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.
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