Poetry Rocks! On Poetry Friday

I had to take a photo of these folders. They belong to two third grade boys at Norwood Elementary, where I just finished a long poetry residency. (They thought I was a little strange, taking a picture of their folders.) So much excitement about poetry! It’s infectious. I caught the bug. Here’s my original poem: Poetry Rocks

Norwood Elementary, Fall 2008 Poetry rocks. It is a blast! Short bumpy lines make my heart beat fast like a basketball thump, thump, thumping. Words pivot, pass, I hear them jumping. Poetry rocks me back to calm, Tells a story, sings me a sad song. When long lines linger like a lullaby, poetry floats. It’s a butterfly. Laura Shovan

I couldn’t decide whether to stick with the butterfly (which does float on air) or to put a dragonfly in the last line. More of a hoverer, but also more suggestive. What do you think?

Writing Exercise: Poetry Rocks!

Recommended Ages: All

Does poetry rock you like a hurricane or rock you to sleep? Tell us in a poem what power poetry has over you. Bonus for similes!

It's Poetry Friday. Rock out with more poetry at Wild Rose Reader, our host for the week.

I'm hosting next week -- see you then!

Amok in Odes, Part 2

A middle school lesson on writing odes.

I sent Keats’ “Ode on Grecian Urn” ahead for Janene Sharbaugh at Bonnie Branch Middle to discuss with students.

Since the language is so dense in Keats’ ode, I also sent an online image of a Grecian Urn, so kids would know what Keats was describing.

Ms. Sharbaugh admitted that the kids struggled with Keats, but some fell in love with the imagery of people frozen in time, forever chasing after a kiss, always young.

We started the lesson talking about Keats’ elevated language. “But what if we used that same language for everyday objects?” I asked. Pablo Neruda’s “Odes to Simple Things” include odes to a tomato, his socks, and laziness.

Now we are ready to talk about Gary Soto's modern "Ode to Pablo's Tennis Shoes." The students noticed that the character of Pablo isn’t described directly in Soto’s poem. We get our information about him through his beaten-up, grass-stained shoes.

He wants to be Like his shoes, A little dirty From the road… For me, these conjure mythological American heroes – the cowboy, “Easy Rider” traveling cross country by motorcycle.

The class liked that Soto doesn’t judge Pablo for not being studious. He’d rather run through his days in those almost-magical sneakers because "his eyes sting...from long words in books." It’s as if Pablo can’t be a rambunctious, active kid without those shoes to get him through the day.

On the board, we brainstormed for an imagined ode to the floor. It gets stepped on all day. We band and stomp, but it never complains. It holds up the walls. It’s versatile – carpet, wood, linoleum.

Lots of hands were going up – a signal that the students had the idea and were ready to write. We did a short reading at the end of the period.

One of my favorite responses was an ode to a spoon, which tasted food alongside the poet, then enjoyed a cleansing shower in the dishwasher. Another was “Ode to an Exit Sign” (talk about an overlooked object). One of the lines described the sign, “Guiding us to freedom.”

Writers will appreciate one boy’s “Ode to a Pencil.” He called his pencil, “Wand of the mind.”

It’s exciting for me – and the classroom teacher – when kids get the idea like this. I can’t wait to see their finished odes.

Writing Exercise: Paying Attention with Everyday Odes

Recommended for: advanced elementary through adult

Choose an object that you would normally overlook or take for granted. Take a few moments to brainstorm what role that object plays in your life.

Could you live without it?

What does it do for you?

What makes it wonderful?

Describe your object in an ode.

Poetry Craft Alert! If you’re working on “Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes” with elementary and middle schoolers, here’s a craft idea. It was recommended by my friend, super-crafter Amy Vittori (check out her blog!)

Materials: pre-cut card stock in the shape of a sneaker, whatever crafts bits and pieces you have.

Give every child a sneaker. Like Pablo in the poem, these shoes are a way for kids to describe themselves. Have kids decorate their shoes with clues about things and activities they like.

A child who has a dog might add dog hair (pieces of yarn) to his sneaker. A girl whose basketball team color is purple might have purple laces or her jersey number. Kids who love being outside can add green crayon for grass stains, like Pablo.

I haven’t tried this craft. If you use this idea in your classroom or home/school, let me know how it goes. I'd love to see some pix.

Amok in Odes, Part 1

Ode to a Wrestler’s Parents' Nerves

DJRobMan is at the Cougar wrestling tournament in Thurmont, MD tonight. He made it all the way to the final round! I’m waiting for a phone call to hear how he did. He was pretty pumped about one of his matches – he won by tech fall.

To help me bide the time, here is an ode by Gary Soto that I’ve been using with middle schoolers.

Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes They wait under Pablo’s bed, Rain-beaten, sun-beaten, A scuff of green At their tips From when he fell In the school yard. He fell leaping for a football That sailed his way. But Pablo fell and got up, Green on his shoes, With the football Out of reach. Now it’s night. Pablo is in bed listening To his mother laughing To the Mexican novelas on TV. His shoes, twin pets That snuggle his toes, Are under the bed. He should have bathed, But he didn’t (Dirt rolls from his palm, Blades of grass Tumble from his hair.) He wants to be Like his shoes, A little dirty From the road…

You can find the poem in Soto’s collection, “Neighborhood Odes.” I got it from my favorite kids’ book on poetic form, "A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms," edited by Paul B. Janeczko.

Do a search on the title of the poem and you’ll find lesson ideas for “Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes,” including classroom reproducibles from Scholastic.

Last week, I took this lesson to Bonnie Branch Middle’s GT Writers’ Guild.

(There's a description of Howard County, MD's G/T Writers' Guild program at this school website. It's not Bonnie Branch, but you'll get an idea of what the program is about. Full disclosure -- I co-chair the county's G/T Advisory Committee.)

Janene Sharbaugh is the G/T Resource Teacher at Bonnie Branch, which is in Ellicott City. We chose a lesson on odes because she wanted students to work on word choice.

In this lesson, we use the celebratory wording and grand metaphors of an ode to describe common objects. The exercise shows students that the words we select can shift the readers’ point of view.

Our discussion of “Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes” and a writing exercise for middle schoolers tomorrow.

P.S. He won first place!