Module 4: Poetry Choice: Biographical Poetry

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. 2003. Paul Revere's Ride. Illus Monica Vachula. Pennsylvania: Boyds Mill Press, Inc. ISBN 1563977990.







Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's classic biographical poem from 1861 is given new purpose in this children's book with the help of Monica Vachula's artistic talent. Children ages seven to ten will find themselves admiring Paul Revere and his belief in liberty. Vachula's oil paintings act as photographs, giving the impression of being present during this historic time period.

The final stanza of Longfellow's poem conveys the overall spirit of Paul Revere and his memorable ride:

Excerpt from Paul Revere's Ride
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm-
A cry of defiance and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo forevermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

Also included at the end is a historical note by Jayne E. Triber, Ph.D. which clarifies some of the events during and leading up to Revere's historic ride.

The combined efforts of Vachula and Triber pay special tribute to both Paul Revere and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Module 4: Poetry Review: Curriculum Connection

Katz, Bobbi. 2007. Trailblazers: Poems of Exploration. Illus Carin Berger. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0688165338.




Bobbi Katz's collection of poems captures adventurers, explorers, dreamers and conquerors ranging from Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin, Jr. to Vikings. Katz's anthology comes complete with a table of contents, author's note, brief paragraph about each explorer, a bibliography, an index of titles and an index of first lines.

Trailblazers is the ideal addition to every Social Studies classroom in order to help get children nine and older excited about explorers and true historical adventures.

In the following poem by John Coleman, he parallels the dreams of Amelia Earhart with those of his lesser-known sister, who dreamt of starting a flying school for girls of color.

My Kid Sister, Bessie
John Coleman

Turn on your radio.
You'll hear about Amelia sure enough,
how she set off to fly around the world
in a Lockheed Electra,
the latest thing with wings.
The whole country knows Amelia:
that blond girl, slim, smiling, sure of herself.
"Amelia Earhart Disappears..."
"Lady Lindy Lost..."
The newspapers are full of Amelia.
But as for me,
I am full of memories,
memories of a colored girl
every bit as brave as Amelia.
A sweet, sassy colored girl.
A smart girl,
pretty...
and talk about stubborn!
Nobody and no thing
could turn our Bessie round.
She wasn't out to set world records.
Her dream: to start a school,
a flying school for girls of color,
so they could learn to fly
the way Amelia Earhart learned,
right here in America.

This magnificent poem acknowledges the greatness of one person, while also recognizing equally great qualities in another, relatively unkown person. It's the perfect way to demonstrate that you do not have to be 'famous' to be successful. This would be an excellent way to educate and inspire children (and adults).

Also worth mentioning is the simple black & white art by Carin Berger. The art work is subtle and does not distract from the poetry; it almost acts as punctuation.

Module 4: Poetry Break: Spring

In honor of the first day of Spring, enjoy the following poem from Lee Bennett Hopkins' anthology, Days to Celebrate: A Full Year of Poetry, People, Holidays, History, Fascinating Facts, and More.



Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 2004. Days to Celebrate A Full Year of Poetry, People, Holidays, History, Fascinating Facts, and More. Illus Stephen Alcorn. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0060007652.




Spring by Prince Redcloud cleverly sums up my exact sentiments at winter's end:

Spring
Prince Redcloud

How pleasing---
not
to
be
freezing.

Prince Redcloud's poem is short and to the point, which makes it easy to remember and, therefore, easy to recite throughout these last days of winter.

Extension

Have the children write down/decorate words that describe spring and then display them in the classroom or library. Encourage them to create a poem using the various words and put them all together into a book to commemorate Spring.