 Return to Home |
| |
|
|
|
|---|
 |
|---|
| Poetry Break #21 |
Poem by an African American Poet
Introduction
Read this poem aloud. Now, divide the group into two and read this poem by alternating lines.
Dream Boogie
by Langston Hughes
(A) Good morning, daddy
(B) Ain't you heard
(A) The boogie-woogie rumble
(B) Of a dream deferred?
(A) Listen closely
(B) You'll hear their feet
(A) Beating out and beating out a --
(B) You think
(B) It's a happy beat?
(A) Listen to it closely:
(B) Ain't you heard
(A) something underneath
like a --
(B) What did I say?
(A) Sure,
(B) I'm happy!
(A) Take it away!
(B) Hey, pop!
(A) Re-bop!
(B) Mop!
(A & B) Y-e-a-h!
Hughes, Langston. 1988. Dream Boogie. In Rhythm road: Poems to move to. Selected by Lillian Morrison. Lothrop: New York. ISBN 0688070981.
Extension
Read this poem using a drum or shaker. Allow students to experiment with instruments as they read this poem. Talk about rhythm and let students practice playing the instruments as you read other rhymthmic poems from this collection.
Return to top
| Poetry Break #22 |
A poem by a Latino poet
Introduction
Pat Mora does a great job of sharing culture as well as family relationships. Prepare a bag full of items to demonstrate the Latino culture and/or family.
Abuelita’s Lap
by Pat Mora
I know a place where I can sit
and tell about my day,
tell every color that I saw
from green to cactus gray.
I know a place where I can sit
and hear a favorite beat,
her heart and cuentos from the past,
the rhythms honey sweet.
I know a place where I can sit
and listen to a star,
listen to its silent song
gliding from afar.
I know a place where I can sit
and hear the wind go by,
hearing it spinning round my house,
my whirling lullaby.
Mora, Pat. 1996. Abuelita's Lap. Confetti: Poems for Children. Illus. Enrique Sanchez. Lee and Low: New York. ISBN 1880000253.
Extension
Continue to share poems about senior citizens, grandparents, parents, or family in general. Allow students to share stories about their family members. Have students choose one family member, and write a brief story or poem about that family member. Another suggestion is to bring a bag of goodies to talk about their culture(s) and family. Students can bring pictures, food, artifacts, and/or clothing related to their culture to share with classmates.
Return to top
| Poetry Break #23 |
A poem by an Asian American poet
Introduction
Bring in something that was given to you by a family member. Share why the item is special before reading this poem.
Good Luck Gold
by Janet Wong
When I was a baby
one month old,
my grandparents gave me
good luck gold:
a golden ring
so soft it bends,
a golden necklace
hooked at the ends,
a golden bracelet
with coins that say
I will be rich
and happy someday.
I wish that gold
would work
real soon.
I need my luck
this afternoon.
Wong, Janet. 1994. Good luck gold. In Good luck gold and other poems. ISBN 0689506171.
Extension
Students can share stories of items that have been given to them by friends or family members. Have the students write a short paragraph about why that item is so special.
Return to top
| Poetry Break #24 |
A poem by a Native American poet
Introduction
Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve was born on February 21, 1933. She was raised on the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota and is enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe.
I Watched an Eagle Soar
Grandmother,
I watched an eagle soar
high in the sky
until a cloud covered him up.
Grandmother,
I still saw the eagle
behind my eyes.
Sneve, Virgina Driving Hawk. 1989. I watched an eagle soar. In Dancing teepees: Poems of American Indian Youth. Illus. Stephen Gammell. Holiday House: New York. ISBN 0823407241.
Extension
Since Native Americans is one of the big studies in the elementary grades. Have students find poems or poets from the various tribes. Have students find poems about artifacts, people, places or tribes. As student's present information, make poetry an integral part of the presentation.
Return to top
| Poetry Break #25 |
A poem by an international poet
IntroductionAsks students to describe how poetry is like a river. Allow students to share examples. Now read this poem aloud. If you have a picture of a river or a bridge post them on the board for further discussion at the end of the poem.
The Bridge
Poetry is a river
And solitude a bridge
Through writing
We cross it,
Through reading
We return.
Kaissar Afif: Translated by Mansour Ajam.1998. The Bridge. In The flag of childhood poems from the Middle East. Selected by Naomi s. Nye. Aladdin: New York. ISBN 0689851723.
Extension
This is a great poem to introduce the structure of similes and metaphors. Have students find other poems that use similes and metaphors, or have them try to create their own. Illustrate the examples and post them on the bulletin board.
Return to top
Home
This site was last updated July 24, 2002.
This website was developed for educational purposes for the class: Poetry for Children at Texas Woman's University in Denton, TX.