Module 2- NCTE Poet

Lewis, J. Patrick, Kubinyi, Laszlo ill. Skywriting: Poems to Fly. Mankato, MN: Creative Editions, 2010.

Review:
Skywriting: Poems to Fly is written by J. Patrick Lewis (NCTE Poet of 2011) and illustrated by Laszlo Kubinyi. This picture book contains 13 poems including a free verse poem, a shape poem, and rhyming poems. The poems chronicle events throughout the history of flight beginning with the doomed flight of Icarus (800 B.C.) to the successful 2002 space shuttle flight of the Columbia. The poem shown below, "Lockheed F-117 A Nighthawk", is an example of a rhyming poem that has a musically rhythmic pattern to the words. The reader cannot help but read the poem with a beat to the words. The imagery of the lines, "...metal Darth Vader/ impersonator,/ invisible raider,/ black jet aviator..." bring to mind Star Wars and sleek flying machines. Patrick includes informational paragraphs about each flying machine poem and a timeline of flight history. Kubinyi's illustrations artistically depict these men and their wonderful flying machines, even the outlandish "Minerva"- the Titanic of the sky. A beautiful collection of poems and illustrations that is sure to engage readers.


Introduction:
Read the poem with out giving students the title. Have them guess the topic of the poem. Another option would be to give students a blank paper and a pencil and draw what is described in the poem.

Poem:

Lockheed F-117 A Nighthawk
1982-United States
by: J. Patrick Lewis

Who was that
radar evader,
cloud irrigator,
metal Darth Vader
impersonator,
invisible raider,
black jet aviator
and wicked wind-skater?

So long, see ya later!

After the Poem:
Pair up students with a copy of the above poem. Have students work together on how they will read the poem aloud. Students may read the poem in unison, as a rap, alternating lines, etc. Students may work in groups of three as well to complete the activity.

Module 2: Florian Poetry

Florian, Douglas. Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc., 2007.

Review:
Comets, Stars, the Moon , and Mars is an out-of-this-world-book written and illustrated by Douglas Florian.  It can be used in the science classroom to help with the Solar System unit. The change of Pluto's status from a planet to dwarf planet has confused and befuddled many people. Florian's clever use of rhyme and repetition help learners understand the reasoning behind the momentous decision in a short few sentences. He includes words related to Pluto such as rock, dog, planetoid, etc. Another notable poem is the rhyming shape poem A Galaxy, which is written in the shape of a spiral galaxy. Florian includes illustrations and labels of different types of galaxies found in the universe. Florian also includes the word sun in multiple languages in his illustration of the sun. In his illustrations, Florian includes the planet, the moons, comets, and more making this a visual delight for the eyes. This wonderful book is a great asset to all science classrooms.

Introduction:
Split students into two groups. Have one group read the line, "Pluto was a planet". Have the other group read the other lines of the poem.
Poem:

Pluto by Douglas Florian

Pluto was a planet.
But now it doesn't pass.
Pluto was a planet.
They say it's lacking mass.
Pluto was a planet.
Pluto was admired.
Pluto was a planet.
Till one day it got fired.

Extension:
Have students discuss their feeling about Pluto being downgraded from a planet to a dwarf planet. Have students think about and discuss this question, "How do you think Pluto feels about being fired from planet status?" Students can write a journal describing their feelings, a letter to astronomers asking them to rethink their decision, or a thank you letter to astronomers for their decision.

Module 2- Multicultural Poetry

Mora, Pat, Lopez, Rafael ill. Yum! MmMm! !Que rico!: Americas' Sproutings. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc., 2007.

Review:
This colorful book is filled with 14 haikus about food written by Pat Mora and illustrated by Rafael Lopez. Each haiku has a informational paragraph informing readers of the possible origin, history, and a bit of trivia for each food item. Here is a trivia tidbit- Did you know that in 1995, potatoes became the first vegetable grown in space? Mora introduces at least four Spanish terms in her haikus- la cocina, los dulces, la luna, and que rico. These Spanish words mesh very well with the Mexican flair of Lopez's illustrations. Mora includes more Spanish terms in the informational paragraphs. For instance, prickly pears have green and red parts. These have specific Spanish terms- the green pads are known as nopales (served like a vegetable)  and the red fruits are known as tunas (used to make juice, jams, and candy). The haiku for the prickly pear is shown below. I think it is an interesting poem because it shows the wonder of finding something sweet and delicious from a dangerous looking plant. Mora includes a letter to readers addressing the love of variety in foods and cultures. There is also a note about the ambiguity regarding some of the foods' origins.

Introduction:
Have students talk about their favorite fruits or foods. Ask them to describe it in a few words. For example, apple- crisp or strawberries- red blast of tarty sweetness. Then talk about different foods found in their cultures. Have students think about surprising foods that taste sweet or delicious to them. For example, mung beans make a tasty candy treat. Have students share their responses with everyone. Then read the haiku.

Poem:

Prickly Pear by Pat Mora

Red desert wonder.
Cactus fruit becomes syrup
and dulces. Surprise!

Extension:
Have any Spanish speaking student give the meaning of dulces or have students infer the word's meaning based on the context of the haiku. Students can share different ways to say sweet or candy in their languages if multiple languages are present in the class.
Students can talk about different types of food they eat in their cultures with one another. If allowable, have some sample foods brought in from different cultures for students to try and discuss.
Pat Mora includes a wonderful extension activity in her letter to the reader. Have students work in small groups to create a rhythmic pattern (chant, hand clap, rap, etc) with the foods used throughout the book.
Blueberries, cranberries, prickly pears fiesta,
Tomatoes, chile, corn; spicy, spicy salsa.
Lime for papaya, cream for pumpkin, butter for potato.
Yum! Vanilla! Peanuts! Chocolate. Mmmm! Que rico!

Module 1- Introduction to Poetry- Hopkins Collection

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, Barbour, Karen, ill. Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1997. ISBN 0-689-80658-2.

Review:
Marvelous Math is an anthology of math related poems collected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by Karen Barbour. This book of selected poems would be most useful when teaching specific concepts in math such as fractions, multiplication, etc. The poems in the collection vary from free verse to rhyming poems. There are three poems that can be used at any time during the course of a school year, Marvelous Math by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, from Take a Number by Mary O'Neill, and  To Build a House by Lillian Fisher. Dotlich's poem talks about the kinds of questions that can be answered with math. O'Neill's poem talks about life without math or numbers, "Wouldn't it be awful To live like that?". Fisher's poem shows the many ways math is used to build a house. The colorful illustrations help give life to the poems in a playful way from a giant dinosaur to a long division problem written on a confused boy's forehead. These poems reflect positive and negative ways people view math. A feeling many students may share about multiplication facts or problems is a negative one. The poem below can help struggling students not feel so alone in their effort to understand multiplication. I believe this book is a must for any math classroom.

Poem Introduction:
Use with a small group of students who are struggling with the concept of multiplication. Write the lines of the poem on sentence strips, hand each strip in order to students, and have them read the poem aloud. Then show them the poem and illustrations. Discuss their feeling about multiplication and if the can identify with any of the illustrations from the book.
from Near the Window Tree by Karla Kuskin (from Marvelous Math)

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.

Follow-up Activity
After reading the poem together and discussing how multiplication can be a difficult math concept, read the picture book, Multiplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumpelstiltskin by Pam Calvert. This book uses multiplication to help Rumpelstiltskin exact revenge on the queen for saying his name 10 years ago. The book and poem are a fun way to get students excited about multiplication. Have students create their own multiplication charts and practice multiplication problems with each other in pairs or small groups.
book cover image from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

Module 1- Introducation to Poetry- School Poetry

Wong, Janet S., Flavin, Teresa, ill. You Have To Write. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-0-689-83409-7.

Review:
In a free verse poem, Janet Wong addresses an issue that many writers face-what to write about. Wong tells writers to use everyday experiences-good and bad- as inspiration for writing, "why not think about the plain, the everyday...". Teresa Flavin drew wonderful illustrations that represent students as they struggle for topics and think about experiences. Several pages of the book look like collages of family photos. Wong's tone throughout the poem is encouraging and positive. She gives this last bit of advice to writers, "Try. Because you have to write, and you want it to be good". This poem definitely encourages imaginative thought by asking writers to remember events and memories.
Poem Introduction:
Ask students what their feelings and thoughts are when they are told they have to write a paper, essay, or report. Record their answers on chart paper and post. Can refer back to the chart after reading the poem.

You Have To Write by Janet S. Wong (an excerpt)

You have to write.
You hate to write.

You want it to be good,
to make us cry
or bust up laughing
when the room is quiet.

You want the laugh
to come from the belly,
a surprise, like a burp
with a smile.

Follow up Activity:
Go back the chart and discuss if their feelings and thoughts about writing have changed after hearing the poem. Make a new chart with ideas to help begin writing assignments to use as an anchor chart in the classroom.
book cover image from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/