration “On Stage” that
When I point my fingers at the keys,
the music
springs right out of me.
Then following the burns to her hands in May of 1935 “Let Down”
I was invited to graduation,
To play the piano.
I couldn’t play.
It had been too long.
My hands wouldn’t work.
I just sat on the piano bench,
Staring down at the keys.
and then finally in November 1935 “Music”
I am getting to know the music again.
And it is getting to know me.
This novel has the organizational structure of a verse novel giving the reader a view of the inner workings of the mind of the character known as Billie Jo. The situations that this family endured during the dust bowl are believable, dramatic and historically correct. Although this book is fiction, it is a very realistic story that deals with healing and grief. As I read this book and began to analyze it, I am of the opinion that the “dust” is not just the physical dust that was described in the book. Not just the mountains of sand, but the monumental tasks of overcoming the backbreaking work, the disappointments, the loss of a mother and the inability to play the piano. Billie Jo had to shake off the dust of disillusionment as well as keeping the house free of dust. The author vividly describes the storms that were so severe that people had to hold on to each other to keep from being lost in storms as dangerous as blizzards as well as the emotional roller coaster of Billie Jo's life.
REVIEWS:
School Library Journal: Set in the Oklahoma dust bowl during the Great Depression, Billie Jo has a great deal to forgive: her father for causing the accident that killed her mother, her mother for leaving when she needed her the most, herself for being the cause of her own sorrow.
Horn Book Guide: In first-person free-verse poems fourteen-year-old Billie Jo relates her Depression-era experiences in the Oklahoma panhandle. Billie Jo's aborted escape from the dust bowl almost gets lost in a procession of bleak events, instead of serving as the book's climax. Yet her voice, nearly every word informed by longing, provides an immediacy that expressively depicts both a grim historical era and one family's healing.
CONNECTIONS:
Parts of this book such as “Dust Storm” (pg. 142) and “Blankets of Black” (pg. 162) would be good to read during a science lesson on weathering, erosion and deposition. We are studying this in science at this time and I plan to share these sections of the book with my class.
http://memory.loc.gov – This is an excellent source for photographs of the era of the dust bowl. There are photographs of the people, land and also refuge camps of those that fled to California. I tried to enter the direct link, but was unsuccessful. However, you can go to the link above and then search for “dust bowl” and you will be taken to the appropriate area.
Related Book: CHILDREN OF THE DUST BOWL THE TRUE STORY OF THE SCHOOL AT WEEDPATCH CAMP By: Jerry Stanley
This book is an excellent way to develop insight to the lives of people living through the 1930’s dust bowl. I would introduce this by telling a story of my mother and dad’s life during the dust bowl. Mom used to tell us stories about how terrible the storms were and how disheartening it was to try to farm without rain and with the wind blowing the seeds and plants down. My parents were newly married and living in Foard County, Texas at the time, so this is of personal interest to me as well.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Unusual Poem Feb. 22
Introduction: Use this as an introduction to reflection in your science class or math class. Put it on the ELMO or use a transparency to show how the poem looks. Explain that this is a mirror image.
This is a backward poem (or reflection).
I Am Your Mirror Image
By: Jack Prelutsky
egamI rorriM ruoY mA I
,egamI rorriM ruoY mA I
od I gnihtyreve dna
noitcelfer tcaxe na si
.uoy yb enod s’taht lla fo
,od uoy nehw evom ylno I
.pots I, llits era uoy nehw
,gnola piks ot erus m’I ,piks uoY
.poh osla I ,poh uoy
,wodahs ruoy ekil uoy htiw m’I
.tfed dna ,tfiws ,eliga m’I
,dnah thgir ruoy htiw erutseg uoY
.tfel ym htiw uoy hctam I
,yppah era uoy nehw hgual I
,yrc I ,das era uoy nehw
,em ta eye knilb uoy fi dna
.ylper ym si knilb a
,egami rorrim ruoy ma I
.ereh er’uoy nehw tneserp m’I
,tnesba era uoy tnemom ehT
.raeppasid ot erus m’I
ecnetsixe rouy no tnuoc I
…desrever efil rouy evil dna
gniht elgnis a od reven I
.tsrif ti od uoy sselnu
[from A PIZZA THE SIZE OF THE SUN (Greenwillow 1996)]
I Am Your Mirror Image
By: Jack Prelutsky
I am your mirror image
and everything I do
is an exact reflection
of all that’s done by you.
I only move when you do,
when you are still, I stop.
You skip, I’m sure to skip along,
You hop, I also hop.
I’m with you like your shadow,
I’m agile, swift, and deft.
You gesture with your right hand,
I match you with my left.
I laugh when you are happy,
when you are sad, I cry
and if you blink an eye at me,
a blink is my reply.
I am your mirror image,
I’m present when you’re here.
The moment you are absent,
I’m sure to disappear.
I count on your existence
and live your life reversed…
I never do a single thing
unless you do it first.
Extension: Let the students use mirrors to visually see that the images really are mirror images. Then have them read the poem.
Then continue with science lesson on reflection or refraction or math lesson with translation, rotation, reflection.
This is a backward poem (or reflection).
I Am Your Mirror Image
By: Jack Prelutsky
egamI rorriM ruoY mA I
,egamI rorriM ruoY mA I
od I gnihtyreve dna
noitcelfer tcaxe na si
.uoy yb enod s’taht lla fo
,od uoy nehw evom ylno I
.pots I, llits era uoy nehw
,gnola piks ot erus m’I ,piks uoY
.poh osla I ,poh uoy
,wodahs ruoy ekil uoy htiw m’I
.tfed dna ,tfiws ,eliga m’I
,dnah thgir ruoy htiw erutseg uoY
.tfel ym htiw uoy hctam I
,yppah era uoy nehw hgual I
,yrc I ,das era uoy nehw
,em ta eye knilb uoy fi dna
.ylper ym si knilb a
,egami rorrim ruoy ma I
.ereh er’uoy nehw tneserp m’I
,tnesba era uoy tnemom ehT
.raeppasid ot erus m’I
ecnetsixe rouy no tnuoc I
…desrever efil rouy evil dna
gniht elgnis a od reven I
.tsrif ti od uoy sselnu
[from A PIZZA THE SIZE OF THE SUN (Greenwillow 1996)]
I Am Your Mirror Image
By: Jack Prelutsky
I am your mirror image
and everything I do
is an exact reflection
of all that’s done by you.
I only move when you do,
when you are still, I stop.
You skip, I’m sure to skip along,
You hop, I also hop.
I’m with you like your shadow,
I’m agile, swift, and deft.
You gesture with your right hand,
I match you with my left.
I laugh when you are happy,
when you are sad, I cry
and if you blink an eye at me,
a blink is my reply.
I am your mirror image,
I’m present when you’re here.
The moment you are absent,
I’m sure to disappear.
I count on your existence
and live your life reversed…
I never do a single thing
unless you do it first.
Extension: Let the students use mirrors to visually see that the images really are mirror images. Then have them read the poem.
Then continue with science lesson on reflection or refraction or math lesson with translation, rotation, reflection.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Review Poet of Color Module # 2
Poetry Book Review:
NIGHT GARDENS
Bibliography
Wong, Janet. 2000. NIGHT GARDEN, POEMS FROM THE WORLD OF DREAMS. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689826176.
SUMMARY
In this book of 15 poems, Wong has entered the night world of dreams. These poems will present a familiarity to children with some being scary, others alluding to memories past and still others entertaining daily activities such as eating, swimming, running and falling. The poem entitled “Falling” reminds us of the fear we have of “being late” for work or school. The child is running, running not to be late for school and then awakens to the morning sky just turning pink – not late at all. “The Ones They Loved the Most” and “Old Friends” brings to the dream times forgotten with those who have moved on and those passed on.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Although Janet Wong has written books of poetry such as A SUITCASE OF SEAWEED AND OTHER POEMS that focus on her Asian background, NIGHT GARDENS is drawn from her dreams as well as those of her friends. She even includes the imagined dreams of her “sad old dog”. In POETRY MATTERS by Ralph Fletcher (pg 76) Wong states “most of my poems come from everyday life, which happens here in urban/suburban America – so I’d like to think that people of any ethnic background can find meaning in them.” Perhaps she feels that some of her other books would be more difficult for people of other ethnic backgrounds to understand because of differences in cultures and traditions. The poems in NIGHT GARDEN are written in free verse form. Wong stated that she wanted to prepare a collection of poems inspired by paintings and was led to the work of Julie Paschkis. She was impressed with the fanciful dreamlike quality of her images. Thus, this collection was “dreamed” up. It seems as if the artist, Julie Paschkis, fulfilled the imagery that Wong had desired for her book with her gouache paintings. The illustrations are two page spreads, one side depicting an image seen in the dream and the other nestling the poem itself. These images and poems have been given symmetry to complement the background of vivid images of snakes, beastly images and tomato headed children that envision the dreams of the sleeping soul.
REVIEWS
Horn Book Guide: “Fifteen brief poems explore the fertile ground of the unconscious, a world in which "dreams grow wild / like dandelion weeds." Small, full-color gouache illustrations contrast with monochromatic backgrounds depicting fanciful images evoked by the poems.”
Booklist: “This collection of 15 poems takes on the distorted and sometimes dark world of dreams. Wong, an accomplished and versatile poet, finds dream images that children will know.”
CONNECTIONS
Allow students to go to Janet Wong’s website where the author reads some of her poems including “Old Friends” from NIGHT GARDEN. http://www.janetwong.com/
Use the poems “The Ones They Loved the Most” and “Old Friends” to have students reflect on memories of friends or relatives that have moved or those who have died. Students use a writing center to illustrate or write about the memories they have. This connection would probably need to be used with upper level intermediate students.
Book Connection:
POEMS TO DREAM TOGETHER POEMAS PARA SONAR JUNTOS By Francisco X. Alarcon
NIGHT GARDENS
Bibliography
Wong, Janet. 2000. NIGHT GARDEN, POEMS FROM THE WORLD OF DREAMS. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689826176.
SUMMARY
In this book of 15 poems, Wong has entered the night world of dreams. These poems will present a familiarity to children with some being scary, others alluding to memories past and still others entertaining daily activities such as eating, swimming, running and falling. The poem entitled “Falling” reminds us of the fear we have of “being late” for work or school. The child is running, running not to be late for school and then awakens to the morning sky just turning pink – not late at all. “The Ones They Loved the Most” and “Old Friends” brings to the dream times forgotten with those who have moved on and those passed on.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Although Janet Wong has written books of poetry such as A SUITCASE OF SEAWEED AND OTHER POEMS that focus on her Asian background, NIGHT GARDENS is drawn from her dreams as well as those of her friends. She even includes the imagined dreams of her “sad old dog”. In POETRY MATTERS by Ralph Fletcher (pg 76) Wong states “most of my poems come from everyday life, which happens here in urban/suburban America – so I’d like to think that people of any ethnic background can find meaning in them.” Perhaps she feels that some of her other books would be more difficult for people of other ethnic backgrounds to understand because of differences in cultures and traditions. The poems in NIGHT GARDEN are written in free verse form. Wong stated that she wanted to prepare a collection of poems inspired by paintings and was led to the work of Julie Paschkis. She was impressed with the fanciful dreamlike quality of her images. Thus, this collection was “dreamed” up. It seems as if the artist, Julie Paschkis, fulfilled the imagery that Wong had desired for her book with her gouache paintings. The illustrations are two page spreads, one side depicting an image seen in the dream and the other nestling the poem itself. These images and poems have been given symmetry to complement the background of vivid images of snakes, beastly images and tomato headed children that envision the dreams of the sleeping soul.
REVIEWS
Horn Book Guide: “Fifteen brief poems explore the fertile ground of the unconscious, a world in which "dreams grow wild / like dandelion weeds." Small, full-color gouache illustrations contrast with monochromatic backgrounds depicting fanciful images evoked by the poems.”
Booklist: “This collection of 15 poems takes on the distorted and sometimes dark world of dreams. Wong, an accomplished and versatile poet, finds dream images that children will know.”
CONNECTIONS
Allow students to go to Janet Wong’s website where the author reads some of her poems including “Old Friends” from NIGHT GARDEN. http://www.janetwong.com/
Use the poems “The Ones They Loved the Most” and “Old Friends” to have students reflect on memories of friends or relatives that have moved or those who have died. Students use a writing center to illustrate or write about the memories they have. This connection would probably need to be used with upper level intermediate students.
Book Connection:
POEMS TO DREAM TOGETHER POEMAS PARA SONAR JUNTOS By Francisco X. Alarcon
Thursday, February 8, 2007
From: Near the Window Tree
POETRY BREAK # 2
A poem written by an NCTE Award winning poet
Introduction:
Karla Kuskin was the third winner of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. She has more than 50 books of poetry and prose to her credit. She says it is a big problem to stop thinking and writing everything in verse. We also have big problems stopping and thinking when learning multiplication facts. Listen to the following poem and see how you can relate to it.
From:
Near the Window Tree
Karla Kuskin
Is six times one a lot of fun?
Or eight times two?
Perhaps for you.
But five times three
Unhinges me,
While six and seven and eight times eight
Put me in an awful state
And four and six and nine times nine
Make me want to cry and whine
So when I get to twelve times ten
I begin to wonder when
I can take a vacation from multiplication
And go out
And start playing again.
[from MARVELOUS MATH A BOOK OF POEMS, (Simon & Schuster, 1997)]
Extensions:
After the students take the timed test and following the reading of the poem share your “difficult fact” with your students. When I begin testing my students I always tell them that 7X8 is my “difficult” fact and we talk about facts that they have trouble with. I ask them to help their peers with suggestions for memorizing the troublesome facts.
The students could take one or two facts that they have difficulty with and put them into a poem or rhyme. Since this would be their own work the memorization of these facts would most likely be achieved. An example might be 56 7 8 takes care of the fact I hate! This can be chanted like a cheer. Put the 56 and 7 8 on the board and they will realize that 7X8=56. Putting the numbers sequentially gives a visual illustration.
These facts could be made into shape poems. Further extension, depending on the response of the class could be a rhyming book of math facts.
A poem written by an NCTE Award winning poet
Introduction:
Karla Kuskin was the third winner of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. She has more than 50 books of poetry and prose to her credit. She says it is a big problem to stop thinking and writing everything in verse. We also have big problems stopping and thinking when learning multiplication facts. Listen to the following poem and see how you can relate to it.
From:
Near the Window Tree
Karla Kuskin
Is six times one a lot of fun?
Or eight times two?
Perhaps for you.
But five times three
Unhinges me,
While six and seven and eight times eight
Put me in an awful state
And four and six and nine times nine
Make me want to cry and whine
So when I get to twelve times ten
I begin to wonder when
I can take a vacation from multiplication
And go out
And start playing again.
[from MARVELOUS MATH A BOOK OF POEMS, (Simon & Schuster, 1997)]
Extensions:
After the students take the timed test and following the reading of the poem share your “difficult fact” with your students. When I begin testing my students I always tell them that 7X8 is my “difficult” fact and we talk about facts that they have trouble with. I ask them to help their peers with suggestions for memorizing the troublesome facts.
The students could take one or two facts that they have difficulty with and put them into a poem or rhyme. Since this would be their own work the memorization of these facts would most likely be achieved. An example might be 56 7 8 takes care of the fact I hate! This can be chanted like a cheer. Put the 56 and 7 8 on the board and they will realize that 7X8=56. Putting the numbers sequentially gives a visual illustration.
These facts could be made into shape poems. Further extension, depending on the response of the class could be a rhyming book of math facts.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Wonderful Words: An Anthology
Poetry Book Review: A poetry collection compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Book Review: WONDERFUL WORDS POEMS ABOUT READING, WRITING, SPEAKING, AND LISTENING
Bibliography
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 2004. WONDERFUL WORDS POEMS ABOUT READING, WRITING, SPEAKING AND LISTENING. Ill. By Barbour Karen. New York: Simon and Schuster, ISBN 0689835884.
This collection of fifteen poems was selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and features poems relating to reading, writing, speaking and listening. The collection celebrates words and how they influence our lives through their shear power. The selections include poems by authors Richard Armour, Emily Dickinson, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Karla Kuskin, Nikki Grimes, David McCord, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack, Eve Merriam, Pat Mora, Ann Whitford Paul, Heidi Roemer, Carl Sandburg, Alice Schertle, Tom Robert Shields, and the author who compiled the selections, Lee Bennett Hopkins.
Pat Mora’s “Words Free as Confetti" and David McCord’s “How to Say a Long Hard Word” integrate the sense of sound into words. Patricia and Fredrick McKissack’s "Share the Adventure" and Tom Robert Shields "I Am the Book" envision the experiences to be shared through the reading of a book.
Lee Bennett Hopkins is a distinguished poet, writer and anthologist. Other anthologies in this poetry series include Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems and Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems. He has received both the Christopher Award and a Golden Kite Award for his poetry autobiography Been to Yesterdays: Poems of a Life.
The book, illustrated by Karen Barbour, in gouache with water colors in bold bright colors that complement the text. A spectacular connection between speaking and listening is made on a double page spread connecting Rebecca Kai Dotlich’s "Let’s Talk" to Lee Bennett Hopkins’ "Listen". The colors are so bright and bold they seem to dwarf the poems at times.
Reading the poems aloud to listeners will give them the opportunity to imagine all the places the words might take the children and allow them to see how words influence our lives. Wonderful Words is sure to inspire the imagination of those who read it.
Book Review: WONDERFUL WORDS POEMS ABOUT READING, WRITING, SPEAKING, AND LISTENING
Bibliography
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 2004. WONDERFUL WORDS POEMS ABOUT READING, WRITING, SPEAKING AND LISTENING. Ill. By Barbour Karen. New York: Simon and Schuster, ISBN 0689835884.
This collection of fifteen poems was selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and features poems relating to reading, writing, speaking and listening. The collection celebrates words and how they influence our lives through their shear power. The selections include poems by authors Richard Armour, Emily Dickinson, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Karla Kuskin, Nikki Grimes, David McCord, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack, Eve Merriam, Pat Mora, Ann Whitford Paul, Heidi Roemer, Carl Sandburg, Alice Schertle, Tom Robert Shields, and the author who compiled the selections, Lee Bennett Hopkins.
Pat Mora’s “Words Free as Confetti" and David McCord’s “How to Say a Long Hard Word” integrate the sense of sound into words. Patricia and Fredrick McKissack’s "Share the Adventure" and Tom Robert Shields "I Am the Book" envision the experiences to be shared through the reading of a book.
Lee Bennett Hopkins is a distinguished poet, writer and anthologist. Other anthologies in this poetry series include Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems and Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems. He has received both the Christopher Award and a Golden Kite Award for his poetry autobiography Been to Yesterdays: Poems of a Life.
The book, illustrated by Karen Barbour, in gouache with water colors in bold bright colors that complement the text. A spectacular connection between speaking and listening is made on a double page spread connecting Rebecca Kai Dotlich’s "Let’s Talk" to Lee Bennett Hopkins’ "Listen". The colors are so bright and bold they seem to dwarf the poems at times.
Reading the poems aloud to listeners will give them the opportunity to imagine all the places the words might take the children and allow them to see how words influence our lives. Wonderful Words is sure to inspire the imagination of those who read it.
Monday, January 22, 2007
HALL PASS By: Kristine O'Connell George
Poetry Break 1 (A poem about school, the library or books and reading)
Introduction
On the first day of school have ready in class a rather cumbersome piece of lumber with this poem written on it. Have it hanging in an obvious place in the classroom.
Hall Pass
By Kristine O’Connell George
Guess they don’t want to
misplace one of us,
have to confess to our parents
one of us escaped.
So if you need to go to the
cafeteria, office, library,
restroom, or whatever,
you’re expected to haul
a weathered hunk of lumber
huge as a rowboat oar.
Only one way to leave class—
rowing down these wide halls
with this enormous pass.
[from SWIMMING UPSTREAM MIDDLE SCHOOL POEMS, (Clarion, 2002)]
Extension
Have your classroom rules from the previous year ready to share with the class. Go over the rules, allow students to make recommendations for revision. I have found that students (5th graders) are usually fair and within acceptable boundaries with their recommendations. This allows the students to feel as if they have some ownership. The poem above might help this necessary part of the beginning school year. This might be especially beneficial in a setting where students move from class to class and hear and see rules all day long the first day of school.
Introduction
On the first day of school have ready in class a rather cumbersome piece of lumber with this poem written on it. Have it hanging in an obvious place in the classroom.
Hall Pass
By Kristine O’Connell George
Guess they don’t want to
misplace one of us,
have to confess to our parents
one of us escaped.
So if you need to go to the
cafeteria, office, library,
restroom, or whatever,
you’re expected to haul
a weathered hunk of lumber
huge as a rowboat oar.
Only one way to leave class—
rowing down these wide halls
with this enormous pass.
[from SWIMMING UPSTREAM MIDDLE SCHOOL POEMS, (Clarion, 2002)]
Extension
Have your classroom rules from the previous year ready to share with the class. Go over the rules, allow students to make recommendations for revision. I have found that students (5th graders) are usually fair and within acceptable boundaries with their recommendations. This allows the students to feel as if they have some ownership. The poem above might help this necessary part of the beginning school year. This might be especially beneficial in a setting where students move from class to class and hear and see rules all day long the first day of school.
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