And what will happen now?
Bills will be passed into LAW.
And if they are not perfect,
Don't Despair.
There is hope that the system could work
and they can be
Mended.
Amended.
Amen.
Spelt from Sibyl’s LeavesThe round up is being hosted by Jennie of Biblio File. Do stop by and take in all the great poetry being shared. Before you go, be sure to check out this week's poetry stretch results. Happy poetry Friday all!
by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Earnest, earthless, equal, attuneable, ' vaulty, voluminous, … stupendous
Evening strains to be tíme’s vást, ' womb-of-all, home-of-all, hearse-of-all night.
Her fond yellow hornlight wound to the west, ' her wild hollow hoarlight hung to the height
Waste; her earliest stars, earl-stars, ' stárs principal, overbend us,
Fíre-féaturing heaven. For earth ' her being has unbound, her dapple is at an end, as-
tray or aswarm, all throughther, in throngs; ' self ín self steedèd and páshed—qúite
Disremembering, dísmémbering ' áll now. Heart, you round me right
With: Óur évening is over us; óur night ' whélms, whélms, ánd will end us.
Only the beak-leaved boughs dragonish ' damask the tool-smooth bleak light; black,
Ever so black on it. Óur tale, O óur oracle! ' Lét life, wáned, ah lét life wind
Off hér once skéined stained véined variety ' upon, áll on twó spools; párt, pen, páck
Now her áll in twó flocks, twó folds—black, white; ' right, wrong; reckon but, reck but, mind
But thése two; wáre of a wórld where bút these ' twó tell, each off the óther; of a rack
Where, selfwrung, selfstrung, sheathe- and shelterless, ' thóughts agaínst thoughts ín groans grínd.
The opposite of clean is dirtSo, what are you waiting for? Head on over to read some great dirt poems and vote!
Like ketchup dribbled on your shirt
Or grass stains on your favorite jeans
Or brown stuff stuck to fresh plucked beans
It’s bunnies made of dust and hair
And specks and flecks found everywhere!
Pat Lewis left these two poems in the comments.This was darn hard. Here's the poem I came up with.Travel by Armchair
Carol Weis left this poem in the comments.
You can take a trip by Greyhound,
motorcycle,
paddle-
wheel,
ocean liner
(package
deal)—
I prefer the
bookmo-
bile.
* * * * *
Weather by The Old Masters
The Michelangelo thunder
of an April
cloudburst
hints
at what follows
a great
rinse:
spring meadows in
Monet
prints.Great Blue
Greg K. of GottaBook shares a poem for Halloween.
The great blue heron tries to hide
itself in tall
grasses,
yet
passers see this
nature’s
pet,
take photos to
not for-
get.
© Carol Weis. All rights reserved.
Kate Coombs of Book Aunt left this poem in the comments.October 31st
Laura Purdie Salas left these poems in the comments.
Night. A graveyard. A single boy
walks soft as a
new-raised
ghost,
with each step re-
gretting
most
making that quick,
daylit
boast.Weapons Make the Warrior?
Amy Ludwig Vanderwater left this poem in the comments.
Marching in time, but out of time
into the harsh
light of
day:
Emperor Qin’s
army.
They
wield bronze swords in
arms of
clay.
* * * * *
Putting the Art Before the Horse
In Emperor Qin’s afterlife,
he would rule by
timeless
force.
But death had its
way, of
course.
Lesson? Don’t ride
a clay
horse.One Hen Speaks
Julie Larios of The Drift Record shares two poems. And yes, the first title is longer than the poem! And the second? Well, I dare you to read it without snarfing (which is exactly what I did)!
We make eggs inside our bodies.
Roosters chase us
make us
mate.
Every egg is
tempting
fate.
Farm life or your
breakfast
plate?
Tanita Davis shares a poem entitled On Intentions to Speak to Richard Peck at a Writer's Conference.
Jone of Check It Out and Deo Writer shares some zenos she wrote with her students and one of her own.
What secret incantations doIt's not too late if you still want to play. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll add it to the list.
you write upon
the sky?
Light
poems on a
summer
night
flash on, flash off --
"Hold me
tight!"
The Day-Glo Brothers, written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Tony Persani - You could put this one in biography or even science and I'd be really happy with that decision. I finally found it in the ART section.I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones that stood out. How about you? Have you found books shelved/displayed in odd places lately?
The Monsterologist: A Memoir in Rhyme, written by Bobbi Katz and illustrated by Adam McCauley - This one is pure poetry and a perfect read for Halloween, yet I didn't find it in the Halloween displays or the poetry section. I found it shelved with books on dragons and other -ologies, like Wizardology, Spyology, etc..
It's a remarkable piece. On this, the anniversary of Plath's birthday, please take a moment to read A Birthday.Today would have been Sylvia Plath's 77th birthday. She left an astonishing number of good-to-excellent poems for someone who died at 30, a testament not only to her talent but to her dedication to her craft and iron Yankee work-ethic. Easily, so easily, she could have been writing still - imagine that raw voice honed by five more decades of experience and maturity.
Written by Bobbi Katz (ghostwritten as it says on the cover) and illustrated by Adam McCauley, this collection of poems introduces readers to some of the world's most famous monsters -- Count Dracula, Godzilla, King Kong, Medusa, Grendel, the Loch Ness Monster, the Yeti and more. What sets this book apart from others is the form the poems take, and I don't mean poetic forms. In this collection you'll find letters, notes, interviews, personal ads, e-mails and other objects amassed through a lifetime of studying monsters. The illustrations are also particularly beautiful and unique. Here's how McCauley describes the illustrations on the copyright page.The illustrations for this book were created using: lots of paper, spaghetti, twigs, tape, Adam's great grandmother's stamp collection, paint, file folders, rubber stamps, a scanner, old sketchbooks, new sketchbooks, a printer, a ballpoint pen, a Xerox machine, scraperboard, computer programs, clip art, things found on the street, and some string. Oh yeah, and a few brains and hands.You can learn more about Adam and see some of the artwork from The Monsterologist at his interview at Seven Imp.
I'd been filling a folder marked NOISY POEMS over several years that eventually became A Rumpus of Rhymes. As I read the poems aloud before sending the manuscript off, I realized that all the poems were packed with onomatopoeic words except one: “Ping Pong with King Kong.” As I removed the poem, I wondered who might really care to play ping pong with King Kong. Almost immediately, a male character took shape: an eminent scientist and lecturer, a fussy but fearless bachelor, wholly dedicated to the study…. of monsters. That was in 1996. “The Monsterologist” introduced himself in the opening poem, and it was as if I began channeling him as I wrote. Naturally, he corresponded with Count Dracula. The Monsterologist and I both loved Greek mythology, so “Medusa” and the “Cyclops” came next. Our mutual discomfort with computers-the Monsterologist has no confidence in them whatsoever-resulted in “The Compu-Monster.” In 1997, I was writing 25 Great Grammar Poems for Scholastic Professional Books. I wrote a didactic poem about verbs one morning; “The Verbivore” was born that same night. So as you see, I didn't exactly decide what monsters to write about. The collection reflects the Monsterologist's life work, his concerns, and at times, our mutual interests.Did you write any monsters that didn't make it into the book?
Yes, indeed. My truly wonderful editor felt that four poems seemed somehow wrong. Having been an editor myself, I did not wish to be a difficult diva author. Three of the poems were based on characters James Whitcomb Riley claimed to have heard about in logging camps: “The Squidicum Squee,” “Squonks,” and “Wonks.” The fourth was “The Blobster,” which was probably part of a huge sea animal that was actually found in the early 20th century. Some newspapers created buzz about an unidentified sea monster. (Of course, the Monsterologist was consulted.) My editor suggested “Godzilla” as a companion for “King Kong,” since both were movie stars. She also wanted a reason for the Monsterologist to close his memoir. I added the “The International Zombie Survey” in an E-mail from Will Nixon, a poet who actually has written poems based on the film, “The Night of the Living Dead.”What kind of research did you do to prepare for writing these poems?
Most of the research I did was for the four poems that were cut. I did very little beyond checking the proper dates for the three musicians in “Ghost Notes,” and reading about the Golem (after I wrote the poem) and Godzilla. (Alas, I'd never seen any of the Godzilla movies, but I learned that this monstrous character had been first created as a metaphoric embodiment of atomic destruction in Japan.) “Godzilla” was the most difficult poem to write. Since Godzilla was to be opposite King Kong, I wanted some degree of balance between the poems.What inspired the memoir format and the use of letters, notes, and other objects?
Many things became fodder for the Monsterologist. I went to a series of three readings of poet Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf. The violent images marinated and finally resulted in the Monsterologist's discovery of Grendel's mother's recipe for Danish Pastry! I must say that I knew the Monsterologist so well that he led me to the poems. I knew he might go hiking in Denmark or notice “Bluebeard's Personal Ad” while reading a newspaper in a London tea shop.
From the very beginning, I saw this as a memoir: a scrapbook of memorabilia. I thought it would be interesting to reflect the work of an academic scientist. I wanted the poems to take various forms from note cards, queries, and descriptions to letters. Just as you are interviewing me, the Monsterologist interviews the Loch Ness Monster.Do you have a favorite poem? If so, will you share?
As for the design of the book, that is the work of the art director and Adam McCauley, who did a stunning job. I had nothing to say about its creation, except in response to early versions.
Oh, dear! Your request reminds me of when one of my children asked which of them I loved the most! Here comes a letter “From the Desk of Count Dracula”:The Monsterologist has a terrific web site. You can listen to Bobbi read a number of the poems, play a matching game that uses the monster stamp images from the endpapers, read a Q&A with the Monsterologist, learn more about the author and illustrator, and find advice from some of the monsters themselves.
My Dear Friend,
I'm the Count whom you can count on for hospitality.
When you come to Transylvania, be sure to stay with me.
My ancient castle's gloomy, but you'll have a lovely room,
Conveniently located…close to the family tomb.
Just buy a one-way ticket. There's no need to splurge.
I'd really love to see you. It's an overwhelming urge.
You'll find that I'm a genial host,
but at times I think I'll burst,
unless I drink a bit of blood to satisfy my thirst.
A friendly nip, a little sip is harmless you'll agree.
It's natural and organic, and my castle is smoke free.
Please hurry, hurry, hurry! No need to R.S.V.P.
I can hardly wait to see you. Please come and visit me.
Yours, truly, most cordially,
The Count
You may have seen the back of my head, but what about my face?Thanks to Bobbi for stopping by to chat about The Monsterologist. If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? I promise you'll love it.
Starting right now, imagine me! Draw a mask with pencils, markers, crayons or paint! Mold one from papier mache. A council of witches will select the ten best entries. Each will receive a valuable prize.
Next the witches will choose the very best mask of all. I will wear it on Halloween and on Day of the Dead (el dia de los muertos) which I may celebrate in a graveyard in Mexico. Whoever creates that mask gets a signed copy of my memoir.
Be sure to send your name and address with the mask. Print neatly. Don’t miss a chance to be the witches choice.
HURRY! HURRY! HURRY!
All entries must be mailed no later than Nov. 13th 2009 to:
MONSTEROLOGIST CONTEST
PO BOX 113
PORT EWEN, NY 12466
What gets lost in all these accounts, whether cleverly told in song or written in textbooks, is the story of the people involved (some might say the little people), and absolute horror that is war. Let It Begin Here!: April 19, 1775, The Day the American Revolution Began, written and illustrated by Don Brown, puts readers on the Lexington Green with the militia, facing a column of regulars (redcoats) three times their size. Brown puts a human face on the events of that day, tracing the skirmishes at Lexington, Concord, Meriam's Corner, Bloody Curve, and Menotomy (today's Arlington). When the regulars finally reached the safety of waterfront and a nearby British warship, the "road between Charlestown and Concord lay strewn with dead men and horses. Seventy-three redcoats died and 174 were wounded. The Yankees suffered 49 dead and 39 wounded."They left the dead and grieving of Lexington. But as the regulars marched the six miles to Concord, thousands of militiamen from surrounding towns rallied. The lanthorns Revere had shone hours earlier had set in motion alarm riders, signal shots, and beacon fires that had spread the call to arms everywhere.It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that the events in the book are pulse-pounding. I began racing through the text to see what would happen next.
We're connected to the past by a shared humanity. You can make a 21st-century connection to a loss in the 18th century because you're human. It doesn't matter if it's the Babylonian War or the Revolutionary War. [The events have a] greater impact if you use people to tell the story. The Battle of Lexington and Concord is well documented. You can put names and faces on the people involved. The man who dies on his own stoop in front of his wife and children [in Let It Begin Here!]—that's pretty rough stuff.This is exactly why I loved this book. The battles at Lexington and Concord ARE well documented, but it's Brown's focus on the individuals involved that makes this book so compelling.
I've invented what I had called a “hailstone," after the mathematical "hailstone sequence." It has nothing to do with Mary O'Neill's Hailstones and Halibut Bones, but it would no doubt instantly be confused with it. Hence, "hailstone" is problematic. So I call the form a "zeno," so named for Zeno, the philosopher of paradoxes, especially the dichotomy paradox, according to which getting anywhere involves first getting half way there and then again halfway there, and so on ad infinitum. I'm dividing each line in half of the previous one. Here's my description of a zeno:Pat was even kind enough to send along a few examples.
A 10-line verse form with a repeating syllable count of 8,4,2,1,4,2,1,4,2,1. The rhyme scheme is abcdefdghd.
Sea SongSo, that's the challenge for the week. What kind of Zeno will you write? Leave me a note about your poem and I'll post the results here later this week.
A song streaming a thousand miles
may sound like a
fairy
tale,
but it’s only
love’s bulk-
coming out of
the blue...
whale.
Why Wolves Howl
Gray wolves do not howl at the moon.
Across a vast
timber
zone,
they oboe in
mono-
tone,
Fur-face, I am
all a-
lone.
Telephooone
The great horned owl sits in the tree
answering each
local
call—
swivel-neck and
big-eye-
ball
operator
of night-
fall.
Hags’ Rags
One Halloween two goblin girls,
trick-or-treating,
got an
itch
to make a quick
costume
switch.
Now who can tell
which is
witch?
A Thanksgiving Custom
November: An American
tradition you
can count
on:
Once the family
turkey’s
gone,
like clockwork, they
start to
yawn.
All poems ©J. Patrick Lewis. All rights reserved.
What a DayI hope you'll join me here tomorrow for the unveiling of the Zeno.
Out of dark’s rougher neighborhoods,
Morning stumbles,
none too
bright,
remembering
that thief,
Night,
who stole her work
of art—
Light.
Poem ©J. Patrick Lewis. All rights reserved.
The Animals are LeavingFor more poems of extinction look for Swan Song, written by J. Patrick Lewis and illustrated by Christopher Wormell. (You can preview this title at Google Books.)
by Charles Harper Webb
One by one, like guests at a late party
They shake our hands and step into the dark:
Arabian ostrich; Long-eared kit fox; Mysterious starling.
One by one, like sheep counted to close our eyes,
They leap the fence and disappear into the woods:
Atlas bear; Passenger pigeon; North Island laughing owl;
Great auk; Dodo; Eastern wapiti; Badlands bighorn sheep.
Read the poem in its entirety.
Pat from Knowledge, Ltd. left this poem in the comments.My poem was inspired by the recent spate of dinosaur books I've been reading with my son. Just in case you need the pronunciation of the dinosaur name, it's KET-sahl-koh-AHT-lus!Higgledy-piggledy,
Last week over at Political Verses, Elaine Magliaro published two double dactyls, one by Julie Larios and the other an original.
Quantumechanical
Physicist Heisenberg
Wrote a new Planck,
Constantly stressed the Un-
Certainty Principle,
Leaving some scientists
Drawing a blank.
Julie Larios of The Drift Record left this poem in the comments.Diggery Dockery
Kate Coombs of Book Aunt left these poems in the comments.
Emily Dickinson
wrote about Nobody,
frigates and fame.
Flies in most poetry
non-metaphorically
buzz us, but Emily's
flies aren't the same.Daisies and daffodils
Elaine Magliaro of Wild Rose Reader and the Blue Rose Girls shares three double dactyls at BRG.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Rode on a bicycle
Down to the lake.
Sixty-four suffragettes
Galloped behind her as
Eleanor taught them to
Make no mistake.
********
Laggardy-Saggardy
Jefferson Cavendish
Fiddled and faddled and
Loitered and whined.
Ravenous tigers came
Leaping to eat him, so
Jefferson learned how to
Move his behind.
********
Camouflage-Sophophage,
Benjamin Rosenbaum
Lounges in Switzerland
Writing a book.
Characters circle him
Polymorphetically,
Tugging at strangenesses,
Whispering, "Look!"Jane Yolen left this poem in the comments.
Higgledy-Piggledy
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater left this poem in the comments. *Blushing* THANK YOU, AMY!
Emily Dickinson
Dressed all in white while she
Eschewed all prose.
Scribbling poems that
Nobody would publish
That all could be sung to
The song “Yellow Rose.”Internet Spinternet
Harriet of spynotes left these poems in the comments.
Tricia the blogerette
poses her poem posts
into the sky.
Teachers, librarians,
mothers, grammarians
gather words gratefully.
“This one I’ll try.”Tippety Typety
Carol Weis visited for the first time and left this poem in the comments. Welcome Carol!
Poe (Edgar Allen)
Sat down at his desk
At a quarter past four.
Moaning and groaning
And clutching his stomach
“Oh WHY did I eat so much
crow? NEVERMORE!”
********
Knickety Knockety
Ludwig von Beethoven
Wanted to write just one
Symphony more
In want of ideas, he
Sat down to ponder,
When “Dum dum dum DUM”
Came a rap at the door.
********
Flippety Flappety
Orville and Wilbur, they
Wanted to ride a bike
Into the sky.
They fiddled and tinkered,
Fell over and over.
They made some mistakes, sure.
But now we can fly!Xanadu Shmanadu
At her blog Political Verses, Elaine Magliaro shares a poem entitled Better Duck...It's Dick: A Poem about Dick Cheney's Hunting Prowess. BEST TITLE EVER!
Samuel Coleridge
created his Kubla
throughout the night.
But oh! the intruder
a damsel from Porlock
who found the poor poet
high as a kite.
Jone at Check It Out shares a poem inspired by Skippyjon Jones.
Scarity-RarityIt's not too late if you still want to play. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll add it to the list.
Quetzalcoatlus the
Mexican dinosaur
what a surprise!
Pterosaur terrible
size unbelievable
ultrareptilian
king of the skies!
Spooky ABC, written by Eve Merriam and illustrated by Lane Smith - Originally published in 1987 as Halloween ABC, this book is haunted by bats, nightmares, skeletons and loads of other spooky things. Here's an excerpt from the poem for the letter W, entitled Witchery.Which, which,This poem is accompanied by a bubbling cauldron with clawed feet. *Shiver* The illustrations by Lane Smith are just as terrific as the poems. (Read a short review.)
which woeful bane?
Juice of the hemlock
or brimstone with rain?
Which, which,
which plaguey pox?
Soup bowls of toadstools
or mouse broth in crocks?
You'll find incompetent and unlucky witches, mummies, skeletons, banshees, and more. Grimly's illustrations are full of (appropriately!) grim humor. At Google Books you can preview some of the images and poems.Dear Reader, please lend me your ear.
If ghosts, ghouls, and goblins you fear,
don't open this book.
No--don't even look!
There are spooky things hiding in here.
Making Friends With Frankenstein: A Monstrous Book of Poems and Pictures, written and illustrated by Colin McNaughton - How can you not love a book with an opening poem entitled Cockroach Sandwich?Cockroach sandwichThere are poems on monster parties, cyclops, bullies, an ooze-zombie, doom merchant, ogre's, a few dinosaurs, and LOTS more. This one is just chock full of fun stuff. Ode to the Invisible Man always makes me chuckle, and Transylvania Dreaming makes me want to sleep with the light on.
For my lunch,
Hate the taste
But love the crunch!
The Gargoyle on the Roof, written by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Peter Sís - Beautifully illustrated by Sís, this one includes poems that run the gamut from funny to spooky. You'll meet vampires, werewolves, gargoyles, gremlins, a basilisk, the Headless Horseman, a lonely troll, and more. Here's the first stanza from one of the poems. My Sister is A Werewolf
My sister is a werewolf,
It's disquieting and strange.
One moonlit night I watched her
Undergo a sudden change.
Her arms and face grew hairy,
And her voice became a roar.
In some ways she looked better
Than she'd ever looked before.
Monster Motel, written and illustrated by Douglas Florian - This volume contains all sorts of fantastical creatures, brought to life in word and illustration. You'll meet the Fabled Deerz, Gazzygoo, Crim, Purple Po, Teek, Brilly, Tweet, and more. I'm rather partial to the Bleen. (I'm nasty and I'm cruel./I steal, I lie,/I make you cry/I'm just a ghastly ghoul.) Doesn't the monster motel sound like a rather interesting place to be?!
Monster Museum, written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Gris Grimly - What happens when a group of children follow a docent (an undead one at that!) through a monster museum? Are Frankenstein, Dracula, Bigfoot, Medusa and others wax replicas? Or are they something else? Grimly's illustrations are terrific and reward those who take the time to study them. Here's the beginning of one of my favorite poems.Frankenstein's Monster
They gave me some bolts,
They gave me some jolts.
They gave me a great deal of fame.
They gave me a bride,
And even some pride.
But they never did give me a name.
You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together, written by Mary Ann Hoberman and illustrated by Michael Emberley - This is the fourth title in the very popular series. I know the title says tales, but they're all written in rhyme and so much fun to read aloud with a friend! Included here are spooky tales of mummies, skeletons, witches, zombies, ghosts, and more.
Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and Frankenstein Takes the Cake, both written and illustrated by Adam Rex - Kids will love the high jinks and hilarity found when Frankenstein makes a sandwich, Dracula gets spinach stuck in his teeth, the Phantom of the Opera gets an annoying song stuck in his head, Frankenstein gets married, the Headless Horseman writes a blog, and so many other wonderful things! Don't miss either of these gems. There are just as many jokes in the illustrations as the poems, so do take the time to enjoy them. (Read an interview with Adam to learn more about these books.)The Monsterologist: A Memoir in Rhyme, written by Bobbi Katz and illustrated by Adam McCauley - Meet some of the world's most famous monsters -- Count Dracula, Godzilla, King Kong, Medusa, Grendel, the Loch Ness Monster, the Yeti -- in this collection of poems in the form of letters, notes, interviews and other objects from a lifetime of studying monsters. Here's an excerpt from the poem Meet a Monsterologist.But ...Check out the Monsterologist web site for a bit of fun. You can also read an interview with Bobbi Katz.
if monsters are what interest you,
the how and why of what they do,
I know the facts: What's false, what's true,
since I'm a monsterologist.
I've traveled all around the world
to study and observe.
At times I have been terrified
but I've never lost my nerve.
Imaginary Menagerie: A Book of Curious Creatures, written by Julie Larios and illustrated by Julie Pashkis - While not monsters, the poems and illustrations in this book highlight creatures inspired by mythology and folklore. There are some trolls and hobgoblins, but the dragon, centaur, naga, and other imaginary creatures are just as interesting.
Knock on Wood: Poems About Superstitions, written by Janet Wong and illustrated by Julie Pashkis - Superstitions abound this time of year, so this seems a fitting title to wrap up the list. Readers will find poems about black cats, garlic, broken mirrors, the number 13, and more. The final pages of the book describe each of the superstitions.Poetry Foundation Launches Online Poetry Learning Lab
New educational, media-rich poetry experience for teachers and students
CHICAGO — The Poetry Foundation invites teachers and students to tap into its new online resource, the Poetry Learning Lab. Hosted on www.poetryfoundation.org, the Poetry Learning Lab is designed for anyone who wants to learn more about poetry.
A dynamic resource for teachers, students, and learners of every age, the Poetry Learning Lab has been developed by the Poetry Foundation in conjunction with a team of education experts—including writing and literature teachers, librarians, and poets—to provide an immersive educational experience with poetry. By allowing students to experiment with different ways of reading poems—as text, sound, and visual artifacts—the Learning Lab provides readers of all levels with the opportunity to practice close reading and listening skills and to think broadly and analytically about poetry and poetics.
Today I'm thrilled to be hosting Georgia Heard and Jennifer McDonough, the authors of A Place of Wonder: Reading and Writing Nonfiction in the Primary Grades.The majority of my work has been in public schools, so working in an independent school was new to me. In my experience, kids are kids – they are the same everywhere –with different life experiences -- but one of the major differences between public independent schools is class size. Most public schools I’ve worked in have as many as thirty plus kids in one class, which no doubt can be daunting -- even for the most experienced teacher.Q2: Given the emphasis on testing, which you described in the introduction, how can teachers help others (team members, administration) see the value in this type of instruction?
The wonder centers and the heart wonder writing work pretty much the same with a larger class – the challenge is in the research wonder writing – specifically, managing thirty kids as each one pursues a different topic. We touch on this in the book, but the best piece of advice we can give is to be sure you are prepared. Spend some time making sure you have resources on their topics: gather books from the school and public libraries; print out pages from specific web sites; and post-it -note pages in magazines. If you can find a volunteer – a parent or a colleague -- to assist you during the research station days – it will help you confer with most of the children. Even with twenty kids, it can seem chaotic at times so just remember that independent exploration and thinking is messy – but trust that what you’re inviting your students to do will make a profound difference in their learning and thinking.
As we write in our book, we were surprised at the discordance between what most tests measure and what many state standards recommend. Many state standards recognize the importance of setting up classroom environments that encourage discovery and curiosity. Copy the standards we cite on pps. 4 and 5, and at the front of every chapter, in A Place of Wonder: Reading and Writing Nonfiction in the Primary Grades, and show them to team members and administrators. Even if they can’t see the value in this type of instruction, if they look at what state standards recommend, they might be able to understand it within the larger educational context.Q3: The strategies shared all took place in early elementary classrooms. Can you imagine this approach in the upper elementary grades (4 and 5), and if so, would it look the same or different?
Teachers with little time, because of testing, can still create places of wonder in their classrooms. Teachers can set up wonder centers as an activity in the morning when kids first arrive, or as after-school activities. You can write a question on a chart, and invite students to write their thoughts and answers throughout the day as a kind of shared writing. A Place of Wonder: Reading and Writing Nonfiction in the Primary Grades, we name numerous centers and activities that teachers can put in place without giving up curriculum time. But the bigger question is how can teachers find their voices, and make a stand as to what we value in the curriculum for young students.
Encouraging wonder and curiosity in the classroom is not just for the primary grades. If you think about the genres of writing – poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, newspaper articles, etc. – the authors of those genres speak about getting their ideas from observation and wonder. A unit of study on personal essays could have a wonder component. We might start with asking students if they have a question or a wonder -- that has been persistent and important in some way to them–that they could explore in a personal essay. Students could also keep wonder boxes – or wonder notebooks – of questions and ideas they want to pursue in independent projects. Teachers could write a question – pertaining to the curriculum, or not, -- on an easel, and kids could write down their theories and ideas during the day. And of course, their research writing could be fueled by their wonders.Q4: You do have a wonderful book list in the Resources section that offers some great suggestions for classroom libraries. However, for a teacher just beginning, do you have recommendations on areas of wonder or topics that should be “first purchases” in building a library?
Many of the books we cite in the first two chapters are available in school or public libraries. We suggest purchasing The Wise Old Woman and Her Secret by Eve Merriam to read aloud when you’re introducing setting up a wonder world, and the wondering centers. And Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox is a great example of answering a heart wonder question. Most of the “first purchases” we would recommend would be in the nonfiction information book category. The kids love the Kingfisher and DK publishing series. The Kingfisher: I Wonder Why series books are filled with kid-like questions such as I Wonder Why Zippers Have Teeth: And Other Questions About Inventions. The illustrations, in both the Kingfisher and the DK series, are engaging and the text is fairly easy to read. These books are also great for examining non-fiction text features as they contain: table of contents; indexes; captions; fun facts and diagrams. These books are always in book baggies because the kids love to read them.Q5: Is it possible to involve kids in the planning of the nonfiction collection?
When you’re ordering nonfiction books for your classroom library read the book selections out loud to your students to spark interest in nonfiction books, and to give students choice. When Jen’s students get the Scholastic Book Club order form, she gathers the class and tells them that they will be building their classroom library together, and asks what books they would like to see in their library.Q6: You mentioned that kids got excited about the nonfiction titles through the organization activity. Does the excitement for these books ever fade? If so, how do you keep them interested in nonfiction, especially when so much emphasis is placed on fiction?
In our experience, kids love to browse nonfiction books especially if they have engaging photographs and interesting text features in them. Many kids prefer nonfiction books to fiction. One way to keep kids engaged is to have nonfiction read alouds. You can read a variety of nonfiction texts out loud -- narrative nonfiction, informational nonfiction, even parts of books and magazines – and as you’re reading you can point out interesting features and facts. There are so many well-written nonfiction texts that will keep kids’ attention, and make them eager to explore more.Q7: Your chart on nonfiction book features was very helpful. I’ve noticed, however, that a lot of the nonfiction picture books today don’t have a Table of Contents. Many don’t have page numbers. How do you help kids negotiate and/or understand these differences?
You’re right; many nonfiction books don’t have all the features, such as a Table of Contents and page numbers, which we describe on the chart. When we give mini-lessons on nonfiction book features, our goal is to give kids all the possible features that a nonfiction book might have, and why authors would include features such as page numbers or a Table of Contents. We want young authors to be able to make informed decisions as to what kinds of features they would like to include in their nonfiction books, and to understand the reasons why.Q8: Can you tell us a bit about how your ideas for this collaboration came about?
When my son was younger, he inspired me by how curious he was -- especially about the natural world. During every outing, he learned something new and he asked so many questions about how the world works. I’ve written and spoken about this especially with poetry but with all writing really – how poems, novels –- come from curiosity, close observation and the freedom to explore. I believe that young children are natural poets because they have a poetic way of looking at the world.Q9: Ultimately, what do you hope teachers will take away from this book?
When my son attended school for the first time, I was surprised by how that poetic way of looking at the world, the appetite for learning and curiosity, was almost viewed as a negative and a distraction. The structure and curriculum of school seemed to want him to do the opposite – to rein his unbounded enthusiasm in. So, I began to investigate early childhood and primary grade classrooms and environments, and realized that particularly with No Child Left Behind – many primary classrooms were not places of exploration and curiosity because teachers were under so much pressure to plan their curricula around state tests. I was so grateful to meet Jen, who was my son’s teacher, who felt the same way as I did, and we teamed up to explore creating a wonder-filled world for primary children. So, it was a personal decision to pursue the idea -- not just for my son -- but for all young children.
We hope to develop habits in children that will last a lifetime and help develop intelligent, alive human beings, who value the beauty of the planet, are fascinated and interested in the world, and ask questions and live a life connected to other people and the global community.Thanks to Georgia and Jennifer for taking the time to answer these questions. If you have some of your own, you may just win the chance to have them answered live and in (virtual) person! As a special treat, the blog tour is wrapping up with a live webcast on Oct. 26th at 8 p.m. EST. This is an amazing opportunity for you to join a small group discussion with Georgia and Jennifer. Participants in this live session will be chosen specifically from the folks who comment at stops on the blog tour. That means if you comment on this post or at A Year of Reading or Carol’s Corner, you can win seat in the session.
1 - double dactyl nonsense phrase (like Higgeldy Piggeldy)Here are some other helpful notes.
2 - double dactyl of a person's name
3 - double dactyl
4 - one dactyl plus a stressed syllable (/ _ _ / )
5 - double dactyl
6 - double dactyl
7 - double dactyl
8 - one dactyl plus a stressed syllable (/ _ _ / )
Higgledy-PiggledyIf my notes aren't helpful, you can find a description of double dactyls at Poetry Base and Everything2.com.
Hans Christian Andersen
Wrote of a mermaid who
Swam up on shore.
There she became somewhat
Less than amphibious;
Drowned in the sea-foam 'mid
Morals galore.
OctoberThe round up is being hosted by Laura Purdie Salas. Do stop by and take in all the great poetry being shared this week. Before you go, be sure to check out this week's poetry stretch results. Happy poetry Friday all!
by Robert Frost
O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
To-morrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Read the poem in its entirety while you listen to Frost read it.
Jane Yolen left this poem in the comments.I stopped and started several times, but couldn't get my childhood home out of mind, so that's what I wrote about.This Thing I Love in My Yard
Diane also left a poem in the comments.
I loved that great fir tree,
watched it growing for thirty-eight years.
It kept walkers on School Street
from staring into my bedroom windows
and a resident Downey full of bugs.
Now there is an empty space
where a lightning strike
killed what wind and rain and snow and ice
and three climbing children
had never damaged at all.
But this new space, where the wind blows
red and gold leaves about
like crazed autumn dervishes
is inviting in its own way.
Dear One, it says, make a stone garden here,
a place to sit, read, enjoy the sun,
to contemplate the rambling house
now that husband and children have left it.
Put statues here—an owl perhaps, or a plaque,
slate stones with phrases from poems.
Emily Dickinson might be best:
“A word is dead, when it is said,”
“Tell all the truth but tell it slant,”
“I’m nobody, who are you?”
Short, pithy, like the space
now that the tree is gone.
Make a monument, a statement,
make a taradiddle, a fantasy.
You are good at that.
And you have less time to do it,
than the tree that has given you the place.
© 2009 Jane Yolen, all rights reservedAppreciating the Rarae Aves
Shutta Crum left this poem in the comments.
Winter afternoons...
cold, gray, joyless
until a flash of cardinal
red opens my eyes.
Spring mornings...
chirps, twitters, love
songs of early risers gently
awaken me to possibility.
Summer dusks...
in the dash dart of swallows,
finding proof that every
creature is a piece in the puzzle.
Fall evenings...
far off honks of geese,
reminders that the
trip is all worthwhile.Sea Song
Julie Larios of The Drift Record shares a poem entitled A Love Poem To.
I had a life as simple and full as the sea.
And out of the surf I carried stories—
wet, and unraveling.
I had a man who dove into water
and cradled my heart like a prize.
I had a child with tides to travel,
and another with kelpie eyes.
I had land on a windy cliff,
and a house that danced as it sang.
I had cats and dogs that spoke my tongue,
and a bird that proclaimed my name.
I had a strong hand clasped in mine,
and hallowed work to craft.
I had little hands that followed,
and mysteries that made us laugh.
I had a piece of floating ribbon
plucked from my mother’s hair.
I had a word of wisdom my father
found pooled in a magical year.
I had a friend who died too soon,
and another who died too late.
I had brothers and sisters and strangers,
who waved as they rounded the cape.
I had a place in my own time,
and a joy for the labors I sing.
I had a son, a daughter, and a man,
and hearts to set a-cradling.
So make me a promise will you?
If you should ever speak of me,
remember what I’ve said:
I had a life as simple and full as the sea.
And out of the surf I carried stories—
wet, and unraveling.
Harriet of spynotes left this poem in the comments.The Things You Love
Susan Taylor Brown of Susan Writes shares a poem entitled Four-legged Love.
The things you love are harder to hold
Than the things you don’t.
The things that aren’t bore their way in,
and fix to a place you can’t scratch away
to worry over later.
But the things you love, the things that are,
seep in and out of your very pores,
fill your nostrils and cushion your head:
the sound of a sleeping child,
and the way the light falls on the page of
your favorite book
in your favorite chair.
They are your architecture,
like the house you know so well
you can see it better blindfolded,
like the crease of a lover’s elbow,
the soft damp hollow
in the base of your son’s neck,
like the view from the roof
on the Fourth of July.
They travel with you, the things you love.
You take them when you walk in the woods
in the fall, to smell the leaves underfoot,
and maybe pick an apple
or two.
They soar over your head,
scudding like clouds, which
taunt you with shapes that disappear
when you look at them.
They wrap around you,
Curl you up inside
when you go to sleep at night.
The things you love are your worst sorrow
and your greatest joy at once.
They are your breath, your eyes.
They live in your blood and
just below
your speaking place
before your lips pronounce, “joy.”Laura Purdie Salas also left a poem in the comments.
My October Wish List
Kate Coombs of Book Aunt left this poem in the comments.
Please give me
dogs leaning out cars, ears flapping like windy-day laundry
clattery leaves to shuffle through
clear x-rays
And I’d like
the chunk-click of a glossy red stapler
tang of smoky cheddar and bonfires
and a singer’s voice breaking as 8,000 hearts break with it
While you’re at it, may I have
cinnamon tea and mattress warmer
thumbs kneading my back, stony pleasure rippling outward
while winter’s white bees swarm the window
and shorter days to make October moments endless
--Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reservedGreens I Love
Jone of Check It Out shares a poem entitled Early Morning Things I Love.
The wave's green curl, more temporary
and translucent than a snowflake.
The small crisp face
of a green onion, sliced.
Rough green of my couch,
where I read, looking up
to see green vibrating
outside the glass doors.
The green of my mother's eyes,
faded like a fence
after years of rain.
The green giggle of a meadow
tickled by bees.
The brash green of plastic—
raincoats and sippy cups,
toy monsters, balloons,
pretending to be real.
The show-off greens
of a June tree juggling sunlight.
Frog green stretching
across air like a shout,
then gone
into green water.
The smallest shoot bursting
through a concrete crack
like a skinny kid
karate-chopping six boards.
Green!
It's not too late if you still want to play. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll add it to the list.Still Loved
I miss the clothes line
sheets snapping in the wind
smelling of sunshine and lilacs
though that lilac bush is long gone
I miss the crabapple, mulberry,
weeping willow and white birches
yet it’s the Rockefeller Center-worthy
firs that hold my imagination
My brother once jumped his pony over them
now they tower far above the house
I miss the lily of the valley,
white trilliums, black-eyed Susans,
Queen Anne’s lace, pussy willows,
cattails and silver dollars
flowers of my youth
I miss the wafting scents of manure,
fresh cut grass, spring in bloom,
summer rain, leaves in fall,
fires in winter
I miss the snow,
the blank canvas
wrought by each new storm
I miss the uneven slate floor,
naked baseboards,
drafty hall, narrow stairs
squeaky closet doors,
the wabi sabi of the home
my father built
I miss who we were there
These I have loved:
White plates and cups, clean-gleaming,
Ringed with blue lines; and feathery, faery dust;
Wet roofs, beneath the lamp-light; the strong crust
Of friendly bread; and many-tasting food;
Rainbows; and the blue bitter smoke of wood;
And radiant raindrops couching in cool flowers;
And flowers themselves, that sway through sunny hours,
Dreaming of moths that drink them under the moon;
Then, the cool kindliness of sheets, that soon
Smooth away trouble; and the rough male kiss
Of blankets; grainy wood; live hair that is
Shining and free; blue-massing clouds; the keen
Unpassioned beauty of a great machine;
The good smell of old clothes; and other such—
The comfortable smell of friendly fingers,
Hair's fragrance, and the musty reek that lingers
About dead leaves and last year's ferns....
Read the poem in its entirety.
Slap, Squeak & Scatter: How Animals Communicate, written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins, tells the story of how animals send messages in a myriad of ways. Here's how the book begins.Animals, like people, have important things to tell one another. The may need to warn of approaching danger or let others in their group know where to find food. They may want to protect their territory, keep their family together, or find a mate. Sending and receiving these kinds of messages is called communication.In the pages that follow, Jenkins highlights how animals warn one another of danger, declare their desire to reproduce, attempt to keep their groups /families together, find their offspring, tell others where food is located, mark their territory, and more. Some of the ways animals communicate are listed below. See if you can figure out what each display is meant to communicate. (Answers at the end of this post.)
