Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up
by Sally M. Walker
illustrated by William Grill
Candlewick Press, 2018
In the author's blurb on the back jacket flap, we learn that Sally M. Walker majored in geology in college. How fun is it to show students that academic knowledge can be translated into poetry! This will be a go-to mentor text in my classroom for students who are having fun with nonfiction by writing in different formats.
The book features poems about Earth, minerals, rocks, fossils, earthquakes, volcanoes, atmospheric and surface water, glaciers, and groundwater. I didn't notice them at first, but there is a tiny icon at the bottom of the pages with poems that signals the topic and helps the reader see the connections between several pages of poems.
Here are a few favorites:
hotheaded mountain
loses its cool, spews ash cloud --
igneous tantrum
(volcano section)
a flat stone, skipping,
casts circles across the lake,
lassoing the fish
(atmospheric and surface water section)
hold fast, stalactite,
everlasting icicle,
stone bed for a bat
(groundwater section)
In keeping with the SALLY theme, this week's Poetry Friday roundup is hosted by Sally Murphy!
I love these, Mary lee, and not just because they're written by another Sally. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI am excited to learn about this book. I looked it up on Amazon and it looks like a perfect text to add to an upper elementary classroom library. I love how the book includes poems, informational text, and beautiful illustrations to help excite students about the natural wonders of the world. I believe that including poetry in the classroom is significant. It is fascinating to me how this informational text includes poetry. According to Elena Aguilar on Edutopia, “Poetry promotes literacy, builds community, and fosters emotional resilience. It can cross boundaries that little else can.” Poetry is great at all levels of education, but I find it especially important for our young readers. They are drawn to the music like rhythm, and it helps them build fluency as a reader. Poetry also gives learners a new perspective and speaks to them in a new way. It builds vocabulary. Using poetry in the classroom is important for our readers. You never know when poetry may speak to a student and create a new passion within them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this text.
"Igneous tantrum" is the best phrase I have read in a long time!
ReplyDeleteWonderful!! I love nonfiction poetry books, I think they're such wonderful tools for young learners.
ReplyDeleteI shared a new nf book of poetry today too. They are so wonderful to use with students doing research. This looks fabulous, Mary Lee. I love "stone bed for a bat".
ReplyDeleteDig it. 😉
ReplyDelete**groans**
DeleteThese are lovely. The book reminds me of an article I read a while back (and I actually found it again). I had shared it with my science major daughter.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2017/11/how-writing-haiku-has-made-me-better-scientist
And here's the link to the sciku website:
https://thescikuproject.com/
What great poems. Thanks for the heads up about this book!
ReplyDeleteI've got to get two copies of this book--one for me and one for a friend who teaches elementary school and is a published haiku writer.
ReplyDeleteLassoing the fish! Love it.
ReplyDeleteOoooh! I need this book. I already love it.
ReplyDeleteI love this type of anthology! It is a fun way to teach concepts. Thanks for the suggestion.
ReplyDeleteOoooh... I'm definitely going to keep my eye out for this one. It looks great. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful! "igneous tantrum" and "lassoing fish" -- fabulous! I'd love to use this book as a mentor text when writing our nonfiction conglomerate books. "Ouch!" (that was my wallet talking) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous addition to a nonfiction unit, Mary Lee - I'm ordering this right away.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing “Earth Verse” Mary Lee, the haikus you’ve shared have lassoed my interest!
ReplyDeleteCute little poems.
ReplyDeleteI feel touched to be sharing the same book you shared this week, I just love it. Aren't the icon pages brilliant and something new I've never seen before. I didn't read the blurb and love knowing the why for this book.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this today, Mary Lee. I love having books like this that complement nonfiction units!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great book!
ReplyDeleteHaiku will travel! It seems to be leading the way when it comes to sneaking poetry into all sorts of curricula. Thank goodness for that!
ReplyDeleteSpent four days at CCIRA, and am late to the commenting party. I always love a little science with my poetry, and this definitely looks like one I would like to own.
ReplyDeleteExcited that non-fiction poetry is HOT right now. Several folks have blogged about this book this week, so I guess I better get a copy! -- Christie @ https://wonderingandwondering.wordpress.com/
ReplyDeleteThird try...
ReplyDeleteYOW! The Diamond Miners of this year and of the future are going to love unearthing this book each year. And I'm with Laura--"igneous tantrum" alone is worth the price of this book!
Thanks for sharing, Mary Lee! You'll make creative use of this book, I know. :0)
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great book as a mentor text for interdisciplinary writing!
ReplyDelete