MOD 4: Science Poetry

Bibliographic Data and ISBN

Singer, Marilyn, and Ed Young. 2012. A Strange Place To Call Home: The World's Most Dangerous Habitats & The Animals That Call Them Home. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN: 9781452101200

Summary

Marilyn Singer uses a variety of poetic forms to explain the unique living locales of different animals.

Critical Analysis

Layout

This volume excludes a table of contents and page numbers. An introduction titled “Risky Places” explains the purpose in three paragraphs.

The artist is Caldecott Medal winner, Ed Young. He uses highly textured mixed media to depict the animals and their unusual living environments. Look closely and you can see the torn edges of paper layers on life-like textures like fur. The foxes in “City Living” are especially lifelike.

Each poem includes a title. Below the title the species is listed. None of the poems are longer than a two page spread. Most are a single page.

The endnotes are five pages. They provide information on each animal depicted in the poetry. Singer does not list her sources for this information so readers may want to compare resources. The last page is dedicated to poetry forms. It lists The Poetry Foundation as a resource for poetry terms. It also lists the type of poetry used for a handful of poems.

Poetic Elements

For the most part, Singer’s words are literal. She does not utilize much figurative language. Simile occurs a few times, once in “A Bird In the Water” in the line, “Gray as wet slate” and again in the title “Dry as Dust.” She includes metaphor by calling tube worms “chimneys built on the ocean floor.” She expresses herself through descriptive vocabulary. Her poetic forms are rhythmic and formulaic. “Down In the Depths” has a rhyming scheme and the author invites readers in the conclusion of the book to figure it out. Much of the sense imagery describes the physical characteristics of the environment. The same poem, “Down In the Depths” describes, “deep sea hydrothermal vents. Superheated water rising” in a way that evokes the sight of water rushing up and the sensation of hot water.

Singer’s poetry is far from emotional. It is more of an informational text intended to awe readers.

Appeal

The poetic forms are appealing because they are formulaic in the repetition of lines and in their rhyming schemes. Readers would delight in dissecting them to figure out their patterns.

The topics of animals and their environments are interesting to many children. Many reluctant readers find pleasure in reading informational text and this poetry collection straddles the line between fiction and nonfiction. Many of the animals in this poetry book are familiar to children, but where they live is not. This information would be enriching for a wide age range. There were even several facts about the animals’ environments that I did not know.

The vocabulary is quite challenging. I would suspect that younger audiences would need lecture time to comprehend the scientific terms.

Readers will empathize with the hardships of the animals and appreciate their resilience. They will have much to remark about and finish the book. left in awe of Mother Nature.

Overall Quality

All poems are informational. The variation in poetry forms is also an educational experience. How many children’s poetry book display what a triolet or villanelle looks like? The art is detailed and perfectly paired with each poem.

The purpose of this collection is to portray the resilience of animals and the variation of environments on our planet. It is an informative text that is also poetic. Readers will learn about science and language arts.

Poems stimulate a variety of thoughts. All the locales are uncomfortable and dangerous, but from the perspective of the animals that live there it is home. The poetry may not be emotional, but it is thought provoking in a scientific way.

Final Analysis

I would highly recommend this title not only to supplement science lessons, but poetry lessons as well. The complementing factual information is thorough and allows for further exploration. It is a finely done collection that defies the stereotypes associated with poetry.

Featured Poem

On the Rocks Limpets

In the intertidal zone,

            where waves are prone

to be forceful,

            where the waters rush

to batter, buffet, crush,

            dislodge, displace, fling,

a limpet is resourceful.

            Its fine construction

employs suction.

            In others words, its thing

is mightily to cling.

Poem Connections

Just as the Chronicle Books teaching guide suggests have children identify an animal and articulate how it can live in its harsh environment. Take it a step further by having them draw the animal and label physical characteristics that help them thrive. For example draw an arrow pointing under a limpet and write “strong suction.”

Chronicle Books teaching guide: http://www.chroniclebooks.com/landing-pages/pdfs/PoetryPicture_TeachersGuide3.pdf

MOD 4: Biographical Poetry

Bibliographic Data and ISBN

Bernier-Grand, Carmen T., and David Diaz. 2004. César: Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can! New York: Marshall Cavendish. ISBN: 9780761451723

Summary

In the form of free verse Carmen Bernier-Grand tells the life story of César Chávez, a Mexican-American civil rights activist who fought for the rights of farm workers.

Critical Analysis

Layout

A 48 page book complete with additional sections of factual information on the subject. This is one of the most thorough demonstrations of fact finding I have seen so far in this course. The “Notes” section cites the sources of actual quotes that were used in the poetry. The glossary contains translations for every Spanish word that was not translated in the text. “Viva La Causa” is a two-page summary of César Chávez life. A single page chronology follows detailing highlights organized by the year they occurred. Bernier-Grand then lists her resources. The final page is a list of a selection of Chávez’s quotes along with their citations.

The illustrator, David Diaz, is a Caldecott award winner. Although everyone in this book looks almost the same because of the lack of variation in eye and skin color he does depict different facial features particularly in “Pachuco Days.”

Poetic Elements

Bernier-Grand uses narrative free verse to tell Chávez’s story. She divides her lines well by avoiding splitting prepositional phrases and other phrase structures. Many examples of vivid imagery permeate. For example, in “Learning What Was Inside of Him” (p. 32) we can see Fred Ross’ first impressions on César:

César crossed the street

to his brother Richard’s house

and watched as a gringo

parked his beat-up car

Out came a lanky guy,

his clothes wrinkled.

The reader can interpret that César did not have a good first impression of Fred. Ross appeared unkempt. How could César take him seriously?

In “Delano” Benier-Grand uses repetition of the line “to Delano” at the start of each stanza. Delano is where Chávez began to organize a union for farm workers.

The collection as a whole is emotional, with the reader feeling highs and lows, but there is always a feeling of pride for Chávez.

Appeal

Biographical poetry is more enjoyable to read start to finish than a traditional biography. Bernier-Grand blends descriptive imagery with actual quotes by César Chávez. The author brings life to the story.

Poems about César’s childhood may not be relatable, but they do stir the imagination of readers. One could easily imagine what it must be like to sleep outside with the rain falling down on them. Readers will gain insight on poverty and taking a stand for one’s beliefs. The time when Chávez’s family lost their business should make readers think about sacrifice and what happiness really is. This book has many lessons about good character.

Linguistically this book provides many examples of Spanish vocabulary. If words are not translated in text they can be found in the glossary at the end of the book.

Some may be apprehensive about the mentions of religion throughout Chávez’s life. Many institutions ask that when presenting literature depicting religion to also make an opportunity to represent other religions.

The story of César Chávez is host to an array of emotions. He is quoted as to having said that he had a happy childhood despite the great losses his family faced. He was frequently displaced, but is depicted enjoying sleeping on a pool table during the depression. César took negativity in his life and turned it around. He empowered himself and others to peacefully fight for what they feel is right.

Overall Quality

Bernier-Grand created a well-cited piece of work. She uses documented quotes word for word in her poetry. Characters defy stereotypes of Mexican Americans. The poems about his parents depict them as hardworking and intelligent individuals. His grandfather was a successful business owner.

The purpose of this book was to tell the story of César Chávez. Not only does the author accomplish her goal, but she also conveys why Chávez became a civil rights activist. Her poetry stimulates a variety of thoughts and emotions. The working conditions of farm workers were extremely unjust. As riled up as we get Chávez did not. He wanted to solve the problem peacefully. I am inspired by him.

Final Analysis

I would recommend this title. It is an inspiring story that even older students could enjoy and discuss. Bernier-Grand provides an excellent starting point to conducting further research about César Chávez.

Featured Excerpt

Don’t Mourn- Organize!

To the fields César went,

where campesinos mourned.

“It is true that you have awful wages

and poor living and working conditions.

It is your fault.

You let them do it.

And only you can change

what is happening to you.

You-we-have that power.

Each of us has the power

to control our lives.

When we take that power,

we can improve our living conditions.”

Poem Connections

Preface the excerpt with background on César Chávez. He believed that change could come peacefully. Give students time to brainstorm things they would like to change. Let them list items on a paper. Allow for even mundane initiatives like ice cream for breakfast, but also ask about major causes like cutting back pollution. Then discuss ideas aloud in the group along with peaceful ways to bring change.

Professor Vardell’s blog, “Poetry for Children” lists several connections to use for this book as well: http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-poetry-of-carmen-t-bernier-grand.html

MOD 4: Social Studies Poetry

Bibliographic Data and ISBN

Hemphill, Stephanie. 2010. Wicked Girls: a Novel of the Salem Witch Trials. New York: Balzer + Bray. ISBN: 9780061853289

Summary

Using free verse three afflicted young women narrate their perspective of the Salem Witch Trials.

Critical Analysis

Layout

A table of contents is not listed. Instead this book begins with descriptions of each of the afflicted girls. Each poem has a title in all caps and below it lists the girl’s name and age in italics.

BAG OF WOOL

Mercy Lewis, 17

The poems are told from four perspectives: a narrator, Ann Putnam Jr., Margaret Wolcott, and Mercy Lewis. Pages of the poems by the narrator are embellished with what looks like a stamp of swirling vines. They have titles like the other poems, but instead of a girls name in italics underneath each title there is a date. The poems are listed in chronological order. Storytellers are often repeated since there are multiple poems from each one listed back to back.

In addition to the print version I had the chance to listen to the audio. A different voice actor represents each role. The narrator crowed like an elderly woman telling a ghost story. Ann Putnam Jr. enunciated her words like a young preteen. Mercy Lewis spoke like a dignified woman. Margaret Wolcott sounded like a typical teenage girl. I felt like I could hear her roll her eyes.

The book concludes with several sections. The first section contains the real stories of the characters that appeared in the book, over twenty paragraphs. This was the most fascinating part of the book for me. Not only was this section informational, but I enjoyed linking the facts with the fictional account. I was not as impressed as I hoped to be reading the poetry. After finding out how much research went into this story, though, I changed my mind about its quality. An author’s note talks about linking the fiction with the documented facts and how the story of the girls came to be. Hemphill then lists some her resources in the last pages inviting readers to look into this historical event.

Poetic Elements

The poems are told in the type of language people used in the time around 1692. Characters frequently ask, “How fare ye?” Readers will find vocabulary like thee and thou amongst many other phrases not typical of contemporary speech.

Like many verse novels the imagery is strong. Hemphill often uses metaphor to bring her characters’ emotions to light:

I feel as though I’ve been thrown

to an ocean of ice floes,

the weather so flays my skin

and gnaws on my bones.

(Hemphill, p. 4)

And in the poem “Ingersoll’s Ordinary” Hemphill paints the picture of the townsfolk’s interest in accusing witches:

Ingersoll’s serves

a hearty stew

of witch fever.

(Hemphill, p69)

Hemphill invokes all the senses to create scenes of the girls during their fits. The girls are afraid, jealous and very lonely.

I scream, for the pain

crashes over my friends face

like a tidal wave,

but she cannot make noise;

barely can she make breath.

(Hemphill, p. 77)

Appeal

Like most novels in verse, “Wicked Girls” is appealing in it’s brevity. Readers will also enjoy the heavy dialogue. Female readers may be especially interested because the book is entirely from the female perspective. Female readers often enjoy major themes like beauty, romance, and friendship.

While this may not recount familiar childhood experiences for most readers, I believe the story is somewhat relatable. These teen girls experience many of the same emotions girls do today. Ann seeks friendship with anyone who will pay attention to her. Margaret spends much of the book jealous of Mercy. These young women grew up in a different period when children grew up sooner and had more chores. They also grew up in a time when women did not have nearly as many rights as we do today. It would great to discuss switching places with the girls and talking about the time in which they lived.

Margaret’s sexual relationship with Isaac may affect the appeal for some readers. They do have more than one sexual encounter in the book. Margaret felt guilty and ashamed for partaking. However it is clear that she was taken advantage of. Some readers may feel like they are not ready to read about these sorts of topics.

Some readers may find it too challenging to understand the language of the period. In guided reading this can also be taken as a good learning experience. I would take the quote, “That bonnet be right smart” (Hemphill, p. 82) and discuss its meaning.

Overall Quality

Poems are consistent in quality. It is the characters voice though, that are the most consistent. Each girl is distinctive. Mercy is strong and firm, yet patient and nurturing. Ann is young, naïve, and bossy. She is hungry for attention. Margaret is traditional and judgmental. She is focused on status. Even though each voice has a distinctive point of view you can still see each character change throughout the story. Once Mercy knows that she has power she starts to abuse it. She fakes affliction to punish those who have wronged others. Ann becomes increasingly manipulative once she believes the other girls in the group are going to leave. She tries to force them to stay. These were once quiet girls. Then they became power hungry.

The purpose of “Wicked Girls” is to humanize the history of the Salem Witch Trials. Hemphill fictionalizes a new perspective, that of the young accusers. As a reader it is scandalous to find that teenage girls controlled the fate of innocent people. Many times adults manipulated the girls in order to falsely accuse others. Though fictionalized it is hard to discern what was real and what wasn’t. We may never know all the facts, as much from this time was not documented.

Poems represent the various moods of our protagonists. They shift from fear to powerful to jealousy and shame. Their emotions are as volatile as those of teens of today. It was uncomforting to see how heartless they were when killing the innocent. I was especially distraught by Margaret’s reaction to Elizabeth’s demise. The girls were also cruel to Susanna about her weight. I believe the topic of bullying would be an important conversation to have with readers in a book club.

Final Analysis

Although I feel that Hemphill trivializes the female experience of those times, and reduces it to simple subordination her story is thoroughly researched. Her timelines for each character compares well to her information on the Salem Witch Trials that the reader can almost believe there is truth to this story, even the matter of whether or not the girls were ever truly afflicted. I am still on the fence about this book. I think if I were to conduct a book club using it I would want to have a conversation about the state of womankind in this period. Some audiences are not comfortable with witchcraft, but the book has merit as a well-research piece of historical fiction.

Featured Poem/Excerpt

An Excerpt from “A Real Beauty”

Margaret Walcott 17

Ann says, “Mercy can read and write.

And she has been a servant

since she was only five.

Mercy helps me with my lessons.”

Ann offers this to me

like it be flavored sugarcane.

“She’ll not make a goodwife

with all that reading and such.

‘Tis against the Lord’s way.”

I nod, but as soon as she turns her back

I grab the parchment paper

and slip it into the pocket of my new skirt.

Maybe if I look at it enough, I’ll figure

how to read it.

Poem Connections

I would use this excerpt as a starting point for a discussion about what the life of a young woman would be like in those times. Would one be happy then if she had no idea about her life as it is now? What kinds of feelings do us readers have when we hear certain lines of this poem? I would encourage matching opinions to facts and hope it would spark the curiosity for teens to do their own research on the Salem Witch Trials.

Harper Collins teaching guide: http://files.harpercollins.com/PDF/ReadingGuides/0061853283.pdf

Hemphill lists several sources after the author’s note that readers can use in conjunction with finding more resources in the library such as the database, U.S. History In Context.

MOD 3: Novel In Verse

Bibliographic Data

Grimes, Nikki. 2013. Words With Wings. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: Wordsong, an Imprint of Highlights. ISBN: 9781590789858

Summary

Gabby’s daydreams are an escape from the sadness of her parents’ separation, but will her coping mechanism bring her more trouble than relief?

Critical Analysis

Layout

The table of contents lists the titles of each poem, in which there are over sixty. This novel in verse contains two kinds of poems denoted by two different fonts. The first type is for the narrative. In the contents these poems are indented under the second type of poems, Gabby’s daydreams. Although “Words With Wings” does not include illustrations, fonts are sized and stylized to reflect meaning. In stilts “GABBY THE GREAT” is printed in a taller font and the words are stacked on each other like a person on stilts. Pages are numbered so that each poem is easy to find. Grimes does not include an author’s note, but does conclude the book with acknowledgements. The narrative poems are in a chronological order with the exception of memories of Gabby’s life.

Poetic Elements

The title, “Words With Wings,” is alliterative. Our protagonist Gabby uses daydreams as an escape and words lift her away with their wings. When she hears a word she dives into the depths of her imagination. The poems of her daydreams follow a consistent format for the first two lines, say-blank-and-blank.

In the poem, “Prologue” we see additional significance of the wings. Gabriella is named after a winged creature, an angel.

The poems about daydreams have a strong sense of imagery. In “Waterfall” rain transforms into a waterfall described as “liquid thunder.” Readers can see, hear, and feel the force of the water.

Appeal

Grimes’ novel in verse uses both imagery poems and narrative poems to show us how Gabby lives through this turbulent time in her life. I think young people will gravitate more to the imagery poems, which are the daydream poems particularly if they are to mimic a poetry style for a project. The narrative poetry is comparably appealing because it drives the plot of the story.

Young readers that find interest in diaries will find Gabby’s first person perspective similar. Her voice is candid and realistic for someone her age. She does not have the abstract, deep thoughts of a much older person. Reluctant readers may delight in the brevity of the 81 pages, especially pages that are mostly negative space.

Though the plot revolves around the emotional and serious subject of divorce, children who have experienced this life change may be relieved to find they can relate to the character. In the case that they have not experienced divorce this can be an opportunity to learn about the life experiences of others. Similarly, this is also a diversity read as it features African American characters.

According to a School Library Journal review this book is for those in grades 3-7. For readers on the younger spectrum, this title does a good job of explicitly saying the things Gabby thinks, but does not say to other characters. There is no need to try to figure it out. Readers really get to see what is in her head as if we were reading her diary.

The protagonist displays a wild imagination. Any encouragement to copy her writing style is certain to inspire the imagination of young people. Extension activities invite readers to show what their imaginations are capable of.

Overall Quality

Nikki Grimes has been writing children poetry for a long time her experience shows. Her work is dense with deliberate use of literary devices from alliteration in her title to the symbol of the wings. I read this book three times, and each time I found more clever, poetic surprises. Grimes creatively distinguishes the narrative poems from the daydream/imagery poems with two different fonts. Her format is consistent, especially in the poems about daydreams. The words that have wings are put in quotations, “Say ‘fly,’ and…” Grimes uses this format through the whole book. The plot in the narrative poetry is strong through the finish. We ultimately see that both Gabby and her mother find peace in her daydreaming. It turns out to be a healthy and beautiful activity.

Final Analysis

I would highly recommend this book for third grade students and up. I found it non-idealistic and therefore realistic, demonstrative of good use of poetic elements, and highly imaginative. I think discussing this book as well as conducting extension activities will bring to light the brilliance of this collection. Its brevity makes it approachable even for the most reluctant readers. I myself am inspired to write and read poetry by “Words With Wings” and I’m not the target audience.

Featured Poem

“Author”

Say “Gabriella,”

And Mom sees me,

Silver-tipped pen in hand,

Swirling “Best Wishes”

Across the front pages

Of dozens of books

With my name

Printed on them.

I sign hundreds

Round the clock

For a line of happy fans

That stretch a city block.

And there is Mom, beaming

Right beside me.

Poem Connections

This poem is a daydream poem following the say-blank-and-blank format. After reading allowed twice allow participants 15 minutes to daydream about what they wish to be when they grow up. Remark on how in the book Mr. Spicer did the very same activity. Then have the children write their own poems in the same format. Let volunteers read theirs aloud.