A little poetry practice

My 7yo asked me to post this on the blog. We've been talking about simile in some of the poems we've been reading so yesterday he did a little practice writing his own similes. I love to see how his brain works and the connections it makes. See his poetry below.

A train is as fast as a rocket, but a plane is as fast as a comet.
The train enters a tunnel as black as a raven.
A yellow school bus looks like a giant banana.
A motorcycle sounds like a motor.
A helicopter looks like a spinning tail.
A helicopter sounds like a motor.
When a helicopter lands, the wind is as crazy as a tornado.
The rusty old car creeps along the road like a spider.

Discovering Rachel Field

Since we've been loving our poetry tea time each week, I'm now always on the lookout for great poetry to share with my kids. Today during our Language Arts lesson, 7yo and I discovered this wonderful poem by Rachel Field. It was in our 2nd grade poetry anthology from K12. We both loved the poem. So, I've decided to add Rachel Field to our list of poets for tea time (after we finish up Robert Louis Stevenson and A.A. Milne). I think we'll start with Rachel Field's Prayer for a Child, though I haven't been able to read through it myself yet. Here's the beloved poem from today.

Something Told the Wild Geese
by Rachel Field

Something told the wild geese
It was time to go.
Though the fields lay golden
Something whispered - "Snow."
Leaves were green and stirring,
Berries, luster-glossed,
But beneath warm feathers
Something cautioned - "Frost."
All the sagging orchards
Steamed with amber spice,
But each wild breast stiffened
At remembered ice.
Something told the wild geese
It was time to fly -
Summer sun was on their wings,
Winter in their cry.

As I read this poem the first time, I had my son close his eyes and listen. Afterwards it was beautiful how he retold the scene, complete with the colors and images of summer/fall that he had heard. He talked of the golden fields and the bright berries, and then talked about how the geese knew that they had to leave so they wouldn't stay too long.

Thank God for poets who so beautifully depict His creation!

Primary Analogies - Curriculum Review

Since we began homeschooling, we've really been enjoying the Primary Analogies series from EPS Publishing. It's an optional part of the K12 Language Arts curriculum, but it is not optional in our house! My 7yo really loves it and wouldn't have school without it. Last year we used Book One in 1st grade and this year we're using Book Two for second grade. This is a really fun way for kids to learn analogical thinking. The first book focuses primarily on picture analogies in which two pictures are connected and the student has to identify their relationship and then find two more pictures which are related in the same way. Book Two uses both picture-word analogies and some word-word analogies. My 7yo really thinks this is like a fun puzzle. Book One was quite easy, but he still really enjoyed it and it helped him develop the thought process for thinking analogically. I believe that most children (and adults) naturally think in this way, but it's good to capture that kind of thinking and help them develop it. (Trust me, I really wish some of my university students had some practice in analogical thinking, because sometimes it doesn't seem to be there.) Book Two has gotten a little more challenging and sometimes it requires him to think creatively to determine the relationships, but that's just more fun for him. This is one book I never have to encourage him to use.

We spread the book out and do just a little bit at a time so that it lasts the whole year. Usually, we just do it as suggested by K12, which ends up being a page about every other week. BUT - often 7yo will beg to do another page (or two more) after he has completed the page for that day, so we often get ahead of ourselves. A page only takes him about 2-5 minutes, so the time committment is very low. But I think it's well worth it. EPS provides a teacher's manual, but I haven't ever had it, and I'm not sure it's necessary. They indicate that it does include suggestions for teaching your child to think analogically, so that might be one advantage. The student book itself doesn't include much explanation for parents/teachers. K12 includes these kind of suggestions in their online materials, to only the main book has ever been necessary for us.

This year we're also using Wordly Wise and Early Reading Comprehension in Varied Subject Matter from EPS. We haven't used the latter enough yet for me to comment much. I know that Wordly Wise comes with high praise from many sources and is a time-proven resource. So far, we're pretty happy with it. It's not really exciting, but it sorted into reasonable chunks and seems to be a good tool for adding vocabulary. After we've used it for a year, maybe I can comment more.

Sun Poetry

This morning 7yo and I read a poem by Sandra Liatsos called "The Sun." It uses a metaphor which I seem to remember from Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage (and a few other places, too).

The Sun
by Sandra Liatsos

Someone tossed a pancake,
A buttery, buttery pancake.
Someone tossed a pancake
And flipped it up so high,
That now I see the pancake,
The buttery, buttery pancake,
Now I see that pancake
Stuck against the sky.


Anyway, 7yo really liked this poem, but he commented that the metaphor was insufficient for him. So, he spontaneously composed this poem.


The Yellow Ball
by AM

A yellow ball was burnt so very hard,
It was shot up to the sky,
And now I see it shining high.

Poetry

This post is from 11/2/07

6yo's Language Arts curriculum this year is primarily a Great Books program, with some other literature (classic American children's books) and activities thrown in. So, we've been reading short stories, poetry and folk tales from all over the world: The US (including Native American tales), England, Germany, France, Africa, Russia, Haiti, China, Japan and more. Sometimes our activity is to draw a picture, or retell the story, or act out the story. But other times (especially on poetry days) there is a creative writing assignment. So 6yo has been writing poetry the past few months. Usually there is a structure given, so that he is imitating the poetry we've been reading. Sometimes even a few opening lines or closing lines are given, and he fills in sections. He enjoys it, and I love seeing his creations. Usually for these, I'm his scribe and he is just the creative brains behind the operation. So I thought I'd share a few of his poems with all.


What Day Would It Be?

If there are balloons in the house, and presents there, and my friends are there.
What day would it be?
It must be my birthday.
September 2007


Peaceful Places

It is peaceful in the country.
Because it is very quiet and there are not many noisy people.
It is peaceful in your bed.
Because it is cozy and quiet and you love to be there.
September 2007


When I Am Very Still

When I am lying very still with my eyes shut,
I can hear people.
I can feel what I'm lying on.
I can smell food.
I can think.
When I am very still.
November 1, 2007


(This next one was completely freeform, his own creation with no preset structure. He was asked to personify something in nature.)

The Sun and the Moon

When the sun is out
He is glad to be awake.
But when he says goodbye
The moons says hello.
But when the sun comes back,
It says hello.
October 22, 2007


And lest our life seem too idyllic, academic or literary, here is the poem he wrote last week. It was his "answer" to the "Early Morning Song" of a coyote in a Native American tale. The coyote needed to be awake in the hour before dawn so that he could catch the rising sun and ride it across the sky.


Early Morning Song

Awake in the hour before dawn,
Awake in the hour before dawn,
So I can play more before school and watch more TV and play Transformer stuff on the computer.
Awake in the hour before dawn.
October 2007