Classroom Connections with Elizabeth Steinglass

Following last week's interview with Elizabeth Steinglass, today she explains how her collection of imaginative poems for soccer fans can be used in the classroom.


TODAY'S READ

Soccerverse: Poems about Soccer

Elizabeth Steinglass, Author
Edson Ikê, Illustrator

Wordsong (June 4, 2019)
ISBN: 978-1629792491

For grades K-5 and up

Purchase at Amazon.com
Purchase at Barnes & Noble
Purchase via Indiebound.org





SYNOPSIS

From the coach who inspires players to fly like the wind, to the shin guard that begs to be donned, to soccer dreams that fill the night, Soccerverse celebrates soccer. Featuring a diverse cast of girls and boys, the poems in this collection cover winning, losing, teamwork, friendships, skills, good sportsmanship, and, most of all, love for the game.


A PEEK INSIDE

Text copyright © 2019 by Elizabeth Steinglass. Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Edson Ikê.
From SOCCERVERSE: POEMS ABOUT SOCCER (Wordsong).

Read three more poems from Soccerverse HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Steinglass grew up in St. Louis, Missouri where she played soccer, basketball, and softball, read many, many books, and wrote her first poems. Her book Soccerverse: Poems about Soccer includes 22 poems about all aspects of the game. You can also find her poetry in The Poetry of US, edited by J. Patrick Lewis, and The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations, edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband, her three children, and her sleepy cat Scout.

Find out more about Elizabeth Steinglass by clicking HERE to read her spotlight interview.

CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS

Why is bringing poetry into the classroom important?

Poems bring facts, ideas, feelings, perspectives, and voices into the classroom in an accessible package. Many poems are short and can be shared in minutes. They can be read to open the day, introduce or enrich a lesson, or smooth a transition. Because there are poems about every possible topic, they can be incorporated into every possible class—art, math, science, music, PE, and morning meeting. Poems have generous white space, making them user-friendly to the 20% of the population that is dyslexic and can be put off or overwhelmed by too much text. For the same reasons, poems can be particularly accessible to second-language learners as well. The language, imagery, creativity, and emotional resonance of poetry invites readers to think, feel, and remember.

What is a simple, practical tip for teachers when it comes to incorporating poetry in the classroom?

When I read poetry to students, I like to offer them a copy, either on paper or projected, so they can see and follow along as I slowly read it aloud, twice, but I also give students the option to close their eyes and picture the poem as I read. I also think it’s lovely to give students the opportunity to bring in and share some of their favorite poems.

How might Soccerverse be incorporated into an educational curriculum?

The poems in Soccerverse use 13 different forms. A note at the end describes the forms and challenges the reader to go back and think about which form or forms each poem uses. The poems can be used to explore specific forms, for example, concrete poetry, mask poems, or poems of address. The book as a whole can be used to discuss form more generally: What is a poetic form? What are some examples? Why do poets use different forms?

Can you suggest a specific classroom exercise related to your book?

My ditty of the month challenge is to write instructions for an inanimate object telling it how to do its job. When I’ve done this with young writers, I’ve chosen something right in front of us—their desks. I always think it’s helpful to have the object or an image of the object at hand. Looking spurs thinking. I then led the students through some brainstorming questions: What does the desk look like? What do we hope our desks will do for us? What do we hope our desks won’t do? After looking, thinking, and talking, I asked students to contribute lines to a poem we wrote together.

Courtesy Elizabeth Steinglass

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH STEINGLASS

Website (and blog): http://elizabethsteinglass.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Elizabeth-Steinglass-562849827218251/
Twitter: @ESteinglass
Instagram: elizabethsteinglass

This week: poems by Alice Nine,
Angelique Pacheco, and Linda Baie.

Have your students write collaborative or individual poems instructing an inanimate object how to do its job. Click HERE for more details about the DMC challenge and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your instructional poem(s) on our May 2019 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, May 31st, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of Soccerverse: Poems about Soccer (Wordsong, 2019).

That Liz Steinglass sure does keep herself busy! Today she's sharing her first draft of "Instructions for the Field" plus another poem that didn't make it into Soccerverse, AND she's hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup! (Don't miss the original instruction poems posted today by Linda Baie, Linda Mitchell and Kimberly Hutmacher.)

DMC: "Instructions for a Photograph" by Linda Baie

INSTRUCTIONS FOR A PHOTOGRAPH

Enjoy your place on the piano top.
Offer memories when someone plays
a favorite song of whom you show
in loving remembrance long ago.

Enjoy your home of walnut frame
dusted and lifted to memorize
a sparkle of eyes of whom you show,
that smile a mystery of long ago.

If by chance, you find yourself
in forgotten attic memories,
you will be found as children grow
and loved again for whom you show.

© 2019 Linda Baie. All rights reserved.


Elizabeth Steinglass has challenged us to write a poem giving instructions to an inanimate object about how to do its job. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our May 2019 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, May 31st, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fantastic debut poetry collection from WordSong:

DMC: "The Glass" by Angelique Pacheco

THE GLASS

Be half full,
Never half empty.
Learn to chill,
There’s always plenty.

Pour your love out,
Replenish with goodness.
Don’t have doubt,
Nor fill up with darkness.

Quench a thirst,
Put out a fire.
You’ll never burst,
If things are dire.

Be see through,
Like water that’s clean,
In all you do,
So that you will gleam.

Your blessings will overflow,
As only a glass can know.

© 2019 Angelique Pacheco. All rights reserved.


Elizabeth Steinglass has challenged us to write a poem giving instructions to an inanimate object about how to do its job. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our May 2019 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, May 31st, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fantastic debut poetry collection from WordSong:

DMC: "Instructions to a Tree" by Alice Nine

INSTRUCTIONS TO A TREE

Make a branch thick—one
that is low but not too low,
and keep it parallel to earth.

Let it grow strong so
it won’t shake in a breeze
or bend in strong winds.

Then a man will come to you.

Don’t resist when he flips
a heavy rope over your branch,
the thick one parallel to earth.

Let him pull the rope tight so
it doesn’t slip with the weight
of a tire he will hang at the end.

Then a boy will come to you.

When this boy sits on the tire
pushing off with his feet to
swing higher and higher,

You will feel the rope jerk
as he drops high to low, back
and forth, and up... up again.

Be strong when the rope
twists and rubs. Don’t bend,
no matter how great the weight.

© 2019 Alice Nine. All rights reserved.


Elizabeth Steinglass has challenged us to write a poem giving instructions to an inanimate object about how to do its job. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our May 2019 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, May 31st, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fantastic debut poetry collection from WordSong:

Spotlight on Elizabeth Steinglass + DMC Challenge

ELIZABETH STEINGLASS

Are you excited? 
                              I sure am!

After a busy month of reading, it's about time we got stuck into some writing again, no? I couldn't be more thrilled to welcome my friend and critique partner, Elizabeth Steinglass, to the spotlight to lead that effort!

Elizabeth Steinglass has worked as a shoe salesman, short order cook, high school English teacher, and college writing instructor, but now claims the title of debut author, with Soccerverse: Poems about Soccer (Wordsong) scheduled to hit bookstore shelves next month! Rumor has it she actually wrote her first book in 4th grade, but since she doesn’t remember the title (only that it was a catalog of fairies), it doesn't count. Too bad, huh. She's also had numerous poems appear in magazines and anthologies, including The Poetry of US, edited by J. Patrick Lewis (National Geographic), and Great Morning!, Pet Crazy, and The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations, edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong (Pomelo Books). Today's Little Ditty has been a grateful beneficiary of her poems as well! You can read some of them in The Best of Today's Little Ditty anthologies, but I've collected all of them for you to scroll through here when you have some time.

Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, sports were always a part of Liz's family life. (I love the story she tells at Picture Book Buzz of being invited to get out of bed and catch her big brother's basketball rebounds in her nightgown!) Now with a family of her own—a husband, three kids, and a sleepy cat named Scout—soccer is the game that rules at the Steinglass house in Washington, D.C.  I've appointed myself head cheerleader as we talk about her striking new collection of 22 soccer poems!

SOCCERVERSE: POEMS ABOUT SOCCER
Wordsong (June 4, 2019)
ISBN: 978-1629792491
Find at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or via Indiebound.org

Described by Kirkus as "a pitch-perfect ode to the details and delights of playing soccer," Soccerverse dons 13 poetic forms to describe the world's most popular sport from a variety of viewpoints, from a diverse cast of teammates to the soccer equipment itself—the ball, the goal, even a pair of smelly shin guards. (Teachers will appreciate the author's note at the end of the book that describes the forms.) While much of the verse is lighthearted, there are also moments that come across as honest and heartfelt—a reluctance to shake hands with a member of the opposing team, for example, or an apology that is accepted, even a wry observation about parental fans. Edson Ikê's bold, animated illustrations reflect Liz's adaptive verse beautifully—at times sober, but overall, whimsical and imaginative. The two make a winning team!

Kicking off today's interview, here are Liz Steinglass's five favorite things:

Rock Creek Park—a favorite walking spot.

FAVORITE PASTIME:

I enjoy walking—in the woods, across farmland, along the beach—pretty much anywhere outside.

FAVORITE SMELL:

I absolutely love the musky smell of a barn. Or manure on a garden. Maybe I should have been a farmer.

FAVORITE FOOD:

A cherry tomato I’ve picked off the plant. I love simple foods that taste wonderful just the way Mother Nature made them. Also, I really don’t enjoy cooking.

FAVORITE TEACHER IN SCHOOL:

I was fortunate to have many wonderful teachers, but I think my favorite teacher was my 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Burbage. She was incredibly creative! That year we made edible book reports (mine was on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe). We finished our unit on the human body by tracing ourselves on big brown paper and then using anything we could find to make our insides. We also studied the presidents that year. We each studied a different one, then we all made illustrated reports, which Mrs. Burbage taped together to make a long scroll, which she then wound through a cardboard box made to look like a television. I especially loved that she had endless files of interesting puzzles, brainteasers, and games to do whenever we were finished with our work. She was wonderful!

FAVORITE POET:

Valerie Worth, 1933-1994

This one’s hard! I love so many poets. My favorite at this exact moment might be Valerie Worth. All the Small Things is a book I return to again and again. I love the way she looks at things so closely and creatively. She seems to think in metaphors. Tractors are grasshoppers. Cows are mountains. A safety pin is a small fish with a surprised eye. Brilliant!

Karla Kuskin, 1932-2009

But my favorite poem is Karla Kuskin’s “Write about a Radish.” The first two lines are “Write about a radish/Too many people write about the moon.” I Iove her exhortation to look at things in our own unique ways. It makes me smile that these are the first lines of a poem that turns out to be about the moon, but she has a completely fresh way of writing about it.


Congratulations on your debut poetry collection! We all have twists and turn in our lives, many of which are unexpected. Can you point to any events that, in hindsight, were instrumental to finding your way to children's publishing? Or did you know you'd find your way here all along?

I have always been a writer. I write to make sense of the world. Writing helps me figure out what I think and what’s important to me. It’s a way to spend more time with what I notice and enjoy. It’s also a way for me to share my thoughts and observations with others. So I suppose I was always going to write something. I focused on writing for children when I had children. I read so much to them. I began to appreciate children’s poetry and picture books anew. And once I began reading so many of them, I naturally wanted to write them. I’ve written many books and poems for my children over the years. Two of my three kids, my two boys, are absolutely obsessed with soccer. They have played since they were very young. I think I’ve been watching soccer practices and games for more than 15 years. Soccer has been a huge part of our lives, so of course I wrote about it.

Courtesy Steinglass Family

What about your first book publishing experience have you found most enjoyable?

So far, the most enjoyable part of the process has been seeing Edson Ikê’s illustrations. I cannot tell you how much I adore them. I love his bold, bright colors, and graphic style. I love his imagination. I love that the book features a beautifully diverse group of boys and girls playing on teams and meeting and playing at the park.

Brazilian artist, Edson Ikê: visit him at his website and on instagram.

Soon I think another part of the process may compete for most enjoyable—sharing the poems! I’m excited to share my work here and soon with actual living, breathing, reacting children. That I think will be another most enjoyable part.


You have two children who are passionate about the game of soccer. Did you consult with them while writing Soccerverse? Or did the poems solely come from your own observations, experiences, and imagination.

For the most part the poems came from my own observations and imagination. I consulted with my boys a few times about drafts I had written. I knew I was on the right track when my oldest said, “You wrote that?!” It was a wonderful compliment, especially as it was my reverso “Instructions to Field Players/the Goalkeeper,” and he is a keeper. I played a little soccer as a kid, mostly in PE or at recess, and there’s one poem in the collection that’s specifically about me. Should I tell you which one? Let’s just say I felt like soccer involved a lot of running around without touching the ball.

Text copyright © 2019 by Elizabeth Steinglass. Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Edson Ikê.
From SOCCERVERSE: POEMS ABOUT SOCCER (Wordsong).

You use 13 different poetry forms, yet none of your poems feel like they've been forced into an assigned structure. Was it your intention from the get-go to showcase poetry forms, or did that happen naturally as the voice of each poem spoke through you?

I knew that I wanted to write in a variety of forms, but I didn’t have a list of forms in mind. First, I brainstormed a list of possible topics—uniforms, positions, playing in the park, games, red cards, etc. As I worked through the list, the topics seemed to choose their forms, if that makes sense. The ball poem wanted to be round. The shin guards had something to say. The goal wanted to be addressed. In my “Note about Forms” at the end of the book, I write, “Poets use different forms as a way to express themselves more powerfully or challenge themselves to be more creative.” That last part is very much about me and the process of writing this collection. On the days I felt stuck, I tried different forms and often that helped me get unstuck.


Please share a favorite poem from Soccerverse and tell us why it's a favorite.

Another hard question! Right at this moment my favorites are the paired poems “Apology” and “Accepted.”

Text copyright © 2019 by Elizabeth Steinglass. Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Edson Ikê.
From SOCCERVERSE: POEMS ABOUT SOCCER (Wordsong) — click on image to enlarge.

APOLOGY

I got too mad.
I tried too hard.

I crossed the line.
I got a card.


ACCEPTED

I saw he was sorry.
I knew he felt bad.

I sat down beside him.
I didn't get mad.

© 2019 Elizabeth Steinglass, all rights reserved.

I like that they address the emotional side of the game and the relationships between players. I also love Edson’s angry bull. It’s fun to write creative and whimsical poems. It’s fun to read them and share them with kids, but I think as poets it’s our job to address the full emotional range of life and that includes anger, frustration, understanding, and forgiveness.


I love the "Tips for Teachers" and "Tips for Writers" resources on your website! I wonder if you could share two more tips: one for readers and one for newbie soccer parents.

TIP FOR READERS: 
Enjoy! You don’t need to “figure out” every word. Try riding a poem like a wave. What’s the experience like? Where does it take you? Also, if you don’t enjoy a poem, or a hundred poems, you don’t need to give up on poetry. I think it’s odd that people read some poems they don’t enjoy and then say they don’t like poetry. I don’t like liver or onions, but you’d never catch me saying I don’t like food! I’m a poet and there are still lots of poems I don’t particularly connect with. It’s okay not to like poems but still like poetry! Keep looking. There are poems out there for everyone.

TIP FOR SOCCER PARENTS:
This is going to be harder than it sounds, but I think we parents should stick to parenting and let coaches do the coaching. I have seen young kids freeze on the field trying to listen to so many voices telling them what to do. Meanwhile someone on the other team takes the ball and heads downfield. I try very hard to limit what I say to “yay!” “I enjoyed watching you play,” “Have fun!” and “How’d it go?” Also, for those of you with very young children, you really can’t tell what’s going to happen. When my oldest, who now plays in college, first started to play, he would pick the flowers on the field and run them to me on the sidelines. At that point I would never have guessed he’d keep playing with such incredible devotion and determination.

Courtesy Steinglass Family

Elizabeth Steinglass, Poet-in-Training

If you had all the world's children in one room, what would you tell them?


Do more of what you love.

I think that’s what I would tell anyone.

Finally, what you have chosen as this month's ditty challenge?

One of my favorite poems in Soccerverse is “Instructions for the Field.” The poem tells the field how to do its job. This month’s challenge is for you to write a poem giving instructions to an inanimate object about how to do its job. My poem uses personification. Yours can too, but it doesn’t have to. You might want to think about how the object looks, what you hope it will do, and what you hope it won’t do. I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with.

Text copyright © 2019 by Elizabeth Steinglass. Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Edson Ikê.
From SOCCERVERSE: POEMS ABOUT SOCCER (Wordsong).

Michelle, a huge thank you to you for inviting me to visit and for years of supporting and inspiring our community.

Oh my goodness, the pleasure's all mine, Liz! What a joy it's been to have you here to share this wonderful collection!

As for the awesome ditty challenge, I have no doubt some TLD players are already raring to go! If you're like me, however, and would prefer to kick ideas around, come back next Friday when we'll be sharing Liz's Classroom Connections post. It not only describes how Soccerverse can be used in the classroom, but also elaborates on how her challenge can be used with students!

Won't you please help me thank Elizabeth Steinglass for being our honorary ditty team captain this month? 

Also, for offering a personalized copy of Soccerverse: Poems about Soccer to one lucky DMC participant!

(Winner to be selected randomly at the end of the month.)


HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

Post your poem that gives job instructions to an inanimate object on our May 2019 padlet. Stop by any time during the month to add your work or to check out what others are contributing.

By posting on the padlet, you are granting me permission to share your poem on Today's Little Ditty.  Some poems will be featured as daily ditties, though authors may not be given advanced notice. Subscribe to the blog if you'd like to keep tabs. You can do that in the sidebar to the right where it says "Follow TLD by Email." As always, all of the poems will be included in a wrap-up celebration on the last Friday of the month—May 31st for our current challenge.

TEACHERS, it's great when students get involved! Ditty of the Month Club challenges are wonderful opportunities to learn about working poets and authors while having fun with poetry prompts. Thank you for spreading the word! For children under 13, please read my COPPA compliance statement in the sidebar to the right.

FIRST-TIMERS (those who have never contributed to a ditty challenge before), in addition to posting your work on the padlet, please send your name and email address to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com. That way I'll be able to contact you for possible inclusion in future Best of Today's Little Ditty anthologies.

BLOGGERS, thank you for publishing your poems on your own blogs– I love that!  Please let me know about it, so I can share your post! Also remember to include your poem (or a direct link to your post) on the padlet in order to be included in the wrap-up celebration and end-of-month giveaway.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If you're looking for the list of giveaway winners from last month's Classroom Connections series, you'll find it HERE.

Jama Rattigan is celebrating spring today with two gorgeous poems and this week's Poetry Friday roundup. Pull up a chair at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

NPM Giveaway Winners!

What a fantabulous National Poetry Month celebration we had!

My heartfelt gratitude to the generous authors, editors, and publishers who put so much time and care into last month's Classroom Connections posts, and who donated copies of their collections, picture books, and verse novels for lucky TLD readers! Please show your support by buying these books and leaving reviews.

To browse all of the Classroom Connections posts, click on the "It's time to INSPIRE" image in the sidebar. Or, if you're looking for a specific post, click on "April" in the 2019 blog archive (also located in the sidebar), or visit my "Poetry in the Classroom" board on Pinterest.

And now, drumroll please...

Congratulations to the giveaway winners!

• Otters, Snails and Tadpole Tails: Poems from the Wetlands, by Eric Ode, illustrated by Ruth Harper (Kane Miller, 2019)  goes to... LIZ STEINGLASS.

• The Roots of Rap:16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop, by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison (little bee books, 2019)  goes to... MATT FORREST ESENWINE.

• Clackety Track: Poems About Trains, by Skila Brown, illustrated by Jamey Christoph (Candlewick, 2019)  goes to... ROSI.

• A Suitcase of Seaweed & MORE, by Janet Wong (YUZU/Pomelo Books, 2019)  goes to... MOLLY HOGAN and DIANNE MORITZ.

• This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality, by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy (Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2019)  goes to... MEGAN K.

• Predator and Prey: A Conversation in Verse, by Susannah Buhrman-Deever, illustrated by Bert Kitchen (Candlewick, 2019)  goes to... BUFFY SILVERMAN.

• The Night the Forest Came to Town, by Charles Ghigna, illustrated by Annie Wilkinson (Orca Book Publishers, 2018)  goes to... SHERRY HOWARD.

• Bayou Song: Creative Explorations of the South Louisiana Landscape, by Margaret Simon, with illustrations by Anna Cantrell and photographs by Henry Cancienne (Univ of Louisiana at Lafayette, 2018)  goes to... LEIGH ANNE ECK.

• Superlative Birds, by Leslie Bulion, illustrated by Robert Meganck (Peachtree, 2019)  goes to... TABATHA.

• Have You Heard About Lady Bird?: Poems About Our First Ladies, by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter (Disney-Hyperion, 2018)  goes to... ANN MAGEE.

• I'm the Big One Now!: Poems about Growing Up, by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Jana Christy (Wordsong, 2019)  goes to... JESSE ANNA BORNEMANN.

• A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks, by Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by Xia Gordon (Sterling Children's Books, 2019)  goes to... RENEE LATULIPPE (hardcover) and KIMBERLY HUTMACHER (digital).

• Climbing Shadows: Poems for Children, by Shannon Bramer, illustrated by Cindy Derby (Groundwood Books, 2019)  goes to... CHRISTIE WYMAN.

• The Moon Within, by Aida Salazar (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2019)  goes to... LINDA MITCHELL.

• Boom! Bellow! Bleat!: Animal Poems for Two or More Voices, by Georgia Heard, illustrated by Aaron DeWitt (Wordsong, 2019)  goes to... VICKI WILKE.

• Home Is a Window, by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard, illustrated by Chris Sasaki (Neal Porter Books, 2019)  goes to... LINDA B.

• They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems, by David Bowles (Cinco Puntos Press, 2018)  goes to... TARAFARAH7.

• Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc, by David Elliott (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2019)  goes to... JAMA.

• The Day the Universe Exploded My Head: Poems to Take You into Space and Back Again, by Allan Wolf, illustrated by Anna Raff (Candlewick, 2019)  goes to JANET CLARE F.

• Hello, I'm Here! and Sweep Up the Sun, by Helen Frost, illustrated by Rick Lieder (Candlewick, 2019)  go to... CHARLIE DELL. Additional copies of Sweep Up the Sun go to... CATHERINE FLYNN and MARGARET SIMON.

• Ode to an Onion: Pablo Neruda & His Muse, by Alexandria Giardino, illustrated by Felicita Sala, (Cameron, 2018)  goes to... STEPHANIE FARROW.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR WINNERS:

Please send an email with the subject "giveaway winner" to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com. Include your postal address and any inscription details. I cannot guarantee that the books will be signed or inscribed (some are coming directly from the publisher), but in many cases the authors are willing and able to personalize their books. If I don't hear from you and can contact you myself, I will. If my attempts fail, I will draw a new name in a week's time.

See you tomorrow with a brand new Spotlight ON interview 

and Ditty of the Month Club challenge!

Classroom Connections with Alexandria Giardino

TODAY'S READ

Ode to an Onion: Pablo Neruda & His Muse

Alexandria Giardino, Author
Felicita Sala, Illustrator

Cameron Books (October 9, 2018)
ISBN: 978-1944903343

For grades K-5

Purchase at Amazon.com
Purchase at Barnes & Noble
Purchase via Indiebound.org



SYNOPSIS

A poetic, beautifully illustrated picture book inspired by Ode to the Onion by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (1904–1973). Pablo has a lunch date with his friend Matilde, who shows the moody poet her garden. Where Pablo sees conflict and sadness, Matilde sees love and hope. The story is less a biography of Neruda and his muse, Matilde Urrutia (1912–1985), and more a simple ode to a vegetable that is humble and luminous, dark and light, gloomy and glad, full of grief and full of joy—just like life.


A PEEK INSIDE

Click on image to enlarge.

Text copyright © 2018 by Alexandria Giardino. Illustrations copyright © 2018 by Felicita Sala.
From ODE TO AN ONION: PABLO NERUDA & HIS MUSE (Cameron Kids).

"Luminous onion," Pablo proclaimed, lifting the onion up high,
"sad things have always made me cry, but you have made me cry tears of joy!
For that, I will celebrate you as only a poet can. With an ode!"

© 2018 Alexandria Giardino, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexandria Giardino's first picture book, Ode to an Onion, was inspired by the poet Pablo Neruda and is a Junior Library Guild Selection for 2018. Two more children's books are forthcoming in 2020. Alex lives in northern California, where she teaches creative writing and rides her mountain bike all over Mt Tam. In addition to her books for children, Alex's writing has appeared in the Village Voice Literary Supplement, Ms., Marie Claire, The American Poetry Review, and on air at KQED.

CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS

Why is bringing poetry into the classroom important?

Poetry is song and dance and feelings and sparkling perfect words, all at once. Poetry blows open possibilities, our imaginations, our hearts.

Kids know poetry already because they know music and they have feelings.

Poetry allows kids to have a new way to communicate their hearts to others.

Poetry creates magical ah-ha moments.

How might your book be incorporated into an educational curriculum?

Ode to an Onion can be used from kindergarten through 5th grade because it has a level of maturity within it.

In lower grade levels, the book can be used to talk about opposites and pairs, such as the feelings of sadness and happiness, light and dark, Matilde and Pablo.

In higher grade levels, it can be used to talk about odes and as a platform for writing them. It can be also used in combination with Monica Brown’s picture book biography of Pablo Neruda to teach about the great Latin American poet and his life.

It can also be part of a school’s gardening program, in which the kids can search for inspiration in their garden and write about what they found.

Can you suggest a specific classroom exercise related to your book?

Writing Odes with Pablo

1. Pre-reading exercises:

• define and discuss key terms, such as "ode," "poet," and "inspiration"
• walk-through the story, What does the cover suggest to you? What do the colors and images suggest? Where will this story take place? How many characters do you see?

2. Read or give a quick run through Ode to an Onion

3. Reflect on the story by asking, what happened? How did Pablo feel in the beginning? What changed for Pablo? Why? What did he do to show his change?

4. Discussion and Idea Generation for Ode Writing

• ask kids to share what makes them happy when they feel sad, list their ideas on a board

5. Show simple examples of two or three short odes

6. Ask kids to write down three things on their own sheets of paper:

• something or someone that makes them happy that they want to celebrate in an ode
• three adjectives that describe their topic
• three reasons the thing or person makes them happy
• a question they would like to ask of their person or thing that makes them happy

7. Time for writing odes  (See attached powerpoint: How to Write an Ode)

8. Share with a read-a-loud

What is a simple, practical tip for teachers when it comes to incorporating poetry in the classroom?

Add music, sing songs, pay attention to the lyrics. Remind kids poetry is already everywhere, even in the songs they sing.

Can you recount a specific instance of when poetry impacted a student or group of students in a positive way?

I have been teaching poetry to adults and children for twenty years. The instances pile up: so many moments when my students used metaphors and compressed combinations of words to convey tremendously big ideas and feelings.

Here’s one: a child used a poem to talk about loving a pet that had passed away. 

Another: kids in a bilingual workshop laughed as we played with Spanish and English words in our poems, which normalized the languages they speak every day and allowed them to communicate feelings by using their favorite words in each language.


CONNECT WITH ALEXANDRIA GIARDINO

Website: www.alexgiardino.com
Twitter and Instagram: @Alex__Giardino
Facebook: Alex Giardino

Look for two more books forthcoming from Alexandria Giardino:

The Good Song is about IZ Kamakawiwo’ole’s medley “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” (Cameron Kids, Spring 2020)

Me + Tree is the story of a girl and a tree stump that comes back to life because of the girl’s friendship. (Creative Editions, Fall 2020)

Many thanks to Alex for participating in our Classroom Connections series for National Poetry Month, and for offering a copy of Ode to an Onion to one randomly selected TLD reader!

To enter, leave a comment below or send an email with the subject "Ode to an Onion Giveaway" to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com by the end of TODAY, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Winners will be announced on Thursday, May 2nd, so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Check out the other Classroom Connections posts and giveaways on offer this month by clicking the names below!

• Eric Ode (Otters, Snails and Tadpole Tails: Poems from the Wetlands)
• Kip Wilson (White Rose) 
• Carole Boston Weatherford (The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop)
• Skila Brown (Clackety Track: Poems About Trains) 
• Janet Wong (A Suitcase of Seaweed & MORE) 
• Debbie Levy (This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality)
• Susannah Buhrman-Deever (Predator and Prey: A Conversation in Verse) 
• Charles Ghigna (The Night the Forest Came to Town)
• Margaret Simon (Bayou Song: Creative Explorations of the South Louisiana Landscape)  
• Patrice Vecchione (Ink Knows No Borders: Poems of the Immigrant and Refugee Experience)
• Leslie Bulion (Superlative Birds)
• Marilyn Singer (Have You Heard About Lady Bird?: Poems About Our First Ladies and I'm the Big One Now!: Poems About Growing Up) 
• Alice Faye Duncan (A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks)
• Shannon Bramer (Climbing Shadows: Poems for Children)
• Aida Salazar (The Moon Within) 
• Georgia Heard (Boom! Bellow! Bleat!: Animal Poems for Two or More Voices)
• Stephanie Parsley Ledyard (Home is a Window)
• David Bowles (They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems)
• David Elliott (Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc)
• Allan Wolf (The Day the Universe Exploded My Head: Poems to Take You into Space and Back Again)
• Helen Frost (Hello, I'm Here!)

Digital art © 2018 by Miranda Barnes,
based on a line from "Ghazal" by Tracy K. Smith.

TO FOLLOW:

The best way to keep up with the Classroom Connections series is by subscribing to Today's Little Ditty via email, which you can do in the sidebar. I will also be announcing the posts on social media. Like me on Facebook and/or follow me on Twitter (also in the sidebar) to stay informed that way. Catch up with Classroom Connections posts you may have missed by clicking on the "It's time to INSPIRE" icon in the sidebar, or by visiting my "Poetry in the Classroom" board on Pinterest.