2009 NCTE Poetry Award Winner

2009 NCTE Poetry Award Winner

Lee Bennett Hopkins is the recipient of this prestigious award.

AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY CHOICE

Sweet Blackberry, by Nikki Grimes

Introduction: Introduce the students to Danitra Brown by sharing the poem, "You Oughta Meet Danitra Brown," also by Nikki Grimes.  Once the students know who Danitra is, ask them if they have a friend like Danitra.  Discuss what it means to be a friend.  Continue reading other poems from the book, Meet Danitra Brown.  I chose the poem below because most of us remember what it was like to be teased and called names when we were younger.  And as teachers or parents we all have to stand in the gap and nurture those hurt feelings of our children when they are teased or called names.  Students of any age can relate to the poem too.

Sweet Blackberry

Danitra says 

my skin's like double chocolate fudge

'cause I'm so dark.

The kids at school say it another way.

"You so black, girl," they say,

"at night, people might think

you ain't nothin' but a piece of sky."

I never cry, 

but inside there's a hurting place.

I make sure no one sees it on my face.

Then mama tells me,

"Next time, honey, you just say,

The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice."

Now that's just what I do.

I sure wish I had told them that before.

Those kids don't bother teasin' me no more.

Extension: 

My favorite line from this poem is, "The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice." Ask students to comment on their favorite part of the poem.  I also think this poem lends itself not only for discussion but also for illustrating the emotions throughout the poem.  Elementary students could fold a piece of paper into quarters and then illustrate 1) the way the child telling the poem feels when her friend, Danitra describes her as double chocolate fudge (makes me think of ice cream) 2) how she feels when the students tease her and compare her to a piece of sky 3) how she feels on the inside but doesn't cry and 4) how the child feels when her mama encourages her to say something clever like the berry and juice comment.

Personal Note:  I have used this poem in my classroom before when there was a name calling incident. The students opened up about how they felt when they were teased, and why they would not call others names or tease any more because they knew it hurt feelings. And most of the students didn't want to be the "bad guys at school" as they said were in the poem, "Sweet Blackberry."

Grimes, Nikki. 1994. Ill. Floyd Cooper. "Sweet Blackberry" from Meet   Danitra Brown. New York: William Morrow & Co.  ISBN 0-688-12073-3

BOOK REVIEW: HOPKINS ANTHOLOGY

Behind the Museum Door: Poems to Celebrate the Wonders of Museums

selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 2007. Ill. Stacey Dressen-McQueen.  Behind the Museum Door: Poems to Celebrate the Wonder of Museums. New York:  Harry N. Abrams. 

ISBN 13: 978-0-8109-1204-5

INTRODUCTION: 

Ask students to tell about a favorite field trip.  Many may say the zoo or the theater, but some may say the museum.  Before showing the book, talk about the different kinds of museums you can visit.  Ask them if they have a favorite kind of museum they like to visit.  If you have students who have never experienced a trip to a museum, provide some background knowledge so they can relate to the poems. Invite students to join you on a trip "Behind the Museum Door." 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

This book is an anthology of 14 poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins.  The majority of poems deal with historical artifacts that would be found in a Science and History Museum.

A few poems are written about taking a field trip to a museum.  One poem covers the topic of the fine arts museum.  The poets included in this collection of poems about museums are contemporary and some award winning poets like, Myra Cohn Livingston and Lilian Moore, contribute a work of poetry in this book.  Students will find this anthology appealing because the poem topics include dinosaurs, woolly mammoths and mummies, to name a few.  The artwork is impressive with colorful oil-painting depictions of things seen in a real museum.

All of the poems included in this anthology can be found in other works.

Review Excerpts:

Horn Book (Fall 2007) In this smart lively collection of fourteen poems, readers will find intriguing descriptions of mummies and dinosaurs, fine art and textiles.  Factual tidbits within the poems may provide just enough information to whet readers' appetites an inspire them to seek out more details on a subject. 

Booklist (April 1, 2007) The awe and curiosity that museums inspire is the subject of this bright, energetic poetry collection.  The selections, contributed by many familiar poets writing for children, marvel at how easily artifacts transport viewers into history.  A perfect read aloud before a field trip to the museum.

Extension: 

Invite students to share their favorite poem from the book and tell why. Ask the children if any of them have seen the major motion picture, "Night at the Museum?" Did they make a connection between the poems found in the book and the artifacts seen in the movie?  

POETRY BREAK: POEM FOR TEACHERS

Hiding in the Bathroom, by Kalli Dakos

Introduction:  The first two stanzas of this poem remind me of how teachers feel sometimes like hiding and running away from all the stress of the classroom.  This poem would be good to post in the teacher's lounge/restroom.  Students will also enjoy this light-hearted poem about getting out of the classroom, because we all know the most common request of students when they need a break from the classroom is, "Can I go to the bathroom?"

Hiding in the Bathroom

I'm hiding in the bathroom,

There's no one here to see,

I'm tired of my classroom,

And wish they'd set me free.

Free of all those noisy kids,

Rattling round the room,

And calling me such awful names -

I'll never last till June!

Free of that darn substitute

Who screeches and who yells...

The bathroom is the nicest place 

To sit and wait for bells.

Extension:  After reading this poem a few times, invite students to journal about where else they would want to escape in the school.  Ask students to share their thoughts by reading them aloud if they'd like.  Get students permission to share their writings with other teachers.  

Students might even enjoy writing their own poem using the phrase, "Hiding in the _____"

Dakos, Kalli. 1990. Ill. by Brian Karas. "Hiding in the Bathroom" from If You're Not Here, Please Raise your Hand: Poems about School. New York:  Four Winds Press, p.36.  ISBN 0-02-725581-6

POETRY BREAK: SCHOOL POEM

Imaginary Friends, by Kalli Dakos

Introduction:  This poem is about friendship and how to cope when you are the new kid at school.  When sharing this poem you might use a pencil box or pencil case to introduce the poem.  Fill the pencil box with pencils, but place three crayons in for effect.  Ask children how they might feel if they were the only crayon among all those pencils.  Share the poem below.  

     Imaginary Friends

I didn't have a single friend

       In my new school -

            Not one.

     I felt like a crayon

     In a box of pencils.

        So I made up

   Two imaginary friends

   Who were just like me -

         Jack and Jake.

     We played together.

     And had a lot of fun

             Until...

  we got into a BIG FIGHT.

                Now

          Jack and Jake

      Play with each other,

       

       But they won't play 

             with ME!

Extension:  Invite children to write about a time when they felt left out. Talk about the importance of having friends and being a friend. Create a list of things that you and your students can do to make a new student feel welcome and included in your classroom.

Personal note:  I shared this poem with the school guidance counselor. She was thrilled and added it to her friendship/new student file and bibliography.

Dakos, Kalli. 1996. Ill. by Denise Brunkus.  "Imaginary Friends" from The Goof Who Invented Homework and Other School Poems. New York:  Dial Books for Young Readers, p.37. 

ISBN 0-8037-1927-2