Peaceful Pieces: Poems about Quilts and Peace (Free Choice)

Hines, Anna Grossnickle. Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts About Peace. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2011. ISBN 978-0805089967

In Peaceful Pieces, the abstract concept of peace is made simpler through a visually stunning collection of poems. Through her work Hines explores peace through poems on the topics of friendship, family, nature, and the interconnectedness of them all.  The poems range in style, from short haikus and acrostics to free verse. Her words are full of imagery and she carefully uses white space to help emphasize emotions throughout the collection. In “Weightless” the words are carefully chosen to create clear mental pictures. In it Hines explains anger as a “pinched heart/into my stomach” and then goes on to utilize white space to give airiness to her description of forgiveness, “feather heart/lifts/floats/light/free”. Intricate and beautiful quilts serve as illustrations, each deserving just as much respect and deliberation as the poetry itself.  The book concludes with short biographical snippets of famous peacemakers, including Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr. and gives an explanation of how the book’s quilts and poems were created.

Calming the
Busy Brain

agitated
yapping ideas
chaotic confusing
tumultuous turbulent
frenzies frenetic
hysterical

STOP!
let me
r e l a x
take a
deep breath
and
another
one more

now
ideas
I’ll take you
one
at a time.


Begin a lesson with “Calming the Busy Brain” by asking students to raise their hands if they have ever felt stressed. Then allow students the opportunity to share those experiences. Proceed to share the poem with the class. Explain to the students that the author of this poem must have felt stressed or overwhelmed before too and this poem lays out a plan to calm your brain. Read the poem a second time and then ask if they would like to join in with the poem and practice their breathing.

To extend this lesson, place a copy the book, Peaceful Pieces, and a writing journal in a Peace Station on the outskirts of the classroom. As the year goes on, students may collect more calming poems to add to the station. Provide younger students a recording of the poems being read aloud. Older students may wish for the additional option of listening to soothing music (nature sounds, classical, jazz, etc)  as they read to themselves. Allow students who are feeling overwhelmed or angry to spend a few minutes in the Peace Station reading poetry, listening to poetry/music, and/or journaling their feelings. Teachers might also wish to suggest students spend time in the Peace Station when they appear to being losing control over their feelings or actions. However, be sure to explain to the class that the Peace Station is not a punishment, but a place to take control of your emotions and find peace.

A Kick in the Head, An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms (Janeczko Collection)

Janeczko, Paul B., ed. A Kick in the Head, An Everyday Guide to Poetic Form. Ill by Chris Raschka. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0763641320

Janeczko has brought together a collection of lighthearted poems that will make children laugh as it educates its readers on a few of the forms of poetry.  An introduction by Janecko explains why some poets choose to follow the ‘rules’ and also suggests a ‘how to’ on reading the book. Twenty-nine forms of poetry are presented with a brief explanation and an upbeat example by various poets. Notes at the back of the book go into further explanation of common forms like the couplet, haiku, and acrostic, and less familiar forms such as the roundel and double dactyl.

Poems such as “Ode to Pable’s Tenis Shoes” by Gary Soto will have students laughing at the outlandish personification of shoes while “Back-to-School Blues” by Bobbi Katz will have students tapping their shoes to the poem’s strong rhythmic rhyme scheme. Raschka continues the feel good tone of the collection with his colorful, impressionistic illustrations. The mix of watercolor, ink, and torn paper provide a child-like playfulness to the collection, even as it adds educational value by giving hints to each poetic form. The collection will appeal to teachers and students alike with its clever mix of equal parts of schooling and fun!

The Cow’s Complaint
by Alice Schertle

How unkind to keep me here
When, over there, the grass is greener.
Tender blades- so far, so near-
How unkind to keep me here!
Through this fence they make me peer
As sweeter stems; what could be meaner?
How unkind to keep me here
When, over there, the grass is greener.

Try reading Schertle’s triolet poem, “The Cow’s Complaint”, as an accompaniment to Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion. Ask students if they were able to make any connections between the story and the poem. Then ask students if they have ever felt like the cow in “The Cow’s Complaint”. Allow students to share their experiences with jealousy and envy. Then provide students with this creative writing prompt and allow them write their own creative narrative.

There once was a child who was not very happy. Although the child had everything she/he needed, she/he wanted...

To extend this project allow students to create an artistic expression of envy similar to Raschka’s interpretation of the cow in A Kick in the Head. Students will draw/paint/paste a picture of a child on one side of a barrier (wall/fence/door/house) and what was desired in their story on the other side.

Night is Gone, Day is Coming (Poetry by Kids)

Ochoa, Annette Pina, Betsy Franco, and Traci L. Gourdine, eds. Night is Gone, Day is Coming: Stories and Poems by American Indian Teens and Young Adults. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewich Press, 2003. ISBN 0763615188

The fascinating collection of poems and short stories in Night is Gone, Day is Coming work together to form a picture of the current American Indian experience. Fifty-eight teenagers and young adults, between the ages of 11 and 22 and representing numerous tribes and nations, have written about the Native American experience. Some works relay emotions of sadness and anger while others portray pride and hope. Some poems display youthfulness, such as the flirtatious poem “Handsome Indian Boy” and the upbeat “Mom’s Fry Bread” while others show the weight of heavy thought, such as “Dark Waters” and “Not ndn enough”. Although some poems are appropriate for elementary aged children, the content in some poems would make the book more appropriate for high school aged children and older.

A theme of collectivism and unification with Native American history comes forth when the collection is viewed as a whole. In “Why the Indians Never Won” Mary Rehouse writes, “You can watch the same movie over and over./You can pray and pray for us to win but we don’t./The Indians never win.” and in “Would You Cry?” Maria Lee Feather Brien writes, “Grandma, would you/cry if you saw us now?/When you left, the air was/ fresh and clean,/ buffalo roamed and/ eagles soared./ Now they’re gone.” These poems give examples of the strong presence of the past, while poems like “Old Crow Warriors” by Frederick M. Howe and “Solitary” by Tara Reel carry the past into the future with their words. Reel writes, “It will encounter many creatures with more stories/ to share./Carvings cover its body from a time beyond our knowing,/to a time beyond our reach./Solitary but never alone...”.

The collection of poems found in Night is Gone, Day is Coming would make a great supplement to a United States History class. Use the book to help aid in the discussion of how settler treatment of the Native Americans, such as the Trail of Tears, has impacted the Native American Identity and current social issues effecting the culture.  Read a carefully chosen poem or short story each day at the beginning of class. Begin by asking students to discuss how the poem made them feel and what idea/words stood out.  

More specific prompts that might serve as follow ups include:
-How did you see culture within the poem?
-Can you make a connection between the poem and other cultures?
-How can you relate any of these experiences to yourself or others you know?
-How are the emotions in the poem universal? Unique?


Wonder
by Hillary Reed, age 15
Crow

I learn a lot just by
listening to my grandfather’s stories
and watching his eyes light up every time
he sees his grandchildren.
But I have always wondered why ol’ gramps
always wakes up extra-early and looks out
the picture window just to watch the sunrise
while he sips on his straight black coffee
He’s always crazy like that.
I wonder how grandfather will feel, blowing out
sixty candles on his sixtieth birthday next Sunday.
I wish I lived in my grandfather’s day,
when soda pop was only a nickel
and everyone ate pickles!

As an extension project, read the poem “Wonder” to students. Let students discuss the poem and make connections to themselves. Assign students an interview project. Students will be asked to interview a member of their family or community that is over 60 years of age. They will be asked to specifically find out about the individuals history and childhood/teenage years. Students will then report back to the class on what they learned about their interviewee and the time period of that person’s youth, whether in the United States or abroad!