Module 6-Poetry by Kids/LS-5663-20

Module 6-Poetry by Kids
Things I have to tell you: poems and writing by teenage girls. Betsy Franco. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0-7636-1035-7
Teenage girls are mysterious individuals. They are precious, wonderful, will be loving one minute and screaming at you the next. This book is composed of the writing of young adolescent girls who were able to verbalize their feelings and frustrations through poetry. The editor of this book began the process of writing the book when a family friend shared some the struggles that she was going through. The idea started in the local high schools in the area and, eventually spread across the country.
Each of the poems included in the book reinforce the purpose of the book, which is to allow the voice of young girls to be heard in a setting where they feel that someone is listening and not judging. Many of the poems are very frank and explicit about a variety of topics, such as sharing a part of themselves with a boy and then having the boy leave them for someone else, or always expected to be perfect in every way. The following poem is very descriptive and to the point in regards to the feelings of a teenage girl.
Escape
I look inside me and I don’t see it
I don’t see the power
The confidence you say I have
You say I can do anything
That I’m sure of myself and my intentions
And I wonder
But I don’t know
If it’s all there
Waiting for the opportunity
To jump into you
And try to help you
Fix you
Ask you
Why? Because I don’t know
I wait anxiously
Feeling my stomach
A block of ice
Chipping away, melting,
Then freezing up again
Who can I follow?
Theresa Hossfield, age 16
The excerpt given stimulates the feelings and emotions felt by many teenage girls, as well as adults who have experience the same feeling during their teen years. I would use this book as a way to allow adolescent girls to sharing their feelings. Due to explicit language and the personal nature of some of the topics, I would use the book in a setting where the girls would feel comfortable sharing their feelings and similar frustrations after hearing the poems read aloud. I feel that the appropriate setting could be among girls in a youth group or in a group of girls in an English class. I feel that these poems could be better understood and appreciated if read aloud. I would have the girls in the group share either written or orally their feelings and opinions after listening to the poems. Students could also be encouraged to write their own poetry about similar experiences.
Several of the poems could be shared in a classroom setting with both sexes present. The poems could be used to allow the boys to share their feelings from a male point of view. I feel that if this is used then ground rules must be set to ensure the feelings that are shared will be respected.

Module 5-Performance Poetry/LS-5663-20

Franco,Betsy. Messing around on the monkey bars and other school poems for two voices. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-7636-3174-1
Poetry is meant to be shared and this book provides many excellent opportunities for performing with others. The author has provided a guide for using each of these poems by writing each of the lines with different levels of boldness. Different strategies are provided for reading the poems, such as by two individuals, two groups, or all together. The call and response strategy for performing is probably best suited for this work.
Each of the poems have a definite rhythm, and would work well with clapping or snapping by the students as they read them. The rhyming of each of the poems is natural and flows well. The following poem will appeal to students and can be used as a poetry break or even used during physical education classes.
Messing Around on the Monkey Bars
Time for recess!
Here we are,
Messing around on the monkey bars!
Hand over hand,
Fast or slow,
Calling to our friends below.
Skipping two bars,
Skipping three,
Dangling down by just our knees.
Swinging up
Above the ground,
Missing bars and tumbling down.
Hooting, howling,
Here we are,
Messing around on the monkey bars!
This poem could be acted out with students moving the hands and body to match the motions mentioned in each of the lines.
Each of the poems touch upon an area that each student will encounter ,or has already encountered in their school experience. The poems help the reader to see the school experience from the student perspective. Students will share their honest feelings about topics, and many will be able to identify with each of these poems. A multitude of thoughts and emotions will be felt and expressed as the reader journeys through this book.
I would use the following poem as a way to welcome a new student in the classroom. The poem could calm fears of being the new kid and would help the other students have a fun way to introduce themselves. Each student could write their own version after modeling and performing the poem with the class. Younger students could write a class version, instead of individual poems.
New Kid at School
Where did you come from?
Far away.
Miss your friends?
Every day.
Where do you live?
Maple Street.
What’s your name?
Call me Pete.
How old are you?
Just turned eight.
You like hoops?
Yeah, great.
Got any friends?
Nope, not yet.
Wanna play?
You bet!

Module 5-Hopkins Award Poetry/LS 5663-20

Florian,Douglas. Beast Feast. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1994. ISBN 0-590-13158-3
What is the animal that you like the most? Which animal scares you? These are the questions that triggers responses of excitement, fear and fascination. Douglas Florian has created fun and exciting poems about several feared “beasts” .
This book was the recipient of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award. The criteria for winning this award is that it must be accessible to children and its presentation must serve the poems in an attractive and appropriate manner. Beastfeast was the recipient of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award in 1995.
Each of the poems are appealing to children and are full of fascinating and interesting details. The details included in each of the poems will stimulate the emotions felt when reading about or even seeing the animals featured in the book. Students will want to share information about each animal and most students will have a story or two to share gleaned from a show on television or on the computer. This book could be used in conjunction with many different areas of thematic study, such as the rainforest, a study of bugs, or a study of ocean animals.
Each of the poems are consistently high in quality and reinforce the purpose of allowing the reader to view the animals in a more meaningful way. The poet uses very descriptive language and students may be encouraged to expand their vocabulary after reading the poem. In the following poem, a lobster is described as an underwater mobster with two claws to catch and crush.
The Lobster
See the hard-shelled
Leggy lobster
Like an underwater
Mobster
With two claws
To catch and crush
Worms and mollusks
Into mush
And antennae
Long and thick
Used for striking
Like a stick.
So be careful
On vacation
Not to step on
This crustacean.
I would use this poem when studying a thematic unit on the Ocean and Marine Life. Students are fascinated by animals that are unique. As an extension for this activity, I would have students view pictures of lobsters and other crustaceans. After viewing the pictures, I would have the class brainstorm describing words. Depending on the grade level of the students , the class could create an acrostic poem for different crustaceans or create a poem similar to ones written by Douglas Florian.

Module 5-Sidman Poetry/LS 5663-20

Sidman,Joyce. This is just to say: poems of apology and forgiveness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. ISBN 978-0-618-61680-0
Sometimes it can be very hard to say I’m sorry. Joyce Sidman has shared a variety of unique poems in which different people ask for forgiveness. The first part of the book explains the problem in each situation and the second part of the book includes the responses. Each pair of poems reveals different relationships and connections between sisters, brothers, parents, children, and best friends. The reader is able to see both sides of the situation and understand the feelings felt on both sides.
Each of the poems is based upon a childhood experience that many people encounter, such as fighting with a sibling, or being disrespectful to an adult. The poems will stimulate emotions, such as anger or fear. In the following poem, we see the frustration felt by a young man after misspelling a word at his school spelling bee,
To my mother,
Spelling Bomb
I can’t believe that I lost
I know that I disappointed you.
Do you really think I don’t care?
I know how important it is to win.

I know that I disappointed you;
I saw it in your face when I misspelled.
I know how important it is to win;
I studied hours and hours.

I saw it in your face when I misspelled.
I saw you turn away from me.
Even though I study hours and hours,
I never seem to be your champion.
I saw you turn away from me
And in that moment would have given anything
To be your champion.
To see your bright, triumphant pride.

In this moment, I would give anything-
Do you really think I don’t care?-
For your bright, triumphant pride,
Which I can’t believe I lost.
By Anthony
*The author shares that this type of poem is called a pantoum. The second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated as the first and third lines in the next stanza. The answer back to Anthony is given in part 2 of the book and Anthony’s mother expresses her thoughts on working hard and building character. Through Anthony’s words, he shares that he feels that he has let his mother down due to misspelling a word in his spelling bee.
Each of these poems uses language that can be understood and appreciated by the audience. Many of the poems feel like conversations between two people ,who are trying to work through a problem. The poems included in this book reinforce the simple, yet difficult concept of asking for forgiveness.
As an extension after reading these poems, I would allow students to share about a time when they have had an experience similar to the ones described in the book. Students very seldom get the chance to truly share about what is truly happening in their life, due to time constraints or fear of sharing what is truly happening. This activity could be done with any age group and ability level. For the older students, individual poems and experiences could be shared. For younger students, a class poem could be written by including the thoughts and ideas of the whole group.

Module 4-Biographical Poetry/LS 5663-20

Angelou,Maya. Poetry for Young People. Edwin G. Wilson. New York: Sterling, 2007. ISBN 978-1-4027-2023-9
Maya Angelou is considered to be one the most well-known poet of our time. She has been the recipient of many honors and awards. In this book, many of her most important poems are highlighted and shared, each one tied to meaningful experiences in her life.
Each of the poems shared in the book reinforce the purpose of sharing the intimate moments of Maya Angelou’s life. Through her words, the reader is better able to understand how different events in her life shaped her writing. She has overcomes many obstacles throughout her life, racial prejudice, discrimination, and hatred. She choses to channel the pain and turmoil into reaching people with her words. The following poem encourages the reader to open up their mind and their heart to fully appreciate the words.
A conceit
Give me your hand.
Make room for me
To lead and follow
You
Beyond this rage of poetry.
Let others have
The privacy of
Touching words
And love of loss
Of love.
For me
Give me your hand.
Each poem shared in the book has an introduction to explain the significance of the words in the poet’s life and different vocabulary words are explained to help the reader better understand and appreciate the poem. The words shared in each of the following poems touch many different feeling and senses. Maya Angelou use language that will be understood and appreciated by the reader, yet it also encourages the reader to stretch their linguistic abilities.
I would use any of the poems during the month of February, Black History Month. Maya Angelou is considered to be a very influential figure in the area of writing. Children of all ages and ethnicities can benefit from her writing style. I would also use her work to share during National Poetry Month.

Module 4-Social Studies Poetry-LS 5663-20

I never saw another butterfly, Children's drawings and poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944. Hana Volavkova. New York: Schocken Books, 1993. ISBN 978-0-8052-1015-6
The topic of the Holocaust is a very difficult one to share about due to the graphic nature of the treatment of the Jewish people. The poetry created and shared by the children of the Terezin Concentration Camp gives the reader a first hand glimpse into the oppressive life and seeing death all around them each day.
The introduction to the book is from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and it is filled with important information to help the reader understand the history behind this specific concentration camp. Terezin was a Jewish ghetto for what one could call privileged Jews: war heroes, intellectuals, artists, half-Jews, and Jews married to Aryans. This model community was to prepared the Jewish people for Palestine, as it was presented to the community. This was not to be the case and many in the community were sent on to Auschwitz, where they were later killed or left to die.
One brave artist felt that the children of Terizin would benefit from art therapy. Her name was Friedl Dicker-Brandeis. She felt that art could be the release for the escape the daily chaos and turmoil of their lives. The materials for these lessons were often office supplies, scrap paper, or wrapping paper. She would encourage students to express their feelings through art or their words. Each of the poems are accompanied by the artwork of the students. Many of these drawings were saved by a former student of Mrs. Dicker-Brandeis and were eventually shared with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where the artwork is on display today.
Each of the poems included in this book reinforce the purpose of the book, which is to share the story of the children who lived in the ghetto of Terezin. Many of these children chose to see the brighter side of life in a concentration camp. Many used their words and their art to express frustration, fear and even anger.
The following poem shares the hope of one of the residents of Terrezin. The poet uses very descriptive language to describe the colors of the sun as it disappears, just as the regular life of a Jewish child disappeared during the terroristic reign of the Third Reich.
The Butterfly
The last, the very last ,
So richly, brightly dazzlingly yellow.
Perhaps if the sun’s teach would sing
Against a white stone……..
Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly ‘way up high.
It went away I’m sure because it wished to
Kiss the world good-bye.
For seven weeks I’ve lived in here,
Penned up inside this ghetto.
But I have found what I love here.
The dandelions call to me
And the white chestnut branches in the court.
Only I never saw another butterfly.
That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies don’t live in here,
In the ghetto.
-Pavel Friedman 4.6.1942
I would use this poem to share with students as part of a study of the Holocaust. I feel that it would be important to summarize the history of Terezin, as it shared in the introduction of the book. My daughter was able to read this book of poetry during her sixth grade year. The teachers at this grade level were able to obtain a trunk from the National Holocaust Memorial Museum to use as part of the curriculum. This trunk is filled with vast amounts of literature, pictures and other artifacts. One of the activities that each of the sixth grade students is able to participate in is to create their own butterfly in honor of Jewish children who were in a concentration camp. The students are responsible for researching the lives of the Jewish children. At the end of the study, the butterflies are sent back to be displayed in Washington, D.C. at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Module 4-Science Poetry/LS 5663-20

Module 4-Science Poetry
Florian,Douglas. Comets, stars, the moon and Mars. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc., 2007. ISBN 978-0-15-205372-7
Space…the final frontier. As adults, we grew up hearing this on television and we have never lost our fascination for space travel.
Space is an abstract subject that many can only read about, until the day that space travel is possible for everyone. The poems shared in this book give the reader a short description of the planets, the stars, the moon and other space related topics. Each of the poems reinforce the purpose to share information about space in a fun and informative way.
Each of the poems in this book share information about planets, the moon, and the stars in a way that students will want to know more. The author writes in a rhyming format and each of the poems has a natural flow while including an abundance of information. The following poem is the first one in the book and gives the reader an glimpse of what is to come.
Skywatch
On a clear night you might try
To gaze upon the starry sky.
A telescope or binoculars are
Great aids to observe a star.
To find your way it’s good to sight
Upon a star that’s very bright,
Like Sirius or Canopus,
Alpha Centauri or Arcturus.
You may see a planet or
A flash of light from a meteor.
Use a constellation chart
To help you tell the stars apart.
Start out when the day is done.
Most of all: Have lots of fun!
Each of the poems would be an excellent source of material to introduce the concept of webbing to younger readers. As a class, I would have my students create a web of information with the material given in the poems and then encourage the students to continue to research the topics further. I would poem use the poem, Skywatch, to introduce a thematic unit on Space and Space Pioneers. Each of the poems use descriptive language and encourages the reader to expand their vocabulary as they extend their research beyond what is presented in the book.