Monday, October 17, 2011
Chess Rumble by Gregory Neri
Here is a digital trailer for CHESS RUMBLE created by graduate student Sherrie Orr. It's available on YouTube via this link.
Gregory Neri
Gregory Neri won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award in 2010. His recognized book is Chess Rumble (New York: Lee & Low Books, 2009).
Seeing Emily by Joyce Lee Wong
Here is a digital trailer for SEEING EMILY created by graduate student Kara Angell. It's available on YouTube here.
And here is a readers guide for SEEING EMILY created by graduate student Dana Brewster.
Bibliography
Wong, Joyce. Seeing Emily . New York: Amulet Books, 2005.
ISBN: 0810957574
Recommended Grade Levels: 6~9
Summary
Expectations are high for Emily Wu. Like most teenagers, Emily’s parents expect her to study hard and make good grades, work in the family restaurant and remember how to conduct herself. Her behavior and work ethic is grounded in the teachings of her Chinese parents who immigrated to the United States. Growing up somewhat isolated from other Chinese-Americans, Emily begins to struggle with balancing the expectations of her parents and her own desires. When a new boy moves to town and shows an interest in her, Emily begins to be secretive and defiant of her parents. However, through her relationship with the boy, Nick, Emily begins to better understand herself and her parents. She also learns to find her way as a Chinese-American and how she can blend the expectations of her parents with her own plans for her future.
Review Excerpts
“In free verse, 16-year-old Emily Wu, a talented artist, describes her daily life as she interacts with her Chinese immigrant parents; with her best friends, Nina and Liz; and with her first boyfriend, Nick. In the process, she lies to her parents, experiments with makeup, and, little by little, loses her values. Readers will smell the aromas of the traditional dishes that her mother cooks, see the vibrant colors of the mural she paints, and relate to the discussions she and her friends have about grades, parents, and boys. They will also sense Baba and Mama's concern when they decide to send Emily to visit her aunt in Taiwan, where she comes to the realization that she can be both Chinese and American. Rich in language and imagery, Seeing Emily is a good choice for fiction collections.” - School Library Journal
“Joyce Lee Wong's dazzling debut addresses the complexities of the contemporary Asian American experience, the pressures of American high school, and the age-old clash between teens and parents. This touching novel takes readers on a journey in which parents, peers and readers ultimately find new ways of seeing Emily. - GoodReads
“In a highly visual, eloquently wrought first novel, Wong conveys a Chinese-American girl's coming of age. In free verse, narrator Emily, a blossoming artist, expresses her observations of loved ones (her concerned mother and father; her two best friends, Nina and Liz) and familiar places (like the Golden Palace restaurant her parents own).” - Publisher’s Weekly
Awards/Honors Received
International Reading Association Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award, 2007
Rhode Island Teen Book Award
Questions to Ask Before Reading
Discussion points for Pre-Reading
~ Ask students if they have ever done anything they knew their parents would
disapprove of. Were they openly defiant or secretive about it?
~ Do any of the students have parents who were born in another country? Are they resistant to the student acting ‘American’.
~ Have they ever made friends with someone they knew their parents would disapproveof?
Introducing Free Verse Poetry
~ Free verse poetry is free from the constraints of line length, rhythms, and rhyming patterns. It is used to create an intimate picture of thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
~ Free verse is not prose. It has patterns and is broken into stanzas.
~ There is a lot of imagery and figurative language present. Students should be familiar with how to identify these forms of writing before reading Seeing Emily.
Curriculum Connections
Character Analysis/Writing
~ Create a character map of Emily. Identify her feelings, behaviors, personality traits, and a physical description. Try to identify reasons for her behaviors.
~ Compare the characters of Nick and Alex. How do Emily’s feelings for each of these boys change over the course of the story?
English
~ Choose a passage from the book where Emily describes an animal in the mural and identify the figurative language used to describe the animal. What do you learn about the animal from the author’s writing?
Art
~ Using magazines and online artwork, students create individual collages that reflect their personality and any struggles they are going through.
Social Studies
~ Identify the cultural values Emily’s parents possess that deal with her relationships and her behavior as a teenage girl. Compare them to your own. What are the differences? Similarities?
~Where does Emily travel to? Where is this in relation to her home in Richmond? Find descriptors of the location in the text.
~ Study the word ‘geisha’. How does Nick’s use of the word affect Emily? Is her reaction positive or negative? Support your answer using text passages. What does Nick’s use of this word reveal about his true feelings for Emily?
Relevant Web Sites
Asian-American Literature
http://www.yourlibrary.ws/ya_webpage/ritba/ritba07/emily.htm
~ Rhode Island Teen Book Award - Discussion Module
http://www.papertigers.org/
~ Resources for books about/from the Pacific Rim and South Asia for students.
http://www.shens.com/
~ Multicultural children’s literature publisher.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757
~ Scholastic article How to Choose the Best Multicultural Books. Includes a section on
Asian-American Literature.
http://asianpacificheritage.gov/
~ Resource paying tribute to Asians and Pacific Islanders who have contributed to the
development of America.
Related Books
Na, An. A step from heaven. Asheville, N.C.: Front Street, 2001.
Namioka, Lensey. An ocean apart, a world away: A novel. New York, NY: Laurel-Leaf, 2003.
Gallo, Donald R. First crossing: stories about teen immigrants. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2007.
Gillan, Maria M., and Jennifer Gillan. Growing up ethnic in America: Contemporary fiction about learning to be American. New York: Penguin Books, 1999.
Tan, Amy. The kitchen god's wife. New York: Penguin, 2006.
Yang, Gene Luen, and Lark Pien. American born Chinese. New York: Square Fish, 2009.
About the Author
Joyce Lee Wong is a second-generation Chinese American. After attending college in Taiwan, her parents came to graduate school in America where they met and married. They moved to Virginia where Joyce was born. In addition to being an author, Joyce Lee Wong is a lawyer educated at the University of Virginia School of Law and a teacher. Among her favorite Asian American young adult books are the titles Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston, Shizuko’s Daughter by Kyoko Mori, and Janet Wong’s Behind the Wheel. Joyce Lee Wong currently lives in Los Angeles where she feels fortunate to be able to participate in Asian-American activities, some specifically related to Taiwanese-American culture.
And here is a readers guide for SEEING EMILY created by graduate student Dana Brewster.
Bibliography
Wong, Joyce. Seeing Emily . New York: Amulet Books, 2005.
ISBN: 0810957574
Recommended Grade Levels: 6~9
Summary
Expectations are high for Emily Wu. Like most teenagers, Emily’s parents expect her to study hard and make good grades, work in the family restaurant and remember how to conduct herself. Her behavior and work ethic is grounded in the teachings of her Chinese parents who immigrated to the United States. Growing up somewhat isolated from other Chinese-Americans, Emily begins to struggle with balancing the expectations of her parents and her own desires. When a new boy moves to town and shows an interest in her, Emily begins to be secretive and defiant of her parents. However, through her relationship with the boy, Nick, Emily begins to better understand herself and her parents. She also learns to find her way as a Chinese-American and how she can blend the expectations of her parents with her own plans for her future.
Review Excerpts
“In free verse, 16-year-old Emily Wu, a talented artist, describes her daily life as she interacts with her Chinese immigrant parents; with her best friends, Nina and Liz; and with her first boyfriend, Nick. In the process, she lies to her parents, experiments with makeup, and, little by little, loses her values. Readers will smell the aromas of the traditional dishes that her mother cooks, see the vibrant colors of the mural she paints, and relate to the discussions she and her friends have about grades, parents, and boys. They will also sense Baba and Mama's concern when they decide to send Emily to visit her aunt in Taiwan, where she comes to the realization that she can be both Chinese and American. Rich in language and imagery, Seeing Emily is a good choice for fiction collections.” - School Library Journal
“Joyce Lee Wong's dazzling debut addresses the complexities of the contemporary Asian American experience, the pressures of American high school, and the age-old clash between teens and parents. This touching novel takes readers on a journey in which parents, peers and readers ultimately find new ways of seeing Emily. - GoodReads
“In a highly visual, eloquently wrought first novel, Wong conveys a Chinese-American girl's coming of age. In free verse, narrator Emily, a blossoming artist, expresses her observations of loved ones (her concerned mother and father; her two best friends, Nina and Liz) and familiar places (like the Golden Palace restaurant her parents own).” - Publisher’s Weekly
Awards/Honors Received
International Reading Association Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award, 2007
Rhode Island Teen Book Award
Questions to Ask Before Reading
Discussion points for Pre-Reading
~ Ask students if they have ever done anything they knew their parents would
disapprove of. Were they openly defiant or secretive about it?
~ Do any of the students have parents who were born in another country? Are they resistant to the student acting ‘American’.
~ Have they ever made friends with someone they knew their parents would disapproveof?
Introducing Free Verse Poetry
~ Free verse poetry is free from the constraints of line length, rhythms, and rhyming patterns. It is used to create an intimate picture of thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
~ Free verse is not prose. It has patterns and is broken into stanzas.
~ There is a lot of imagery and figurative language present. Students should be familiar with how to identify these forms of writing before reading Seeing Emily.
Curriculum Connections
Character Analysis/Writing
~ Create a character map of Emily. Identify her feelings, behaviors, personality traits, and a physical description. Try to identify reasons for her behaviors.
~ Compare the characters of Nick and Alex. How do Emily’s feelings for each of these boys change over the course of the story?
English
~ Choose a passage from the book where Emily describes an animal in the mural and identify the figurative language used to describe the animal. What do you learn about the animal from the author’s writing?
Art
~ Using magazines and online artwork, students create individual collages that reflect their personality and any struggles they are going through.
Social Studies
~ Identify the cultural values Emily’s parents possess that deal with her relationships and her behavior as a teenage girl. Compare them to your own. What are the differences? Similarities?
~Where does Emily travel to? Where is this in relation to her home in Richmond? Find descriptors of the location in the text.
~ Study the word ‘geisha’. How does Nick’s use of the word affect Emily? Is her reaction positive or negative? Support your answer using text passages. What does Nick’s use of this word reveal about his true feelings for Emily?
Relevant Web Sites
Asian-American Literature
http://www.yourlibrary.ws/ya_webpage/ritba/ritba07/emily.htm
~ Rhode Island Teen Book Award - Discussion Module
http://www.papertigers.org/
~ Resources for books about/from the Pacific Rim and South Asia for students.
http://www.shens.com/
~ Multicultural children’s literature publisher.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757
~ Scholastic article How to Choose the Best Multicultural Books. Includes a section on
Asian-American Literature.
http://asianpacificheritage.gov/
~ Resource paying tribute to Asians and Pacific Islanders who have contributed to the
development of America.
Related Books
Na, An. A step from heaven. Asheville, N.C.: Front Street, 2001.
Namioka, Lensey. An ocean apart, a world away: A novel. New York, NY: Laurel-Leaf, 2003.
Gallo, Donald R. First crossing: stories about teen immigrants. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2007.
Gillan, Maria M., and Jennifer Gillan. Growing up ethnic in America: Contemporary fiction about learning to be American. New York: Penguin Books, 1999.
Tan, Amy. The kitchen god's wife. New York: Penguin, 2006.
Yang, Gene Luen, and Lark Pien. American born Chinese. New York: Square Fish, 2009.
About the Author
Joyce Lee Wong is a second-generation Chinese American. After attending college in Taiwan, her parents came to graduate school in America where they met and married. They moved to Virginia where Joyce was born. In addition to being an author, Joyce Lee Wong is a lawyer educated at the University of Virginia School of Law and a teacher. Among her favorite Asian American young adult books are the titles Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston, Shizuko’s Daughter by Kyoko Mori, and Janet Wong’s Behind the Wheel. Joyce Lee Wong currently lives in Los Angeles where she feels fortunate to be able to participate in Asian-American activities, some specifically related to Taiwanese-American culture.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Joyce Lee Wong
Joyce Lee Wong won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award in 2007. Her recognized book is Seeing Emily (New York: Abrams, 2006).
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Soul Moon Soup by Lindsay Lee Johnson
Here is a digital trailer for SOUL MOON SOUP created by graduate student Jennifer Boyd.
Here is a readers guide for SOUL MOON SOUP created by graduate student Kathey Smith.
Bibliography
Johnson, Lindsay L. 2002. Soul Moon Soup. Asheville, N.C.: Front Street.
ISBN 1886910871
Recommended Age Levels grade levels 6-8
Summary of Book
Author Lindsay Johnson used a free verse style to tell the story of a young girl who has parents that are not dependable. When the father abandons her and her mother her mother works hard to make end meet but is not successful. They find themselves homeless and living from shelter to shelter and the belongings in a suitcase which is lost. The girl’s mother seeks help by sending her to live with her grandmother whom she has never met. The young girl is worried about her granny mother’s behavior and if her mother will be back. While living with her grandmother she makes a friend who helps her not to lose her dream of drawing. She also discovers family secrets that her look at her mother in a different light when she returns.
Review Excepts
“A homeless child finds a measure of inner security, and mends fences with her weak, trouble mother, in this first novel, written in verse.”
-Booklist
“Phoebe’s story is told through a series of poems that elegantly capture the smells, noises, and fears that come with being on the streets and with living at Full Moon Lake with her grandmother. This is a wonderfully crafted book.” - Children’s Literature
“Soul Moon Soup is a sensitively told tale about homelessness and its devastating effect on children. Written in free-verse, it is the story of Phoebe, an eleven-year-old girl with a talent for drawing and eyes “wide-open… like two hungry mouths.” - The Five Owls
Awards/Honors Received
¬ Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award, 2004
¬ Best Book- Best Children’s Book of the Year, 2003 : Bank Street College of Education United States
¬ YSLSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adults Readers. 2003: American Library Association- YALSA; United States
Questions to Ask Before Reading
Invite students to discuss the following questions prior to reading Soul Moon Soup.
¬ Show students the cover of the book and the title ask students What may you conclude by just looking at the cover and the title?
¬ Do you know what the term homeless means?
¬ What are some ways that people may become homeless?
¬ How do you think people feel being in this situation especially children?
Suggestion for Reading Poems Aloud
¬ “Expression” invite the students participate in reading parts and over exaggerate lines which reveals an expressive thought by Phoebe or her mother.
¬ “Reflection” have students read Remembering Daddy p.16
by choral reading and think back about someone that they may remember something special about or just miss their present.
¬ “Readers Theater” invites students to choose parts and participate in reading aloud.
Follow up Activities
Writing
¬ Students may read “On the Job with Mama” p. 19 and write about a time when you have gone to your parents, grandparents, or any other relative or friends job and share what you did and how you felt, or write about how you think it would be if you have not gone to a job with an adult.
¬ In Phoebe’s story she meets a friend and this friend helps her gain her confidence back to draw. Write about a time your confidence needed rebuilding so you could do something you like and tell who helped you and how.
¬ Phoebe really misses her dad. Think about someone you really miss write them a letter explaining how and why you miss them.
Math
¬ In this poem Phoebe’s mother had a hard time making end meet, she worked cleaning houses, research the salary of house keepers and maids for the present, five years ago, ten years ago, and fifteen years ago. Try to draw a conclusion of what Phoebes mother’s salary could have been.
¬ Discuss the symmetry of the picture on the cover.
¬ Phoebe loves her mother and misses her a great deal; she had a hard time waiting for her return. Think about someone you are waiting to return or think about if you or someone you love is waiting to leave make a calendar and use tally marks to mark the days until they return or the day until you leave.
Social Studies
¬ In the poem Phoebe and her mother stayed form shelter to shelter. Research different homeless shelters in the area and create a service project – example (donating coats and socks) to help homeless people.
¬ Create a list of statistics of homeless people in your area, compare to a nearby city.
¬ Create an organization at your school or in your classroom that offers resources to homeless children/families at you school (name the organization, list resources offered).
Art
¬ “Rearranging the Pieces” p. 114- Read aloud the 1st paragraph and have students draw what they visualize in their heads from the words they hear.
¬ Phoebe thought art was important, she loved to draw. Pp.62-63 How does art make our lives better? Make a collage answering this question.
¬ Draw yourself with two faces like the cover of the book and share your explanation for your facial explanation.
Science
¬ Phoebe did not have what she wanted or needed for her drawings. Sometimes in life we may not have what we want or need at that moment so often we must work with we have. Phoebe was in the country what are something she could have used to create are work or drawings. (rocks, mud, pine cones etc...) Find some of the items and create a product.
¬ Research materials that will serve as paint (flowers, food, juice etc.) discuss the process to transform into liquid with color to use for painting.
¬ Make footwear impressions this make various designs
http://www.education.com/activity/science/page4/
Related Web Sites
Nation Coalition for the Homeless
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/
This website if full of help information, resources, and other links that include fact sheets, advocacy, and an opportunity to donate.
Helplines and websites Homeless Link
http://www.homeless.org.uk
Explore this site it is full of information to help stop and prevent homelessness as well as where to get help.
Facts about homelessness DoSomething.org
http://www.dosomething.org/TeensforJeans
This site provides information about starting a jean drive for homeless teens.
Related Books
Fiction about homelessness
Ackerman, Karen. 1993. The Leaves in October. Random House Children’s Books.
Banks, Lynne Reid. 2002. Alice by Accident. Harper Trophy.
Gunning, Monica. 2004. A Shelter in Our Car. Ill. By Elaine Pedlor. Children’s Book Press.
Nonfiction about homelessness
Wallace B. Barbara. 2001. Secret in St. Something. Books For Young Readers.
Whelam, Clora. 2000. Homeless Bird. Harper Collins Publishers.
Youme, Selavi. 2004. That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope. Cinco Puntos Press.
Poems/Poetry
Grimes, Nikki. 2006. Thanks A Million. Ill. By Cozbi A. Cabrera. Amistad.
Peters, Andrew Fusek. 2001. Out of Order: between-age poem. Ill. By Clive Goodyear.
Viorst, Judith. 1995. Sad Underwear and Other Complications More Poems for Children and their Parents. Ill. By Richard Hull. Antheneum Books for Young Readers.
About the Author
Lindsay Lee Johnson grew up in a family of storytellers. She thinks of words as her first and most enduring playthings. Ms. Johnson has worked as a newspaper reporter, editor, community education instructor, visiting author in schools, and free-lance writer of everything from business brochures to greeting cards and fortune cookies, but her heart has always belonged to fiction. She has written award-winning stories for adults and children and has published three books for children: Hurricane Henrietta, A Week With Zeke & Zach, and Soul Moon Soup. Ms. Johnson writes from her home in the east central Minnesota countryside, where she lives with her husband, four cats, and assorted other animals. She and her husband have twin daughters and four grandchildren.
Here is a readers guide for SOUL MOON SOUP created by graduate student Kathey Smith.
Bibliography
Johnson, Lindsay L. 2002. Soul Moon Soup. Asheville, N.C.: Front Street.
ISBN 1886910871
Recommended Age Levels grade levels 6-8
Summary of Book
Author Lindsay Johnson used a free verse style to tell the story of a young girl who has parents that are not dependable. When the father abandons her and her mother her mother works hard to make end meet but is not successful. They find themselves homeless and living from shelter to shelter and the belongings in a suitcase which is lost. The girl’s mother seeks help by sending her to live with her grandmother whom she has never met. The young girl is worried about her granny mother’s behavior and if her mother will be back. While living with her grandmother she makes a friend who helps her not to lose her dream of drawing. She also discovers family secrets that her look at her mother in a different light when she returns.
Review Excepts
“A homeless child finds a measure of inner security, and mends fences with her weak, trouble mother, in this first novel, written in verse.”
-Booklist
“Phoebe’s story is told through a series of poems that elegantly capture the smells, noises, and fears that come with being on the streets and with living at Full Moon Lake with her grandmother. This is a wonderfully crafted book.” - Children’s Literature
“Soul Moon Soup is a sensitively told tale about homelessness and its devastating effect on children. Written in free-verse, it is the story of Phoebe, an eleven-year-old girl with a talent for drawing and eyes “wide-open… like two hungry mouths.” - The Five Owls
Awards/Honors Received
¬ Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award, 2004
¬ Best Book- Best Children’s Book of the Year, 2003 : Bank Street College of Education United States
¬ YSLSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adults Readers. 2003: American Library Association- YALSA; United States
Questions to Ask Before Reading
Invite students to discuss the following questions prior to reading Soul Moon Soup.
¬ Show students the cover of the book and the title ask students What may you conclude by just looking at the cover and the title?
¬ Do you know what the term homeless means?
¬ What are some ways that people may become homeless?
¬ How do you think people feel being in this situation especially children?
Suggestion for Reading Poems Aloud
¬ “Expression” invite the students participate in reading parts and over exaggerate lines which reveals an expressive thought by Phoebe or her mother.
¬ “Reflection” have students read Remembering Daddy p.16
by choral reading and think back about someone that they may remember something special about or just miss their present.
¬ “Readers Theater” invites students to choose parts and participate in reading aloud.
Follow up Activities
Writing
¬ Students may read “On the Job with Mama” p. 19 and write about a time when you have gone to your parents, grandparents, or any other relative or friends job and share what you did and how you felt, or write about how you think it would be if you have not gone to a job with an adult.
¬ In Phoebe’s story she meets a friend and this friend helps her gain her confidence back to draw. Write about a time your confidence needed rebuilding so you could do something you like and tell who helped you and how.
¬ Phoebe really misses her dad. Think about someone you really miss write them a letter explaining how and why you miss them.
Math
¬ In this poem Phoebe’s mother had a hard time making end meet, she worked cleaning houses, research the salary of house keepers and maids for the present, five years ago, ten years ago, and fifteen years ago. Try to draw a conclusion of what Phoebes mother’s salary could have been.
¬ Discuss the symmetry of the picture on the cover.
¬ Phoebe loves her mother and misses her a great deal; she had a hard time waiting for her return. Think about someone you are waiting to return or think about if you or someone you love is waiting to leave make a calendar and use tally marks to mark the days until they return or the day until you leave.
Social Studies
¬ In the poem Phoebe and her mother stayed form shelter to shelter. Research different homeless shelters in the area and create a service project – example (donating coats and socks) to help homeless people.
¬ Create a list of statistics of homeless people in your area, compare to a nearby city.
¬ Create an organization at your school or in your classroom that offers resources to homeless children/families at you school (name the organization, list resources offered).
Art
¬ “Rearranging the Pieces” p. 114- Read aloud the 1st paragraph and have students draw what they visualize in their heads from the words they hear.
¬ Phoebe thought art was important, she loved to draw. Pp.62-63 How does art make our lives better? Make a collage answering this question.
¬ Draw yourself with two faces like the cover of the book and share your explanation for your facial explanation.
Science
¬ Phoebe did not have what she wanted or needed for her drawings. Sometimes in life we may not have what we want or need at that moment so often we must work with we have. Phoebe was in the country what are something she could have used to create are work or drawings. (rocks, mud, pine cones etc...) Find some of the items and create a product.
¬ Research materials that will serve as paint (flowers, food, juice etc.) discuss the process to transform into liquid with color to use for painting.
¬ Make footwear impressions this make various designs
http://www.education.com/activity/science/page4/
Related Web Sites
Nation Coalition for the Homeless
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/
This website if full of help information, resources, and other links that include fact sheets, advocacy, and an opportunity to donate.
Helplines and websites Homeless Link
http://www.homeless.org.uk
Explore this site it is full of information to help stop and prevent homelessness as well as where to get help.
Facts about homelessness DoSomething.org
http://www.dosomething.org/TeensforJeans
This site provides information about starting a jean drive for homeless teens.
Related Books
Fiction about homelessness
Ackerman, Karen. 1993. The Leaves in October. Random House Children’s Books.
Banks, Lynne Reid. 2002. Alice by Accident. Harper Trophy.
Gunning, Monica. 2004. A Shelter in Our Car. Ill. By Elaine Pedlor. Children’s Book Press.
Nonfiction about homelessness
Wallace B. Barbara. 2001. Secret in St. Something. Books For Young Readers.
Whelam, Clora. 2000. Homeless Bird. Harper Collins Publishers.
Youme, Selavi. 2004. That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope. Cinco Puntos Press.
Poems/Poetry
Grimes, Nikki. 2006. Thanks A Million. Ill. By Cozbi A. Cabrera. Amistad.
Peters, Andrew Fusek. 2001. Out of Order: between-age poem. Ill. By Clive Goodyear.
Viorst, Judith. 1995. Sad Underwear and Other Complications More Poems for Children and their Parents. Ill. By Richard Hull. Antheneum Books for Young Readers.
About the Author
Lindsay Lee Johnson grew up in a family of storytellers. She thinks of words as her first and most enduring playthings. Ms. Johnson has worked as a newspaper reporter, editor, community education instructor, visiting author in schools, and free-lance writer of everything from business brochures to greeting cards and fortune cookies, but her heart has always belonged to fiction. She has written award-winning stories for adults and children and has published three books for children: Hurricane Henrietta, A Week With Zeke & Zach, and Soul Moon Soup. Ms. Johnson writes from her home in the east central Minnesota countryside, where she lives with her husband, four cats, and assorted other animals. She and her husband have twin daughters and four grandchildren.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Lindsay Lee Johnson
Lindsay Lee Johnson won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award in 2004. Her recognized book is Soul Moon Soup (Asheville, NC: Front Street, 2002).
Monday, October 10, 2011
Moon Over Tennessee by Craig Crist-Evans
Here is a readers guide for MOON OVER TENNESSEE created by graduate student Katherine Gandre.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Crist-Evans, Craig. 1999. MOON OVER TENNESSEE: A BOY’S CIVIL WAR JOURNAL. Ill. by Bonnie Christensen. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395912083
SUMMARY
Recommended ages 8 +
This journal brings to life the experiences of a 13-year-old boy and his father as they join the Civil War at Gettysburg. This three month journey is a life lesson about balancing physical, mental, and emotional well-being during the hardships of life (war). This boys memories of home give him (inner) strength and keeps him centered, focused, and able to cope with the daily grind and atrocities he witnesses first hand.
The author uses figurative language throughout the story – metaphor, personification, simile, onomatopoeia – to paint his pictures. He also incorporates several writing styles – imagery, understatement, symbolism – to underscore the grave and somber tones of war, “… rode from Gettysburg to Tennessee…saw…country weeping” (p 59).
AWARDS
2000 IRA Best Books
2001 IRA Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet
2003 Lamplighter Award Nominee
2003 IRA Teacher’s Choice
NY Public Library One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing
REVIEW EXCERPTS
KIRKUS REVIEWS: "Exquisite, somber black-and-white woodcut illustrations accompany the poems; the images are often as lyrical as the text."
BOOKLIST: “The lyrical collage of men and war invites comparison with Gary Paulsen's Soldier's Heart (Booklist's Top of the List choice for 1998),…. An evocative book, written with language so vibrant it begs to be read aloud.”
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY: “haunting black-and-white woodcuts capture a broad emotional range. A casual scene of soldiers and horses resting under a tree on their way to battle offers a marked contrast to a searing image of men with lanterns searching for bodies on the abandoned battlefield”
BOOK REVIEW: “While the story is filled with action, it is mainly one of emotions and understanding.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “This book is an evocative work, capturing the voice of innocence and hinting at the horrors of war.”
BOOK REPORT: “This book would be an excellent addition to any collection, not only for its descriptions of the Civil War and the emotions surrounding death, but because it is an excellent example of the use of journals. “
QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE READING
Who fought in the Civil War?
Do you have a family member who has been in a war and has shared their experiences with you?
At your age, how would you feel about leaving home – leaving your family – to help others in a war?
SUGGESTIOINS FOR READING ALOUD
Past/Present: Have one student read the stanza that are about the past; have another student read the stanzas about the present.
• April 30, 1863 ; May 3, 1863; June 10, 1863
Narrator/Dialog: Have one student read the descriptive lines; have other students read the dialog.
• May 6, 1863; June 19, 1863; July 3, 1863
Present/Dream: Have one student read the stanzas that are about the present; have another student read the stanzas that are dreams.
• July 15, 1863
Different voices: Have different students read each stanza.
• July 22, 1863
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES
Social Studies/Art Research Project: Flip calendar: divide class into 5 groups to represent the 5 years of the Civil War, 1861-1865.
• Each group will generate one year calendar with the names of 9 battles recorded on their dates.
• If the Union won, the information should be recorded in Blue.
• If the Confederacy won, the information should be recorded in Gray.
• Additional information will be added at the bottom of the calendar for each side: Generals in charge, number dead, number wounded, total number involved.
• The top page of each month’s calendar will be a picture of life during the Civil War (examples: camp life, battle, slave life, map, flags, important people, etc.). Maps and flags must be hand-drawn; other illustrations can be found in books or on the internet.
Writing assignment: Play music of the time period and have students write in their own journals (for 10 min) for 5 days. Each entry should include a date, location, weather conditions. Each day assign them a topic to write about: traveling, practicing for battle, camp life (eating/sleeping, taking care of animals), a battle, going home (alone).
Math assignment: Provide factual information and then make up a mathematical word problem (example: 1000 soldiers fought, 250 were killed, 600 were wounded; What percentage did not get hurt?) Other ideas include distances traveled, battles won/lost, etc.
RELATED WEB SITES/BLOGS
Best of History Web Sites: http://www.besthistorysites.net/ushistory_civilwar.shtml
Pro Teacher Directory: http://www.proteacher.com/090053.shtml
The Civil War Homepage: http://www.civil-war.net
Civil War: http://www.civil-war.net
Civil War Battles by State: http://americancivilwar.com/statepic
Social Studies for kids: http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/wwww/us/uslistcivilwar.htm
Civil War Journeys: http://www.civil-war-journeys.org/civil_war_battles_map.htm
RELATED BOOKS
Fiction
Beatty, Patricia. 1987. CHARLEY SKEDADDLE. New York: Morrow. ISBN 0-688-06687-9.
Beatty, Patricia. 1995. JAYHAWKER. New York: Beach Tree Books. ISBN 0-688-14422-5
Beatty, Patricia. 1993. TURN HOMEWARD, HANNALEE. New York: Beach Tree Books. ISBN 978-0-688-16676-2
Brill, Marlene Targ. 1998. DIARY OF A DRUMMER BOY. Brookfield, Conn. : Millbrook Press. ISBN: 0-7613-0118-6.
Collier, James Lincoln and Christopher Collier. 1994. WITH EVERY DROP OF BLOOD. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0329077376.
Denenberg, Barry. 2003. WHEN WILL THIS CRUEL WAR BE OVER?: THE CIVIL WAR DIARY OF EMMA SIMPSON. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 0-439-55517-5.
Hite, Sid. 2003. THE JOURNAL OF RUFUS ROWE: A WITNESS TO THE BATTLE OF FREDEICKSBURG. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 0-439-35364-5.
Hunt, Irene. 2002. ACROSS FIVE APRILS. New York: Berkley Jam Books. ISBN 0-613-95390-8.
Murphy, Jim. 2003.THE JOURNAL OF JAMES EDMOUND PEASE: A CIVIL WAR UNION SOLDIER. (Series: My name is America). New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0-439-55537-X
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. 1999. SILENT THUNDER: A CIVIL WAR STORY. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN: 0786804394.
Reeder, Carolyn. 1997. ACROSS THE LINES. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-689-81133-0.
Rinaldi, Anne. 2004. GIRL IN BLUE. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 978-0-439-67646-5.
Robinet, Harriette. 1995. IF YOU PLEASE, PRESIDENT LINCOLN. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 068931969X.
Nonfiction
2005. YOUNG HEROES OF THE NORTH AND SOUTH. Peterborough, NH: Cobblestone. ISBN 9780812679014
Bircher, William. 2000. A CIVIL WAR DRUMMER BOY: THE DIARY OF WILLIAM BURCHER, 1861-1865. Mankato, Minn.: Blue Earth Books. ISBN 0-7368-0348-3
Hendrix, John. 2009. JOHN BROWN: HIS FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780810937987.
Murphy, Jim. 1990. THE BOY’S WAR: CONFEDERATE AND UNION SOLDIERES TALK ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0-89919-893-7
Smolinski, Diane. 2001. KEY BALLTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR. (Series: Americans at War. Civil War). Chicago: Heinemann Library. ISBN 1-58810-097-9
Poetry
Fleischman, Paul. 1993. BULL RUN. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0060214465.
Lewis, J. Patrick. 2007. THE BROTHER’S WAR: CIVIL WAR VOICES IN VERSE. Including photographs by Civil War photographers. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic. 1426300360.
Ntozake Shange. 2009. WE TROUBLED THE WATERS: POEMS. Paintings by Rod Brown. New York: Collins. ISBN 9780061337376.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Crist-Evans, Craig. 1999. MOON OVER TENNESSEE: A BOY’S CIVIL WAR JOURNAL. Ill. by Bonnie Christensen. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395912083
SUMMARY
Recommended ages 8 +
This journal brings to life the experiences of a 13-year-old boy and his father as they join the Civil War at Gettysburg. This three month journey is a life lesson about balancing physical, mental, and emotional well-being during the hardships of life (war). This boys memories of home give him (inner) strength and keeps him centered, focused, and able to cope with the daily grind and atrocities he witnesses first hand.
The author uses figurative language throughout the story – metaphor, personification, simile, onomatopoeia – to paint his pictures. He also incorporates several writing styles – imagery, understatement, symbolism – to underscore the grave and somber tones of war, “… rode from Gettysburg to Tennessee…saw…country weeping” (p 59).
AWARDS
2000 IRA Best Books
2001 IRA Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet
2003 Lamplighter Award Nominee
2003 IRA Teacher’s Choice
NY Public Library One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing
REVIEW EXCERPTS
KIRKUS REVIEWS: "Exquisite, somber black-and-white woodcut illustrations accompany the poems; the images are often as lyrical as the text."
BOOKLIST: “The lyrical collage of men and war invites comparison with Gary Paulsen's Soldier's Heart (Booklist's Top of the List choice for 1998),…. An evocative book, written with language so vibrant it begs to be read aloud.”
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY: “haunting black-and-white woodcuts capture a broad emotional range. A casual scene of soldiers and horses resting under a tree on their way to battle offers a marked contrast to a searing image of men with lanterns searching for bodies on the abandoned battlefield”
BOOK REVIEW: “While the story is filled with action, it is mainly one of emotions and understanding.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “This book is an evocative work, capturing the voice of innocence and hinting at the horrors of war.”
BOOK REPORT: “This book would be an excellent addition to any collection, not only for its descriptions of the Civil War and the emotions surrounding death, but because it is an excellent example of the use of journals. “
QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE READING
Who fought in the Civil War?
Do you have a family member who has been in a war and has shared their experiences with you?
At your age, how would you feel about leaving home – leaving your family – to help others in a war?
SUGGESTIOINS FOR READING ALOUD
Past/Present: Have one student read the stanza that are about the past; have another student read the stanzas about the present.
• April 30, 1863 ; May 3, 1863; June 10, 1863
Narrator/Dialog: Have one student read the descriptive lines; have other students read the dialog.
• May 6, 1863; June 19, 1863; July 3, 1863
Present/Dream: Have one student read the stanzas that are about the present; have another student read the stanzas that are dreams.
• July 15, 1863
Different voices: Have different students read each stanza.
• July 22, 1863
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES
Social Studies/Art Research Project: Flip calendar: divide class into 5 groups to represent the 5 years of the Civil War, 1861-1865.
• Each group will generate one year calendar with the names of 9 battles recorded on their dates.
• If the Union won, the information should be recorded in Blue.
• If the Confederacy won, the information should be recorded in Gray.
• Additional information will be added at the bottom of the calendar for each side: Generals in charge, number dead, number wounded, total number involved.
• The top page of each month’s calendar will be a picture of life during the Civil War (examples: camp life, battle, slave life, map, flags, important people, etc.). Maps and flags must be hand-drawn; other illustrations can be found in books or on the internet.
Writing assignment: Play music of the time period and have students write in their own journals (for 10 min) for 5 days. Each entry should include a date, location, weather conditions. Each day assign them a topic to write about: traveling, practicing for battle, camp life (eating/sleeping, taking care of animals), a battle, going home (alone).
Math assignment: Provide factual information and then make up a mathematical word problem (example: 1000 soldiers fought, 250 were killed, 600 were wounded; What percentage did not get hurt?) Other ideas include distances traveled, battles won/lost, etc.
RELATED WEB SITES/BLOGS
Best of History Web Sites: http://www.besthistorysites.net/ushistory_civilwar.shtml
Pro Teacher Directory: http://www.proteacher.com/090053.shtml
The Civil War Homepage: http://www.civil-war.net
Civil War: http://www.civil-war.net
Civil War Battles by State: http://americancivilwar.com/statepic
Social Studies for kids: http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/wwww/us/uslistcivilwar.htm
Civil War Journeys: http://www.civil-war-journeys.org/civil_war_battles_map.htm
RELATED BOOKS
Fiction
Beatty, Patricia. 1987. CHARLEY SKEDADDLE. New York: Morrow. ISBN 0-688-06687-9.
Beatty, Patricia. 1995. JAYHAWKER. New York: Beach Tree Books. ISBN 0-688-14422-5
Beatty, Patricia. 1993. TURN HOMEWARD, HANNALEE. New York: Beach Tree Books. ISBN 978-0-688-16676-2
Brill, Marlene Targ. 1998. DIARY OF A DRUMMER BOY. Brookfield, Conn. : Millbrook Press. ISBN: 0-7613-0118-6.
Collier, James Lincoln and Christopher Collier. 1994. WITH EVERY DROP OF BLOOD. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0329077376.
Denenberg, Barry. 2003. WHEN WILL THIS CRUEL WAR BE OVER?: THE CIVIL WAR DIARY OF EMMA SIMPSON. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 0-439-55517-5.
Hite, Sid. 2003. THE JOURNAL OF RUFUS ROWE: A WITNESS TO THE BATTLE OF FREDEICKSBURG. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 0-439-35364-5.
Hunt, Irene. 2002. ACROSS FIVE APRILS. New York: Berkley Jam Books. ISBN 0-613-95390-8.
Murphy, Jim. 2003.THE JOURNAL OF JAMES EDMOUND PEASE: A CIVIL WAR UNION SOLDIER. (Series: My name is America). New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0-439-55537-X
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. 1999. SILENT THUNDER: A CIVIL WAR STORY. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN: 0786804394.
Reeder, Carolyn. 1997. ACROSS THE LINES. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-689-81133-0.
Rinaldi, Anne. 2004. GIRL IN BLUE. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 978-0-439-67646-5.
Robinet, Harriette. 1995. IF YOU PLEASE, PRESIDENT LINCOLN. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 068931969X.
Nonfiction
2005. YOUNG HEROES OF THE NORTH AND SOUTH. Peterborough, NH: Cobblestone. ISBN 9780812679014
Bircher, William. 2000. A CIVIL WAR DRUMMER BOY: THE DIARY OF WILLIAM BURCHER, 1861-1865. Mankato, Minn.: Blue Earth Books. ISBN 0-7368-0348-3
Hendrix, John. 2009. JOHN BROWN: HIS FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780810937987.
Murphy, Jim. 1990. THE BOY’S WAR: CONFEDERATE AND UNION SOLDIERES TALK ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0-89919-893-7
Smolinski, Diane. 2001. KEY BALLTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR. (Series: Americans at War. Civil War). Chicago: Heinemann Library. ISBN 1-58810-097-9
Poetry
Fleischman, Paul. 1993. BULL RUN. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0060214465.
Lewis, J. Patrick. 2007. THE BROTHER’S WAR: CIVIL WAR VOICES IN VERSE. Including photographs by Civil War photographers. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic. 1426300360.
Ntozake Shange. 2009. WE TROUBLED THE WATERS: POEMS. Paintings by Rod Brown. New York: Collins. ISBN 9780061337376.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Craig Crist-Evans
Craig Crist-Evans won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award in 2001. His recognized book is Moon Over Tennessee: A Boy’s Civil War Journal (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The Great Frog Race by Kristine O'Connell George
Here is a readers guide for THE GREAT FROG RACE created by graduate student Elizabeth Schneider.
Bibliography
George, Kristine O’Connell. 1997. The Great Frog Race and Other Poems. Ill. By Kate Kiesler. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780395776070
Recommended Age Levels 7-12
Summary of Book
This is a wonderful collection of poems about a child enjoying everyday things all year long. Living in the country can be an adventure and this collection of poems shows the discovery of things as simple as a monkey wrench that “jeers at me with a strong-jawed grin” to plowed fields with “raked long deep lines straight as fork tines”. The poems draw the reader in with the imagery of the words and the surprises uncovered by the child. In the spring polliwogs are discovered “huddled in puddles, snuggled in mud” and in the summer water balloons and garden hoses are used in ambushes on each other. Fall and winter bring their own surprises as well. In September the air smells “Spicy. Sharp. Like Freshly sharpened pencils” as school draws near. Winter finally arrives with the old swing covered in snow while hanging from the apple tree. The oil-painting illustrations work with the words to complete the image of the landscape in the country.
Review Excerpts
"An invitation to experience joy and wonder." Publishers Weekly, starred review
"These glimpses of everyday magic, reflected in Kiesler's richly colored paintings, will help young readers see the poetry that surrounds and suffuses them. Family Fun Magazine
"Both the picture-book format and the poetry in this collection are wonderfully enticing. Starred review, Booklist
Awards/Honors Received
1998 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
1998 International Reading Association/ Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award
American Booksellers Pick of the Lists
NCTE Notable Book in Language Arts
Children's Book of the Year, Bank Street College
New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Society of Illustrators Original Art Show
Critic's Choice U. S. News and World Report
Questions to Ask Before Reading
Invite students to discuss the following questions prior to reading aloud The Great Frog Race and Other Poems
• Ask students to think of their favorite time of year and then ask several students to share one thing from that time of year.
• Ask the students if they have ever heard of a frog race? What do they think it is? Would they like to like to have a frog race?
• Ask the students what a polliwog, monkey wrench, weeping willow, and ambush are – see if any know the answers and tell them they are going to find out in the book.
• Ask students if they have ever been to a farm or out in the country and if they have ask them to share something about it – if they haven’t then tell them they are going to learn some things that happen there and about things found there.
Suggestions for Reading Poems Aloud
• “The Great Frog Race” – have 5 students come to the front and give each one a stuffed frog and a copy of one verse. Allow them to act out the race of the frogs while reading their verses in order. Repeat with a couple more groups or till all children who wish to have participated.
• “Metal Bucket”, “Garden Hose”, and “Spring Wind” – divide the students into groups and give each group a poem. Allow them to come up with a way to present the poem to the class by dividing up the reading and using actions if they choose.
• “Winter Swing”, “Morning Grasses”, “September”, “Falling Star”, “Dragonfly”, and “Meadow” – give students different copies of the poems and have then have them pair up with someone who has a different poem and read their poem aloud to that person – switch several times till the students have heard all poems.
Follow Up Activities
• Poetry writing
Read the poem “Quiddling with Words” and explain to the students they are going to think of two words they like then open the dictionary and find a word that come between those two words and write a poem. For younger students a vocabulary list can be given so as to narrow the list of words to use and they can find one word to quiddle that they like.
• Science experiments
Read the poem “Polliwogs” and have students observe tadpoles. They can observe the tadpoles for several days and then develop their own poem about them. The same observations and poems can be done for “Waterbugs”, “Egg”, and “Dragonfly” which are all part of the curriculum in one way or another.
• Art
Explain that the illustrations in this book are done in watercolor and that they are very important to helping the reader have the poems come to life. Show the students examples of other watercolors and discuss the emotions they evoke from the viewers. Read the poem “Sunday Drive with Mom” and then have the students use paints to create their own picture of a Sunday drive they are taking.
Related Web Sites
• Kristine O’Connell George website
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/great_frog_race.html
(Look here for teacher ideas and a student section where she reads some of her poems aloud.)
• Frog Websites
http://leapinginto5thgrade.com/frogwebsites.htm
(This is a great resource for all different types of websites from the Froggy Page to Create a Pond. Teachers can use this to teach everything about frogs.)
• Living the Country Life
http://www.livingthecountrylife.com/photos/
(This website has great pictures for showing students what life in the country can look like. Teacher can use this as an introduction to the poems for students unfamiliar with country life.)
Related Books
Poetry
Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems by Kristine O’Connell George
Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems For Young People by Jane Yolen
The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination by Mary Ann Hoberman
Once in the Country: Poems of a Farm by Tony Johnston
Fiction
Night in the Country by Cynthia Rylant and Mary Szilagyi
Some Frog by Eve Bunting
Nonfiction
Frogs by Gail Gibbons
The Life Cycle of a Frog by Bobby Kalman
Here is another readers guide for THE GREAT FROG RACE created by Jill Swann.
Bibliography
George, Kristine O’Connell. 1997. The Great Frog Race and Other Poems. Houghton Mifflin. New York. ISBN: 0-395-77607-4
Recommended Age Level 5-10 years
Summary
A delightful collection of twenty-eight calm, reflective poems, The Great Frog Race and Other Poems ignites the senses and soothes the soul. Told through the voice of a young child living in the country, the poems in this collection recount the wonder of tiny, everyday details. A nature theme is evident throughout most of these verses, bringing to life the marvel of an assortment of bugs and insects, a field, rain, wind, and even a garden hose. Childlike fascination is evident, luring the reader into an easy-going saunter through the joys of being young and carefree.
The reader is invited to share the excitement of polliwogs, “chubby commas… frogs-in-waiting” and a falling star, “ skidding through space/won’t go to bed/ hides in the daisies instead.” Eloquent assonance and alliteration light up the pages, birthing waterbugs, “with quicksilver flicks/ their whip-thin legs whisk/ them away, leaving/ only the narrow wakes/ waterbugs make” and a weeping willow, “I waited all summer/ for my weeping willow/ to weep.” This collection of poems varies in delivery, which is part of the charm. Our narrator innocently imparts her pleasure at seeing the furrows of a freshly plowed field, at smelling a Spring wind, at making music once she is back at school. The march through the seasons is much more of a leisurely stroll, pausing to appreciate simple wonders. Amazing details are unearthed with each glorious trip through the pages.
The rich illustrations of Kate Kiesler contribute to the quaint, personal feel of the book. Skillful delivery and outstanding word selection convey just the right balance of nature, guiding the reader along the narrator’s happy childhood.
Review Excerpts
School Library Journal, 04/01/1997
Gr. 3-6 Polliwogs, a dropped ice cream cone, ghosts, and a music class pass through the poetic prism of this pleasant collection. Myra Cohn Livingston comments aptly in the introduction: "In a time when we have a surfeit of verse whose purpose seems mainly to elicit a quick laugh, it is not only refreshing but urgent that our children hear poetry resonating with music, keen observation, fresh metaphor and personification, and meaningful flights of imagination." For personal enjoyment, reading aloud, and encouraging children in the writing of poetry this offering has lots of uses. Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Booklist, 03/15/1997
Gr. 4-6, younger for reading aloud. Both the picture-book format and the poetry in this collection are wonderfully enticing. George's astute imagery pairs beautifully with Kiesler's rich, warm-toned oil paintings to impart a strong sense of the pleasures of rural landscape. Woven through all is the strong affirmation that being different from everybody else is something special indeed. (Reviewed March 15, 1997)) Karen Morgan. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.
Publishers Weekly, 01/27/1997
This first collection of poems by George is a loving appreciation of some of the countryside's greatest treasures and a celebration of a child's view of the world (eyes that see chubby commas when they come upon polliwogs). George's images are quiet but startling in their simple beauty. For this poet, inanimate objects are equally miraculous and become trusted friends for their users, like a metal bucket that "stays with its family/ for life." All around, an invitation to experience joy and wonder. Ages 5-9. (Mar.)
Awards/Honors
*Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
*International Reading Association/ Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award
*National Council of Teachers of English NCTE Notable Children's Book in Language Arts,
*American Booksellers Pick of the Lists
*A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
*Starred reviews: Booklist, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal
*Editors' Choice, U.S. News and World Report
*Society of Illustrators Art Show
Questions to ask before reading:
Engage children in the following discussion before reading The Great Frog Race and Other Poems:
♦ What are some of the signs of the seasons? Brainstorm a list of sights, sounds, smells, and feelings associated with each season.
♦ Display the book cover for the class to see. Examine it, looking for evidence of activity. How does an illustrator show motion or an ongoing activity? How can this effect our perception of a poem or story?
♦ Examine the cover illustration. What clues tell you the time of day? The season?
♦ For children growing up in an urban or suburban setting, elicit ideas of what it would be like to live in the country. Have you ever visited a farm or someone who lives in the country? What was it like there? What did you see, hear, smell, and feel? How is life different for kids who grow up in the city compared to kids who grow up in the country?
♦ What is your favorite sight/sound/smell of the current season? Would it be different during this season if you lived in a different location?
♦ How do authors bring things to life that are not living, such as tools, buckets, a garden hose, or the wind?
♦ Do pictures add to the story when you read a book? Do you prefer to look at the pictures or form your own pictures in your head as you read a story?
Suggestions for Reading Poems Aloud
“Polliwogs” Invite the class to participate in a choral reading of this poem. Encourage them to use inflection and emotion.
“Waterbugs” Invite partners to practice reading the delightful alliteration, with each partner reading a stanza.
“Ambush” Display the poem for the class to read aloud together, acting out the lines as they read.
“The Great Frog Race” Divide students into groups of five. Have students read the poem aloud, in turn by verse.
“Zeke, an Old Farm Dog” Display the poem for the class to read aloud, each taking a turn reading a line.
“Weeping Willow” Divide students into groups of three. Invite them to each read a stanza, adding action or emotion as appropriate.
Follow Up Activities
Writing
♦ Poetry tells a story with fewer words than prose. Invite students to select one poem from this collection as a theme. Elaborate to retell it as a three-paragraph story.
♦ Select topics associated with nature and/or country living that are not found in the poems of this collection, such as spiders, a grassy hill, wildflowers, baby bunnies, or a windmill. Write each on a strip of paper and place them in a basket. Divide students into small groups. Have each group draw a topic and construct a poem using that theme. Poems could be written as couplets, with each student contributing one couplet, or in any format the teacher prescribes. Share aloud with the class and display in the classroom and/or use as a part of a classroom anthology.
♦ The Great Frog Race is set in the country. Select a different habitat, such as the forest or desert, and create a classroom anthology of poems written on that theme, with each student contributing a poem. Illustrate, if desired. Invite other classes to come to a reading of the anthology, with each student reading his/her own poem.
♦ Invite students to create a poem of their own that could be included in The Great Frog Race, following the theme and free verse style.
Language Arts
♦ Pair The Great Frog Race and Other Poems with the picture book All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan. Compare and contrast the literary elements of the books by creating a picture Venn Diagram from the setting.
For example, a plowed field in the middle of the page could be the common area for the two books. Similarities could be written on dirt clods around the field, and might include: set in the country, child narrator, changing seasons, love for the land conveyed, beautiful illustrations, rich details, descriptive language. On one side of the page, frogs racing down a road could represent the poetry collection. On each toad (or toad footprint) details about the poetry could be written, such as: written in verse, uses few words to convey thoughts, some poems written about things at night, etc. On the other side of the page, little sailboats floating down a stream could represent the picture book, with details about it written on the sails: each family member is represented, more words used to build story, each changing scene is connected by the theme of sharing favorite places, etc. This exercise could be done as a whole class, in small groups, with a partner, or individually.
♦ Examine the figurative language throughout the poems. Have students partner up and assign each a poem from the collection. Students will list examples of figurative language from their poem to share with the class. Create a classroom display of their examples.
♦ Use the poem “Quiddling with Words” for a vocabulary-building lesson. Have students use a dictionary to lookup each of the featured words in the poem and share the definitions. Then select other grade appropriate words to look up and share definitions. Invite students to brainstorm descriptive words and phrases, like the ones used in the poem, to bring the words to life. Some example words: obliterate, persnickety, superfluous, extraordinary, deluge, dubious, pungent.
♦ What can students infer about life in the country from reading The Great Frog Race? Allow five to ten minutes to record inferences individually, then share and discuss with the class. As a whole group, compose several generalization statements about life in the country.
Math
♦ Use the nature theme of this poetry collection to construct word problems. Allow students to partner up and create at least five word problems to exchange with another group and solve.
Example: There are 3 polliwogs in the puddle. Once they become frogs, they will have 4 legs each. How many legs in all?
AND
12 raindrops splash on the windowpane. 4 slide off the window. How many are left on the window?
♦ If your class chooses to set up a backyard weather station, as described in the Science section below, use the information to plot charts and graphs. Then write word problems that could be answered from the data displayed on the charts.
Example: How much more rain fell during the week of
September 23 than during the week of October 6?
Science
♦ Investigate the habitat of a farm in the Midwest. What other creatures would live here that are not mentioned in the poems of this collection? Invite students to create poems about those creatures and add them to the class anthology.
♦ Compare and contrast the environment of the meadow with other habitats, such as deserts, rainforests, ponds, mountains, etc. Assign students to research these habitats and construct a diorama that shows plants and animals of three different habitats.
♦ Explore weathering that would take place on items such as the bucket and the snow fence that are subjected to the elements of nature. How do these objects change in appearance over time? What causes some materials to weather more quickly than others? Why do farmers plow fields? How does this ward off erosion in a field?
♦ Create a backyard weather station to observe and record data related to the habitat you live in. Place a thermometer, barometer, wind vane, rain gauge, and any other weather equipment available in a location that students will be able to monitor daily and record in a journal. Plot information on a graph and/or chart and make generalizations gained from these observations. Discuss and predict what the readings would be in the other seasons, or in a different setting.
♦ When sharing this book with younger children, initiate a discussion of the seasons and types of weather associated with each. Look through the artwork in the book, examining details in each that show what season it is.
♦ Study the tracks animals make at http://www.bear-tracker.com/ (scroll down some to get to the track links.) Have students select a track to trace or recreate. Construct a background for the track, with the tracks for an animal leading across the page. Write a short riddle or poem describing “The One That Got Away” for classmates to guess what animal is missing from the picture.
Social Studies
♦ Use a map of the United States to locate areas where meadow habitats might exist. There are many areas that fit this. Discuss as a class how the seasons might be different in each, based on latitude.
♦ The poetry of The Great Frog Race is set in a rural location. How would the poems be different if there was an urban setting? Instead of sights like the snow fence and Zeke the dog roaming free around the farm, what would be common sights in the city that poems might be written about?
♦ Use this activity from www.brainpop.com:
Our Town As a class, brainstorm ideas of what cities, towns, or farms need to function. Write their ideas on the board and encourage them to think of what services they need and where they would buy their goods. Then as a class project, design a city, town, or farm together and draw a mural. You can divide your mural into sections and have groups of students draw in their specific sections, or you can have students draw specific buildings, which they can paste onto the mural. Other students can draw roads and bridges connecting the pictures together.
Complete lesson and many other related activities available at http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/communities/ruralsuburbanandurban/grownups.weml
Art
♦ Create 3D art related to these poems for a fabulous classroom display! Begin by having each student paint a watercolor background for one of the poems. Then collect objects to use as the focal points for the art:
-crumbles of white packing peanuts for gnats in Meadow or
snow in Winter Swing
-bits of old black rubber hose for Polliwogs
-dirt to sprinkle on a thin layer of glue for Plowed Fields
-pipe cleaners and wax paper for Dragonfly
-aluminum foil for Metal Bucket
-random twigs for Snow Fence
-leaves for Weeping Willow, etc.
♦ Create a classroom garden, inspired by the natural setting of these poems. Use the “Garden of Weavin’” idea at http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/garden-of-weavin-675519/ or use other ideas for flowers of all shapes and sizes. Then invite students to write a poem to accompany their flower in the class garden.
♦ Birdhouses can often be found at craft supply stores for low prices (I have gotten them for $1 or less each many times.) Students can be asked to bring money to cover the cost of a birdhouse if need be. Students will love creating a special house for their fine feathered friends
Related Websites
Poetry
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/index.html
Ms. George maintains an awesome site for poetry lovers, with a designated section for teachers. Lesson plans and activity ideas to accompany many of her books are available.
http://www.gigglepoetry.com/index.aspx
Dozens of resources and links, including interviews with many poets and a “how to” section with instructions on how to write almost any type of poem.
http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2007/02/poetry-of-science-my-poetry-friday.html
Discussion of the poetry of Science. Lots of great resources.
Science
For more information about habitats around the world:
http://science.pppst.com/habitats.html
Includes free PowerPoints
http://www.kidsplanet.org/tt/elemenlessons/
Includes lessons, fact sheets, and puzzles about many habitats
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geography-action/habitats.html
Excellent source of information, maps, puzzles, activities, audiovisual presentations, and supplemental materials about habitats of the world.
http://www.allcrafts.net/fjs.htm?url=www.familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,22-5168,00.html
How to set up a backyard weather station of your own.
For more information on weathering:
http://www.science-class.net/Geology/weathering_erosion.htm
Excellent resource full of free PowerPoints, tons of labs, other websites, and games for upper Elementary and Middle School. Many could be adapted for primary grades.
http://www1.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=58210
Teacher Tube video that talks a teacher or class through numerous erosion and weathering activities. Materials needed for each activity are listed at the beginning of each lesson.
Social Studies
For more resources on Rural, Urban, and Suburban settings:
http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/communities/ruralsuburbanandurban/grownups.weml Background information, teacher, and family ideas for exploring and learning more about types of communities
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/maps/g3_u1/index.html
Interactive map on types of communities
Art
Nature crafts galore can be found at
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/
http://www.allcrafts.net/nature.htm#kids
http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/summer-crafts-for-kids
Dozens of unique projects kids of all ages will enjoy
Related Books
Poetry
Fletcher, Ralph. 1997. Ordinary Things: Poems from a Walk in Early Spring. Ill. By Walter Lyon Krudop. Atheneum. New York. ISBN-13: 978-0689810350.
Heard. Georgia. 1997. Creatures of Earth, Sea, and Sky: Poems. Ill. By Jennifer Ownings Dewey. Boyds Mill Press. Honesdale, PA. ISBN-13: 978-1563976353.
Paolilli, Paul, and Brewer, Dan. 2001. Silver Seeds: A Book of Nature Poems. Ill. By Dan Brewer and Lou Fancher. Viking Juvenile. New York. ISBN-13: 978-0670889419.
Polisar, Barry Louis. 1999. Insect Soup: Bug Poems. Ill. By David Clark. Rainbow Morning
Music. Silver Springs, MD. ISBN-13: 978-0938663225
Sidman, Joyce. 2006. Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow. Ill. by Beth Krommes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN-13: 978-0618563135.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. 1999. A Child’s Garden of Verses. Ill. By Brian Wildsmith. Simon and Schuster. New York. ISBN-13: 978-0689823824.
Yolen, Jane. 2003. Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems for Young People. Ill. By Jason Stemple. Boyds Mill Press. Honesdale, PA. ISBN-13: 978-1590781722.
Fiction Books
Brett, Jan. 1994. Town Mouse, Country Mouse. Putnam. New York. ISBN 0399226222.
Baylor, Byrd. 1983. The Best Town in the World. Ill. By Ronald Himler. Simon & Schuster. New York. ISBN 0684180359.
Komaiko, Leah. 1996. On Sally Perry's Farm. Simon, New York. ISBN 0689800835.
Martin, Bill Jr. & Archambault, John. 1986. Barn Dance. Ill. By Ted Rand. Henry Holt. New York. ISBN 0805007997.
MacLachlan, Patricia. 1994. All the Places to Love. Ill. By Michael Wimmer. HarperCollins. New York. ISBN-13: 978-1590781722.
Wolff, Ferida. 2005. It Is the Wind. Harper Collins. New York. ISBN 9780060281922.
Nonfiction Books
Bernard, Robin. 2001. A Tree For All Seasons. National Geographic Children’s Books. Des Moines, IA. ISBN-13: 978-0792266747.
DK Publishing. 2006. First Nature Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley Publishing. New York. ISBN 9780756614157.
King, Zelda. 2009. Examining Meadow Habitats. PowerKids Press. New York. ISBN-13:978-1435827226.
Llewellyn, Claire. 2005. The Best Book of Bugs. Kingfisher. Ashmore City, Queensland, Australia. ISBN-13: 978-0753459010
Pancella, Peggy. 2005. Farm Community (Neighborhood Walk). Heinneman Raintree. Mankato, MN. ISBN-13: 978-1403462220.
Owen, Dr. Jennifer. 1996. Mysteries and Marvels of Insect Life. Ill. By Ian Jackson and Alan Harris. Scholastic, Inc. New York. ISBN-13: 978-0590621618.
Selsam, Millicent. 1995. How to Be a Nature Detective. Ill. By Marlene Hill Donnelly. HarperTrophy. New York ISBN-13: 978-0064451345.
Author Kristine O’Connell George
Kristine George was born in Denver, CO, but she moved often as a child. She credits her varied experiences with giving her a wide background to feed into her poetry. Poetry became her passion after taking a children’s poetry writing class taught by Myra Cohn Livingston at UCLA. Ms. George continued to study with Ms. Livingston until her death in 1996. Ms. George assumed the role of her mentor, and has taught classes in the UCLA Writer’s Program as well. She enjoys sharing her poetry and love of writing in many forums- visiting schools, speaking at workshops and conferences, and on her website, http://www.kristinegeorge.com/index.html . Ms. George lists reading, crafts, photography, and many outdoor activities as favorite pastimes- perfect adventures to inspire more poetry! She has published twelve books, including eight books of her poetry.
Illustrator Kate Kiesler
A New England native, Kate Kiesler was born in New Hampshire and raised in Vermont. After graduating from The Rhode Island School of Design she began her career as a book illustrator. She enjoys painting with oils, and attempts to add exquisite details to the books she illustrates. She has illustrated for Ms. George in three books, and has eight books to her credit.
Bibliography
George, Kristine O’Connell. 1997. The Great Frog Race and Other Poems. Ill. By Kate Kiesler. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780395776070
Recommended Age Levels 7-12
Summary of Book
This is a wonderful collection of poems about a child enjoying everyday things all year long. Living in the country can be an adventure and this collection of poems shows the discovery of things as simple as a monkey wrench that “jeers at me with a strong-jawed grin” to plowed fields with “raked long deep lines straight as fork tines”. The poems draw the reader in with the imagery of the words and the surprises uncovered by the child. In the spring polliwogs are discovered “huddled in puddles, snuggled in mud” and in the summer water balloons and garden hoses are used in ambushes on each other. Fall and winter bring their own surprises as well. In September the air smells “Spicy. Sharp. Like Freshly sharpened pencils” as school draws near. Winter finally arrives with the old swing covered in snow while hanging from the apple tree. The oil-painting illustrations work with the words to complete the image of the landscape in the country.
Review Excerpts
"An invitation to experience joy and wonder." Publishers Weekly, starred review
"These glimpses of everyday magic, reflected in Kiesler's richly colored paintings, will help young readers see the poetry that surrounds and suffuses them. Family Fun Magazine
"Both the picture-book format and the poetry in this collection are wonderfully enticing. Starred review, Booklist
Awards/Honors Received
1998 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
1998 International Reading Association/ Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award
American Booksellers Pick of the Lists
NCTE Notable Book in Language Arts
Children's Book of the Year, Bank Street College
New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Society of Illustrators Original Art Show
Critic's Choice U. S. News and World Report
Questions to Ask Before Reading
Invite students to discuss the following questions prior to reading aloud The Great Frog Race and Other Poems
• Ask students to think of their favorite time of year and then ask several students to share one thing from that time of year.
• Ask the students if they have ever heard of a frog race? What do they think it is? Would they like to like to have a frog race?
• Ask the students what a polliwog, monkey wrench, weeping willow, and ambush are – see if any know the answers and tell them they are going to find out in the book.
• Ask students if they have ever been to a farm or out in the country and if they have ask them to share something about it – if they haven’t then tell them they are going to learn some things that happen there and about things found there.
Suggestions for Reading Poems Aloud
• “The Great Frog Race” – have 5 students come to the front and give each one a stuffed frog and a copy of one verse. Allow them to act out the race of the frogs while reading their verses in order. Repeat with a couple more groups or till all children who wish to have participated.
• “Metal Bucket”, “Garden Hose”, and “Spring Wind” – divide the students into groups and give each group a poem. Allow them to come up with a way to present the poem to the class by dividing up the reading and using actions if they choose.
• “Winter Swing”, “Morning Grasses”, “September”, “Falling Star”, “Dragonfly”, and “Meadow” – give students different copies of the poems and have then have them pair up with someone who has a different poem and read their poem aloud to that person – switch several times till the students have heard all poems.
Follow Up Activities
• Poetry writing
Read the poem “Quiddling with Words” and explain to the students they are going to think of two words they like then open the dictionary and find a word that come between those two words and write a poem. For younger students a vocabulary list can be given so as to narrow the list of words to use and they can find one word to quiddle that they like.
• Science experiments
Read the poem “Polliwogs” and have students observe tadpoles. They can observe the tadpoles for several days and then develop their own poem about them. The same observations and poems can be done for “Waterbugs”, “Egg”, and “Dragonfly” which are all part of the curriculum in one way or another.
• Art
Explain that the illustrations in this book are done in watercolor and that they are very important to helping the reader have the poems come to life. Show the students examples of other watercolors and discuss the emotions they evoke from the viewers. Read the poem “Sunday Drive with Mom” and then have the students use paints to create their own picture of a Sunday drive they are taking.
Related Web Sites
• Kristine O’Connell George website
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/great_frog_race.html
(Look here for teacher ideas and a student section where she reads some of her poems aloud.)
• Frog Websites
http://leapinginto5thgrade.com/frogwebsites.htm
(This is a great resource for all different types of websites from the Froggy Page to Create a Pond. Teachers can use this to teach everything about frogs.)
• Living the Country Life
http://www.livingthecountrylife.com/photos/
(This website has great pictures for showing students what life in the country can look like. Teacher can use this as an introduction to the poems for students unfamiliar with country life.)
Related Books
Poetry
Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems by Kristine O’Connell George
Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems For Young People by Jane Yolen
The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination by Mary Ann Hoberman
Once in the Country: Poems of a Farm by Tony Johnston
Fiction
Night in the Country by Cynthia Rylant and Mary Szilagyi
Some Frog by Eve Bunting
Nonfiction
Frogs by Gail Gibbons
The Life Cycle of a Frog by Bobby Kalman
Here is another readers guide for THE GREAT FROG RACE created by Jill Swann.
Bibliography
George, Kristine O’Connell. 1997. The Great Frog Race and Other Poems. Houghton Mifflin. New York. ISBN: 0-395-77607-4
Recommended Age Level 5-10 years
Summary
A delightful collection of twenty-eight calm, reflective poems, The Great Frog Race and Other Poems ignites the senses and soothes the soul. Told through the voice of a young child living in the country, the poems in this collection recount the wonder of tiny, everyday details. A nature theme is evident throughout most of these verses, bringing to life the marvel of an assortment of bugs and insects, a field, rain, wind, and even a garden hose. Childlike fascination is evident, luring the reader into an easy-going saunter through the joys of being young and carefree.
The reader is invited to share the excitement of polliwogs, “chubby commas… frogs-in-waiting” and a falling star, “ skidding through space/won’t go to bed/ hides in the daisies instead.” Eloquent assonance and alliteration light up the pages, birthing waterbugs, “with quicksilver flicks/ their whip-thin legs whisk/ them away, leaving/ only the narrow wakes/ waterbugs make” and a weeping willow, “I waited all summer/ for my weeping willow/ to weep.” This collection of poems varies in delivery, which is part of the charm. Our narrator innocently imparts her pleasure at seeing the furrows of a freshly plowed field, at smelling a Spring wind, at making music once she is back at school. The march through the seasons is much more of a leisurely stroll, pausing to appreciate simple wonders. Amazing details are unearthed with each glorious trip through the pages.
The rich illustrations of Kate Kiesler contribute to the quaint, personal feel of the book. Skillful delivery and outstanding word selection convey just the right balance of nature, guiding the reader along the narrator’s happy childhood.
Review Excerpts
School Library Journal, 04/01/1997
Gr. 3-6 Polliwogs, a dropped ice cream cone, ghosts, and a music class pass through the poetic prism of this pleasant collection. Myra Cohn Livingston comments aptly in the introduction: "In a time when we have a surfeit of verse whose purpose seems mainly to elicit a quick laugh, it is not only refreshing but urgent that our children hear poetry resonating with music, keen observation, fresh metaphor and personification, and meaningful flights of imagination." For personal enjoyment, reading aloud, and encouraging children in the writing of poetry this offering has lots of uses. Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Booklist, 03/15/1997
Gr. 4-6, younger for reading aloud. Both the picture-book format and the poetry in this collection are wonderfully enticing. George's astute imagery pairs beautifully with Kiesler's rich, warm-toned oil paintings to impart a strong sense of the pleasures of rural landscape. Woven through all is the strong affirmation that being different from everybody else is something special indeed. (Reviewed March 15, 1997)) Karen Morgan. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.
Publishers Weekly, 01/27/1997
This first collection of poems by George is a loving appreciation of some of the countryside's greatest treasures and a celebration of a child's view of the world (eyes that see chubby commas when they come upon polliwogs). George's images are quiet but startling in their simple beauty. For this poet, inanimate objects are equally miraculous and become trusted friends for their users, like a metal bucket that "stays with its family/ for life." All around, an invitation to experience joy and wonder. Ages 5-9. (Mar.)
Awards/Honors
*Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
*International Reading Association/ Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award
*National Council of Teachers of English NCTE Notable Children's Book in Language Arts,
*American Booksellers Pick of the Lists
*A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
*Starred reviews: Booklist, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal
*Editors' Choice, U.S. News and World Report
*Society of Illustrators Art Show
Questions to ask before reading:
Engage children in the following discussion before reading The Great Frog Race and Other Poems:
♦ What are some of the signs of the seasons? Brainstorm a list of sights, sounds, smells, and feelings associated with each season.
♦ Display the book cover for the class to see. Examine it, looking for evidence of activity. How does an illustrator show motion or an ongoing activity? How can this effect our perception of a poem or story?
♦ Examine the cover illustration. What clues tell you the time of day? The season?
♦ For children growing up in an urban or suburban setting, elicit ideas of what it would be like to live in the country. Have you ever visited a farm or someone who lives in the country? What was it like there? What did you see, hear, smell, and feel? How is life different for kids who grow up in the city compared to kids who grow up in the country?
♦ What is your favorite sight/sound/smell of the current season? Would it be different during this season if you lived in a different location?
♦ How do authors bring things to life that are not living, such as tools, buckets, a garden hose, or the wind?
♦ Do pictures add to the story when you read a book? Do you prefer to look at the pictures or form your own pictures in your head as you read a story?
Suggestions for Reading Poems Aloud
“Polliwogs” Invite the class to participate in a choral reading of this poem. Encourage them to use inflection and emotion.
“Waterbugs” Invite partners to practice reading the delightful alliteration, with each partner reading a stanza.
“Ambush” Display the poem for the class to read aloud together, acting out the lines as they read.
“The Great Frog Race” Divide students into groups of five. Have students read the poem aloud, in turn by verse.
“Zeke, an Old Farm Dog” Display the poem for the class to read aloud, each taking a turn reading a line.
“Weeping Willow” Divide students into groups of three. Invite them to each read a stanza, adding action or emotion as appropriate.
Follow Up Activities
Writing
♦ Poetry tells a story with fewer words than prose. Invite students to select one poem from this collection as a theme. Elaborate to retell it as a three-paragraph story.
♦ Select topics associated with nature and/or country living that are not found in the poems of this collection, such as spiders, a grassy hill, wildflowers, baby bunnies, or a windmill. Write each on a strip of paper and place them in a basket. Divide students into small groups. Have each group draw a topic and construct a poem using that theme. Poems could be written as couplets, with each student contributing one couplet, or in any format the teacher prescribes. Share aloud with the class and display in the classroom and/or use as a part of a classroom anthology.
♦ The Great Frog Race is set in the country. Select a different habitat, such as the forest or desert, and create a classroom anthology of poems written on that theme, with each student contributing a poem. Illustrate, if desired. Invite other classes to come to a reading of the anthology, with each student reading his/her own poem.
♦ Invite students to create a poem of their own that could be included in The Great Frog Race, following the theme and free verse style.
Language Arts
♦ Pair The Great Frog Race and Other Poems with the picture book All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan. Compare and contrast the literary elements of the books by creating a picture Venn Diagram from the setting.
For example, a plowed field in the middle of the page could be the common area for the two books. Similarities could be written on dirt clods around the field, and might include: set in the country, child narrator, changing seasons, love for the land conveyed, beautiful illustrations, rich details, descriptive language. On one side of the page, frogs racing down a road could represent the poetry collection. On each toad (or toad footprint) details about the poetry could be written, such as: written in verse, uses few words to convey thoughts, some poems written about things at night, etc. On the other side of the page, little sailboats floating down a stream could represent the picture book, with details about it written on the sails: each family member is represented, more words used to build story, each changing scene is connected by the theme of sharing favorite places, etc. This exercise could be done as a whole class, in small groups, with a partner, or individually.
♦ Examine the figurative language throughout the poems. Have students partner up and assign each a poem from the collection. Students will list examples of figurative language from their poem to share with the class. Create a classroom display of their examples.
♦ Use the poem “Quiddling with Words” for a vocabulary-building lesson. Have students use a dictionary to lookup each of the featured words in the poem and share the definitions. Then select other grade appropriate words to look up and share definitions. Invite students to brainstorm descriptive words and phrases, like the ones used in the poem, to bring the words to life. Some example words: obliterate, persnickety, superfluous, extraordinary, deluge, dubious, pungent.
♦ What can students infer about life in the country from reading The Great Frog Race? Allow five to ten minutes to record inferences individually, then share and discuss with the class. As a whole group, compose several generalization statements about life in the country.
Math
♦ Use the nature theme of this poetry collection to construct word problems. Allow students to partner up and create at least five word problems to exchange with another group and solve.
Example: There are 3 polliwogs in the puddle. Once they become frogs, they will have 4 legs each. How many legs in all?
AND
12 raindrops splash on the windowpane. 4 slide off the window. How many are left on the window?
♦ If your class chooses to set up a backyard weather station, as described in the Science section below, use the information to plot charts and graphs. Then write word problems that could be answered from the data displayed on the charts.
Example: How much more rain fell during the week of
September 23 than during the week of October 6?
Science
♦ Investigate the habitat of a farm in the Midwest. What other creatures would live here that are not mentioned in the poems of this collection? Invite students to create poems about those creatures and add them to the class anthology.
♦ Compare and contrast the environment of the meadow with other habitats, such as deserts, rainforests, ponds, mountains, etc. Assign students to research these habitats and construct a diorama that shows plants and animals of three different habitats.
♦ Explore weathering that would take place on items such as the bucket and the snow fence that are subjected to the elements of nature. How do these objects change in appearance over time? What causes some materials to weather more quickly than others? Why do farmers plow fields? How does this ward off erosion in a field?
♦ Create a backyard weather station to observe and record data related to the habitat you live in. Place a thermometer, barometer, wind vane, rain gauge, and any other weather equipment available in a location that students will be able to monitor daily and record in a journal. Plot information on a graph and/or chart and make generalizations gained from these observations. Discuss and predict what the readings would be in the other seasons, or in a different setting.
♦ When sharing this book with younger children, initiate a discussion of the seasons and types of weather associated with each. Look through the artwork in the book, examining details in each that show what season it is.
♦ Study the tracks animals make at http://www.bear-tracker.com/ (scroll down some to get to the track links.) Have students select a track to trace or recreate. Construct a background for the track, with the tracks for an animal leading across the page. Write a short riddle or poem describing “The One That Got Away” for classmates to guess what animal is missing from the picture.
Social Studies
♦ Use a map of the United States to locate areas where meadow habitats might exist. There are many areas that fit this. Discuss as a class how the seasons might be different in each, based on latitude.
♦ The poetry of The Great Frog Race is set in a rural location. How would the poems be different if there was an urban setting? Instead of sights like the snow fence and Zeke the dog roaming free around the farm, what would be common sights in the city that poems might be written about?
♦ Use this activity from www.brainpop.com:
Our Town As a class, brainstorm ideas of what cities, towns, or farms need to function. Write their ideas on the board and encourage them to think of what services they need and where they would buy their goods. Then as a class project, design a city, town, or farm together and draw a mural. You can divide your mural into sections and have groups of students draw in their specific sections, or you can have students draw specific buildings, which they can paste onto the mural. Other students can draw roads and bridges connecting the pictures together.
Complete lesson and many other related activities available at http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/communities/ruralsuburbanandurban/grownups.weml
Art
♦ Create 3D art related to these poems for a fabulous classroom display! Begin by having each student paint a watercolor background for one of the poems. Then collect objects to use as the focal points for the art:
-crumbles of white packing peanuts for gnats in Meadow or
snow in Winter Swing
-bits of old black rubber hose for Polliwogs
-dirt to sprinkle on a thin layer of glue for Plowed Fields
-pipe cleaners and wax paper for Dragonfly
-aluminum foil for Metal Bucket
-random twigs for Snow Fence
-leaves for Weeping Willow, etc.
♦ Create a classroom garden, inspired by the natural setting of these poems. Use the “Garden of Weavin’” idea at http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/garden-of-weavin-675519/ or use other ideas for flowers of all shapes and sizes. Then invite students to write a poem to accompany their flower in the class garden.
♦ Birdhouses can often be found at craft supply stores for low prices (I have gotten them for $1 or less each many times.) Students can be asked to bring money to cover the cost of a birdhouse if need be. Students will love creating a special house for their fine feathered friends
Related Websites
Poetry
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/index.html
Ms. George maintains an awesome site for poetry lovers, with a designated section for teachers. Lesson plans and activity ideas to accompany many of her books are available.
http://www.gigglepoetry.com/index.aspx
Dozens of resources and links, including interviews with many poets and a “how to” section with instructions on how to write almost any type of poem.
http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2007/02/poetry-of-science-my-poetry-friday.html
Discussion of the poetry of Science. Lots of great resources.
Science
For more information about habitats around the world:
http://science.pppst.com/habitats.html
Includes free PowerPoints
http://www.kidsplanet.org/tt/elemenlessons/
Includes lessons, fact sheets, and puzzles about many habitats
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geography-action/habitats.html
Excellent source of information, maps, puzzles, activities, audiovisual presentations, and supplemental materials about habitats of the world.
http://www.allcrafts.net/fjs.htm?url=www.familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,22-5168,00.html
How to set up a backyard weather station of your own.
For more information on weathering:
http://www.science-class.net/Geology/weathering_erosion.htm
Excellent resource full of free PowerPoints, tons of labs, other websites, and games for upper Elementary and Middle School. Many could be adapted for primary grades.
http://www1.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=58210
Teacher Tube video that talks a teacher or class through numerous erosion and weathering activities. Materials needed for each activity are listed at the beginning of each lesson.
Social Studies
For more resources on Rural, Urban, and Suburban settings:
http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/communities/ruralsuburbanandurban/grownups.weml Background information, teacher, and family ideas for exploring and learning more about types of communities
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/maps/g3_u1/index.html
Interactive map on types of communities
Art
Nature crafts galore can be found at
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/
http://www.allcrafts.net/nature.htm#kids
http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/summer-crafts-for-kids
Dozens of unique projects kids of all ages will enjoy
Related Books
Poetry
Fletcher, Ralph. 1997. Ordinary Things: Poems from a Walk in Early Spring. Ill. By Walter Lyon Krudop. Atheneum. New York. ISBN-13: 978-0689810350.
Heard. Georgia. 1997. Creatures of Earth, Sea, and Sky: Poems. Ill. By Jennifer Ownings Dewey. Boyds Mill Press. Honesdale, PA. ISBN-13: 978-1563976353.
Paolilli, Paul, and Brewer, Dan. 2001. Silver Seeds: A Book of Nature Poems. Ill. By Dan Brewer and Lou Fancher. Viking Juvenile. New York. ISBN-13: 978-0670889419.
Polisar, Barry Louis. 1999. Insect Soup: Bug Poems. Ill. By David Clark. Rainbow Morning
Music. Silver Springs, MD. ISBN-13: 978-0938663225
Sidman, Joyce. 2006. Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow. Ill. by Beth Krommes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN-13: 978-0618563135.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. 1999. A Child’s Garden of Verses. Ill. By Brian Wildsmith. Simon and Schuster. New York. ISBN-13: 978-0689823824.
Yolen, Jane. 2003. Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems for Young People. Ill. By Jason Stemple. Boyds Mill Press. Honesdale, PA. ISBN-13: 978-1590781722.
Fiction Books
Brett, Jan. 1994. Town Mouse, Country Mouse. Putnam. New York. ISBN 0399226222.
Baylor, Byrd. 1983. The Best Town in the World. Ill. By Ronald Himler. Simon & Schuster. New York. ISBN 0684180359.
Komaiko, Leah. 1996. On Sally Perry's Farm. Simon, New York. ISBN 0689800835.
Martin, Bill Jr. & Archambault, John. 1986. Barn Dance. Ill. By Ted Rand. Henry Holt. New York. ISBN 0805007997.
MacLachlan, Patricia. 1994. All the Places to Love. Ill. By Michael Wimmer. HarperCollins. New York. ISBN-13: 978-1590781722.
Wolff, Ferida. 2005. It Is the Wind. Harper Collins. New York. ISBN 9780060281922.
Nonfiction Books
Bernard, Robin. 2001. A Tree For All Seasons. National Geographic Children’s Books. Des Moines, IA. ISBN-13: 978-0792266747.
DK Publishing. 2006. First Nature Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley Publishing. New York. ISBN 9780756614157.
King, Zelda. 2009. Examining Meadow Habitats. PowerKids Press. New York. ISBN-13:978-1435827226.
Llewellyn, Claire. 2005. The Best Book of Bugs. Kingfisher. Ashmore City, Queensland, Australia. ISBN-13: 978-0753459010
Pancella, Peggy. 2005. Farm Community (Neighborhood Walk). Heinneman Raintree. Mankato, MN. ISBN-13: 978-1403462220.
Owen, Dr. Jennifer. 1996. Mysteries and Marvels of Insect Life. Ill. By Ian Jackson and Alan Harris. Scholastic, Inc. New York. ISBN-13: 978-0590621618.
Selsam, Millicent. 1995. How to Be a Nature Detective. Ill. By Marlene Hill Donnelly. HarperTrophy. New York ISBN-13: 978-0064451345.
Author Kristine O’Connell George
Kristine George was born in Denver, CO, but she moved often as a child. She credits her varied experiences with giving her a wide background to feed into her poetry. Poetry became her passion after taking a children’s poetry writing class taught by Myra Cohn Livingston at UCLA. Ms. George continued to study with Ms. Livingston until her death in 1996. Ms. George assumed the role of her mentor, and has taught classes in the UCLA Writer’s Program as well. She enjoys sharing her poetry and love of writing in many forums- visiting schools, speaking at workshops and conferences, and on her website, http://www.kristinegeorge.com/index.html . Ms. George lists reading, crafts, photography, and many outdoor activities as favorite pastimes- perfect adventures to inspire more poetry! She has published twelve books, including eight books of her poetry.
Illustrator Kate Kiesler
A New England native, Kate Kiesler was born in New Hampshire and raised in Vermont. After graduating from The Rhode Island School of Design she began her career as a book illustrator. She enjoys painting with oils, and attempts to add exquisite details to the books she illustrates. She has illustrated for Ms. George in three books, and has eight books to her credit.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Kristine O'Connell George
Kristine O'Connell George won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award in 1998. Her recognized book is The Great Frog Race and Other Poems (New York: Clarion, 1997).
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Deborah Chandra
Deborah Chandra won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award in 1995. Her recognized book is Rich Lizard and Other Poems (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1993).
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