Douglas Florian Poetry Break

Introduction

Science—Douglas Florian makes studying sea animals fun with his style of poetry. Quiet the class. Explain that an animal’s name can have no relation to its physical appearance. Many of our sea creatures have unusual names.
Read two poems by Douglas Florian, “The Catfish” and “The Sea Horse.”

The Catfish
By Douglas Florian

I cannot purr.
I don’t have fur
Or claws or paws.
Don’t sleep in drawers.
I don’t chase mice.
Let that suffice.
I am a fish.
I have no wish
To be a cat.
That’s that!

The Sea Horse
By Douglas Florian

You have
No hooves.
You have no hair.
You don’t eat oats.
You don’t breathe air.
You hatch from eggs.
You cannot race.
(You have no legs
With which to chase.)
You’re not a colt
Nor mare
Nor filly.
You’re called a horse.
I call that silly.

Florian, Douglas. IN THE SWIM. Orlando: Harcourt, 1997.

Extension
Help the children list other sea creatures (starfish, sawfish, jellyfish, dragon fish, and vampire squid) to write poems about and use their illustrations. Give the children a worksheet with rebus puzzles to name other fish. Children can also use rebus puzzles in their poems. (Science, literature, art and fun all tied together.)

Allow children to read Douglas Florian books you have on display, "In the swim," "Beast feast", and "Zoo's who."

"The Sun Is So Quiet" Book Review

The Sun Is So Quiet

Giovanni, Nikki. THE SUN IS SO QUIET. Ill Bryan, Ashley. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1996.

The first poem in “The Sun Is So Quiet” brought back memories of my childhood. Most children will probably ask, “What is “Father John’s Medicine?” It’s a collection that allows you to feel the warmth of winter and the urgent desire for the return of the sun. The bright illustrations by Ashley Bryan connect with each poem to present an isolated moment in time. The many images of children provide a connection with various children’s age groups as well as adults.

Ms. Giovanni stirs your imagination with well placed figurative language. The poem, “Snowflakes,” begins with the simile, “Little boys are like Snowflakes, No two are alike. “ She then has the snowflakes, “waltz around my ears,” and “laugh and go away.”

I enjoyed the tongue twister, “Prickled Pickles Don’t Smile.” It’s a poem that children will repeat several times in an effort to say it correctly. You will find with the thirteen poems a use of elements that are timeless, “frogs in mud, falling snowflakes, sun that melts our names off glass windows and rainbows.”

Riding rainbows, watching stars and fairies, or licking chocolate off your fingers, the imagery will keep children reading “The Sun is so Quiet” for years to come. The images cross many cultural, ethnic and geographical lines which makes it a book for any child to enjoy.

Connie (the last part)
“quiet…like a quilt on a feather bed…and frost on
The window….we write our names knowing…the sun
Will melt them off
But the sun is so quiet…that we don’t care
We smile

Reviews

Publisher’s Weekly--- The bold, fluid lines of the gouache and tempera compositions make for a particularly eye-catching volume, just right for reeling in the read-aloud crowd and introducing them to the joys of poetry. Ages 4-up.

Booklist--- Of the 13 poems presented here, 12 appeared in books published between 1973 and 1993. The new poem, entitled "Connie," represents the best of Giovanni: a series of quicksilver images that capture a mood to perfection. Painted in Bryan's signature style, the illustrations fill the pages with sunny colors and bold patterns. Although the quality of the art and the verse is uneven, the book has plenty to offer, including illustrations that feature African American children in many cultures and settings and a warmth of feeling in both the poetry and the artwork.

Similar books
PASS IT ON: AFRICAN AMERICAN POEMS FOR CHILDREN by Wade Hudson, and Cheryl Hudson
SPLASH: POEMS ABOUT WATER by Constnace Levy

Poetry Break NCTE AWARD POET

Introduction
Ask the class the question, “Who loves ice cream?” Also ask, “What’s their favorite flavor?” Ask them to listen to the poems “Flavors.”

Flavors
By Arnold Adoff

Flavors

Mama is chocolate: you must be swirls
Of dark fudge,
And ripples
Through
Your cocoa curls:

Chips
And
Flips of sprinkles
On your summer face.

Flavors

Daddy is vanilla: you must be mean
Old
Bean
In the morning,
Cherry
Chunks by afternoon,
And
Sweet
Peach sometimes.

But mostly you
Are vanilla
Up
Your
Arms.

Flavors

Me
Is better
Butter: I must be
Pecans
Roasted,
Toasted;

Almond
Wal nut three
Scoop combination
Cone:

Melting under
Kisses.

It is a new color.
It is a new flavor
For
Love.

Extension
Read the poems a second time. Let the children discuss what their feelings are about the poems. Ask the children to write a poem about themselves and they can include pictures. (Their poem doesn’t have to refer to ice cream but it’s alright if it does.) The focus is imagery and their connection with the poems.

Cullinan, Bernice E. A JAR OF TINY STARS. Honesdale: Wordsong, 1996.

Arnold Adoff won the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children in 1988. Mr. Adoff loved food and he referred to food in many of his poems. His passion for food is evident in his collections of poems, EAT, GREENS, AND CHOCOLATE DREAMS.

Hopkins Anthology

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. DINOSAURS. Ill. Tinkelman, Murray. San Diego: Voyager Books/Harcourt. 1987.

Mr. Hopkins has given us a look back in time through poetry about dinosaurs. The collection includes poems by Hopkins and several poets like; Patricia Hubbell, Valerie Worth, Victoria Day Najjar, and Bernard Most. The theme of this anthology is to remember dinosaurs and to praise these mighty creatures who once roamed the earth. The cover and illustrations connect with the poems (they look old). The book includes a table of content along with poets for each poem. I liked this poem at the beginning of the book that captured the theme.

WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH
by Patricia Hubbell

Brontosaurus, diplodocus, gentle
trachodon,
Dabbled in the muds of time,
Once upon, upon.
.....
Allosaurus awed his foe,
He sawed his friends who passed,
His teeth were made for tearing flesh,
His teeth were made to gnash.
Taller than a building now,
Taller than a tree,
He roamed about the swamp-filled world
And ate his company.

Children learn the names and the habits of dinosaurs by reading this poem. The other poems are enjoyable and educational. It's not a collection about fear or blood and guts. Hopkins connects the past to our museums which house many bones of past dinosaurs. Children can extend their knowledge and be enriched. A poem that indicates their age is "Fossils."

FOSSILS
by Lilian Moore

Older than books,
than scrolls,

older
than the first
tales told

or the
first words
spoken

are the stories

in forests that
turned to
stone

in ice walls
that trapped the
mammoth

in the long
bones of
dinosaurs--

the fossil
stories that begin
Once upon a time

It's an inspiring collection and has encouraged me to search for more poems by the other poets. Children will find it easy to read. 2-6 grades

Review
From School Library Journal--Grade 3-6 Joining the ever-growing collection of dinosaur lore is Hopkins' new poetry anthology. Not a bad idea, and there is no question as to the literary merit of these poems; the poets include Lillian Moore, Myra Cohn Livingston, and Lillian M. Fisher. But Hopkins has dug up bones, not dinosaurs. These poems celebrate museum displays, not teeth-knashing, tail-twitching giants. Although well executed, the black-and-white ink drawings reinforce the book's dreamy and reflective but ultimately static mood. Yes, it's a good book, but one can't help wishing a real tyrannosaurus or two had stumbled onto these pages, to raise the dust and spew a little excitement into these placid poems.

African American Poetry Break

THE DREAM KEEPER

Introduction
Ask children what they dream of being when they grow up and if they know a policeman, nurse, teacher, preacher, or someone they wish to be like. Explain that we live in America and we are free to work towards any dream that we have.
Say America and read the poem.

I, Too

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I’ll sit at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“eat in the kitchen,”
then.

Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

Hughes, Langston, THE DREAM KEEPER; and other poems, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.

Extension
We have a new president, President Barack Obama. Do you think he dreamed of being a president? I have several books with poems about different careers. Look for a poem you like perhaps you’ll find one about what you dream of being.
The poems they select and copy will be the start to their own anthologies.

School Poem

THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

Introduction
I'm sitting at my desk making a lot of noise about something my principal asked me to take home to fill out. I complain loudly for the kids to hear, “It’s like having homework.” I ask the children to listen as I read the poem to the class.

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Homework! Oh, Homework!
By Jack Prelutsky

Homework! Oh, Homework!

I hate you! You stink!
I wish I could wash you
Away in the sink,
If only a bomb
Would explode you to bits.
Homework! Oh, homework!
You’re giving me fits.

I’d rather take baths
With a man-eating shark,
Or wrestle a lion
Alone in the dark,
Eat spinach and liver,
Pet ten porcupines,
Than tackle the homework
My teacher assigns.

Homework! Oh, Homework!
You’re last on my list,
I simply can’t see
Why you even exist,
If you just disappeared
It would tickle me pink.
Homework! Oh, homework!
I hate you! You stink!

Prelutsky, Jack. THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1984.

Extension
Lead a short discussion on what will happen when we don’t do our homework. Ask kids to compare it to the benefits of doing their homework. I'll schedule extra time for the class to complete their homework during center time. The activity is to show children that it doesn’t usually take a long time to do their homework. Their homework will be to write their own poem about doing or not doing their homework. Poetry books are in the class library for students to read for other examples.