Poetry



Topic: Poetry

Grade Level: 5

Karen J. Amster

Description of the Topic : Poetry involves the creative use of figurative language to express an idea or story. Poetry can be written in many forms including cinquain, haiku, acrostic, limerick, free verse, sonnet, lyric, and concrete, In this instruction fifth grade accelerated language arts students will read, listen to and perform a range of poetic styles representing different cultures and eras. Students will also analyze poetry and write their own poems. These learners are at an impressionable stage in regards to their understanding of and appreciation for poetry, so it is important to try to make this unit enjoyable so they will look forward to future poetry studies in school and want to continue to read and write poetry for pleasure beyond their school experiences.

Standards: This unit covers 5th Grade Academic Content Standards relating to Reading Applications: Literary Text Standards and Writing Process Standards as reflected in the Overall Goals of Study stated below.

Overall Goals of Study

V5.4 Identify and understand new uses of words and phrases in text, such as similes and metaphors.

RAL5.7 Interpret how an author’s choice of words appeals to the senses and suggests mood.

RAL5.8 Identify and explain the use of figurative language in literary works, including idioms, similes, hyperboles, metaphors and personification.

RP5.5 Make inferences based on implicit information in texts, and provide justifications for those inferences.

Essential Understanding: Reading and writing poetry require an awareness of the special techniques in language that poets use to express ideas and paint pictures with words.

RAL5.6 Describe the defining characteristics of literary forms and genres, including poetry, drama, chapter books, biographies, fiction and non-fiction.

V5.3 Identify the connotation and denotation of new words.

RP5.7 Answer literal, inferential and evaluative questions to demonstrate comprehension of grade-appropriate print texts and electronic and visual media.

WA5.5 Produce informal writing (e.g., journals, notes and poems) for various purposes.

Prepare students for a visit by poet-illustrator Douglas Florian.

Length of Study: 3 – 4 weeks

Learner Analysis: These learners are ten and eleven-year-old fifth grade students in the accelerated language arts class in a public school in a suburban setting. The total school population of this intermediate school is approximately 850 fifth and sixth grade students.

In order to be placed in the accelerated language arts program, students must meet the minimum criteria of composite SAS (standard age score) of 129 on the CogAT and 95% NPR (national percentile rank ) in Total Reading and 95% NPR in Total Language on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills within the past two years.

Class size is 15 students – 6 boys and 9 girls. The class is ethnically and socieconomically diverse. This class meets every day for 90 minutes each day.

These students share the characteristics of gifted children: sophisticated sense of humor, perfectionism, disorganized, organized, asynchronous development, creative thinkers, passionate, easily bored, large vocabulary, learn easily, longer attention span, persistent, resourceful, self-directed, sensitive (concerned about world matters, injustice, etc.), many interests, reasoned opinions.

Learning Styles: These learners tend to be quite successful in school. They seem to be mostly visual and kinesthetic learners who need a variety of activities – not the same routine day after day. They benefit from taking breaks and having the opportunity to move about the room. They are happy to work individually, or in small or large groups.

Entry skills: All of these students are reading above grade level and have excellent vocabularies and reasoning and writing skills. The students are proficient with the computer and have used computers at school for wordprocessing, Study Island practice, and for research. They are comfortable logging onto the computer and have been instructed on how to use the Internet. They are currently learning keyboarding skills with “Type to Learn” in their weekly enrichment class.

The students have entered the intermediate school from four feeder elementary schools and the school district has a high transfer rate, so although students have certainly been exposed to poetry, their experience with and knowledge of poetry is varied. When asked, almost all said they were familiar with poetic devices of similes, metaphors, alliteration, and personification. Students generally feel that every poem should rhyme, and if it’s not funny, why read it.

Before starting the unit, students have been given the assignment to choose and read independently a book of poetry of a type they have not read before. Students have been provided with a list of acceptable poets for this project (including: Poe, Frost, Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Dunbar, the Bronte Sisters). The chosen books cannot contain only nonsense verse. When the teacher announced that the next unit of study would be poetry, there were some groans, so already there are some negative attitudinal issues about poetry that must be overcome.

This year students have the added motivational factor for their poetry study that in April award-winning children’s poet-illustrator Douglas Florian will be visiting the school, and students will have the opportunity to listen to him talk about his approach to writing and illustrating and interact with him

|Poetry 1 |

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|podcast of Douglas Florian reading five poems |Media type: |

|from zoo’s who |audio |

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|Florian, Douglas. School Library Journal. Apr 2007. Reed Business Information. 10 Oct. 2007 |

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|Poet Douglas Florian reads five poems from his book zoos who: “The Eagle”, “The Ladybugs”, “The Puffin”, “The Slugs”, and “The Sloth”. |

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|Suggested use: The teacher will guide students to look at these poems and their accompanying illustrations in the zoo’s who book. Then the |

|students will listen to the audio of Douglas reciting the poems. The class will discuss how his tempo, inflection, pitch, and intonation |

|enhance the overall mental images of the poems. The students will then look back at these poems in the book. Do the students view the poems |

|differently after hearing them read and interpreted by the poet? Ask students if hearing a poem read aloud affects one’s enjoyment and |

|interpretation of that poem? |

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|Availability: presently this file is on the Internet |

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|Requirements: This is an MP3 file on the Internet. A computer with Internet connection and speakers is required. One of the classroom |

|computers could be used to play this. |

| ( Yes, this media will be used. |

|How: Teacher will use this resource in the manner suggested above having students look at the poems and illustrations in the book, listen to |

|the poet read his poem and then discuss the impact of hearing the poem. This teacher mentioned that she would love to make a podcast of her |

|students reading poetry. |

Rationale for the Florian podcast: Students will be interested in hearing the poet they will be meeting later in the year. This will stimulate their interest in reading and writing poetry. Hearing Douglas Florian speak will give students a better understanding of the playful nature of the man behind his poems.

Rationale for audio poetry: Poetry is meant to be shared and read out loud. In an article entitled “Sharing Poetry Out Loud and Soft”, children’s poet Douglas Florian muses: “Reciting a poem is a re-sight-ing of a poem, making it more clear and exciting. A spoken poem is harder to ignore. It’s out there in the air, tangible, delectable, not merely intellectual. It enters us through our ears, leaving our eyes free to imagine and dream of all that that poem hints at.”

Poetry Aloud Here! Sharing Poetry with Children in the Library by Sylvia M. Vardell published by the American Library Association in 2006 praises audio poetry, saying:

In an ideal world, we would have access to all children’s poems read aloud by the poets who wrote them. Hearing poems read aloud by their authors is a terrific experience. Audio recordings help children hear the sounds of the words, the rhythm of the lines, and the expression of the reader in ways that make poetry come alive. And although you yourself can provide some insights by reading a poem aloud, it does not compare to the unique and memorable experience of hearing a poem read by its author. It is worth the extra effort to seek out such recordings because they are the next best thing to personal visits from the poets. (73)

|Poetry 2 |

| | Media type |

|Poetry Speaks to Children |audio |

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|Paschen, Elise, ed. Poetry Speaks to Children. Naperville , IL: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2005. |

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|Call number: j811.008092 p745 2005 |

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|Suggested Use: Poetry Speaks to Children immerses listeners in the figurative language, imagery, rhythm, and rhyme of poetry. Learners will |

|discover for themselves the richness of this literary form as they hear Ogden Nash, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, J.R.R Tolkien, Gwendolyn |

|Brooks, Nikki Giovanni and thirty other poets each with their unique styles, dialects and tempos read their own works aloud. |

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|A teacher might begin each class period by playing several poems from the CD and then asking students for their reactions. Discussions would |

|naturally touch on favorite poems, examples of figurative language, mood, word choice and use of poetic techniques like similes, and metaphors|

|– all parts of the English Language Arts standards. |

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|Available for purchase for $13.57 from Amazon, or can be reserved from the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County with two weeks |

|notice. |

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|Requirements: Since this resource is on CD, a stand-alone CD player or a computer with CD audio capability including a CD drive, soundcard and|

|speakers is required. |

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|( Yes, this media will be used. Teacher will use in the manner explained above playing and discussing the poems. The teacher says that her |

|goal is that her students will leave the unit loving poetry, and she feels this allowing students to hear poetry read by the poet and other |

|professional readers will be a good attention getter to introduce this unit. |

Rationale: This collection seems to be well-suited for the fifth grade audience because it includes some poems that are just plain fun, some poems that will make students think, and some classics like “The Jabberwocky” and “The Raven“. By listening to this well-balanced broad array of works representing many eras and cultures and styles, students will be developing skills of interpretation that they will draw upon in the future when they read and analyze the works of Tennyson, Crane and Longfellow.

As children hear more poetry, they will gain an appreciation for this literary form and want to hear more, read more and express themselves creatively through poetry. The excellent performances on the CD serve as models for students as they read and recite poetry themselves.

|Poetry |

|3 |

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|Poetry Aloud Here! |Media type: |

| |Text – non-fiction |

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|Vardell, Sylvia M. Poetry Aloud Here! Chicago: American Library Association, 2006. |

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|Call number: 372.64 v291 2006 |

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|Suggested Use: |

|This teacher resource is teeming with teaching tips, current resources, annotated bibliographies, and good ideas about how to share poetry |

|with children ages five to twelve in meaningful and fun ways. Not to be missed: the annotated list “Meet the Poets: Fifty Names to Know (30), |

|Douglas Florian’s essay entitled “Sharing Poetry Out Loud and Soft” (60) and the chapter “How Do You Promote Poetry?” with the section about |

|poetry across curriculum areas. Even by skimming, teachers can pick up good ideas that can readily be adapted for use in most classrooms. |

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|Available through the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County |

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|No restrictions. |

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|( Yes, this resource will be used by the teacher to give her ideas for teaching poetry. The cross curriculum information was very intriguing |

|to the teacher. She thought about the possibilities of writing poetry in a Social Studies unit about a topic like the Westward Movement in the|

|United States. |

Rationale: This book has many practical and easy-to-do suggestions for teaching poetry - a real confidence booster. In a short time a teacher can skim and pick up good ideas that can readily be adapted for classroom use. The author is a respected expert in poetry who teaches in the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman’s University. This 210-page paperback book is light-weight and easy to carry around for reference or to read in spare time.

|Poetry |

|4 |

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|jpeg digital photo of poet Douglas Florian |Media type: |

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| |visual |

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|Suggested Use: |

|Students are often curious about what an author looks like. There are no photographs of Douglas Florian on his book jackets. Instead there |

|are self-portraits that he has drawn in the context of the book’s theme. For instance in Winter Eyes he’s wearing a hat, scarf and ear muffs.|

|in the swim he looks rather fishy and in mammalabilia he has horns on top of his head. Students may be quite interested in what he really |

|looks like these days. This photo can be projected in the classroom or printed out for bulletin board display. Seeing a poet as a real person|

|reminds students that poets write about real events that they observe and emotions they experience. |

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|Availability: currently on my Kent State server |

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|Restrictions: A computer with Internet connection is required (although this jpeg file could be transferred on a disk and installed on the |

|teacher’s classroom computer), a large monitor is needed for display (one is available in the classroom) and/ or a color printer to make a |

|hard copy. |

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|( Yes, this media will be used. After showing the self-portraits of Douglas Florian on the back flaps of his books, the teacher would |

|project the photograph of the poet on the large screen monitor for all the students to see how it matched their perceptions of what he would |

|look like. She would probably also put a color copy of the digital photo on a mini bulletin board along with copies of some of his |

|self-portraits from his books and a poem or two by Douglas Florian. |

Rationale: As our text points out on page 255, an advantage of a no-projected visual is that it is readily available, no equipment is necessary, and it is easy to use. The projected image allows all students in the class to view at one time.

|Poetry 5 |

| | CD ROM multimedia |

|The Writing Trek | |

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|The Writing Trek. CD-ROM. ED-Vantage Software, Inc. Pleasantville , NY 1999 |

|Call number: 372.623 W9561 1999 |

|Suggested Use: |

|This interactive computer CD ROM takes students on a writing journey which helps them brush-up on their fundamental writing skills, review |

|poetry concepts including line, rhyme, meter, figures of speech, sound patterns and theme, and then after incremental guided learning lessons,|

|challenges them to take on creative writing assignments of writing song lyrics and concrete poetry. |

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|I think fifth grade accelerated language arts students would benefit from working through Writing Trek in groups of two or three in the |

|computer lab, three or four times a week over a period of two weeks. |

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|The classroom teacher should be available to answer questions and talk with the students about what they are discovering. The CD also covers |

|other areas of language arts including newspaper reporting, fictional stories, biography, research, design, and theatre, so some students |

|might like to explore the program further during independent study times. |

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|Availability: May be borrowed from The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County or a lab 10 – pack can be purchased from Sunburst for |

|$110.00 |

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|Requires at least a Windows 486, 33 Mhz, Pentium 60Mhz computer or better, Windows 95 (though XP and Vista runs the program well), 8MB RAM, |

|CD-ROM 4x drive, 20MB Hard Drive Space, 16bit color monitor. For the entire class to use the program, the computer lab would need to be |

|reserved a week in advance. |

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|X NO, this media will not be used. The teacher is interested and would like to review the program for possible inclusion in instruction at a|

|later date. However, District Policy prevents installing outside software. The process for approval is that several teachers review the |

|software, test it with several students, petition for money to buy it. |

Rationale: This program utilizes many higher order thinking prompts and suggests many advanced writing activities and extensions. The program’s content takes students beyond mere facts and knowledge, asking them to weigh information and draw independent conclusions while constructing their own knowledge. For this reason it is well suited for use in a gifted educational program.

Our text points out that multimedia programs must balance fundamental skills with higher-order thinking while matching curriculum standards. The content must be stimulating and draw students into learning and help students find that a range of solutions exists. (Smaldino 182) Writing Trek does all of these things while aligning with the reading and writing 5th grade standards. To review concepts students can choose to watch a “learn it” segment then do practice exercises in the “try it” with immediate feedback and then “do it” (an extension with creative writing exercises). The music, graphics, and animation all serve to draw the student into the experience and the authentic challenge of writing lyrics and composing concrete poems appeals to 5th graders. Our text also points out that computers and multimedia are useful tools to enhance learning opportunities for gifted students.

|Poetry |

|6 |

| |Media type: |

|scholastic poetry website |web resource |

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|“Writing with Writers – Poetry”. 2007. Scholastic. 10 Oct. 2007 . |

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|Suggested Use: |

|Teachers would first present an overview of the website telling students what to look for and then allow students to explore this web resource|

|in pairs in the computer lab for 30 minutes a day for several days. Then students would reconvene and discuss what they learned and have the |

|opportunity to share the writing exercises they had completed and original poetry they had written and published in the online gallery. Some |

|of the site’s pages include a lot of text which students could take turns reading softly aloud. Alternately teachers could do a website |

|walk-through with the students, reading the background material together by projecting the wesite on a large classroom monitor. Then students|

|could do the interactive exercises in the computer lab or access the site at home or during study hall. |

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|Availability: Currently available on the Internet. |

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|Requirement: Computer with Internet capability. If used in computer lab, the lab would need to be reserved a week in advance. |

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|( Yes, this media will be used. Teacher may demonstrate the website features to the students and suggest that they work on it at home or in |

|their spare time during independent study. Or if the computer lab is available in the upcoming weeks, she will have them do this as a class |

|activity. She was interested in having her students publish their own poetry online |

Rationale: Again fifth grade seems like a perfect age for this activity because these students can benefit from all three poets’ mini workshops. In the Jack Prelutsky area (targeted to grades 1-4) this popular poet shares tips on writing poetry, recommends writing warm-ups with figurative language exercises and gives students the chance to write and publish personal poems online (adding to the more than 10,000 student poems published over the past three years of the project). With the Poetry Engine students are guided to write cinquain, free verse, haiku and limericks. Karla Kuskin’s workshop area (recommended for grades 4-8) discusses the power behind descriptive words and Jean Marzollo’s workshop (target audience grades 2 - 5) gives tips and activities relating to rhythm and rhyming couplets as she explains how she writes clues for I Spy puzzles. Students can enter a monthly contest by writing a rhyming clue for the puzzle. The poets encourage students to write poetry independently and share it.

With the Scholastic poetry program, students can choose areas of interest, learn independently and receive immediate feedback, enhancing learning opportunities especially for gifted students. Students can explore the site, uncover information and take control of the depth and sequence of their own learning.

As our textbook discusses, online Internet learning allows students to obtain boundless information and resources outside of classroom walls. (183). Computers have the ability to deliver information in any medium including print, video and audio recordings of voice. Students have the ability to navigate easily within and among documents choosing areas of interest. Schools connected to the Internet can access the information without the need for the software to be installed on the computer or the need to purchase expensive software packages. Students can also complete an online web-based assignment at home or at libraries on a computer connected to the Internet.

|Poetry 7 |

| | |

|beast feast |Media type: |

| |Text non-fiction |

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|Florian, Douglas. beast feast. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1994. |

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|Call number J811.54 qF635b |

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|Beast feast, a collection of 21 witty, humorous, factual animal poems written and illustrated by Douglas Florian, is a fun book that might |

|bend some of the traditional rules of poetry a little. |

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|Teachers can best model how to read Florian’s poems simply by reading and enjoying the poems with students. The trick is to guide students to|

|develop a deeper appreciation for poetry without becoming over-analytical and suppressing the joy of the genre. The teacher can read several |

|Florian poems with the class pointing out his use of poetic elements and puns and humor. Then in small groups students can read several poems |

|from the book, picking out one or two favorites to share aloud and discuss with the class. Hopefully students will discover and learn about |

|the standards of figurative language, alliteration, personification, metaphor and simile as they stumble across them in Florian’s works. |

|Available through the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County |

|Restrictions: none |

| |

|( Yes, this media will be used. She will read a few poems with the class to demonstrate how to read and think about meaning of the poem and |

|the use of figurative language, wordplay, and poetic elements. Then students in small groups will read and discuss poems in the book and |

|choose several to perform and discuss before the class. |

Rational: Beast feast received the 1995 Lee Bennett Hopkins Award for Children’s Poetry which is presented annually to an American poet or anthologist for the most outstanding new book of children’s poetry published in the previous calendar year. The award criteria states: “Good poetry is imaginative. It deals with emotion and has significance beyond the act of creation. It uses figurative language, yet is compact in thought and expression. Good poetry has an element of beauty and truth which appears unstable outside of the poem. Further the book which wins the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award for Children’s Poetry must be accessible to children and its presentation must serve the poem or poems in an attractive and appropriate manner.”

Additional advantages of a 48-page book being used to teach literary standards is that copies are available at the public library and in the school media center. It is small, compact and light-weight so students can read it at their desks, in an easy chair, on the floor or slip it into their book bag to take home with them.

|Poetry 8 |

| |Media type: |

|Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars |Text non-fiction |

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|Florian, Douglas. Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars. New York: Harcourt, Inc. 2007. |

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|Call number: 811.54 qF635c 2007 |

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|Suggested Uses: This latest book from Douglas Florian is his brightest, boldest, most energetic yet. When looked at within the whole context |

|of books he’s written and illustrated throughout his career, Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars shows that Florian’s creative writing and |

|illustrations are dynamic and that they keep evolving. Douglas Florian is an excellent example for young gifted students of a gifted adult |

|making contributions to the world while pursuing a career he is passionate about. Students can put Douglas’ work on a timeline comparing his |

|early nonfiction works for young children: the chef, or the painter with zoo’s who, monster motel, insectlopedia and Comets, Star, the Moon |

|and Mars. |

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|These companion interviews with Douglas about Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars discuss his inspirations for the book and research hec |

|conducted and should be read along with the book: |

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|this resources talks about Douglas Florian’s childhho and how he began as a New Yorker cartoon artist and then became a children’s nonfiction |

|author and later a children’s poet. |

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|Availability: Book is available through the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County |

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|Restrictions: Internet Resources require computer with Internet access. |

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|( Yes this media will be used. Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars will be available for students to look at during independent study and will |

|be used to highlight how Douglas Florian continues to do what he loves – writing and illustrating in new fresh ways. The teacher agreed that |

|discussing how Douglas Florian has redefined himself throughout his life and changed focus by always finding something new and interesting to |

|pursue would be a good example for gifted students. |

Rationale: Gifted kids sometimes need help seeing how their special talents can be applied.

Douglas explained in an interview with Harcourt Books

Q: You began creating poetry books for Harcourt with Monster Motel, published in 1993. Since then, what have you learned about yourself as a poet and an artist?

A: The most important thing I've learned is both to build upon what I've done and to keep growing and learning. I don't think I could have done zoo's who ten or even five years ago. I've tried to create poems with different rhyme schemes, rhythms, and formats. I've tried to paint pictures with different densities, complexities, and expressive qualities.

|Poetry 9 |

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|zoo’s who |Media type: |

| |Text non-fiction |

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|Florian, Douglas. zoo’s who. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2005. |

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|Call number j811.54 qF635z |

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|Suggested Use: |

|Students in small groups can read several poems from the book, picking out one or two favorites to share aloud and discuss with the class. |

|The focus with this book could be how Douglas integrates well-researched scientific fact with keen observation and humor and plays on words.. |

|This would be a good lead-in to the next literature unit on non-fiction. |

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|Zoo’s who will be used with the School Library Journal podcast of Douglas reading five poems. |

|(resource #1) |

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|This is a 2005 interview with Douglas Florian about zoo’s who could be shared with students: |

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|Available through the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County |

|Restrictions: none |

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|( Yes, this media will be used as described above. This will be one of the books that students will read in small groups, choose a few poems|

|to perform and discuss with the whole class. |

 

Rationale: Douglas Florian reads five of the poems from this book in the School Library Journal audio file (resource #1), so it would be helpful for students to be familiar with the book before listening.

|Poetry |

|10 |

| |Media type: |

|“Poetry Rules!” essay by Douglas Florian | |

| |web resource |

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|Florian, Douglas. “Poetry Rules!” 2001. Amazon. 10 Oct. 2007 . |

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|Suggested Use: |

|Description: In this essay Douglas professes his belief that “the first rule of poetry is: There are no rules!” He gives students their |

|poetic licenses to coin new words, spell words differently, use bad grammar and unconventional punctuation and change the shape of the text |

|when it suits what they are trying to do with the poem. |

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|Students can either read the “Poetry Rules!” short essay independently in the computer lab or together in the regular classroom as it is |

|projected on a monitor. This essay will be more meaningful to students after they have read several Douglas Florian poems – it will confirm |

|and make sense of what they observed about Douglas Florian’s style. |

|Requirements: a computer with Internet connection |

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|Availability: Currently on the web |

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|( Yes, this media will be used. Teacher will share the esssay with the class probably by printing it out so students can read it. She |

|explained that while for some students the freedom of a no rules approach to poetry will be exhilarating, for the perfectionist gifted |

|students who like structure and rules to follow, this no rules idea may make them a little uneasy. She felt that discussing this essay after |

|reading a few poems would be a good approach. |

Rationale for the Compilations of Works by Individual Poets:

In Poetry Aloud Here! Vardell explains that compilations of works by individual poets offer the best way to get a feeling for a poet’s unique voice and style. Single-poet collections are popular with both children and adults after they have had some introduction to a collection’s writer. (57) .

While there will be a special spot-light on Douglas Florian’s works this year because of his visit, the teacher will also be presenting a variety of poetic works by different poets written in different poetic styles.

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