Module 3-Poetic Form/LS 5663-20

Module 3-Poetic Form
Mora,Pat . Yum! MmMm!Que Rico!: America's Sproutings. New York: Lee & Low Books, Inc., 2007. ISBN 978-1-58430-271-1
Everyone is drawn in by the appeal of food. Pat Mora has taken several of the foods that are native to America and stimulated our tastebuds, as well as our love of language. Each of the haikus shared in the book used language in a unique way, giving vivid descriptions of each of the foods represented. The traditional haiku poetry form is written in a way that the reader can almost taste each of the foods represented. The illustrations done by Rafael Lopez enhance the writings and enrich the history of the vegetables. In addition to the haiku, the author has given a brief summary of the history of each of the fruit or vegetables. The haiku traditionally consists of 17 syllables in lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively, and the author uses this form to share descriptive, colorful, and even tasty writing. Pat Mora introduces the reader to poetry about foods that they may enjoy on a daily basis, foods that only the adults, in their families will eat, and even foods that they have never even heard of.
In order to fully appreciate this book, I would provide a sample of several of the foods represented in the book.* I would focus on the following poems,
1.Chocolate
Fudge, cake, pie, cookies
Brown magic melts on your tongue
Happy, your eyes dance.
2.Cranberry
Marsh-floating hard bead
Simmers then POPS! In hot pot.
Scarlet fireworks.
3. Papaya
Chewing your perfume,
We taste your leafy jungle.
Yum! Juicy tropics.
I specifically chose these three foods, since many people enjoy chocolate, many parents enjoy cranberries and very few of my student have never tasted papaya. *I would have the students taste each of the food samples. After tasting each sample, I would have the students share descriptive words about each of the foods. I would encourage each of the students think about each of the senses, depending on how the foods taste, sound, feel , look and smell. After each of the foods are tasted, the descriptive words could be used to write a class haiku about the favorite sampled food.
*(Prior to the tasting of each of the foods, I would obtain permission from each of the parents and check for food allergies.)