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

Introduction:
The author's note at the beginning of the book talks about the history of "talking" drums in West African culture. Discuss the origins of this drum. Tell the students that traditional West African waterpots are called udo and are made of clay.

Toodle-loo! Toodle-lei! (refrain)
My water pot is made of clay;
Woodle-loo! Woodle-lei! (refrain)
It never has a word to say;
Toodle-loo! Toodle-lei! (refrain)
Once I went to the square to play;
Woodle-loo! Woodle-lei! (refrain)
My water pot in a corner, lay;
Toodle-loo! Toodle-lei! (refrain)
When I came back into the house,
Woodle-loo! Woodle-lei! (refrain)
It was singing with the mouse!

by Uzo Unobagha

[From: OFF TO THE SWEET SHORES OF AFRICA AND OTHER TALKING DRUM RHYMES, Chronicle Books, 2000]


Extension:
After reading the poem, read it again with the children participating in the refrain. See if you and your students can put the poem to music. Compare and contrast this type of poem to Mother Goose poems by considering their origins and styles.

Poetry Review #4: Poetry Across the Curriculum

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Peters, Lisa Westberg. 2003. EARTHSHAKE: POEMS FROM THE GROUND UP. Ill. by Cathie Felstead. Greenwillow Books: New York.

This collection of twenty-two poems relating to geology is perfect for science teachers to enrich their curriculum. Poems relating to rocks, lava, quartz, and the continental plates round out this book. This book contains both a table of contents, and of great interest and aid to teachers is the endnote section. The endnote section has notes that correlate to each poem, giving basic geological information that tie into learning the subject. There are a variety of styles of poems in the book, including humorous poems, concrete poems, and poems with plenty of alliteration. Most of the poems are short, and the fact that there is a wide variety of poems will make the book appealing to all students from Kindergarten and up.

Many of the poems will spark an interest in geology, such as:

Recipe for Granite

Melt a chunk of continent.

Heat at a million degrees,
long enough for the world
to spin a trillion times,
long enough for the Milky Way
to make it partway to infinity.

Cool
slowly enough for crystals
to form like pink and white starts,
slowly enough for the dinosaurs
to go extinct.

Makes one mountain range.
Serves a whole country.
Enjoy!

The poem entitled, Plain Old Rock, is a nice introduction to hidden beauty of geodes. Students could learn the poem and see geodes in class.

Plain Old Rock

Plain old rock
by the side of the road.

Should I roll it
into the ditch?

Round rock
by the side of the road.

I pick it up
and feel its weight.

Light rock
by the side of the road.

I take aim with my hammer
and split it.

Geode
by the side of the road.

Gleaming jewels inside.

The illustrations by Cathie Felstead compliment the poems nicely. They are collages created by a variety of materials. Colorful, the illustrations bring the subjects of each poem to life. In the front and back of the book are illustrations which look as if you are seeing inside a rock. Throughout the book, illustrations of acrylics and watercolors help one to see the beauty of the earth through the rich blues, greens, and earthy tones.

Poetry Break Friday: A poem about Spring

Introduction:

This poem is in both Spanish and English. See if you have any Spanish speaking students in your class who can read the poem. Have someone read the poem in Spanish, and have your non-Spanish speaking students guess what the poem is about. Try having students read the poem in both English and Spanish at the same time and see how it sounds.


Jitomates
risueños

en el jardín
plantamos
jitomates

los vegetales
más felices
de todos

alegres
se redondean
de sabor

risueños
se ponen
colorados

convirtiendo
sus arbustos
alambrados

en árboles
de navidad
en primavera

Laughing
Tomatoes

in our backyard
we plant
tomatoes

the happiest
of all
vegetables

with joy
they grow round
with flavor

laughing
they change
to red

turning
their wire-framed
bushes

into
Christmas trees
in spring

by Francisco X. Alarcón

[From: LAUGHING TOMATOES AND OTHER SPRING POEMS, Children's Book Press, 1997]


Extension:

Buy small tomato plants in the Spring and watch them grow. Have students take care of the plants by watering, fertilizing, and making sure they have sun. Once tomatoes grow, cut open tomatoes to see the seeds inside. Also, make some dishes to try with tomatoes, such as tomato salad or pasta sauce.