INTRODUCTION TO POETRY: SCHOOL POETRY: A Funeral in the Bathroom by Kalli Dakos

A Funeral in the Bathroom 

Bibliography:

Dakos, Kalli, and Mark Beech. 2011. A Funeral In The Bathroom. Chicago, Ill.: Albert Whitman & Co.

Review

A Funeral in the Bathroom is a collection of poems written by Kalli Dakos. The collection is knitted together by lighthearted poems about student's and their adventures into the school bathroom. While some of the poems are silly and fun, others can offer some insight in to the reality students deal with inside at school. On each page the reader enjoys a poem, illustration, and on some pages even a riddle. The illustrations are hand drawings that are both comical and diverse. The variety of meaning, rhythm, and sound keep the reader laughing, singing, and thinking throughout the book. Dakos does an exquisite job of threading together silly poems ranging from a "Flushaphoic" to deeper poems about a students internal battle with illness. Dakos makes it a point to bind together poems for all levels of understanding. Not only do the images and poetic elements create a delightful collection, but Dakos takes poetic license when it comes to word position. The layout of the poems and the way Dakos organizes the words in a few poems to help reflect the meaning. 

Spotlight poem

"There Should be a Place Kids Can Go" is the perfect poem to discuss rhythm, rhyme scheme, repetition, and metaphors. In addition, the book covers themes of need for privacy, escape, and independence that so many students (and parents) struggle with in junior high. Analyzing figurative language and making connections would work well with this poem. Most students will identify with the need to have a place where they can be alone. 

There Should be a Place Kids Can Go

There should be a place
kids can go
when life has dealt
another blow.

There should be a shuttle 
to hitch a ride
into the dark
when we need to hide. 

There should be a garden
or a room to pray 
when pets die
and friends move away.

There should be a tree
kids can climb
when life is a poem
that's lost its rhyme.

When life is a poem
that's lost its rhyme,
kids head to the bathroom
all the time. 

Follow-up Activity

In an English class students could create another stanza to the poem that includes the same qualities, such as, rhyme scheme, metaphor and repetition. I would also consider starting out a professional development session with this poem because it reminds teachers that aside from all the work we do kids are little humans that need space and time too.  

INTRODUCING POETRY: AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

The Crossover: By Kwane Alexander

Bibliography:

Alexander, Kwame. The Crossover.

Review:

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander is a verse novel that tells the story of Josh Bell a.k.a. Filthy McNasty. Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan Bell (JB) are the star basketball players for their junior high basketball team. The reader learns about the wholesome Bell family through the eyes of Josh Bell.  Each poem begins with a title that doubles as the first line in the poem, and the poems vary from short, four words per line, two lines per stanza, to multi-lines, multi-stanza, and multi-page poems. Alexander also uses a range of poetic elements including, figurative language, word position, and repetition. The novel is divided into four quarters that, like a basketball game, become more intense as they progress. Alexander also spinkles in "Basketball Rules" that double as life rules; leaving a trail of advice and lessons for the reader. The poems give an incredible insight into the mind and spirit of a junior high boy while still being completely relatable for the reader. I would recommend this to any reader interested in the life and struggles of young males. 

Spotlight Poem: 

Ode to My Hair

If my hair were a tree

I'd climb it.

I'd kneel down beneath

and enshrine it.

I'd treat it like gold

and then mine it.

Each day before school

I unwind it.

And right before games 

I entwine it.

These locks on my head, 

I designed it.

And one last thing if 

you don't mind it:

That bet you just made?

I DECLINE IT. 

Kwame Alexander's voice is so strong in this poem that I can hear an eighth grade boy speaking it as I read. I would use this poem to spotlight for students the use of voice in a poem. I could point out all the active verbs and how they give the poem its personality. I would also use this poem to teach rhythm. The poem does have a clear cadence as you are reading, but the rhyme scheme is not strict. I would have students mimic this quality in their own writing. I would ask them to choose a feature they feel confident about and have them write an ode where I can hear their voice through the rhythm and cadence. 

INTRODUCING POETRY: HOPKINS COLLECTION:compiled or selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins "Extra Innings"

Extra Innings: Baseball Poems

Bibliography:

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, and Scott Medlock. Extra Innings. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers, 1993. Print.

Review:

Extra Innings: Baseball Poems is a compilation of poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by Scott Medlock. The book opens with a quaint poem written by May Swenson about titled the Analysis of Baseball. The poem has a sporadic rhyme scheme, but a rhythm nonetheless. The rest of the book models that idea; some poems are strict and measured; for example, Great Pitches by J. Patrick Lewis; on the other hand there are poems that are desultory and free flowing; for example, Prediction: School P.E. by Isabel Joshlin Glaser. The book also has captivating oil paintings on each of the pages; the artwork could be studied as well. The poems vary in length from ten lines to as long as two pages, perfect for junior high students. Hopkins is sure to add poems about all aspects of baseball including, playing the game, watching the game, and being a fan of the game. You do not have to love baseball or even be interested in the sport to enjoy the poems. 

Spotlight Poem    

The poem Overdo by Tony Johnston is a great poem to introduce or review the sound device onamonapia. In four out of the five stanzas there is a sound word, including, "whack, thwack, smack, and crack." They are each preceded by a description so the reader understands exactly the sound they are describing. The poem is as follows:

Overdog by Tony Johnston

Overdog Johnson is a guy
who always wins
but hardly tries.

Pitcher sails it
Johnson nails it.
Whack!
Homerun!

Pitcher steams it.
Johnson creams it.
Thwack!
Homerun!

Pitcher smokes it.
Johnson pokes it.
Smack!
Homerun!

Pitcher fires it.
Johnson wires it.
Crack!
Ho-Hum.

After students have read the poem, I would have them work in a group to recite and act out each stanza. The stanzas are filled with imagery that would be fun for the students to create their own moves. As a further extension students could create a poem that explores their own strengths, being sure to include the onamonapias.