Module 3: 2011 Poetry Book - Hear My Prayer

Here is a booktrailer for Lee Bennett Hopkins Hear My Prayer.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. (2011). Hear My Prayer.Ill. Gretchen “Gigi” Moore. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zonderkidz. ISBN-10: 0310718112 ISBN-13: 978-0310718116

Module 2: Florian Poetry – Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings

Florian, Douglas. 2009. Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN-10: 1416979786 ISBN-13: 978-1416979784

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs, and Dinosaurs! Eighteen to be exact with some you will recognize, like Tyrannosaurus Rex and some you might not know, like Giganotosaurus. Become the paleontologist, a dinosaur expert, and discover dinosaurs like you have never seen them before - with factual information - while reading entertaining poetry.

Douglas Florian has done it again with his pleasurable, engaging writing and illustrator’s talent in this book about dinosaurs. Dinothesaurus offers poems that are fun to read using several different rhyming schemes that should definitely be experienced by reading aloud; however it can also be enjoyed through silent readings. The first poem is about the beginning of dinosaurs, the next eighteen covers different types of dinosaurs, while the last poem is the extinction of the dinosaur era. Florian also included a Glossarysaurus at the back of the book with scientific information on each dinosaur featured in this book. Dinosaur Museums and Fossil Sites are also added at the end, with websites that are good for looking up added information and places to go and see some dinosaur specimens. Be sure to check out Dinosaur National Monument’s website. www.nps.gov/dino Children will enjoy the poems while learning factual information about a species that is always entertaining and sometimes scary, exclusively in a new way through poetry.

Douglas Florian must have had a good time illustrating his book by combining extinct dinosaurs with present day, adding a variety of pictures like a cell phone, iPod, computers, museum building, clothing, newspapers and more. The illustrations for this book were done with gonache, collage, colored pencils, stencils, dinosaur dust, and rubber stamps on printed brown paper bags.

Tyrannosaurus rex
Ty-ran-oh-SAW-rus REX (king of tyrant lizards)

Some forty feet long.
Some fourteen feet tall.
Its back limbs were strong.
Its front limbs were small.
Its eyesight was keen.
Its hunger voracious.
This creature was seen.
In times called Cretaceous.
Its jaws were horrific.
Its profile distinct.
I find it terrific
That it’s T-rex-tinct.
(Florian, pgs. 14-15)

Dinothesaurus offers the perfect pairing of poetry awareness with science. The children will enjoy having fun reading about dinosaurs while learning facts about these interesting extinct animals. There are enough dinosaurs for each letter of the alphabet. I would have the students work in groups of two and pull two letters from a hat. After writing poems with their chosen letters they will then use Florian’s style of artistic illustrations to make dinosaur poem posters to display in our room and around the school. They will also include factual information to tie into the science study. Additionally, we will have a dinosaur alphabet book to add to our classroom library and to share with other classes.

Module 2: Multicultural Poetry - Yum! ¡MmMm! Qué rico! Americas’ Sproutings

Mora, Pat. 2007. Yum!¡MmMm! Qué rico! Americas’ Sproutings Ill. by Rafael Lopez. New York: Lee and Low Books Inc. ISBN-10: 141697986 ISBN-13: 978-1-58430-271-1

Yum!¡MmMm! Qué rico means mmmm delicious in Spanish and who better to introduce us to her first collection of fourteen haiku mouthwatering poems than Pat Mora. She is celebrating the Americas’ native foods. Americas’ sproutings blueberry, chile, chocolate and eleven more foods will have your tummy rumbling for more. Disfrutelo! (Enjoy It!)

Pat Mora’s collection of haiku poems introduces us to the foods that are native to the Americas. Alphabetically you will enjoy blueberries to vanilla with the description of the food on the left-hand page and the poem on the right hand page. The poems, paired with Rafael Lopez’s colorful pictures are a pleasure to devour. The beginning of the book includes a map of the Americas and ends with Mora offering the reader some of her thoughts on writing haiku poems, which are seventeen-syllable poems of Japanese origin, and some comments on the native foods. The rhythm of these poems can be felt from clapping them out and reading them out loud. Pat Mora shows this by offering a fun activity using fast-clapping or jump-rope rhyme with the foods from the book. It is always a pleasure reading her books and I really like how she includes words in Spanish.

Blueberries, cranberries, pricky pear fiesta,
Tomatoes, chile, corn; spicy, spicy sals.
Lime for papaya, cream for pumpkin, butter for potato.
Yum! Vanilla! Peanuts! Chocolate. ¡Mmmm! ¡Qué rico!
(Mora, pg. 30)

Rafael Lopez draws from his rich cultural heritage growing up in Mexico City and being surrounded by the infusion of colors. The colors burst off the pages while absorbing the reader into the pictures with the expressions and natural Hispanic heritage of the people, birds, insects, reptiles and history we all share as Americans from Canada to South America. The illustrations are rendered in acrylic on wood panels. The text is set in Egyptian 505 and Mex Regular.


Vanilla

Quick! Lick white river
running down the cone cooling
your warm summer laugh.
(Mora, pg. 29)

A great book for introducing haiku poems to younger children. Haiku has three non-rhyming lines which is sometimes hard for children to understand. This is why using foods was a great way to visualize how these poems work. After discussing the foods, reading the poems, counting the seventeen-syllables, I would like for the children to take turns choosing a topic and together building some haiku poems that we can add to our anthology books as a class. Then as an added treat, make some coffee can ice cream using natural vanilla bean.

Module 2: NCTE Award Poetry - Another Jar of Tiny Stars

Cullinan, Bernice E. and Deborah Wooten, (Ed.) (2009) Another Tiny Jar of Stars. Portraits by Marc Nadel. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: Boyds Mills Press. ISBN-10: 1-59078-726-9 ISBN-13: 978-1-59078-726-7

Another Jar of Tiny Stars is the expanded edition of the popular anthology, A Jar of Tiny Stars published in 1995. This edition includes the original 10 winners of NCTE Award-Winning Poets (National Council of Teachers of English), their poems, the 5 newest winners and their poems. The poems featured in this book and the prior one were selected by children voting on their favorite poems by the featured authors. What a wonderful honor to be selected by children!











This is the emblem that depicts the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Established in 1977 to honor a living American poet for his/her work with children ages 3-13. The award stemmed from the tragic death of Bernice E. Cullinan’s son Jonathan Paul Cullinan. The boy in the tree on the emblem is in honor of him. Karla Kuskin, poet, illustrator, and NCTE award winner in 1980, designed the emblem in 1977 for NCTE. This anthology began as a research project where Cullinan polled 3,500 children to rank their favorite poems by the 10 award winning poets. In 1977 David McCord received the first award. In 1978 - Aileen Fisher, 1979 - Karla Kuskin, 1980 - Myra Chon Livingston, 1981 - Eve Merriam, 1982 - John Ciardi, 1985 - Lilian Moore, 1988 - Arnold Adoff, 1991 - Valerie Worth, 1994 - Barbara Esbensen are the first 10 award recipients and in this sequel there have been 5 more winning poets included starting with 1997 - Eloise Greenfield, 2000 - X.J. Kennedy, 2003 - Mary Ann Hoberman, 2006 - Nikki Grimes and 2009 - Lee Bennett Hopkins. Bernice E. Cullinan and Deborah Wooten , editors, have taken the beloved anthology A Tiny Jar of Stars and created an updated expanded anthology sequel, Another Tiny Jar of Stars, which will be just as loved as the first one. A black and white portrait by Marc Nadel of each poet is accompanied with a personal quote followed by their selected poems. This anthology is a nice addition to any library, especially since children voted on the selections. These are poems that children will understand and enjoy. Since there are no pictures accompanying the poems it allows the reader and listener to use their imagination.
The text of this book is set in 13-point Adobe Caslon. The portraits are done in watercolor washes.


To Catch a Firefly

If you catch a firefly
and keep it in a jar,
You may find that
you have lost
A tiny star.

If you let it go then,
back into the night,
You may see it
once again
Star bright.
(Moore, pg. 50)

I would ask the children close their eyes and use their imagination while listening to this poem. I would remind them that each person will see their own pictures in their minds and will see it differently than their classmates. After reading it the first time we would discuss whether anyone knew what a firefly was and then explain to the ones who did not know by showing a picture. I would expand this discussion by asking how they are able to produce light at night. Then we could tie this into a science lesson. I would then re-read the poem to allow everyone to have the example of what a firefly is. We would then discuss what an anthology is and how they could start their own anthology of poems by copying ones that were their favorites and then including their own poetry. I would then pass out a large piece of paper and ask them to copy the poem and then illustrate it however they would like with their own artwork. These will look great displayed in our room, library and around the school.

"NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children." National Council of Teachers of English - Homepage. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. http://www.ncte.org/awards/poetry

Module 1: African American Poetry - Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat

Giovanni, Nikki (ed). HIP HOP SPEAKS TO CHILDREN: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat. Ill. by Kristen Balouch, Michele Noiset, Jeremy Tugeau, Alicia Vergel de Dios, and Damian Ward. Naperville, Ill.:Sourcebooks, Jabberwocky. ISBN: 9781402210488

Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat is a diverse collection of 51 poems by African-American artists. The book includes a CD with 30 poems performed by most of the poets and well- known artists, such as Nikki Giovanni, Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, and Sugarhill gang to just name a few.

Nikki Giovanni starts this book with an introduction that tells the story of hip hop. To fully understand how the poems use rhythm and rhyme the introduction should be read to the students so they will understand how the languages (slang) of people changed throughout the years. Dig it, Be cool or Whassup, Dawg all represent eras related to music in our history. These poems communicate the many voices of African-American history spanning the beginning to present. Nikki Giovanni has compiled an amazing variety of poems that children will have fun listening to. The CD is a treasure of poets and artists performing their work. This is a wonderful complement to the poems and there is nothing like hearing the artist perform his or her own work to truly hear the passion or significance that the poem reveals. There are six illustrators who collaborated on this book. Kristen Balouch, Michele Noisets, Jeremy Tugeau, Alicia Vergel de Dios, Damian Ward, and Caroline “Olivia” Wolf brought their many talents together to bring the heart and soul of these pictures to life. Colorful, fun, serious, heartfelt laughter, hope and dance complete and represent the significance of the poems. The back of the book offers a section on About the Editor and Advisors, About the Illustrators, and About the Contributors. Nikki Giovanni did an outstanding job not only with the book, but in all the extras which makes this book a reference book as well. This is a must book to have in your library, classroom library, listening center and at home.

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

They call me
the show stopper the dime dropper
the spin-move-to-the-left
reverse jam poppa.
The high flier
on the high wire.
The intense rim-rattlin’
noise
amplifier.

The net-shaker
back board break
creator
of the funk dunk
hip-shaker.
The Man
Sir Slam
The Legend
I be.

That’s just a few of the names they call me.
(Charles R. Smith, Jr., 24)

This poem is fun, has a beat and is about sports. Children know a lot about sports and enjoy playing games. Hip Hop Speaks to Children poetry book comes with a CD of several of the poems read by the author. This is a great way to introduce the poem by having the students listen to it being performed by the poet. After listening to the poem, we will discuss who Charles R. Smith Jr. is and why he chose to write this type of poem. This will lead to the class discussion about sports and athletes. Now we are ready to write a poetry response - “The poem made me feel …, Images I thought of…, and Words I liked.” Using their knowledge of sports, what they like, or who they like, will work on a poem for their poetry journal. It can be as a rap or not but I want them to have fun with this.

Module 1: Hopkins Collection - City I Love

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. City I Love. Ill by Marcellus Hall. New York, NY: Abrams for Young Readers in Association with the Field Museum, 2009. Print. ISBN-10: 0810983273 ISBN-13: 978-0-8109-8327-4

City I Love is a delightful collection of poems that explores cities from around the globe. The inside cover features a map of the world with the cities that you will visit through each poem, which are marked for you on the map. Put your traveling shoes on, grab your map and explore cities you might know and ones you don’t through poetry. Have fun!

Eighteen poems about urban cities will take you on an adventure that begins in New York City and progresses around the world. The dog with his backpack will be your tour guide on this trip. Be sure to look for the blue bird in every picture with the dog. Children will feel the sensory images that the pictures inspire, which are colorful and fun. You will experience tall buildings, hear the sounds of the taxis, be jostled on the subway, feel the heat of the sun on the beach, walk waist deep in snow, learn about diverse populations and experience the life that cities emanate. Lee Bennett Hopkins has taken his memories of cities and partnered with illustrator Marcellus Hall and his wonderful pictures. They have created a book to enjoy for ages 4-8, but I also feel that adults will enjoy just as much. Each poem is easy and fun to read.

City Summer

It is so hot.

So hot.

So very hot
even
the fiery
orange-red
sun
wears
a
sweatband
on
this sultry
heat-filled
summer
day.
(Hopkins, 14)

This book of poems is a wonderful way to bring poetry and geography today. I would read each poem aloud and have the students listen. Then the students will brainstorm on chart paper, as a group, what they know about cities. Let the students, 2nd graders for example, take turns reading the poems aloud to the class, then see if they have any other memories to add to the chart. The students will then chose a city they know or one they would like to visit and write a poem about it. Using the world map, globes, and atlases the students will be able to add the name of the city, state, country and continent. We will add this poem to their poetry journals. Later, they could also make a poster to display their poem and city with geographical information.

Module 1: School Poetry - The Brimstone Journals

Koertge, Ron. 2001. The Brimstone Journals. Ill. by: Timothy Basil Ering. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN-10: 0763617423 ISBN-13: 978-0763617424

The book is narrated by 15 high school seniors. Looking through the teenager’s eyes you will experience a small perspective of the cruel veracity of what teens are struggling with today. These teens allow you to experience some of the harsh realities of choices they are making and others that they did not chose to deal with on a day to day basis. This verse novel is a quick read and hard to put down once you start.

Your narrators include Boyd, Sheila, Damon, Kitty, Meredith, Joseph, Tran, Allison, Rob, Carter, Neesha, Jennifer, Lester, Kelli and David. They will share sexuality, guns, sexual abuse, guns, anger, guns, racism, guns, anorexia, guns, bullying, guns, God, lesbianism, guns, jocks, guns, addiction, guns and neglectful parents. The violence is apparent as you walk through and experience their lives. The students renamed the school from Branston High School to Brimstone High School – I can surely see why.

Ron Koertge said that the voices woke him in the middle of the night and it only took him three weeks to write the first draft. (Koertge, 2001) He truly has captured the heart wrenching feelings of these young adults. The characters are believable with the use of their language and emotions. You will be able to identify with some experiences from your high school days while being horrified, angry, frightened, laughing, saddened and hopeful with these readings.

Lester

I’m about half sick to my stomach all
the time because I’m scared.

Those jocks come down the hall like
a tidal wave of muscle. On a good day
they only knock me into the wall once.

The time Damon smashed a Twinkie
in my face I went to the office and
ratted him out.

I could see Mr. Newman look at his
calendar and think, The game’s tomorrow
night.

But he said, “I’ll talk to him, Lester. We’ll
make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Next time it was a Ding Dong instead
of a Twinkie. Damon said if I opened
my big mouth, I was a goner.
(The Brimstone Journals, 36)

The Brimstone Journals deals with so many issues that plague our youth. This poem shows bullying! This has become a major issue in our schools and this poem is a great way of discussing steps to take when confronted with this issue. These poems are written in free verse and a great lead in for introducing free verse. I would have the students write a free verse poem about an experience they are having at school. This one should be included in their anthology that they are compiling throughout the year.