Laura Shovan's Blog, page 22
July 19, 2016
Pitch Wars MG Mentor Wishlist: Laura & Tricia
LET’S HEAR IT FOR MIDDLE GRADE SPIRIT!
Welcome to Team TLC, future Pitch Warriors. Coaches Laura Shovan and Tricia Clasen here.
ROLL CALL:
I’m Laura Shovan. I am an editor. And a debut author. So check me out.
I’ve been training hard for PitchWars, Team. I’ve been on both sides of the editor’s desk and will use my knowledge to help you make your MG manuscript worthy of the perfect cheer. My past experience includes: freelancing for such publications as the Baltimore Sun, five years on the editorial staff of a nationally recognized literary journal, including three as its editor in chief, and editing two poetry anthologies. My twin passions are writing and education. I’ve been a visiting poet-in-the-schools since 2002, so my rhymes are fine. (Can I get a high kick?)
In 2013, my PitchWars mentor Joy McCullough-Carranza helped me polish my middle grade verse novel to a shine. I signed with agent Stephen Barbara after the winter 2014 agent round. Within three weeks of signing with Stephen, THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY sold to Wendy Lamb Books. You can read my Pitch Wars success story here.
When I’m not writing books or giving feedback to my critique partners I am a: poetry advocate, avid reader, mom to two teens and two dogs. I knit socks, and will occasionally break into Stephen Sondheim lyrics, ‘cause that’s how this girl spells R-O-W-D-I-E.
ROLL CALL:
I’m Tricia Clasen. I debut this fall. I’ll help you pitch. So check me out!
Hi team! (Does toe touch–and probably pulls a muscle). I am so filled with the PitchWars Middle Grade spirit, and I cannot wait to help you get pitch perfect. (Does backflip–and likely falls on head.)
I’m a professor of communication and an avid lover of stories. The majority of my editing experience falls in the non-fiction realm. I thoroughly enjoy working with critique groups and serving as a beta reader for fiction, though. On Team TLC, you get the benefit of Laura’s detailed editing eye and my passion for making stories flow, for ensuring disbelief remains suspended.
In terms of PitchWars, I’ve been a sideline cheerleader for a long time. (Claps hands and yells “whoo!”) Shortly after my first attempting at landing a mentor, I signed with my agent, Jen Linnan. My debut novel, THE HAUNTED HOUSE PROJECT will be published in October by Sky Pony Press.
In addition to reading and writing, I spend most of my time shuttling my two girls to dance class and planning vacations. (Hoists Laura up on my shoulders while she waves her hands and cheers.)
So check us out!
WHAT GETS US WAVING OUR POM PONS?
CHARACTER DRIVEN MIDDLE GRADE
Contemporary MG is our wheelhouse. We are looking for projects that have a strong emotional arc. If elements such as plot and setting serve as the backbone for your main character’s growth, you’re trying out for the right squad. Team TLC is all about literary middle grade and protagonists who journey from childhood into adolescence.
Much as we love historical fiction, science fiction, and fantasy, those submissions will be DQd. Team TLC is ONLY open to contemporary novels. We welcome humor and magical realism, but the heart of a story is first in our hearts. Is your PitchWars project written in verse? Coach Laura is an award-winning poet and verse-novelist. At Team TLC, we don’t need megaphones to be heard. We value the power of a quiet book.
A NOTE ABOUT DIVERSITY
#WNDB is more than a hashtag. It is reality for the schools and students Laura visits. Tricia’s primary teaching and research relate to gender and cultural issues. No matter which genre you write, middle grade readers are hungry for books that mirror their lives (DARIUS AND TWIG, Walter Dean Myers; GEORGE, Alex Gino), but also for books that help them understand a broad range of human experiences (WONDER, R.J. Palacio; THE LAND OF FORGOTTEN GIRLS, Erin Entrada Kelly). We will champion the heck out of submissions that include ethnic, socio-economic, and neuro-diversity as part of the deep fabric of the story.
TEAM TLC’S MIDDLE GRADE HALL OF FAME
Coach Laura’s First-Place Reads trophies go to:
Recent Winners
SKELLIG, by David Almond
THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM, by Christopher Paul Curtis
LOVE THAT DOG, by Sharon Creech
HOWARD WALLACE, PI, by Casey Lyall
SAFFY’S ANGEL, by Hilary McKay
Childhood Champions
ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, by Lewis Carroll
GINGER PYE, by Eleanor Estes
(Notice a British theme? Laura’s mom is from England. She *loves* British kidlit.)
Coach Tricia’s First-Place Reads trophies go to:
Recent Winners:
THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY, by Lauren Shovan (had to be said)
OUT OF MY MIND, by Sharon Draper
WONDER, by RJ Palacio
Childhood Champions:
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE Series
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, by L.M. Montgomery
THE OUTSIDERS, by S.E. Hinton
ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY, by Mildred D. Taylor
(Notice a theme of realistic characters who overcome struggles?)
Here’s a great example of a character with an emotional arc, scavenger hunters:
COMMITTING TO OUR TEAM
If you choose us, expect to work on two rounds of feedback. The first round will focus on the big picture (your overall dance routine) and will likely involve some global changes. The second round will include intensive line edits (fine tuning your moves) on your book. This is a team effort. If you’re looking for a mentor to help you clean up an almost-there manuscript, someone else will be a better coach for you.
There’s so much middle grade goodness to choose from. If Team TLC isn’t for you, check out the many wonderful MG Pitch Wars mentors at the end of this post.
Got questions? Feel free to leave a comment. We also hang out on Twitter: @laurashovan and @trirae. Good luck, Pitch Warriors!
5.
Brooks Benjamin and Caroline Thompson
11.
Rebecca Petruck
12.
Kate Foster
13.
Julie C. Dao
14.
Kim Long
18.
K.C. Held
21.
Laura Shovan and Tricia Clasen
22.
Alexandra Alessandri
23.
Kara Seal
24.
Amanda Hill and Cindy Baldwin
25.
Sarah Cannon
26.
Jenna Lehne
27.
J. C. Davis
28.
Timanda Wertz and Wade Albert White
31.
J. C. Davis & Addie Thorley
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July 14, 2016
Poetry Friday: Tournament Rap
Franki and Mary Lee are hosting the Poetry Friday link-up this week. It’s at A Year of Reading, where they have a new book I’ve been moooning over.
Happy Poetry Friday!
On Sunday, had a chance to observe Olympian Jordan Burroughs working with high school wrestlers on Maryland’s national team. The team of about 60 teens will be competing in Fargo, North Dakota this weekend. It’s the freestyle wrestling national championships.
Although he gave it up after middle school, my son wrestled for many years. Here’s a poem I wrote when I was a mat-mom. In a way, it’s a found poem, a rap made up of the names of wrestling moves and the things coaches say to their athletes.
I hope you enjoy the sounds and rhythms of this poem, even if you don’t know wrestling terminology.
Tournament Rap
Wizzer. Cement mixer.
Lateral drop.
Cross-face him. Headlock in.
Base up, don’t stop.
Knees off the mat. Suck it back.
Break him down.
Tighten your grip. Wrist control.
Don’t reach ’round.
Don’t stop. Penetrate!
Get close, you’re too far.
Keep turning. Don’t stop now.
Sink the arm bar.
Get the pin. Get the win.
Take shot after shot.
Stay focused. Keep moving,
and don’t ever stop.
The top wrestler has control over her opponent, earning her two points for the take down.
July 7, 2016
5 Questions for the Author: Deborah Kalb
I’ve got a treat for history buffs on Laura’s Bookshelf today. Middle grade author Deborah Kalb is here to talk about her new novel, GEORGE WASHINGTON AND THE MAGIC HAT.
Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Adventure, history, and the drama of school life intertwine in this engrossing tale of a fifth-grade boy struggling to find his place after his best friend abandons him. Find out what happens when Sam’s class takes a trip to Mt. Vernon, where he accidentally buys a bossy three-cornered hat that sweeps him off to the eighteenth century and a warm friendship with George and Martha Washington. As Sam travels back and forth between his present-day life and incredible adventures with George Washington, he learns about history, himself, and the nature of friendship and families.
Welcome to my bookshelf, Deborah! I was so glad when we connected about our middle grade books. Both novels mention Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home, and one of my protagonists in THE LAST FIFTH GRADE is named after George Washington. The first president is an important character in your book.
I’ve got a great poem to pair with your book, which appears at the bottom of this post. But first, let’s get to your five questions.
Laura: You live in an area that’s infused with history. How did you incorporate setting into the story of Sam and George Washington? What details did you draw from the modern-day Washington, DC area?
Deborah: I’ve lived in the D.C. area for most of my life, so it was very natural to incorporate a variety of nearby places — from an elementary school in Bethesda, to Mount Vernon, to Nationals Park—into the story. Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home, is in Northern Virginia, not that far away from Bethesda, after all, so it would make sense for Sam and his class to visit that historic site on a field trip—and then my imagination took over!
[My children visited Mount Vernon with their elementary schools too!]
I looked into George Washington-related artwork in the area, and a friend told me about the statue of George Washington at the National Cathedral, so I thought that would lend itself to an interesting scene. Many of the historical scenes in which Sam finds himself are not in the D.C. area but instead in New York and Pennsylvania, for example. I did some research on those areas to see how they might have appeared at the time.
Laura: Sam is dealing with a lot of disappointments: a changing friendship, losing the starring role in the class play. How does he grow and learn to cope with these things over the course of the story?
Deborah: Yes, Sam’s fifth-grade year is not starting off well. He and his former best friend, Andrew, are barely speaking—Andrew has joined a travel baseball team and is spending all his time with the kids on the team. And Sam, who generally gets the lead role in school plays, doesn’t get the starring role—as George Washington—in his class play this time; instead, the role goes to Oliver, a new kid in class whom Sam finds very annoying.
But his time-travel adventures with George Washington, courtesy of the magic tri-cornered hat, teach him a variety of lessons. Not to give too much away, but one of the most important involves friendship, and another involves the ability to believe in yourself.
Laura: The voice of the magic hat adds a lot of humor to the story. How did you go about creating a persona for the hat? Did you research any dialect or common phrases from George Washington’s time?
Deborah: The hat was such a fun character to create! I thought about various magic personalities in books I loved as a kid, including the Half Magic books by Edward Eager, which often featured curmudgeonly magical creatures, and the hat seemed to develop as I kept writing. I didn’t know exactly what its personality would be as I started.
I didn’t specifically research any dialect—I think a lifetime of reading classic novels and biographies gave me a sense of how the hat might sound—but I did read books that included some of George’s own writings, and I tried to make the hat—and also the George, Martha, and other 18th century characters—speak in a decidedly different way from Sam and his 21st century friends. I love to write dialogue, so I thoroughly enjoyed that part of the writing!
Laura: George Washington is the father of our country, but he was also a slave owner. Can you describe how you addressed that issue in the book?
Deborah: Yes, that’s an important question. I definitely wanted to address that issue in the book, and I thought a lot about the best way to do so. Sam is studying George Washington at school, and some of the scenes in the book featuring discussions in his class focus on the fact that many of the founders of this country were slave owners, and the terrible dichotomy between their owning other people and their advocating for freedom for the colonies.
I also have a scene in the book where Sam meets an 18th century African American boy about his own age, and that causes Sam to think about whether this child is a slave, and what his life would have been like. In addition, his former best friend, Andrew, is from a biracial family and that makes Sam ponder the issue in an even more personal way.
Laura: Will there be more titles in your “The President and Me” series? Which presidents would you most like to write about and why?
Deborah: Yes, this is the first one in a series, and I’m working on the second one, about John and Abigail Adams, now! For the time being, I’m proceeding in chronological order, and will see how it goes from there. Many kids have asked good questions, such as, “What will you do when you get to some boring presidents?” and, “What will you do when you get to a really bad president?” We shall see!
Of course, Abraham Lincoln would be amazing to write about because of his historic role during the Civil War and the fact that he’s up there in the pantheon of great presidents. His life story includes so many fascinating episodes. And I’d love to write about FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, because of their leadership during the Great Depression and World War II. I hope to incorporate many of the First Ladies into the books as well, to recognize the important contribution of women throughout presidential history.
***
It’s Poetry Friday, so let’s find a great poem to pair with Deborah’s book. I know just the one. Check out this poem from DC area poet Justine Rowden’s book, PAINT ME A POEM.
Find out more about PAINT ME A POEM, featuring art from the National Gallery in Washington, DC.
Thank you for stopping by today, Deborah and George.
For more of this week’s best posts on poetry for children and adults, stop by The Logonauts. Katie is hosting Poetry Friday this week.
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June 30, 2016
Poetry Friday: Concrete Cat
My good friend Tabatha Yeatts is hosting Poetry Friday this week. Head over to THE OPPOSITE OF INDIFFERENCE to join the poetry party.
Happy Poetry Friday!
Today, I’m sharing a concrete poem written by a poet named Jackie Kozell. Let’s take a look at it first, and then I’ll share the story behind this poem.
Jackie is a talented artist, which you can see in the shape of the poem. But her artist’s eye also makes her observant — a skill poets rely on.
Poem by Jackie Kozell. Shared by permission of the poet.
I love “A small shadow running to a corner” with the pause for white space in the middle. The “razor filled mouth” is a great visual and sensory image. Then there are details like the mouse and the bold letter W for the cat’s nose. Notice that the words “back legs” fall on the cat’s haunches and the words “claws grip” lead our eyes down the front legs.
Ready for the back story? Before the school year ended, my cousin gave a copy of THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY to her daughter’s 6th grade teacher. The class was doing a poetry unit and tried some of the writing prompts in the back of my book. Jackie, as you guessed, is my cousin’s daughter.
I love the pacing in this poem as we wait for the cat to pounce on its prey. Awesome job, Jackie!
If you liked this poem, I recommend Betsy Franco’s book, A CURIOUS COLLECTION OF CATS: CONCRETE POEMS. Back at my old blog, Author Amok, you’ll find a classroom workshop in concrete poems, based on Betsy’s book. The link is here.
Find out more at the Penguin Random House website.
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June 16, 2016
Laura’s Bookshelf: The Last Boy at St. Edith’s
Let’s hope there are no garden gnomes lurking at Carol’s Corner. Carol is hosting Poetry Friday this week.
Happy Poetry Friday! The American Library Association is coming up next week. I’m looking forward to checking out fall trends in middle grade and, of course, what’s new in poetry.
I’ve had a blast during my debut author year spending time with fellow middle grade novelists. Today, I’d like to introduce Poetry Friday readers to Lee Gjertsen Malone and her contemporary novel, THE LAST BOY AT ST. EDITH’S.
Lee visited me in Maryland last weekend. We took a road trip to the inaugural Chesapeake Children’s Book Festival on the Eastern Shore. Lee is smart and so funny! That humor comes across in her debut middle grade novel.
THE LAST BOY AT ST. EDITH’S is about Jeremy. His single mother works at a private school in western Massachusetts, so he and his sisters attend on scholarship. The only problem is, St. Edith Academy’s is not exactly co-ed. Traditionally a girls’ school, the academy’s attempt to go co-ed has failed. Now Jeremy is the last boy standing in a sea of girls (as the book’s cover so perfectly illustrates). With his best-friend, a wannabe filmmaker named Claudia, Jeremy hatches a plan to get himself expelled. How? By organizing a series of epic pranks on the grounds of the school.
I gave myself the mission of finding a poem related to one of the pranks Jeremy stages. You won’t be disappointed. The poem appear at the end of this post.
THE LAST BOY AT ST. EDITH’S published in February. Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Seventh grader Jeremy Miner has a girl problem. Or, more accurately, a girls problem. Four hundred and seventy-five of them. That’s how many girls attend his school, St. Edith’s Academy. Jeremy is the only boy left after the school’s brief experiment in coeducation. And he needs to get out. His mom won’t let him transfer, so Jeremy takes matters into his own hands: He’s going to get expelled. Together with his best friend, Claudia, Jeremy unleashes a series of hilarious pranks in hopes that he’ll get kicked out with minimum damage to his permanent record. But when his stunts start to backfire, Jeremy has to decide whom he’s willing to knock down on his way out the door.
Recommended for fifth grade and up.
Who will like it?
Pranksters.
Kids who are dealing with shifting friendships as they make the transition from elementary to middle school.
Fans of science fiction humor (there are hilarious scenes with Jeremy and his crush acting in Claudia’s epically bad SF movie).
What will readers learn about?
An insider’s view of what it’s like to attend a private school.
Even funny pranks can have unforeseen consequences.
How it feels to be the only boy in a family, or a school, full of girls.
One of the first pranks that Jeremy and Claudia organize involves garden gnomes. It only took me a few moments of searching to find this gem on the website for Chuck Sambuchino’s book How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack:
Gnome Attack Poetry (by Wanna Newman)
I think that I shall never roam
In gardens where one finds a gnome
A hat that’s pointy, made of red
Creates in me a sense of dread
A gnome that tends to gross aggression
Can cause me trauma and depression
A gnome whose crabby, cross and piquey
Can really damage my physiquey
A gnome that travels with an ax
Instills the fear of sneak attacks…
Read the rest of the poem at How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack.
Don’t be fooled by that innocent face.
What else is on Laura’s Bookshelf?
SWORD AND VERSE, by Kathy MacMillan (5/22/16)
GENESIS GIRL, by Jennifer Bardsley (4/13/16)
TREASURE AT LURE LAKE, by Shari Schwarz (3/31/16)
THE LAST GREAT ADVENTURE OF THE PB&J SOCIETY, by Janet Sumner Johnson (3/25/16)
THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE, by Heidi Heilig (3/10/16)
THE DISTANCE FROM A TO Z, by Natalie Blitt (1/19/16)
COUNTING THYME, by Melanie Conklin (12/31/15)
FENWAY AND HATTIE, by Victoria J. Coe (12/24/15)
THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF CHARLIE PRICE, by Jen Maschari (12/3/15)
PAPER WISHES, by Lois Sepahban (11/19/15)
THE GIRL WHO FELL, by S. M. Parker (11/5/15)
SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN, by Jeff Garvin (10/29/15)
SHALLOW GRAVES, by Kali Wallace (10/1/15)
MY SEVENTH GRADE LIFE IN TIGHTS, by Brooks Benjamin (7/22/15)
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June 2, 2016
Poetry Friday: “Where They Live”
Jone at Check It Out is hosting the Poetry Friday links this week. Thanks, Jone!
Happy Poetry Friday, Everyone!
Last month, Poetry Friday blogger Michelle H. Barnes invited me to her site, Today’s Little Ditty, for a post about persona poems. Although I used many poetic forms in my novel in verse, THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY, every single poem is a persona poem. Why? Because each poem is spoken in the voice of an invented character.
In my post for Michelle, I highlighted the development of one character in the book, fifth grader Brianna Holmes. You can read the full post at Today’s Little Ditty.
In that post, I wrote: When I came up with the character of Brianna Holmes, I only knew one thing about her: Her family was homeless. A neighbor of mine works with our local school system, providing support to homeless families. Because Emerson Elementary is modeled on schools in my area, it was important to include a homeless character.
Today, I’d like to welcome my friend and neighbor Kim McCauley. Kim works with homeless children and their families here in Howard County, Maryland. If I didn’t know Kim, the character of Brianna Holmes would never have been invented.
At the end of our interview, I will share the poem where Brianna describes one way that she copes with being homeless.
Laura: THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY is set in Howard County, Maryland. How would you describe your work with homeless children? What are some ways that the school system gives them support?
Kim: I work in the Pupil Personnel Office which is part of Student Services in the Howard County Public School System. We have a comprehensive homeless policy in Howard County Schools and we also follow the McKinney-Vento law [read about it here] to make sure that all homeless students can attend school and receive the supports that they are entitled to by law and policy. Our job in the PPW office is to make sure all of these policies and the law are followed while also supporting the students and families as they navigate through homelessness. I have many responsibilities that relate to making sure that homeless children are monitored regularly for grades and attendance, ensuring that they are receiving free meals and transportation, data collection and other duties. There are so many things that go into supporting a homeless family. The PPWs work to address the issues on the school level. They case manage all homeless children and work extensively with the families to help support them while they are experiencing homelessness.
Laura: Is homelessness a big issue in central Maryland? How many school-aged children does it affect?
Kim: Homelessness is a big issue in all of Maryland. Each county reports to the state regularly on the numbers of homeless kids. You can find the numbers for each county by visiting the MSDE website and searching homelessness. In Howard County, we currently have approximately 550 children that have been identified since the beginning of the 15/16 school year that are experiencing homelessness. Not all of those are HCPSS students. We include all youth that we know about in this number. Also, this number changes almost every day. Almost all of our schools in Howard County have homeless students.
Laura: The character Brianna Holmes tells us that she is homeless. She’s living in a motel with her family, not in a shelter or on the streets. Is this something you see with the families you work with? Can you explain how a homeless family might come to live in a motel?
Kim: We see many of our families that are living in motels. Sometimes a family will lose their home through eviction or foreclosure and living in a motel is the most that they can afford. In other cases Grassroots Crisis Center will temporarily place families in a motel to help them through the transition of losing their home. Families experiencing homelessness in Howard County must go through the Coordinated System of Homeless Services to be eligible to receive services. They start this process by calling the Grassroots emergency hotline number 410-531-6677.
Laura: Thank you for sharing that contact information. How can parents, educators, and other adults help children understand what it means to be homeless? Are there ways that school children can support their peers who are homeless or food insecure?
Kim: This is a hard question because no matter what we say or do, children and adults will never fully understand what a person goes through when they are experiencing homelessness and sometimes hunger unless they experience it themselves. However, there are certainly ways to help children and others understand and offer them ways to help. There are many fundraising opportunities in HoCo designed to help Grassroots Crisis Center. One of those programs is called Change Matters and it’s tied into student service learning in many of our schools. For example, they usually incorporate lessons into the curriculum and then it culminates with a fundraising activity so that students feel like they are helping. There are many other opportunities to help by volunteering to make meals, work in the cold weather shelters, etc. There are also many films available for viewing that show homeless youth and how they deal with homelessness. One very powerful film that has been shown on HBO and is also available as a teaching resource is called Home Stretch. There are several others such as American Winter that are being used as educational resources as well.
Laura: Do you have any children’s books you recommend that touch on the issue of homelessness?
Kim: I do not know of any children’s books that touch on homelessness. However, there are many books that are extremely insightful and powerful that depict real-life homelessness. Enrique’s Journey and An Invisible Thread are two books that I highly recommend. These books shouldn’t be read to young children. I recommend an adult review them before having children read them.
Kim, thank you so much for sharing all of this information and telling us about the work that you do to support homeless children and their families.
Illustration by Abigail Halpin
Meet Brianna Holmes, an Emerson Elementary fifth grader, who is one of Ms. Hill’s poets.
In her first poem, Brianna tells us that she loves being as fashionable as the “fifth-grade queens.” So she’s taught herself how to sew, embroider, and repurpose hand-me-down clothes to make them stylish.
It’s not until Brianna’s second poem that we learn more about her family situation. Brianna is living in a motel with her mother and older brother. Although she hopes they will have their own home someday, for now, Brianna’s family is homeless.
Readers, I hope you enjoyed hearing from Kim McCauley today, and learning more about my inspiration for this character.
I recently read Katherine Applegate’s middle grade novel CRENSHAW, which is about a family on the brink of becoming homeless. Feel free to share your recommended reading about homelessness (specify whether its for kids or adults) in the comments.
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May 26, 2016
Poetry Friday: Shoe Odes
It’s Poetry Friday. Visit Julie Larios at The Drift Record for the best in this week’s kidlit poetry.
Today was the poetry open house at Northfield Elementary School.
It was an emotional day. I’ve been poet-in-residence at this school for ten years. The third grade teachers’ stories about how our poetry workshops have impacted their students, and their own teaching throughout the year, were so moving. There were lots of tears and hugs.
I have a few more odes from the third grade poets to share, then we’ll have a fun photo gallery from the residency. You can read more about our workshop on odes at this post.
Roscoe took the idea of hyperbole and ran with it in this ode.
Dear Shoe
By Roscoe G.
Dear Shoe, you look like an old green
and black gorilla, but you are the wisest
of all. You smell like a nine billion
year old dump that survived
the Great Depression. You sound like
a beating wing of a horned owl.
You feel like a scratchy bed of silk.
I have gone to England with you,
Six Flags, Disney World, and Disney Land
with you. I can’t live without you
because you protect my feet like armor.
***
I love the visual simile that Jacob uses for his first line.
My Shoe
By Jacob Z.
My shoes looks like the scales
on a raging crocodile.
My shoes smells like dirty socks,
so I can make my older brother
not take my money by
putting my money in there.
My shoe feels like walking on water
when I walk.
My shoe sounds like a galloping horse.
I’ve been to the Great Wall of China
with you.
If you weren’t here, my feet would
step on the long, pointy grass.
***
I could tell that Zenia took special care in writing her ode, reordering the similes that she brainstormed so that her poem ends with a powerful image.
Dear Shoe
By Zenia H.
Oh shoe, oh how I couldn’t live without you. I wouldn’t go as fast. The foamy insides are as soft and comfy as my blanket waiting for me on my bed. Oh, the one thing that is my absolute favorite is your smell that is as stinky as a skunk. You, my favorite, beautiful shoe, you are like a rainbow bursting out of the sky. Oh, how I couldn’t live without you.
***
Great finale in this poem — can you hear these shoes stomping?
Dear Shoes
By Rishik R.
You are like a red laser going past a black wall, fast as turbo. You smell like a wonderful wet breeze. You feel as rough as an entire continent, and most of all you both sound like thunder booming through the sky, loud as Zeus.
***
This is another poem that opens with a powerful simile.
My Shoes
By Jordan T.
You look like a black train
zooming across the track.
Shoes, you smell like a stink
bug when it dies. You could even knock
out a skunk. You are so soft, like
a smooth cloth. You sound
like someone scratching on a
gymnastics bar. There have been
so many places. It’s like I’ve
been all around the world with
them. I’ve run and splashed in the
water at the beach with them. I
can’t live without you, shoes. I will
get wet and blistery without you.
***
NORTHFIELD ELEMENTARY’S POETRY PHOTO GALLE\RY
I love the illustrations for this list poem, “Words in My Gymnastics Class.”
The “Graffiti Wall” in Ms. Walles’ room is “A safe place for authors and poets to keep powerful words and phrases.”
Not your typical shopping list. This is a list poem with a twist!
Ms. Scavo’s class is working on their own binder filled with original poetry.
Spotted in Ms. Gauert’s third grade.
Words of wisdom!
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May 25, 2016
Third Grade Odes
We’re wrapping things up at Northfield Elementary. Our third and final poetry workshop focused on odes.
Tone is a difficult literary concept. The website Literary Devices defines it this way: “Tone, in written composition, is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.” The interesting thing about odes is this: they are so focused, even over-the-top, in praising their subject that their use of tone is obvious. For this reason, the ode is a great poetic form for teaching young writers about tone.
I recently guest-posted at Woven Tale Press online literary magazine about using odes in the classroom. You can read the article here.
Our mentor text for this workshop was Gary Soto’s poem, “Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes.” (Read the poem at Scholastic.) The Northfield third grade poets took off their own shoes, so they’d have something tactile to praise and celebrate in their odes. Having an object to work with helped the students build on the sensory imagery we used in our previous workshop.
One of the things we worked on in our odes was hyperbole. See if you can spot at least one hyperbole in each of today’s poems.
Ode to Greta’s Shoes
By Greta S.
Thank you, athletic shoes. You make
me feel like I am walking on a cloud.
When I am on a secret mission, you keep
me quiet, so no one can hear me. Sometimes
I don’t appreciate the smell you have — a rotten
egg sitting in my lunch box for two years.
Thank you for the look of a
gray and pink sunrise on a school day
morning. Thank you for being my
favorite shoes.
***
Ode to Shoes
By Ariyana M.
As old and worn as they are,
I can’t live without them.
They still aren’t even at their first birthday!
Oh, the shine! Too bright!
Now dull brown, they carry me silently
and plead squeakily for baths occasionally.
Why, oh why, can’t shoes grow with you?
Why does my mom grow roses?
Life isn’t fair,
but you are about as fair as it gets!
***
Ode to My Shoes
By Cate J.
Shoes! Oh, shoes. How I love you so.
You look like the shimmering waves
crashing onto the beach.
You smell of sweat
from the hot summer days we have played together.
You fee so supporting, always there for me.
You helped me trudge
up the rockiest of Montana’s mountains,
carried me over theme parks,
and helped me run faster than a cheetah.
Without you, my speed would be
as slow as a snail.
Why, oh why, is there not
Shoe Day.
***
Oh, Shoes
By Sami J.
Oh, Shoes
I couldn’t
live without
you. You look
like a black
cat snooping
into the
moonlight. You
smell like
soil with
a plant in
you. You
feel like
clouds
on a
cloudy day.
You sound
like the
silent
moonlight.
All the places
I have been
with you like
New Jersey.
Oh, Shoes
what would
I do without
you? I would
be lost trying
to find you.
I would not
have fun
without you.
Oh, Shoes, what
would I do
without you?
***
Untitled Ode
By Griffin R.
My shoes looks like the eye
of the tiger. My shoe smells like
they’re old school, but wise
and respected. My shoe feels like
a thick butterfly net. My shoes sounds like
it’s playing Tic Tac Toe. Without
my shoe, my feet can’t be clean.
***
Thanks to the Northfield community for allowing me to share the students’ writing. I’ll post more shoe odes from third grade tomorrow.
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May 23, 2016
Imagine that! Imagery poems
Greetings, poets and friends. The Northfield third graders are working on imagery today, by focusing on our five senses. The five senses are an important tool in communication, whether you are telling a story to friends at the lunch table, or writing a poem. Appealing to your audience’s senses creates that “you are there” feeling.
Using their teacher’s chalkboard eraser as an example, we discussed the difference between using our five senses in this way:
The eraser looks black. It feels fuzzy. It smells of chalk. It makes a swishing sound on the board. If I could taste it, it would be chewy.
and using similes and figurative language to create vivid imagery:
The eraser looks as black as a cat prowling at midnight. It feels soft as a panther’s fur. It smells as dry as the desert. It sounds like the wind blowing on a dark night. It tastes like eating cotton balls.
Although we defined simile (a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, often using “like” or “as”), some third graders need reinforcement with the “unlike things” part of the concept. Giving several examples of what is (the flowers were as red as Mars) and is not (the air outside tasted like fresh air) a simile helps.
Today, we used our five senses similes to create action poems. Our mentor text was “Wrestling the Beast” by Arnold Adoff, from his wonderful book of sports poems, SPORTS PAGES.
Each poet chose a favorite activity to write about. I love seeing what topics the students come up with. Again, these are initial drafts. In most cases, we haven’t worked on line breaks or developing our ideas further yet. We’ll save that for our last workshop.
I’ve never been to a Go Kart Race, but Brian’s poem gave me a great sense of what it’s like.
Go Kart Racing
By Brian K.
Finally, I’m off to the races.
Blah, smells as bad as burnt rubber.
The racers come and meet together, saying,
“Good luck.” I finish my refreshing ride
and away I am!
Squeaking like gears on a roller coaster.
Whoa! Here someone comes.
I’m as fast as Speedy Gonzales.
I feel like I’m racing as one of the bulls
in the Running of the Bulls.
Here I come. I see the checkered flag…
DONE!
***
The funny hyperbole in Zach’s poem describes a basketball opponent who can’t catch our speaker.
Basketball
By Zach K.
As I run down the court
it’s like I’m in a stampede,
with enemies and teammates
and the smell of stinky socks
around me, as I run to
the hoop, someone blocks me
as fast as lightning but
he’s an hour late, the ball
has already gone through
the hoop, the buzzer
sounds like a bee in my ear,
I love basketball.
***
You know that creepy-crawly feeling you get when you’re sweaty and dirty? Aneesh has a great simile to describe it.
Baseball
By Aneesh P.
It is the final point. 3-3.
I feel as strong as a bull.
I hear the crowd going wild
like a bunch of cackling hyenas.
I smell a stench like sweaty socks.
I see my team cheering
like a roaring lion.
I feel the dirt
tickling my body like ants.
Then, one two three
BAM. I hit the ball
and get a home run.
***
The rhythm in Akira’s action poem is fast, recreating the action of a tennis match.
Tennis
By Akira N.
I run down to get the ball. When I’m playing,
an opponent is like rushing to go to work.
The ball is like a monster charging
toward me. I smell as sweaty as dirty water.
The ball touches fuzzy as dog’s fur.
The ball is roaring with cool wind.
***
I especially like the extended description in the final image of Achilles’ poem about martial arts class.
Sparring
By Achilles F.
When my master call me up to spar
I see a sweaty tiger right in front
of me, nervously. When the instructor
counts down to ___, I feel the
wind hitting me like a freight train.
At the end, we smell like a football
player’s gear after his game. I
taste salt water going down my
face and my hair. We sounds
like an 18 wheeler horn going down
a tunnel.
***
Last for today, you’ll notice the form of London’s poem, which bounces around the page. She is borrowing here from our model poem, “Wrestling the Beast,” which also uses the look of the poem on the page to build drama. See the handwritten and typed pictures for an idea of London’s use of white space on the page.
Swimming
By London
The pool is deep as a ship,
sinking deep down like a whale,
heavy as a net. A fish?
No, not a deep side but a
nice
place for kids to hang out.
A chair. Comfy. Soaking wet.
A diver. His choice:
Hotness around my neck.
A flipper? Goggles?
A big snorkel
giving air?
A towel?
A towel? A snake? A big jumping
start from the end of the
edge?
This is a deep pool. A gentle
Wave from
above
by me.
Splash.
Yumm.
Amazing.
***
Thanks, Northfield staff and families for giving me permission to share the students’ fine poems today. I can’t wait to see what they come up with when we revise together!
If you’d like to read more about Arnold Adoff, check out his website. His latest books is ROOTS AND BLUES, which you can hear Arnold reading on Youtube!
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May 22, 2016
Laura’s Bookshelf: Sword and Verse
Every once in a while, I read a book and — the moment I’ve finish the last page — I know the novel’s perfect poem. That’s what happened with my good friend Kathy MacMillan’s YA fantasy SWORD AND VERSE.
From left: Kathy, Janet, Ava, and Laura
Kathy and I, along with debut authors Ava Jae and Janet Sumner Johnson, did a mini book-tour together in March, covering several bookstores and libraries in Maryland and Virginia. For fun, each one of us brought a talisman to events — a small object that represented something about our books.
My object was a little plushie hamster. It is named for Refried Beans, the hamster that belongs to one of the characters in THE LAST FIFTH GRADE. Kathy talisman was a clay bird made by her son. She used the bird to explain an important setting in her novel.
Sword and Verse is available at Indiebound.
SWORD AND VERSE is the story of Raisa, who was forced into slavery as a child and taken to the kingdom of Qilara. Qilarite religious traditions dictate that only those in power may read and write. There is one exception: a slave girl, who is trained in the complicated Qilarite language alongside the crown prince so that she may one day be tutor to his heir. As a teen, Raisa is selected to replace Prince Mati’s tutor, who has been executed for treason. Raisa finds herself falling in love with Mati, but she also begins to wonder whether her new role as Tutor in Training gives her the power to help other slaves.
Birds are part of a crucial setting in the novel. Raisa and Mati learn to read and write in a walled courtyard. There are special birds in the courtyard whose tail feathers are used as writing quills. Raisa notes that the birds are caged as babies, but their cages are gradually removed. By the time the birds are adults, their training is so ingrained that no cage is necessary. The birds don’t realize that they are free.
SWORD AND VERSE published in January. Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Raisa was only a child when she was kidnapped and enslaved in Qilara. Forced to serve in the palace of the King, she’s endured hunger, abuse, and the harrowing fear of discovery. Everyone knows that Raisa is Arnath, but not that she is a Learned One, a part of an Arnath group educated in higher order symbols. In Qilara, this language is so fiercely protected that only the King, the Prince, and Tutors are allowed to know it. So when the current Tutor-in-training is executed for sharing the guarded language with slaves and Raisa is chosen to replace her, Raisa knows that, although she may have a privileged position among slaves, any slipup could mean death.
That would be challenging enough, but training alongside Prince Mati could be her real undoing. And when a romance blossoms between them, she’s suddenly filled with a dangerous hope for something she never before thought possible: more. Then she’s approached by the Resistance—an underground army of slaves—to help liberate the Arnath people. Joining the Resistance could mean freeing her people…but she’d also be aiding in the war against her beloved, an honorable man she knows wants to help the slaves.
Working against the one she loves—and a palace full of deadly political renegades—has some heady consequences. As Raisa struggles with what’s right, she unwittingly uncovers a secret that the Qilarites have long since buried…one that, unlocked, could bring the current world order to its knees.
And Raisa is the one holding the key.
Recommended for eighth grade and up.
Who will like it?
Readers who love epic fantasy novels.
Fans of libraries, reading, and writing.
Die-hard romantics.
What will readers learn about?
How a person who is accustomed to being controlled by others can begin making his or her own decisions.
The ways that language and power intersect to define a culture.
The effects of living in a controlled society.
With all I’ve said about caged birds, I hope you have figured out which poem I’m pairing with SWORD AND VERSE.
Caged Bird
By Maya Angelou
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
Read the rest of the poem at the Poetry Foundation.
What else is on Laura’s Bookshelf?
GENESIS GIRL, by Jennifer Bardsley (4/13/16)
TREASURE AT LURE LAKE, by Shari Schwarz (3/31/16)
THE LAST GREAT ADVENTURE OF THE PB&J SOCIETY, by Janet Sumner Johnson (3/25/16)
THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE, by Heidi Heilig (3/10/16)
THE DISTANCE FROM A TO Z, by Natalie Blitt (1/19/16)
COUNTING THYME, by Melanie Conklin (12/31/15)
FENWAY AND HATTIE, by Victoria J. Coe (12/24/15)
THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF CHARLIE PRICE, by Jen Maschari (12/3/15)
PAPER WISHES, by Lois Sepahban (11/19/15)
THE GIRL WHO FELL, by S. M. Parker (11/5/15)
SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN, by Jeff Garvin (10/29/15)
SHALLOW GRAVES, by Kali Wallace (10/1/15)
MY SEVENTH GRADE LIFE IN TIGHTS, by Brooks Benjamin (7/22/15)
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