Module 1-Hopkins Collection/LS 5663-20

Hopkins,Lee B.. Me! A book of poems. New York: The Seabury Press, 1970.
(No image available)
(No ISBN, only Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 72-115782)
Each of the poems compiled in this book evoke a moment of wonder from our childhood. Many of the poems chosen by Lee Bennett Hopkins bring back memories of childhood. Each poem chosen highlights a child’s unique individuality and each poem allows for self discovery. Discovering shadows, climbing trees, and the fascination of losing a tooth are among the topics used to stimulate the emotions of the reader. Each of the poems would be perfect to share with reluctant readers using choral reading or echo reading in order to encourage fluency. The illustrations done by Talivaldis Stubis help the reader to visualize what the poets are sharing.
The poems are compatible with the theme of the book. Hopkins chose poems that would encourage young readers to share their thoughts, share their experiences, and have a sense of wonder about themselves.
The following poem would be useful at the beginning of the school year, when teachers are asking students to share about themselves.
Everybody Says by Dorothy Aldis
Everybody says
I look just like my mother.
Everybody says
I’m the image of Aunt Bee.
Everybody says
My nose is like my father’s
But I want to look like ME!
I would use this poem when working on units and stories about family. This poem could be part of an at home project in which students could share information about their family. I usually do this project every year and I have my students share what activities they like to do with their families, what make their family special and then this information is compiled into a class family album that is kept in the library center of our classroom. This poem could also be shared as a way to begin an author study on Kevin Henkes or Jan and Stan Berenstain.

Module 1-School Poetry/LS 5663-20

Harrison,David L.. Somebody catch my homework. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press, Inc., 1993.
ISBN 1-56397-520-3
From the moment that you pick up this book and begin reading, you are transported back in time. Each of us has forgotten information for a test or left homework at home. As adults, we tend to put those memories aside until we experience it with our own children. Harrison brings to life the emotions felt by students who have struggled with the possibility of having to write a story for homework or having to eat what the cafeteria is serving. Harrison does an excellent job of using words to help students visualize ideas, such as describing the lumps in the mashed potatoes as glue or comparing applesauce as watery goo. The poem is written in a rhyming format to allow a beginning reader to enjoy listening for each set of rhyming words.
The following poem could be enjoyed by any age group and could be used to introduce a unit on the food pyramid and healthy eating habits.
New Here?
You’ll love our food at our school.
Oh yes!
The lumps in the potatoes are glue
We guess.
The beef never mooed like a cow
You can bet
Though very few kids have died from it…
Yet.
The rolls are great to stone squirrels
From trees
But some of us blast them with
Buckshot peas.
The applesauce is watery
Goo
But suck it right down ‘cause it’s good
For you.
The best, of course, we all save for last-
Bouncing our Jell-O down the hall
Real fast.
I would also use this poem to share as students are preparing to go to lunch and have them think about how we could describe our lunch. This is a great opportunity to working on using describing words. Using an add from the newspaper or a magazine showing food, I would have the students verbally describe the food represent and ask them to use different adjectives, such as crunchy, smooth, puffy, and gooey.

Module 1-African American Poetry/LS 5663-20

Grimes,Nikki. A dime a dozen. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1998.
ISBN 0-8037-2227-3
This collection of poems by Nikki Grimes shows her journey as a young woman of color struggling with issues of appearance, growing as a writer and dealing with the divorce of her parents. In the first poem, we see the determination of a young woman to achieve her dreams, in spite of her circumstances.
The Dream
Oh! To poet
like a laser,
pierce darkness
with one word!
I would use this poem as a catalyst for achieving your dreams. Children are not often allowed to dream about what they would like to do. This poem could be used to encourage students to write about they would like to achieve as adults. I would have the students list several goals that they would like to accomplish and share why. I feel that this activity would be beneficial for intermediate students. As an ice-breaker for the activity, I would have different staff members write about what their future goals were as young adults, without including their name and then have the students try to match the correct staff member with the story shared. As the instructor, I would also share what my goals were and how I felt in my journey to achieve them.
This specific book is broken down into three different sections, with each section giving the reader insight into the life of Nikki Grimes. As an introduction to the book, the poet shares that her mother tells her that writers are “a dime a dozen” and writers don’t come from their neighborhood. I feel that these poems can evoke memories of a time when each of us have been told that we need to be realistic and stop dreaming. This experience can bring about resentment and pain that many would not want to revisit. Nikki Grimes took her experience with being told to give up her dream, and through her words, she can encourage young writers to never give up on their dreams, no matter what.
Nikki Grimes has also shared the emotion of a child dealing with divorce. This topic is unfortunately something readers of all ages have experienced. As a child of divorce, she shares through her work the stress of worrying about the emotional state of both parents, financial issues and trying to have a healthy relationship with both parents. I feel that the following poem would be helpful to students who are struggling with these issues.
Untitled
It happened
to Maria
Malik
and Danny Gold;
To Javier
and Suki
Jim Roth
and Suzy Chow.
My parents
got divorced
last month
…..I guess I fit in now.