Curriculum Poetry Book Review

Franco, Betsy. 2003. Mathematickles! Illus. by Steven Salerno. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

I found Mathematickles! to have eye catching illustrations – on the front cover as well as on each of the pages, and the actual math problems are very clever and thought-provoking. However, to make sure, I sought expert advice. I asked my third-grade daughter to read and respond to it. She loved the book, and we enjoyed talking about the various equations, how to read them, and how the author, arrived at each answer. Because of Mathematickles! my daughter now knows how to read division problems and multiplication charts.

The personal exercise with my daughter has shown me that this book is a good and fun addition to any classroom or library and can indeed by used as a springboard for discussing many types of math problems. For instance, there are addition and subtraction poems; poems about multiplication and division; and, toward the end, poems using charts, graphs, and fractions. As each of these concepts is introduced and discussed, the teacher can insert numbers into each equation for a smooth transition from the words to numbers; or, they can be used as they are written to reinforce word problems.

Mr. Salerno’s illustrations perfectly complement each math poem, as he and Ms. Franco work through the seasons of the year in poetry and pictures. The cover features a fall scene with wind blowing the leaves around, chased by a girl and a cat. The title is a play on words – a combination of mathematics and tickles. Both the book title and the cover art should serve to entice a student (or teacher) to open the book for further exploration. Once inside, the bright colors with lots of movement depicted will help to keep the reader enthralled as he or she attempts to “solve” the poems.

Using Mathematickles! can bring excitement to, and enjoyment and understanding of, the sometimes difficult world of math. Ms. Franco and Mr. Salerno offer a well-laid-out book that will please children and teachers alike.

Poetry Break with a Biographical Poem

Poetry Break with “Egyptian Blue” by Marilyn Nelson

Nelson, Marilyn. 2001. Carver: A Life in Poems. Photo for poem by Eric Long. Asheville, North Carolina: Front Street.

Introduction: This is an appropriate poem for this semester, as the King Tut exhibit is currently on display at the Dallas Museum of Art. Before reading the poem, gather pictures of Egyptian relics found in the tomb of King Tut from the internet, a book on Egypt, or a brochure from the exhibit. Point out the brilliant blue color of many of the artifacts. Read “Egyptian Blue”.

Egyptian Blue

From red clay spotted on a hillside
Carver came up with a quadruple-
oxidized pigment the blue
of a royal mummy’s innermost windings,
an Egyptian blue
no artist or scientist had duplicated
since the days of old King Tut.
It’s the bluest blue,
bluer than lapis.
Paint factories and manufacturers
of artists’ materials
begged him for the formula,
offering the top floor of Fort Knox.
He sent it
for the cost of the two-cent stamp
it cost to mail it.

It’s an indescribable blue.
You see it every day
on everything from shutters
to a child-sized flowered dress.
We’ve learned to live with it
without loving it, as if it were
something ordinary,
that blue the world sought for five thousand years.
Look around with me: There it is
in the folder on my desk,
in my close-up photo of a fairy tern,
in the thumbtacks in my corkboard
holding up photos, poems, quotes, prayers,
a beaded ancestral goddess juju doll
(it’s the blue of the scarab in her hand).
It’s the blue of that dictionary
of American Regional English,
of the box of eighty standard envelopes,
the blue of that dress waiting to be ironed,
the blue of sky in that Guatemalan cross,
it’s the blue of the Black Madonna’s veil.


Extension: This poem can be extended in several ways.

1) Science: Divide the class into groups of five each. Provide food coloring in primary colors (red, blue, yellow), a glass beaker, medicine droppers for each color, and a small stir stick. Assign three group members to be responsible for the colors, one member to stir, and one member to record the findings. Tell the groups that they will be combining colors and recording results. They can combine any number of drops of color in any order (washing out the beaker between combinations) as long as the recorder carefully writes down what was used (or the teacher can designate specific color combinations). At the end of the experiment, each group should present the color they liked the best, explaining how many drops of each color were added as they combine the colors for the class (each group could also combine the colors as the presenting group explains the process in order to see if the colors are the same in each beaker).

2) History/Social Studies: Ask the class if they know what a Fairy Tern is, what a Guatemalan Cross looks like, and what the veil of the Black Madonna looks like. Provide information about these items (for images, see the following links).

Fairy Tern: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2173/2475182931_b3548d2bd1.jpg?v=0
Guatemalan cross: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22113793
Black Madonna: http://discoverblackheritage.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/shrine-of-the-black-madonna.jpg

3) History/Social Studies: Either have the class do the poetry break in the library or have several books about Carver accessible in the classroom. Since he was a very interesting man, have the students work in pairs to find five facts about his life, as well as a date for each entry. Write each fact on a different strip of paper. Ask each group to present their facts in a time-line form, and then gather the facts in chronological order to have a quick reference for many of the events in Carver’s life.

NOTE: This book contains one poem detailing what happened to part of an African-American man’s male anatomy during a lynching. Therefore, it may not be appropriate to provide students’ direct access to it. Otherwise, the book is a fantastic read about the very interesting life of a man about which I knew nothing.

Poetry Break with a Spring Poem

“Spring Seeds” by Douglas Florian

Florian, Douglas. 2006. Handsprings: Poems and Paintings. Ill. by Douglas Florian. Greenwillow Books: New York.

Introduction: Bring in at least one package of flower or grass seeds for each student in the class, making sure that there is an assortment of small and large seeds for variety (if you have a younger or more juvenile older class you might want to only bring seeds of plants that are non-toxic). Give a disposable bowl to each student and have the students empty the seeds into them, making sure to keep the package with the bowl. Allow students to walk around the room and observe and touch each seed, and draw/document what each seed looks like in a personal journal. Read “Spring Seeds”.

Spring Seeds

We tilled the earth,
Took out the weeds,
Then in the soil
Planted seeds:
Pumpkin,
Parsley,
Carrot,
Pea.
Spring succeeds ex-seed-ing-ly.

Extension: This can be extended in several ways, depending on the age of the class and/or the availability of an outside planting area.
1) Give each student a small Styrofoam cup. Fill with potting soil and plant grass seeds; or
2) Use three or four large pots to plant a variety of seeds. Divide the class into groups – one for each pot, and allow each group to choose from the seeds provided. Have the groups document which seeds they chose; or
3) If possible, allow the students to choose two or three types of flowers/grasses to plant and take the class outside to a predetermined area to plant the seeds.

No matter which extension you choose, have students keep a chart of information such as how many of the seeds sprouted; how high each plant was on any certain day(s); how long each type of plant should take to grow; and whether or not the flower and/or grasses bloomed (if a blooming type was planted).

Note: if no outside ground is available, fluorescent lights or a window will work well for growing plants.

Poetry Break with a Concrete Poem

Poetry Break with “Catch” by Brad Burg

Burg, Brad. 2002. Outside the Lines: Poetry at Play. Ill. by Rebecca Gibbon. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Age Group: Elementary

Introduction: Explain to the students what a concrete poem is (it is not written in wet cement), telling them that it is a poem that is not written straight down a page but can take the shape or form of something that it is about. Write an example on the board of a concrete poem, such as descriptive words of a cat written in the shape of C-A-T (or dog, or school, etc.). Show the students the book Outside the Lines: Poetry at Play and read“Catch” while showing the page to the students so that they can see the back-and-forth words in each line.

Catch (for actual page layout, see above graphic)


BLUE SKY

WHITE CLOUDS

HOT SUN

A- BOVE

THE BACK

AND FORTH

OF BALL

IN GLOVE

FRIEND THROWS

TO FRIEND

IN SLOW

TICK- TOCK. . .

THE SLEE-

PY SOUND

OF SUM-

MER’S CLOCK


Extension: If the students still do not understand the premise of concrete poems read more selections from the book. Ask the students to make/write their own concrete poems. The students may either make up a poem with illustrations themselves, or pass out prepared picture sheets for inspiration. Examples of picture sheets: a mountain range; an animal(s); a forest scene; a busy street; a gym; any other picture that would appeal to the students.

Poetry Break with Non-Rhyming Poem

Poetry Break with “Sleeping Outside” by Kristine O’Connell George

George, Kristine O’Connell. 2001. Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. New York: Clarion Books.

Age Group: Elementary

Introduction: Before the students come in for the day, or while they are out of the room, erect a small tent in the classroom. If you do not have a tent, pull together some desks and throw a large sheet over them. Write two phrases on the board: “I like camping because. . .”, and “I don’t like camping because. . . .” As the students come into the class, encourage them to think about how it feels to go camping (some students may never have been camping, but can think of what it might be like). Sit in the tent with the students on the floor in front of you just outside the doorway. Read “Sleeping Outside”.

Sleeping Outside

Small me,
in a small tent
staked to a huge planet,
rolling slowly through open space –
alone.

Small me,
still wide awake
under a wide starred sky,
almost – almost – feeling the earth
turning.

Extension: Ask the students to close their eyes while you reread the poem. They are to imagine that they are under the starry sky, and how it would be to actually feel the earth spinning slightly. Have the students return to their desks and write a free verse poem beginning with either of the two phrases that have been written on the board. Invite each student to share his/her poem while sitting in the doorway of the tent while the other students sit around on the floor to visualize the poem being read.

Book Review - Verse Novel

The Taking of Room 114: A Hostage Drama in Poems by Mel Glenn

Glenn, Mel. 1997. The Taking of Room 114: A Hostage Drama in Poems. New York: Lodestar Books

The verse novel is a type of poetry book with which I was not familiar. After reading Mel Glenn’s The Taking of Room 114: A Hostage Drama in Poems, I have great admiration for this type of writing. Being poetry, the story must be presented in compact sentences that carry great meaning, and this is exactly what Mr. Glenn accomplishes. The setting is the last day of school at a high school, and the book begins with the students standing in line for the yearbook. Through thoughts and dialogue (mostly one-sided, as almost each person is represented in his/her own poem), the reader is allowed to “see” the students instead of being told about them.

After the introductory section, the actual hostage story begins with a note being given to the assistant principal from Mr. Wiedermeyer, the senior history teacher. Mr. Wiedermeyer is a veteran teacher, but for some reason he will not open his door. The book consists of the remembrances of every hostage student, one poem each for the four years in high school plus that last day, with five poems total per person. Woven throughout the story are reactions from the local police, television crews, parents, and bystanders. Interestingly, there are no direct thoughts from Mr. Wiedermeyer himself, only reactions from the students as they enter his class and find him waving a gun.

Mr. Glenn’s portrayal of each student is satisfactory. The reader is allowed to view the maturation of the students as they progress from ninth grade (some are very nervous and still child-like) through their senior year. The emotions encountered as each student enters the history class range from complete fear to bravery to swaggering nonchalance. The situation is finally resolved, and Mr. Glenn wraps up the ending nicely.

The entire book is a study of human emotions that will resonate with those in high school and late middle school, and with the teachers who encounter unknown situations each day. I found The Taking of Room 114: A Hostage Drama in Poems to be a quick read, but with much substance. According to Lesesne and Beers “The suspense of the situation will attract the reader; the power of the poetry will enthrall them.” (Lesesne & Beers, 1997)

Lesesne, T., & Beers, K. (1997, September). Review. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 41(1), 82. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

Book Review - Naomi Shihab Nye

A Maze Me: Poems for Girls by Naomi Shihab Nye

Nye, Naomi S. 2005. A Maze Me: Poems for Girls. Ill. by Terre Maher. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books.

My initial attraction for this book began with the two parts of the title - Poems for Girls, and the play on words of A Maze Me. As I was reading the poems, I could easily imagine the events described, whether they took place in a specific setting or simply in the mind. Although some of the poems could be for either girls or boys, the overriding pronoun is “she”, allowing the feminine reader to slip into the context of the poems. Ms. Nye includes a seven page introduction that gives the premise for writing the book; I found the writing to be beautiful and eloquent, evoking images of a memory of Ms. Nye’s fast-approaching thirteenth birthday as she struggled with the desire to mature and the desire to stay a child. Because of this, the poems may be more appropriate for late elementary or middle school readers.

The cover of the book features an eye-catching turquoise background with colored circles super-imposed over a round window of white. Physically, the book is small enough to fit comfortably in one’s hand, the poems are spaced in a very reader-friendly way on the pages, and the inside jacket cover presents a poem instead of the usual prose teaser.

Divided into five sections, poems of similar themes are collected within individual headings, and the illustrator, Terre Maher, pictured several of the images from the poems of each section on the heading page. An interesting feature was that Ms. Nye has written the title of some of her poems to lead into the body – as if the title is the first line of the poem. I chose to highlight “Little Chair” from Section One: Big Head. It embodies the need for children to feel that there is a secure area for them in every place and in every circumstance, and how that secure feeling can manifest itself even into adulthood.

Little Chair

1
I didn’t mind so much
growing out of little girl clothes
the blue striped shirt
the corduroy jumper
giving up Candy Land
and my doctor’s kit
but never again to fit
the turquoise Mexican chair
with flowers painted on it
hurt

I keep it in my room till now
a throne for the stuffed camel
Little kids sit on it when they visit
The straw in the seat is still strong
The flowers are always blooming

2
Miss Ruth Livingston
who taught first grade for forty-three years
in Marfa, Texas
kept a little reading chair
in front of the windows in her classroom
Whenever her students finished their work
they knew they could go over to the little chair
and read
It was a safe place
Their minds could wander anywhere
I wish everyone in the world had a little chair

3
Recently a big cowboy wearing sunglasses
came to Miss Livingston’s house and asked where
“that old furniture from our classroom went”
She’s ninety-seven now
She still has her china-faced dolls
from when she was small
She pointed at the wooden reading chair
sitting in front of the windows
in her beautiful living room
He walked over to the little chair
with his hands folded
and silently stood there, stood there

Ms. Nye’s poems evoke a wide range of emotions from nostalgia, understanding, distaste, joy, and memories of everyday happenings. School Library Journal states “This thoughtful collection encourages readers to observe the world around them, look inward and savor their experiences, and appreciate the comfort and clarity that words provide. Covering many different subjects, the free-verse poems are playful yet perceptive and combine a childlike viewpoint with startling bits of wisdom.” A wonderfully written book, A Maze Me: Poems for Girls provides the reader a chance to ponder such things as sibling love, favorite teachers, hopes and dreams, and the written word.

A Maze Me: Poems for Girls. (2005, October 2). School Library Journal, Retrieved February 19, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.