Posts Tagged ‘poetry’
There are many Cinderella stories. Not just variations within one culture, but variations across cultures. A Christmas Carol has been done over and over again: it’s been modernized and humor-ized, remade by Muppets and Mickey alike. Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony has even been redone. There’s a disco version, a “Snoopy” version done on children’s instruments, and a version performed by the Transiberian Orchestra. Many great works have been altered in some way or another to breathe new life into them.
I used to believe that a remake of a great song was not worth my time. Being in the know of 50′s rock, I didn’t particularly enjoy it when “Sea of Love” was remade in the 80′s. I didn’t like it when Phil Collin’s remade “Groovy Kind of Love.” I felt is was too slow and not true to the original. And although I loved other songs by Cheap Trick, their take on “Don’t Be Cruel” was just not right. I took pride in knowing and enjoying the originals. But looking back, I can appreciate the art of a remake or a remix. It’s in knowing where something comes from that you can truly understand it.
Just yesterday I received my enewsletter from Big Universe and it showed me another remix of something great. It is a version of Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Eve by Robert Frost. I love studying this poem with my class in December. We read the text alone and then with illustrations found in books. I have my students memorize the poem and we even create our own poetry books with our own illustrated interpretations. Now I can add to our repertoire of interpretations.
I think remakes are great really. It’s an artist trying to make sense of something wonderful. It allows them to dig deeper into the original and create something new to share. Having an open mind to look at the variety is important. I realize that now. It’s fun to share different versions of music to my students as well as literature. Next week, when I introduce this classic poem to my class, we will have one more version to share together. It will click with some and not others, but that is the beauty of art and poetry.
So go – at this time of year you should share this wonderful poem with your class. Make sure to share the original and get your students on Big Universe to see this new version of the classic too!
~EMP
According to the Crayola.com Calendar, April is Poetry Month! From the Crayola.com Calendar page, you can find coloring pages, crafts, and lesson plans to use to Celebrate Poetry. On Big Universe, you can find books to use to Celebrate Poetry!
In the classroom, I enjoyed sharing poems and poets with students that were not very familiar to them. One year, we had a Poetry Party. Everybody had to find a poem to share. Those 4th graders thought the sillier the poem, the better it was ( I know that a poem doesn’t have to be silly but if that was what got them interested in poetry …).
We moved the desks and put our chairs in a big circle so we could all see each other. Everybody in the circle shared a poem. Towards the end of our Poetry Party, I heard students asking each other where they found the poem they shared. Just by listening to others share, students became interested in discovering other types of poems and various poets.
One year, I had students pick a poem or poet they liked and try to compose poetry imitating the features they enjoyed. We were connecting reading poetry and writing poetry to Celebrate Poetry.
Here are a few of the Poetry Books I found on Big Universe that you can use to Celebrate Poetry (if you do an advanced search, you can search for poetry and even pick the reading level, grade level, interest age to find more specific resources):
So … go Celebrate Poetry! And you know what … you don’t have to only Celebrate Poetry in April … you can do it all year long!
image from: Atkins, Sue. inspiration.jpg. May 30, 2004. Pics4Learning.
23 Mar 2011 <http://pics.tech4learning.com>
A statue of the African-American poet Phyllis Whitley resides at the Boston Women's Memorial on Commonwealth Avenue.
Why should a child be exposed to history lessons?
Well, if you are inclined to align your thinking with Herbert Hoover, our 31st president, you will appreciate this quote:
“The supreme purpose of history is a better world.”
American poet and novelist Robert Penn Warren was of the same opinion.
“History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future.”
Maya Angelou also weighs in on the value of teaching history.
“Despite its wrenching pain, (history) cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”
I think learning history is like figuring out how to navigate a traffic roundabout. Stay where you are…and you’ll soon be dizzy and bored with the scenery. If you venture beyond your immediate circle, you can explore all sorts of places and get a better appreciation of the lay of the land.
Unfortunately, there was a pretty big void in my education when it came to history. Changing curricula and uninspired teachers didn’t help, so what I learned I came by haphazardly – often from historical novels and roadside markers read on family vacations.
In recent years, watching the History Channel, writing my family history, and helping my children study for their world and U.S. history classes have filled in some gaps. Visits to New Orleans and colonial Jamestown and Williamsburg, Va., over the holiday break gave me a healthy dose of new facts about early America, too.
Although I am decades older than BigUniverse.com’s target audience (K-8), I love their history books, which feature primary source photos and documents, pull-out fact boxes, vocabulary lists and more. The books present history in an appealing way, so I have been reading them to increase my understanding.
One of the biographies by Teacher Created Materials Publishing that caught my eye was a 32-page reader (for Grades 4-8) about Phillis Wheatley, the namesake of a community center in my city. Embarrassingly, I did not know a thing about her, so I was eager to fill the void.
Born in Gambia or Senegal, Africa, in 1753, Phillis Wheatley was kidnapped and later sold into slavery around the age of 7 – about the age of my twin nieces, who I visited this Christmas. (How young Phillis was to have gone through such a wrenching life change!) The little slave child soon found herself in Boston, where she was purchased by a Boston merchant and tailor, John Wheatley, to act as an attendant for his wife, Susanna. Phillis was named after the ship on which she arrived, “The Phillis.”
Fortunately, Phillis was a bright thing and learned English quickly. The Wheatley family was progressive in their thinking and soon embraced her, educating her as one of their own children. She was taught to read and write and remarkably was reading Greek and Latin passages by the time she was 12.
Phillis Wheatley wrote her first poem at 13, which was published in a newspaper. With subsequent poetry, she gained notoriety in Boston. Mrs. Wheatley took Phillis to England, where she helped her get a book of 39 poems published, making Phillis the first African-American woman to become a published author. The book was titled “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.”
Phillis Wheatley was eventually emancipated formally and later married and had children. Although she was plagued by ill health and died young, her place in early American history is secure. “Early America: Phillis Wheatley” is a good read at any time of the year, but particularly poignant during Black History Month.
*****
Other history quotes I like:
“A country without a memory is a country of madmen.” – George Santayana
“If the past has been an obstacle and a burden, knowledge of the past is the safest and the surest emancipation.” – Lord Acton
“If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development.” – Aristotle
“This I regard as history’s highest function, to let no worthy action be uncommemorated, and to hold out the reprobation of posterity as a terror to evil words and deeds.” – Tacitus
Dr. Carter Woodson
Note: Dr. Carter G. Woodson started Negro History Week in 1926 to make the public aware of contributions African-American people have made to the fabric of our nation. Today, Black History Month (also called African-American History Month) is observed annually in February on a national scale.
For additional resources for Black History Month, check out the books listed in my blog “Books Introduce Black History Month Heroes” and other books offered at Big Universe.
Title: Paws, Claws, Hands, and Feet
Author: Kimberly Hutmacher
Illustrator: Sherry Rogers
Published: 2009 Sylvan Dell Publishing
ISBN: 9778-1-934359-88-4
Paws, Claws, Hands, and Feet by Kimberly Hutmacher is a rhythmic rhyming book about animals and how they use their appendages. A book like this is especially helpful for exposing children to a variety of verbs that they may not ordinarily use. When asked to describe what feet can do, many of my lower elementary students would say: walk, run, stand, hop, or jump. After reading this book, they discover that feet can also: cling, leap, dash, roam, etc.
Our 2nd and 3rd graders are beginning an animal inquiry. After choosing an animal and researching basic facts about the animal, they will organize their findings and present information to the class. Big Universe’s Book Creator is a great way to showcase their findings. As a bonus, students can create their own rhyming couplets similar to the style seen in Paws, Claws, Hands, and Feet.
Resources
Keisa Williams (aka Ms. K) is a K-5 School Librarian at Monarch Academy, a public charter school in Oakland, CA. She is certified in secondary and elementary education (MLIS and MEd) and loves collaborating with teachers and integrating technology into her library lessons. She considers herself a “Technology Diva” and “Gadget Junkie”.
Autumn has been my favorite time of year for as long as I can remember. Scuffing through fallen leaves, sipping pumpkin spice lattes, enjoying fall sports and receiving a jar of my mother-in-law’s homemade applesauce are just a few of the season’s charms.
Even the earth joins the chorus. Tomorrow the northern hemisphere will experience the autumn equinox, which heralds the change of seasons from summer to fall. The sun will rise directly in the east and set precisely in the west – thanks to the positioning of the earth’s axis, which will tilt neither toward nor away from the sun.
Fall provides a rich harvest of vocabulary words, obvious themes for bulletin boards and interesting topics for classroom lessons. Today’s online resources make it easy to flesh out lessons in multiple ways. Here are some poems and a few links to get you started.
Poems
Leaves
By Elsie N. Brady
How silently they tumble down
And come to rest upon the ground
To lay a carpet, rich and rare,
Beneath the trees without a care,
Content to sleep, their work well done,
Colors gleaming in the sun.
At other times, they wildly fly
Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow.
A Funny Pumpkin Poem
One day I found two pumpkin seeds.
I planted one and pulled the weeds.
It sprouted roots and a big long vine.
A pumpkin grew; I called it mine.
The pumpkin was quite round and fat.
(I really am quite proud of that.)
But there is something I’ll admit
That has me worried just a bit.
I ate the other seed, you see.
Now will it grow inside of me?
(I’m so relieved since I have found
That pumpkins only grow in the ground!)
Picture Books
Big Universe features an online autumn counting book with verses by Fran Hawk and colorful pictures by Sherry Neidigh. It’s titled “Count Down to Fall” (Sylvan Dell). Other picture book selections from Big Universe include “Fall” by Ann Herriges (Bellwether), “Migrating Animals of the Air” (Weekly Reader) and “My Calendar: Seasons” (Rourke). Click on the links to read a few pages. (Premium members can read the whole thing anywhere, any time.)
The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Ind., provides an extensive list of children’s books about fall topics – complete with call number and author. Thank you, Teresa Walls, for putting together this LIST.
Another midwestern library lists autumn books in a user-friendly manner. Visit Kansas Public Library‘s suggested readings, which include author, title and a helpful synopsis. Thank you, Brenda. (Argentine Branch, Kansas City).
Word Search Puzzles
BusyBeeKids.com offers several fall word search printables that would make nice companion pieces after reading. Though they are marked “easy,” the word search puzzles will require a certain level of reading skills. The puzzles – Autumn, Fall Harvest and Deciduous Trees – include word banks.
First-School.ws has a Fall Word Search and Trace printable designed for preschool and kindergarten students.
Games for Fall
I liked the Scarecrow Memory Game printable found on BusyBeeKids, too. The game pieces have vividly colored graphics. Simply print them on heavy cardstock paper, laminate and cut apart. Readers and pre-readers can play this game together.
ClassroomJr.com has a few fall-themed mad lib sheets that will reinforce lessons about parts of speech: Pumpkin Picking, Apples and Scarecrow.
Fall Crafts
For the pre-K to first grade set, consider some of BusyBee’s crafts ideas. There’s a Finger Print Corncob craft and a Paper Bag Scarecrow art project that look fun. DLTK.com provides templates for simple lacing crafts.
Coloring Pages
Movement Song
“I’m a Flippy Floppy Scarecrow” (See YouTube clip)
When all the cows were sleeping
And the sun had gone to bed
Up jumped the scarecrow
And this is what he said!
I’m a dingle, dangle scarecrow
With a flippy floppy hat
I can shake my hands like this
And shake my feet like that
When all the hens were roosting
And the moon behind the cloud
Up jumped the scarecrow
And shouted very loud
I’m a dingle, dangle scarecrow
With a flippy floppy hat
I can shake my hands like this
And shake my feet like that
When the dogs were in the kennels
And the doves were in the loft
Up jumped the scarecrow
And whispered very soft
I’m a dingle, dangle scarecrow
With a flippy floppy hat
I can shake my hands like this
And shake my feet like that
I’m a dingle, dangle scarecrow
With a flippy floppy hat
I can shake my hands like this
And shake my feet like that
Enjoy.
*Note: Both of the poems above were found on the FANtabulous DLTK-kids.com website. If you haven’t visited, put it on your to-do list.
I think poetry is often an overlooked genre when parents look for a good text for reading aloud. But, reading aloud poetry can be so much fun and it can help your child’s ability to read as well. Poetry is a lively use of language and should be read aloud for pure enjoyment. Here are a few tips on ways to incorporate poetry into your read aloud repertoire:
- Choose poems that will engage your children.
- Read the poem slowly and with meaning. Emphasize words. Allow the cadence of the poem to shine through.
- Talk about how the words rhyme and how the poet used the words to convey meaning (depending on the age of your child).
- If your child is able to read, have him or her read aloud a poem or two to you. This will help build fluency within a reader.
- Just have fun with it! Be silly and enjoy the poems!
If you are interested in more complex ways to incorporate poetry, I reviewed poetry picture books at Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books last month. I reviewed Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes, R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet, Poetry Speaks to Children, and Paint Me a Poem: Poems Inspired by Masterpieces of Art.
Dawn Little (aka Links to Literacy) also blogs at www.teachingwithpicturebooks.wordpress.com where she provides educators with picture book lessons based on comprehension strategies and the Six Traits of Writing. In addition, she blogs at www.literacytoolbox.wordpress.com where she provides educators and parents with tips and tools to enhance the literacy lives of children. She is the founder and owner of Links to Literacy, a company dedicated to providing interactive literacy experiences for children and families. Find out more at www.linkstoliteracy.com
Rourke's Encyclopedia, Volume 13
Got Non-Fiction? Big Universe does! Rourke Publishing LLC is a new addition to the Big Universe library! This publisher has a plethora of non-fiction books aligned with national curricular standards. Read books about Outer Space, Going Green, Food Webs, Drag Racing and more! Best of all, they offer a full set of encyclopedias: Rourke’s Complete History of Our Presidents Encyclopedia. This 14-volume encyclopedia is available in its entirety, from George Washington through President Barack Obama.
Lesson Idea: Presidential Bio Poem
Spruce up your next biography unit. Students research a president and create a Bio Poem using the following prompts:
Name of president
Three traits
Related to:
Who cares deeply about
Who feels:
Who needs:
Who gives:
Who fears:
Who would like to see:
Resident of:
Sample Bio Poem about Bart Simpson
Bartholomew “Bart” JoJo Simpson
Rebellious, mischievous, prankster
Related to Homer
Who cares deeply about being 10
Who feels bored in class
Who needs attention from his peers
Who gives his teacher’s the blues
Who fears Nelson’s bullying
Who would like to see Radioactive Man
Resident of Springfield
For more presidential poetry ideas, check out the American Presidents website.
Keisa Williams (aka Ms. K) is a K-5 School Librarian at Monarch Academy, a public charter school in Oakland, CA. She is certified in secondary and elementary education (MLIS and MEd) and loves collaborating with teachers and integrating technology into her library lessons. She considers herself a “Technology Diva” and “Gadget Junkie”.
Posted on April 24, 2010 by Suzan Woodard in Personal Experiences.
Tags: Bellwether Media, Big Universe, Family Time, Florence Page Jaques, Funny poems, picture books, poetry, Puffins, Reading Level 2, Seabird
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Babies, chocolate and puppies are hard to resist. So are puffins – that rotund black and white seabird with expressive eyes and mango-colored feet and bill. In fact, my girls’ favorite poem while growing up featured a muffin-shaped puffin.
“There Once Was a Puffin” by Florence Page Jaques is best recited with a lilting voice, a staccato cadence and lots of enthusiasm. We even incorporated some exaggerated breathing.
But, no matter how you choose to interpret it, “There Once Was a Puffin” is a great poem to memorize and recite in unison. We still quote snippets of it when having tea, eating pancakes or even when we’re feeling blue.
There Once Was a Puffin
Oh, there once was a Puffin
Just the shape of a muffin,
And he lived on an island
In the bright blue sea!
He ate little fishes,
That were most delicious,
And he had them for supper
And he had them for tea.
But this poor little Puffin,
He couldn’t play nothin’,
For he hadn’t anybody
To play with at all.
So he sat on his island,
And he cried for awhile, and
He felt very lonely,
And he felt very small.
Then along came the fishes,
And they said, “If you wishes,
You can have us for playmates,
Instead of for tea!”
So they now play together,
In all sorts of weather,
And the Puffin eats pancakes,
Like you and like me.
If you want to learn more about this colorful “clown of the sea,” read “Puffins” by author Colleen Sexton on the Big Universe picture book website. Published by Bellwether Media, “Puffins” is among the Level 2 Blastoff! Readers series book selections for beginners. Level 2 offers early readers simple sentences, but with more text and less repetition of high-frequency words than the series’ Level 1 books.
Puffinpalooza.com also provides vivid pictures of this cartoonish creature, as well as lots of facts and teacher resources, including lesson ideas, coloring sheets, vocabulary lists and a crossword puzzle. You will find two additional puffin poems on the website’s poem page.
* Photo credit: Tom Curtis/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
February and poetry go together like butter and bread. Valentine’s Day poems are especially appealing to elementary children if they are funny and read out loud. Other interactive poetry grabs attention and helps channel pent-up wiggles on these wintry days.
Poetry provides a valid link to literacy. According to Ontario’s Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat website:
- Poetry awakens our senses, helps us make connections to others, and leads us to think in synthesizing ways, as required by the use of metaphor.
- Paying attention to the language and rhythms of poetry helps build oral language skills.
- Children with well-developed oral language skills are more likely to have higher achievement in reading and writing.
Some Valentine’s Day poems to get you started.
I Love You More Than Applesauce
By Jack Prelutsky
I love you more than applesauce,
Than peaches and a plum,
Than chocolate hearts,
And cherry tarts,
And berry bubble-gum.
I love you more than lemonade,
And seven-layer cake,
Than lollipops,
And candy drops,
And thick vanilla shake.
I love you more than marzipan,
Than marmalade on toast;
For I love pies
Of any size,
But I love you the most.
Veggie Valentine
- Author Unknown
You may not “carrot” all for me
The way I care for you
You may “turnip” your nose
When I plead with you
But if your heart should “beet” with mine
Forever “lettuce” hope
There is no reason in the world
Why we two “cantaloupe.”
Making Valentines
- Author Unknown
In February, what shall I do?
I’ll make some valentines for you.
The first will have a cupid’s face;
The second will be trimmed with lace.
The third will have some roses pink;
The fourth will have a verse in ink.
The fifth will have a ribbon bow;
The sixth will glisten like the snow.
The seventh will have some lines I drew;
The eighth, some flowers – just a few.
The ninth will have three little birds;
The tenth will have three little words:
I LOVE YOU!
My Valentine Heart
- Author Unknown
When I say I love you (Point to lips)
It comes from my heart (Hand on heart)
You hear it in your ear (Point to ear)
And it sounds very smart (Point to head)
I love it when you’re proud of me (Stand real tall)
You say it all day long (Stretch arms wide)
And when I hear you say it (Point to ear)
My heart sings a merry song (Hand on heart)
I Made My Dog a Valentine
By Jack Prelutsky
I made my dog a valentine,
she sniffed it very hard,
then chewed on it a little while
and left it in the yard.
I made one for my parakeets,
a pretty paper heart,
they pulled it with their claws and beaks
until it ripped apart.
I made one for my turtle,
all he did was get it wet,
I wonder if a valentine
is wasted on a pet.
If you are looking for additional Valentine’s Day literature ideas, check out this extensive bibliography aimed at the elementary-age child – courtesy of the LRC/Sivia Center in Gainesville, Fla. Other illustrated poems for kids can be found in the poetry section on the children’s picture books website Big Universe.
For the past 18 years, I have given a special ornament to each of my children on Christmas Eve. Each trinket signifies something about their lives in the previous 12 months.
After almost two decades, we have a litany of stories and mementos hanging from metal hooks among the pine needles – ballet slippers, handprints, ponies, pianos and tokens from trips. It’s like a 3-D version of scrapbooking.
The first in this collection was a handcrafted moon with a little baby girl nestled in the lower curve of the star-bedecked crescent. The infant is asleep with her tummy facing down, her knees tucked in and her bottom poking up – my first-born’s position of choice when she snoozed.
Between that ornament and the lunar beauty on recent winter nights, I’ve had the moon on my mind. Last evening its light was so bright, it penetrated the curtains in my bedroom, leaving moon shadows on the floor.
On New Year’s Eve we will experience the second full moon this month – the celestial event known as a “blue moon.” The last time this occurred on a New Year’s Eve was 19 years ago in 1990 – two months before the birth of my first baby. The next one will ring in the new year in 2028.
This afternoon I heard my second daughter humming “Fly me to the moon. Let me sing among the stars.” So, it shouldn’t really have surprised me when the children’s book “In Every Moon There is a Face” caught my attention as I surfed Big Universe’s website for some of the latest additions on its virtual bookshelves.
While the book has been on the site for some time (480 others have read it) I somehow missed it. Its poetic verses were penned by renaissance man Charles Mathes, and his talented wife, Arlene Graston, gave the text wings with her fanciful paintings. Published by Illumination Arts, the book received the Gold Medal for Best Children’s Picture Book of the Year by Foreword Magazine.
I made the mistake of reading this book for the first time in the same way I would have recited the words to “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” for the umpteenth time. When I finished, however, I knew I had missed the mark. I hit the Read Again tab and gave this book another shot.
The second time I read Mathes’ poem I set off at a gentler pace, using a softer voice appropriate for a lullaby or soothing bedtime story. I took my time as the text circled in a dream-like fashion and lingered to absorb the illustrations, which expanded the story with their intricate detail.
This time I savored the collaboration of text and art like a fine wine – instead of treating it like a Big Gulp from the corner 7-Eleven. This time I arrived at a different impression entirely! I invite you to give it a read, too.
Other Lunar Favs on My Mind:
- Van Morrison’s song “Moondance.”
- “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown.
- The 1987 Oscar-winning movie “Moonstruck.”
- Cat Steven’s song “MoonShadow.”
- Keith’s Moon Page trivia.
- Mobile, Alabama’s new year’s celebration. The city raises a 12-foot, lighted mechanical moonpie replica above the city at midnight. Think Times Square with a hint of marshmallow, graham cracker and chocolate.
Happy New Year! May you enjoy many hours of good reading in 2010 and a sprinkling of moon dust, too.
