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.