Bibliography

1. Berneier-Grand, Carment T. 2004. Cesar, Si, Se Puede! Yes We Can; Ill. by David Diaz. Tarrytown, NY: Marchall Cavendish. ISBN 0761452834

2. Ferman, Katie. 2004. You . . . and Your Dad. Stone Soup. May/June Issue. www.stonesoup.com. Accessed April 23, 2009.

3. Florian, Douglas. 2007. Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0152053727

4. Frank, John. 2008. Keepers: Treasure-Hunt Poems. Photographs by Ken Robbins. New York: Roaring Brook Press. ISBN 9781596431973

5. Giovanni, Nikki; Paschen, Elise; and Raccah, Dominique. 2005. Poetry Speaks to Children. Ill. By Wendy Rasmussen, Judy Love and Paula Zinngrage Wendland. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks MediaFusion. ISBN 1402203292

6. Hemphill, Stephanie. 2007. Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath. New York: Random House. ISBN 0440239680

7. Hoberman, Mary Ann. 2002. Right Outside My Window. Ill. by Nicholas Wilton. Mondo Publishing. ISBN 1590341945

8. Hopkins, Lee Bennett.1983. The Sky is Full of Song. Ill. by Dirk Zimmer. HarperCollins. ISBN 0060225823.

9. Janeczko, Paul B. 2007. Hey, you!: Poems to Skyscrapers, Mosquitoes, and Other Fun Things. Ill. by Robert Rayevskey. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0060523476

10. Kaul, Ashok. When I Was Five. 2008. Stone Soup, September/Ocotber Issue. www.stonesoup.com. Accessed April 23, 2009.

11. Kennedy, Caroline. 2005. A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children. Ill. by Jon J. Muth. Hyperion. ISBN 0786851112

12. Lewis, J. Patrick. 2007. The Brothers' War, Civil War Voices in National Geographic, ISBN 978-1-4263-0037-0

13. Lewis, J. Patrick. 2005. Please Bury Me in the Library. Ill. by Kyle M. Stone. New York, NY: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 0152163875.

14. Martin, Bill Jr. with Sampson, Michael. 2008. The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1416939717

15. Schwartz, Alvin. 1992. And the Green Grass Grew All Around; Folk Poetry from Everyone. Ill. by Sue Truesdell. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0064462145

16. Thomas, Joyce Carol. 2008. The Blacker the Berry. Ill. by Floyd Cooper. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0060253754

17. Thomas, Joyce Carol. 1998. Cherish Me. Ill. by Nneka Bennett. New York, NY: HarperFestival . ISBN 0694010979

18. Weisburd, Stefi. 2008. Barefoot, Poems for Naked Feet. Ill. by Lori McElrath-Eslick. Wordsong. ISBN 1416939717

Module 6

POETRY BREAK: SERIOUS--- A serious poem about a difficult or sensitive subject in children’s or teens’ lives

Introduction:
Think back to when you were five years old. Try to remember what it felt like to be five years old and going to school for the very first time. The following poem is about a little boy's first day of school.


When I Was Five
by Ashok Kaul, age 11,New York, New York

When I was five, I got out of school.

It was the first day and

I had already made friends.

But none of us knew

what was happening.

I heard a lot of talk about

crash mess fall tall.

Why was everyone talking

about mess fall hit hurt

and tears. Fear.

My mom took me home.

The streets were empty.

I heard fire trucks and police cars.

Then my mom told me.

The two towers were missing.

I was five. It was September 11.

Suddenly, I felt unsure.


From the September/October 2008 issue of Stone Soup. www.stonesoup.com. Accessed April 23, 2009

Extensions:
Take a few minutes of silence to let the simple words of the poem soak in and to mark the solemnity of the subject, then ask the following questions.

What happened while Ashok was in school? Talk about what happened on September 11 in terms appropriate to the age of the children.

How do you think Ashok felt when he left for school that morning. How do you think he felt when the school day was over?

Do you remember what you were doing on September 11, 2001? Share (write and/or discuss)

What is the most memorable day in your life? (write and/or discuss)

Do you think it made Ashok feel better to write about his first day of school?

Language, whether spoken or written, helps people process emotion. Encourage children to talk and write about memorable events.


POETRY BOOK REVIEW: JANECZKO-- A poetry collection compiled by Paul Janeczko


Hey, You! Poems to Skyscrapers, Mosquitoes and Other Fun Things


Introduction:

Paul Janeczko has collected poems written to (yes, to) all sorts of things from skyscrapers and mosquitoes, as the title indicates, to sneakers and light beams. The poem below is just one whimsical example. The mixed-media illustrations by Rober Rayevsky are as unique as the poems.


Light
by Joan Bransfield Graham

Light
light,
stretch
my sight,
bend back
corners
of the night.
Flicker, flash,
near and far,
turn on lamps,
& sprinkle stars.
One small flame,
a tiny spark...
or wide as day
you scatter dark.


Janeczko, Paul B. 2007. Hey, you!: Poems to Skyscrapers, Mosquitoes, and Other Fun Things. Ill. by Robert Rayevskey. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0060523476

Extensions:

Can you think of something interesting, different, or down right weird to write a poem to?

Try to illustrate the poem in a unique fashion, too.

This activity could be done in small groups.



POETRY BY CHILDREN—Post a Poetry BREAK with a poem of your choice written by a child


Introduction:

Think back to your earliest memory. Is it really a memory, or is it a story about you when you were very young? This poem is a girl's memory of time spent with her Dad when she was a toddler! Whether she is really remembering what happened, or is reliving the story she's heard before, the poem is full of love and happiness!

You . . . and Your Dad
by Katie Ferman, age 11,
Three Lakes, Wisconsin

Traveling the interstate routes
With no sense of direction
Following no road map
Traveling only by the lay of the land
Going on only because
Of the love of the land

You and your dad

You, a curly-haired toddler
Without even the knowledge
To put the right shoes on the right feet
Listening to Willie Nelson in a trance

You
Your dad

Feeling the love, but not really understanding it
Your bottle in one hand
The other, clutching the seat belt
Anticipating the next fork in the road

You, a rosy-cheeked kid

Not knowing anything but
Willie Nelson’s voice and
The indescribable landscape
Not knowing
That later on in life you wish you would be able to relive
That single moment
A thousand times
Only the hazy memory
Sticking to you like the apple juice leaking from the bottle
Stuck to your lively little fingers at one time

You and your dad

On the interstate routes.

From the May/June 2004 issue of Stone Soup. www.stonesoup.com. Accessed April 23, 2009.

Extensions:

Play some Willie Nelson music in the background while reading this poem.

Ask the children to share and/or describe their earliest memories, including who is present in the memory. Use as many senses as possible. Use as many details as possible.

Module 5

POETRY BREAK: REFRAIN-- A poem with a refrain or chorus (and indicate refrain)

Introduction:

It is springtime. Flowers are sprouting, trees are budding and the green grass is growing all around, all around. The children will enjoy chiming in as you read this old favorite folk poem.

And the Green Grass Grew All Around

In the woods there was a hole,
The prettiest hole you ever did see,
Oh, a hole in the woods, a hole in the ground,

Refrain:
And the green grass grew all around,
All Around
And the green grass grew all around.

And in that hole there was a root,
Oh, prettiest root you ever did see,
Root in the hole,
Hole in the ground,

Refrain:
And the green grass grew all around,
All Around
And the green grass grew all around.

And on that root there was a tree,
Oh, prettiest tree you ever did see,
Tree on the root,
Root in the hole,
Hole in the ground,

Refrain:
And the green grass grew all around,
All Around
And the green grass grew all around.

And on that tree there was a branch,
Oh, prettiest branch you ever did see,
Branch on tree,
Tree on root,
Root in the hole,
Hole in the ground,

Refrain:
And the green grass grew all around,
All Around
And the green grass grew all around.

And on that branch there was a nest,
Oh, prettiest nest you ever did see.
Nest on the branch,
Branch on the tree,
Tree on the root,
Root in the hole,
Hole in the ground,

Refrain:
And the green grass grew all around,
All Around
And the green grass grew all around.

And in that nest there was an egg,
Oh prettiest egg you ever did see,
Egg in the nest,
Nest on the branch,
Branch on the tree,
Tree on the root,
Root in the hole,
Hole in the ground,

Refrain:
And the green grass grew all around,
All Around
And the green grass grew all around.

And in that egg there was a bird,
Oh,the prettiest bird you ever did see,
Bird in the egg,
Egg in the nest,
Nest on the branch,
Branch on the tree,
Tree on the root,
Root in the hole,
Hole in the ground,

Refrain:
And the green grass grew all around,
All Around
And the green grass grew all around.

from And the Green Grass Grew All Around; Folk Poetry from Everyone by Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by Sue Truesdell. Harper Collins. 1992.

Extensions:

If internet access and a way to project is in the classroom or library, play the following clip for the children. It sets the poem to music, has colorful animated graphics, and provides text for the children to follow and sing along.

http://www.rif.org/assets/Documents/readingplanet/ReadAloud_Stories/TheGreenGrassGrewAllAround.html



*******************************************************

POETRY BOOK REVIEW: NEW BOOK-- A new, favorite book of poetry for children or teens published in or since 2005 (a new favorite of YOURS)

Keepers; Treasure-Hunt Poems by John Frank, Photographs by Ken Robbins. Roaring Book Press. 2008





Introduction:

Do you collect things? Do you like to hunt for treasures? Then you will love this book of poems. Take some time to look at the photographs in the book, then select a poem to read.

Music Box

I twist the box's windup key,
and when I raise the top, I see,
below a plate of beveled glass,
a turning cylinder of brass
with tiny pins that seem to know,
like fingers trained, which of the row
of notes to play - which teeth within
the metal comb to plink. Each pin
awaits its turn so patiently
to help create the melody.

Extensions:

Bring a real music box to show the children. Let them examine the parts, listen to the music, and identify the song it plays.

Ask the children to talk about some of their own treasures or prized possessions and ask how they found them or came by them. Have them write about them.

Invite the children to talk about and/or bring their own treasurers or collections to share. Let them write poems about them.

Hide some "treasures" and let the children hunt for them in the library or classroom.



*******************************************************

POETRY CHOICE: NEWER BOOK-Post a Poetry BREAK with a poem of your choice published in 2008/2009

Introduction:

With warm weather comes the urge to kick off your shoes, take off your socks and bury your feet in the mud. You can almost feel the sun on your face and the earth beneath your feet as you listen to this poem.


Gardening
by
Stefi Weisburd

I plant myself
in flower pose.
In fragrant earth
I burrow toes.
My face tastes sun
and brims with light.
Arms entwine
the trellis tight.
Fingers sprout,
elbows thorn.
Look at me!
A rose is born.

from Barefoot, Poems for Naked Feet by Stefi Weisburd; illustrated by Lori McElrath-Eslick. Wordsong. 2008

Extensions:

Read the poem through a couple of times. Encourage the children to act out the poem, planting themselves like flowers, facea tasting sun, arms entwine, fingers sprout, elbows thorn.

The person in the poem likens himself to a rose. Ask children what kind of flower they would be if they were growing in a garden. What color would they be?

Let the children draw flower pictures or make collages using pictures of flowers from magazines or catalogs, perhaps working together to create a garden mural.

Plant seeds or flowers and watch them grow.

Let the children take their shoes and socks off while they read, write or work at their desks.



Be sure to cite the title, poet, poetry book (with publisher and year) for each poem. Be sure to include an introduction and extension for each poetry break as well. Be sure to cite the poet, book title, illustrator, publisher and year for each poetry book reviewed.