The Poetry Environment
Introduction:
Robert Frost was one of my favorite poets when I was in high school because I was able to understand what he was talking about. Young people are presented with choices every day that have lasting effects on their lives. This poem by Frost portrays this dilemma and serves as a good introduction to a discussion about choices.
"The Road Not Taken"
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Extension: Invite students to participate in a discussion about instances in their lives when a choice that they have made has "made all the difference." After the discussion, students could write about dilemmas that they experienced and illustrate their choices using Frost's analogy of a choice between two roads, showing the results of the choice that they made.
"The Road Not Taken"
by Robert Frost
From: http://www.robertfrost.org/poem2.html
Accessed 06/06/04
Introduction:
The books of Eric Carle, which often teach a lesson in an entertaining format, are excellent introductions to units in various fields. This book can be used as an introduction to the concept of metamorphosis in a science lesson. Read the poem version of the book first without the benefit of Carle's illustrations.
"The Very Hungry Caterpillar"
by Eric Carle
In the light of the moon
A little egg lay on a leaf.
One Sunday morning
The warm sun came up and
Pop!
Out of the egg
Came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar.
He started to look for some food.
On Monday he ate through one apple,
But he was still hungry.
On Tuesday he ate through two pears,
But he was still hungry.
On Wednesday he ate through three plums,
But he was still hungry.
On Thursday he ate through four strawberries,
But he was still hungry.
On Friday he ate through five oranges,
But he was still hungry.
On Saturday he ate through one piece of chocolate cake,
One ice-cream cone,
One pickle,
One slice of Swiss cheese,
One slice of salami,
One lollipop,
One piece of cherry pie,
One sausage,
One cupcake,
And one slice of watermelon.
That night he had a stomachache!
The next day was Sunday again.
The caterpillar ate through one nice green leaf,
And after that
He felt much better.
Now he wasn't hungry any more -
And he wasn't a little caterpillar any more.
He was a
Big,
Fat,
Caterpillar.
He built a small house,
Called a cocoon,
Around himself.
He stayed inside for more than two weeks.
Then
He nibbled a hole in the cocoon,
Pushed his way out and�..
He was a beautiful butterfly!
Extension:
After reading the poem, share the text in its original form, the book written and illustrated by Eric Carle. Ask the students if the pictures that they painted in their minds as the text was read the first time are similar to those done by Carle. Have students illustrate and label a complete metamorphosis from egg to larva to cocoon to butterfly using Carle's text as an inspiration. As an additional extension, share Douglas Florian's poem about a caterpillar, The Caterpillar in Insectlopedia.
Carle, Eric. 1969. The very hungry caterpillar. New York: Philomel Books.
ISBN 0-399-20853-4.
Introduction:
I am often held captive in the car with the radio under the control of my 12 year old, almost teen-aged son. Being a child of the 60's, I still think that there is no music like rock and roll and fail to acknowledge that rap is even a genre worthy of being called music. When this song came on the radio, I started my usual protest about rap music. My son stopped me cold saying, "Just listen to the words, Mom. It says exactly the same thing that you are always preaching!" While still not my favorite genre, I do now see some redeeming qualities in rap music.
"Where Is The Love"
by Black Eyed Peas (f/ Justin Timberlake)
What's wrong with the world, mama
People livin' like they ain't got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma
Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin'
In the USA, the big CIA
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah
Badness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
Nigga, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all
People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek
Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love
The love, the love
It just ain't the same, always unchanged
New days are strange, is the world insane
If love and peace is so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations droppin' bombs
Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones
With the ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young
So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone
So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong
In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin'
in
Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother
A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover
The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug
If you never know truth then you never know love
Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the love, y'all
People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek
Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love
The love, the love
I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' in the wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema
Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down
There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under
Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found
People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek
Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Extension:
Music is a strong voice for young people. Discuss the lyrics of some of the students' favorite songs and why the students find them appealing. Offer the suggestion that music is often poetry. Can they think of songs that they do not particularly like the music of, but that have strong lyrics that speak to them? Have students write the lyrics to their favorite song or write an original song.
"Where is the Love"
by Black Eyed Peas (f/ Justin Timberlake)
Available from: http://www.anysonglyrics.com/lyrics/b/blackeyedpeas/whereisthelove.htm
Accessed 06/04/04
Introduction: As far back as I can remember, when November turned into December, my father would begin singing a song I knew only as "Christmas is Coming." Although my father has been dead for the past three Christmases, the song still runs through my head each year as Christmas approaches, recalling fond memories of Christmases past and a man who had a very important role in my life. As I browsed through a book of Mother Goose, I was pleasantly surprised to find that "Daddy's Christmas Song" was actually a Mother Goose rhyme.
"Christmas"
Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat,
Please to put a penny in an old man's hat;
If you haven't got a penny a ha'penny will do,
If you haven't got a ha'penny, God bless you.
Extension:
There are many family traditions and memories created through the celebration of Christmas/Hannukah or other holidays. After sharing my own memories of my father always singing the same song each year at Christmastime, I would invite the students to share their own stories of family traditions associated with holidays.
"Christmas" in The real mother goose. 1944. Chicago: Rand McNally & Company.
Introduction:
Becoming Joe DiMaggio is a book written in a series of poems about author Maria Testa's father's youth and his discovery of his destiny. The poem "Happiness" tells of his finding the inspiration for his future career as a surgeon in the pages of Gray's Anatomy which he found in the local library.
"Happiness"
by Maria Testa
I borrowed the book
from the library
on impulse,
drawn to the size
of the volume,
the color and detail
of the drawings.
Time passed quickly
as I turned the pages
of Gray's Anatomy,
lost in the wonder
of my discovery.
I did not know
how long
Mama had been standing there
in the doorway,
looking at me
with an expression
I had not seen before,
lost in the wonder
of her own discovery.
Extension:
Many younger students select books for all the wrong reasons, based on how many AR points that they need or in order to impress their friends with the size of the volume they are holding. This poem about a young man discovering the magic within a book that eventually became the inspiration for his future career could serve as an introduction to a discussion about choosing the right book based on interests.
Testa, Maria. 2002. Becoming Joe DiMaggio. Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Candlewick Press.
911 Sartain Drive
Andrews, TX 79714
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