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N IKKI GRIMES AUTHOR STUDY

ARIEL CORNETT, CAROLYN CRABTREE, DEBBIE DINER, KELLY FARLEY, TORI O’SHEA

Teac h er ’s Gu ideEDIS 5300- FALL 2011

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Our group’s Nikki Grimes Author Study Wiki can be found at

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Grimes, N. (2002). Bronx Masquerade. New York, NY: Dial Books. Narrative Poetry. (GRL W)

Grimes, N. (1996). Come Sunday. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Poetry. (Estimated GRL- Q*)

Grimes, N. (2005). Danitra Brown, class clown. Ney York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. Poetry. (GRL Q)

Grimes, N. (1998). Jazmin's Notebook. New York, NY: Dial Books.Fiction: poetry. (GRL W)

Grimes, N. (1994). Meet Danitra Brown. New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books. Poetry. (GRL N)

Grimes, N. (1999). My man Blue. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. Poetry. (Estimated GRL- O*)

Grimes, N. (2001). A pocketful of poems. New York, NY: Clarion Books. Poetry. (Estimated GRL- M*)

Grimes, N. (2006). The Road to Paris. New York: Penguin Group. Fiction. (Estimated GRL- L*)

Grimes, N. (2004). Tai chi morning. Chicago, IL: Cricket Books. Poetry. (Estimated GRL- T*)

Grimes, N. (2004). What is Goodbye? New York, NY: Hyperion.Fiction: poetry. (GRL W)

Grimes, N. (2007). When Gorilla goes walking. Ney York, NY: Orchard Books. Poetry. (Estimated GRL- L*)

*Estimated Guided Reading Levels based on conversion from suggested grade level.


ARIEL CORNETT, CAROLYN CRABTREE, DEBBIE DINER, KELLY FARLEY, TORI O’SHEA

Bo o ks, Gen r es, an d Level s

Poetry Structure and VoiceNikki Grimes’s Come Sunday

Before-Lesson Notes: Before using this book in a lesson, a teacher note would need to be sent home to notify the parents.

This book could cross the boundaries that have been established by the division of church and state. An explanation of the book’s usefulness for the class poetry activity would be necessary.

This book and lesson would be excellent for Parochial Schools. This lesson could also be taught over the course of 2-3 days depending on how much time the

teacher spends on the poem specific questions. Discussion could become lengthy with those questions and other assignments could be designed based on the student engagement with those questions.

Bibliographic Information:Come Sunday. Written by Nikki Grimes; Illustrated by Michael Bryant; Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Pub., c1996.

SOL Objectives: 4.7 The student will write effective narratives, poems, and explanations.

a) Focus on one aspect of a topic.b) Develop a plan for writing.c) Organize writing to convey a central idea.d) Write several related paragraphs on the same topic.e) Utilize elements of style, including word choice and sentence variation.f) Write rhymed, unrhymed, and patterned poetry.

Language Objective: Describe a family tradition or family activity in writing by focusing on the organizational structure of poetry and voice.

KUD: K: Students will know the term “voice” as an element of style in writing. (SOL 4.7 e) Students will know that poetry can have varying organizational structures: rhymed, unrhymed, and patterned. (SOL 4.7 f)

U: Students will understand that they need to focus on one central idea within a topic and develop an organizational structure for their writing. (SOL 4.7 a, b, c)

D: Students will be able to write several related paragraphs of rhymed poetry like the mentor text poetry in Come Sunday. (SOL 4.7 d, f) Students will be able to orally explain and identify their use of voice throughout their poetry writing. (SOL 4.7 e)

Materials: Come Sunday, pencils, paper, markers or chalk, whiteboard or chalkboard, overhead projector, 1 ladies’ hat, and 1 pair of white gloves, poster board (optional for students to use in the presentation portion of the lesson).

Procedures: The lesson will begin with an introductory discussion. This discussion will be prompted by the teacher’s

question, “What activities are you all involved with on Sundays?” Student answers could range from “Watching football games with my older brother” to “On Sundays, I go to the grocery store with my mom.”

After the class has finished their discussion about their own Sunday activities, the teacher will hold up the book, Come Sunday, with its front cover facing outward and ask the question, “What does it look like this little girl is doing on Sundays?” The students’ answers will vary depending on their exposure to a church setting.

After the class has discussed the cover illustration on Come Sunday, the teacher will read the book of poems to the students. If the teacher is a woman, she will be wearing the ladies’ hat and white gloves during the time that she is reading the book. The teacher will stop periodically throughout the book to ask questions about specific poems. The teacher does not have to ask all of these questions. He or she can pick and choose which questions to use based on the students’ specific response to each poem. Different classes will have varying poetry preferences.

Questions for each poem include:o Come Sunday : What does Mommy mean by ‘Time to shed dawn’s cozy quilt?’o Blue-Haired Ladies : Do the ladies’ actually have blue hair? In the sentence “I’m

itching to go the other way,” what does the word “itching” mean?o Ladies’ Hats : What is the rhyming pattern in “Ladies’ Hats?” (The answer is A, A, B,

B, C) If you could have a fancy hat, what would your hat look like?o White Gloves : How does Nikki Grimes use descriptive imagery in the poem, White

Gloves? Have you ever wanted to look like someone else? LaTasha wants to look like her mommy in this poem.

o On the March : What’s the difference between marching in the poem, On the March, and marching like our high school band does at football games on Friday nights?

o Jubilation : What does “rock-a-my-soul” mean? Why do you think Nikki Grimes repeats “rock-a-my-soul” over and over again in the poem?

o Baptism : Is LaTasha actually talking about seeing her own father’s face and hearing his voice? Why does Nikki Grimes repeat the first word of each stanza three times? (From this question, the teacher could explain that the stanzas are called couplets in this poem because they have two lines apiece.) Does this create a special effect?

o Esther : (Question for a Parochial School only) Who is your favorite person in the Bible? Why are you similar to that person?

BaseballGame

Peanuts

Hotdogs

Spring

Grandpa and Dad

Fresh-Cut Grass

Star-Spangled BannerAmerican Flag

o My Offering : Why does LaTasha have an inner conflict with the amount of money she put in the basket?

o At the Alter : (Question for a Parochial School only) LaTasha said that she would like to see “God’s blessing fly in for a landing.” What do you think God’s blessing would look like?

o Church Supper : What is your favorite food to eat?o Lady Preacher : (Question for a Parochial School only) How do you hear God’s

voice?o Sunday Evening : How can music “whisper in your ear”? Can a melody actually

follow you?o Lights Out : What is your personal paradise or sanctuary?

After reading Come Sunday, the teacher will introduce the students’ writing activity by saying, “Nikki Grimes’s poetry in Come Sunday is absolutely beautiful. As writers, you all can take an idea of your own and make it into an amazing piece of writing. Let’s begin our activity by shutting our eyes. (Students should all close their eyes) Now, imagine a family tradition or activity that you do with the members of your family. (Give the students around 20 seconds to think about this. Provide them with imagery questions to help them paint a better picture in their minds. These questions would include: Who are you with? Your mom? Your dad? Your grandparents? Where are you? At a football game? On the beach? At the dinner table? What time of the year is it? Summer? Fall?) Now that you all have that image in your minds. Let’s begin writing individual lists of words that you think about when you all formed that picture in your minds. This organizational process is exactly what writers do to make their books. I’m going to show you how I’m going to make my list first as an example and then you all can begin. I will be walking around to help guide your thinking as you all are brainstorming those words.”

Writingo Working for (or to) children , the teacher will think aloud as he or she writes his or her own list of

words that corresponds with the mental image of a family tradition or family activity. The teacher could use a graphic organizer like a web or a concept map to help the students’ organize their thoughts. The teacher’s modeling of a graphic organizer will hopefully be mimicked by the students. If the teacher’s family tradition was a baseball game, an example concept map of this topic would look like this on the teacher’s chalkboard or whiteboard:

o Working with children , the teacher will walk around the classroom monitoring the students’ progress as they are making their own word lists. The students will list as many descriptive traits about their family tradition or activity as possible. The questions asked during the “imagination” activity during step 4 of the procedure section in this lesson plan with help the students come up with a wide variety of descriptive traits.

o Working by children , the students will complete their word lists that correspond to their family tradition or activity as an independent assignment. After they have completed their list, the

teacher will select a poem from Come Sunday and display it on the overhead projector. For example, the teacher will show them the poem, Sunday Evening:

Come Sunday evening, I always knowwithout being told, when it’s time to go:the deacons begin gathering fans from each pewthen check underneath, where they find one or two;my tummy starts growling for supper once more, and right about then, Mommy strolls toward the door,then I take Daddy’s hand, and the last thing I hearis the hum of the organ whispering soft in my ear, and the melody follows me home.

The teacher can explain that the rhymed poem has an A, A, B, B, C, C, D, D, E structure. (At this time, the teacher needs to show students examples of unrhymed and patterned poetry. Students need to know what these types of poetry look like even though they will not be directly working with them during this lesson. If the teacher is in a time crunch, he or she can come back to these other two types of poetry later on in the school year or the teacher can design another lesson after this one that focuses on one of these other types of poetry.) The teacher will then bring the first Nikki Grimes poetry back up on the overhead projector. The teacher will ask the students to replicate the organizational structure found in Nikki Grimes’s Sunday Evening poem in the book, Come Sunday. Students will be instructed to write 2 paragraphs in this structure and they will be given the remaining time during the first class period that this lesson was introduced and then they will complete the assignment the next day.

On the next day, teacher/ student conferences will occur. The teacher will help the students make corrections and the teacher will give the students advice/ guidance to help them finish their assignment. At these individual conferences with the teacher, the students will have multiple questions that they will have to answer in front of the teacher about the voice found in their poems. These questions are listed in the Assessment section of this lesson plan.

On the third day, the students will present their personal rhymed poems about a family tradition or family activity to the entire class. Students may present in a variety of formats (interpretive dancing, drawings, expressive oral presentation, etc), but they will all have to physically display their poem for the class (on the chalkboard or whiteboard/ even a poster if they have enough time to make one in class).

Assessment: Informal Assessment: Examine the students’ prewriting processes as they make their personal word lists.

Examine the students’ writing for the use of the same organizational rhyming structure as Nikki Grimes’s Sunday Evening poem in the book, Come Sunday. This assessment should help in the teacher/ student conferences.

Students will also self-assess by asking themselves the following questions in the student/ teacher conferences (Students will orally answer these questions as they are interacting with the teacher in the conference): How have I used voice effectively in this poem? Have I brought my family tradition/ activity alive for my audience with my descriptive language? How have I organized my ideas? Did the graphic organizer help my process? Will I use a graphic organizer in the future? Could I organize other types of writing in this way?

Summative Assessment: The students will present their original poem that was structurally organized to match the rhyming poem, Sunday Evening, which is found in Nikki Grimes’s book, Come Sunday. The students’ original poems will also show an effective use of voice.

Character DevelopmentNikki Grimes’s The Road to Paris

SOL Objectives:5.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of fiction

b) Describe character development in fiction selections5.8 The student will write for a variety of purpose: to describe, to inform, to entertain, and to explain.

d) Use precise and descriptive vocabulary to create tone and voice.

Language Objective: The students will be able to describe characters from their writings to their peers and their teacher. The students will explain why they chose a character’s thoughts and how that develops the character. Students will use italicized writing (as seen in Gibbon’s text) to explain the main character’s thoughts and further develop the character.

Materials: The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes, composition notebooks, highlighters, projector/elmo

Procedures: Read The Road to Paris (in class, over several days) The first day after the book is finished, discuss the main characters (Paris, Malcolm, and the Lincolns) and

discuss what tactics the author uses to describe and develop these characters. Key tactics include: descriptive vocabulary, flashbacks, and the character’s thoughts in italics.

Put the book under the elmo so that it is projected in front of the class. Show the students different parts of the book where the main character’s, Paris’, thoughts are included.

Project a short narrative, written by the teacher, for the children to see. The teacher will read the narrative and model how to improve it.

Since the teacher’s narrative will not have any characters’ thoughts included at first, the teacher will describe one character and have the class help highlight areas where thoughts could be included to develop the character.

The teacher will write in these thoughts and then re-read the narrative, to the students, with the additions.

Have the students take out a short narrative from their writing portfolios (could be from a different lesson entirely)

Partner the students up and have them read their partner’s piece and highlight where they could add more to develop one particular character. Instruct the students to explain why they would develop areas more and offer suggestions to their partners.

The next day, review what was done the day before and provide another model of how to include characters’ thoughts and give some examples of descriptive vocabulary words that might be incorporated.

Let the students correct their narratives and meet with their partner for a final peer review. Turn in the final product to the teacher. Teacher assesses the final product in comparison to the first narrative. Students self-assess (see below)

Assessment: The teacher will assess each student’s first narrative in relation to his or her revised narrative. The

assessment will be done according to a checklist which will feature such questions as:o Are the added character thoughts incorporated smoothly and at appropriate times within the

story?o Did the students use descriptive vocabulary within the added thoughts?o Did the student give constructive feedback during the peer editing process?

The students will take a self-assessment that is in the form of a short list of questions from the teacher. Examples of these questions are:

o Why did you put your character’s thoughts where you put them?o Do you think these thoughts develop the character and have a consistent tone? How so?

The students will also have an on-going portfolio throughout the year that they will turn in at the end of the year. The teacher will remind the students that this is a writing tactic she will be looking for within the portfolio. This is something the students should think about incorporating in the future.

Developing Voice and Characterization in Poetry

Nikki Grimes’s When Gorilla Goes Walking

SOL Objectives:

SOL 4.4: The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of fiction.

b) Describe how the choice of language, setting, characters, and information contributes to the author’s purpose

SOL 4.7: The student will write effective narratives, poems, and explanations.a) Focus on one aspect of a topicb) Develop a plan for writinge) Utilize elements of style, including word choice and sentence variationf) Write rhymed, unrhymed, and patterned poetry

Language Objective: Students will analyze the role of word choice and voice in characterization by reading the poems contained in When Gorilla Goes Walking, and write their own poetry based on those elements.

KUD: K: The terms “voice,” “word choice,” and “characterization.” Poetry may be written from many different perspectives, including first-person.U: Authors use word choice to create unique and vibrant voices for their characters. Analyzing how a character speaks can help you learn about that character.D: Write first-person poetry in which the narrator has a distinct voice.

Materials: Nikki Grimes, When Gorilla Goes Walking White/Chalk Board or Projector Class writing materials


DEBBIE DINER

Men t or Tex t Lesso n

Procedures: In the day or so leading up to the lesson, read through the entire book When Gorilla Goes Walking as a class,

in order to familiarize the students with the book and with Grimes’ poetry. On the day of the lesson, begin by rereading the short poem “Cecilia” to the class. Ask them to think about

what they learn about the narrator from the way she speaks, what they think her personality is like, etc. Make sure that, in their responses, they tie their answers to specific phrases and words Grimes chose to use. Write these phrases and words on the board. Discuss as a class what makes these phrases different from “normal” words, how Grimes uses them to build her narrator’s voice.

Continue to build the class list of “Voice Phrases” by rereading the poems “Gorilla,” “Learning the Rules,” and “Jealous.” Make sure to concentrate not on the narrator’s description of her cat, but on the way she speaks, and how her voice can let us learn a lot about her (even though she isn’t explicitly described in any of the poems).

Once all three poems have been read and analyzed, ask the students to consider what type of person the narrator is. Is she a happy person? Does she have a good sense of humor? Is she shy or outgoing? Label the list of “Voice Words” with her personality type, in order to create a list of phrases that could be used by the students to help give a distinct voice to a character with a similar personality.

Explain to the class that, as a large group, they’re going to work together to make up a poem from a first-person perspective with a strong voice, like Grimes’ poetry. Begin by determining, as a class, what type of personality their narrator should have. Once the personality is defined, work to brainstorm several words or phrases a person with that personality might use frequently. Use these phrases to build a class poem in which the narrator describes something (an object, or perhaps a pet) in their house.

After the class poem is complete, compare it to some of Grimes’ poetry. Do the students think they were successful in creating a distinctive voice for their narrator? If not, what do they think they need to change?

After the class poem has been analyzed, switch the focus to individual writing. Explain that each student is going to write their own first-person poem with a unique narrator. In writing workshop, begin with a pre-writing process in which students decide on a personality type for their narrator, and individually brainstorm “Voice Words” for that personality. To help the students develop a unique and interesting voice for their narrator, you may choose after this step to have them share their lists with classmates and ask for suggestions or criticism, as well as personally monitor students as they work.

Using their pre-writing lists, have students write short poems from the first-person perspective, with a focus on using specific phrases and words to give their narrator a distinct voice. Follow the normal steps of the writing process (drafting, sharing, revising, editing, publishing) to create polished final pieces.

Assessment: Assess the students’ final poems for the use of effective word choice in creating a vibrant and unique

voice for their narrator. You may choose to assess formally, with a checklist or similar rubric, or in a less formal student-teacher writing conference. The focus of this assessment should be less on particular writing conventions or poetic forms (such as rhyme scheme or meter, which are not the focus of this lesson) and more on whether students were able to convey their narrator’s personality through his or her speech and word choice.

Practicing Writing with Point of View through Poetry

Nikki Grimes’s What is Goodbye?

SOL Objectives:5.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of fiction.

a. Describe the relationship between text and previously read materials.b. Describe character development in fiction and poetry selections.c. Describe the development of plot and explain how conflicts are resolved.d. Describe the characteristics of free verse, rhymed, and patterned poetry.e. Describe how an author’s choice of vocabulary and style contributes to the quality and enjoyment of selections.

5.8 The student will write for a variety of purposes: to describe, to inform, to entertain, and to explain. a. Choose planning strategies for various writing purposes.b. Organize information.c. Demonstrate awareness of intended audience.d. Use precise and descriptive vocabulary to create tone and voice.e. Vary sentence structure.f. Revise writing for clarity.g. Use available technology to access information.

Common Core Standards:

W.5.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.

Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.

Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.


KELLY FARLEY


Language Objective: Students will create poetry using both rhyming and free-verse structures. Students will use appropriate language to write from the point of view of a fictional or real character. Students will write from the first person points of view of multiple characters to describe the same

event.

KUD: K: The different points of view found in stories.Key words that denote each point of view.U: Stories have different points of view.When the same story is told from multiple points of view, the story will be different each time.D: Create rhyming and free-verse poems that tell the same story from different first person points of view. Materials:

What is Goodbye? by Nikki Grimes Any classic retelling of the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears Large chart paper/ markers Paper and writing implements for students

Procedures: Connect to prior knowledge: “You have been learning about point of view for a few years now and

I’m sure you all are experts at identifying first and third person by now.” Briefly review the different types of point of view found in stories. “When we read What is Goodbye? by Nikki Grimes last week, what did you notice about the point of view in that story?” Discuss how Grimes uses two different first person points of view to tell the same story through the eyes of two siblings. “It is difficult to write from a first person perspective of a character that is not you, because you really have to get to know the character and get inside his or her brain. That is what we will be working on today- we will write some poems in the style of Nikki Grimes (both free verse and rhyming) from the perspectives of Jesse and Jerilyn.” The students should have already done work with free verse and rhyming poetry at this point, but review the structures if necessary.

Working with children: Discuss the classic story Goldilocks and the Three Bears, re-reading a classic retelling if the students seem unfamiliar. “In this story, each character sees things differently, just like Jesse and Jerilyn see things differently.” Pick a major event, like when Goldilocks wakes up and encounters the three bears. Make a three-columned chart and label the first column with the event, the second column with “Goldilocks” and the third column with “Mama Bear.” “Students, since it is easier to figure out what Goldilocks and the bears are thinking, we will practice with this story. For each event, we will fill in what the different characters are thinking at the same time. Then we will try to write a poem about it.”

Writing for children: Fill in the chart as a class with a few different events from the story, then compose a couple of poems (both rhyming and free verse) that summarize the events from different points of view. Let the children contribute ideas and help them if they are stuck.

Writing by children: Divide children into pairs. Give each pair a piece of chart paper and a marker. “Now, we will try to get inside the minds of Jesse and Jerilyn. Using all of the poems that Nikki

Grimes wrote from their perspectives, try to make a Venn Diagram about Jesse and Jerilyn, filling it in with words that describe them, thoughts they might have, or any information you think might be useful when you’re writing from their perspective.” When each group has finished, hang the charts around the room so students can reference them while writing. “Now that you all have brainstormed so well, we are going to practice writing. I am going to give you one event that Jesse and Jerilyn will experience together (this could be something like “spending time with their best friend’s older brother”). On your own, you will write two poems total- one for each character responding to the event. Try to make one rhyme and make one free-verse.” Write the prompt on the board for students to reference. While students are writing, circulate and provide help as necessary. If a student seems stuck, point him or her towards the Venn Diagrams to try to get some ideas or key words that will spark an idea.

For the next lesson, teacher and/ or peer revision can be used to polish the poems. Eventually, they could be shared aloud or published in a fictional “Volume Two” of What is Goodbye?

Assessment: The four poems that the students produce can be graded at the teacher’s discretion for a number of

things, including correct poem structure, accurate point of view, grammar/ spelling/ punctuation, or effort/ enthusiasm. The poems could also just be used as a formative assessment to track progress and understanding of poetry writing and writing with point of view (i.e. did the student write reasonable opinions and actions for each character based on the knowledge we have of the character?).

If the teacher chooses to use peer revision, both the revisions made for the students and by the students can be taken into account as formative assessments.

Students may also self-assess by answering questions like, “Which character’s head was it harder to “get inside”? “What else can I do to further understand that character’s perspective?”


TORI O’SHEA


Writing Personal NarrativesNikki Grimes’s Bronx Masquerade

SOL Objectives:6.6 The student will write narratives, descriptions, and explanations.

a) Use a variety of planning strategies to generate and organize ideas. b) Establish central idea, organization, elaboration, and unity. c) Select vocabulary and information to enhance the central idea, tone, and voice. d) Expand and embed ideas by using modifiers, standard coordination, and subordination incomplete sentences. e) Revise writing for clarity.

6.4 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fiction, narrative nonfiction, and poetry.c) Describe the images created by language. d) Describe how word choice and imagery contribute to the meaning of a text.

Language Objective: Complete a written personal narrative that describes a singular personal experience using “rich sensory detail.”(Tompkins, 230)

KUD: K: The students will know how to use words to create visual images. The students will know how to complete a written personal narrative. U: The student will understand the impact of sharing personal narratives.D: The students will be able to complete a personal narrative. The students will be able to present to the class to share their personal experience. The students will be able to gain a better awareness and understanding to the students in their class. The students will be able to reflect upon fellow student presentations.

Materials: Modeled Personal Narrative / Visual, Overhead projector, assignment description, lap tops for student use, pencils, paper, planning graphic organizer.

Procedures: The class will have completed the book Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes together. The reading was

completed during in class readings as well as nightly homework assignments.

With teacher’s guidance the class will have annotated and analyzed the book to understand the impact Mr. Ward’s “open mike Friday’s” had on the class, student relationships within the class, and therefore will have a better understanding of the empowerment of sharing personal narratives to promote understanding. The current lesson will be to give the students the opportunity to create their own personal narrative to eventually share with the class to promote understanding within our own classroom. o The teacher will begin the lesson by modeling the future activity. The teacher will stand in front of the

class and share a personal narrative that was written by his or herself. The teacher will instruct the students to close their eyes in order to focus on the language used to provide visual imagery. The teacher will also have an accompanying visual (a collage of pictures) that reflect the personal narrative. The teacher will describe why he or she chose this accompanying visual and topic for the narrative.

o After presenting to the class the teacher will have his or her personal narrative projected on an overhead projector to the class. The teacher will then discuss and visually annotate her narrative in front of the class to certain characteristics.

o Characteristics include: the planning process( teacher shows the graphic organizer used to plan her writing) the narrative focusing on one central idea/experience(focused, 1st person) and the use of descriptive language to create images for the reader.

o While annotating the modeled narrative there will be constant dialogue between the class and the teacher. The teacher will have the students identify ways the narrative remains focused and ways the narrative uses certain descriptive language and metaphors to create visual imagery. The teacher will emphasize these points as the students will be expected to use these characteristics while writing their own narratives. At least 2 times the teacher will ask the students to turn to a partner and brainstorm ideas of how the writing could be improved to provide better imagery and overall enhance the descripting of the experience.

o The teacher will then present to the class a handout with details surrounding the assignment to be completed by the students. The students will be asked to complete a personal narrative assignment that upon completion will be presented to the class with an accompanying visual in an “open mike” format thus recreating scenes from “Bronx Masquerade.”

o The teacher will outline specific writing characteristics that students will be expected to complete as previously modeled.

o Including: the use of a graphic organizer to plan and focus writing on one central experience/ the use of descriptive language to create visual imagery for the reader (or listener)/ written in 1st person, organized with a beginning/middle/end

o Students can be creative when choosing a visual tool for the presentation such as a symbol, object, photograph, movie clip, song ect.

o This project will be completed both in the classroom and with a little extra time at home. The planning process will be completed individually by the student with the assistance of the teacher. The teacher will approve the planning process before the writing process begins. Students will have abundant time in class to complete the writing process with the help of the teacher.

o The students will present their personal narrative to the class.o After every student is able to present, each student will be required to write a reflection paragraph

detailing what surprised him or her the most after listening to everyone’s personal narratives. This lesson will NOT take place on one day. It will be a progression of mini lessons that culminates in the

presentation of personal narratives, “open mike” style. The students will be learning the characteristics of writing a personal narrative while recreating an open mike session similar to the reading of “Bronx Masquerade,” to get to know our classmates better. Why was this a beneficial exercise?

Assessment: This lesson will take course over a couple of days. Therefore both informal and formal assessment will be

used. o Informal: Whole class discussions discussing characteristics, partner discussions, meeting with

student to go over planning graphic organizer before writing begins.o Formal: Final revision of personal narrative, graphic organizer, accompanying visual,

presentation, and reflection paragraph.

Come Sunday1. Give some instances in which you have had to get dressed up like LaTasha does for church. 2. Was it wrong for LaTasha to keep some of her money instead of adding it to the offering plate? Why do you think so? 3. In your own words, can you explain what a "miracle" is? 4. What evidence is there that LaTasha enjoys going to church on Sundays?

Danitra Brown, Class Clown 1. Was it right for Danitra to encourage the class to give Miss Volchek a chance? Why do you think so? 2. What caused Zuri to have a stomachache? 3. What are the chances that the next school year will be just as great as the previous one for Zuri and Danitra? 4. What conclusions have you reached about Danitra Brown's personality?

Meet Danitra Brown 1. Explain why Zuri's mother uses the phrase "her spirit's old" to describe Danitra Brown. 2. In your opinion, how well did Danitra and Zuri deal with Freddy Watson's teasing? 3. Danitra and Zuri decide that they like culture. In your own words, how would you explain "culture" to another individual? 4. Was it wrong for Zuri to tell Danitra's secret? Why do you think so?


STORY THEATRE SCRIPT

Excerpts are from Nikki Grimes’s What is Goodbye?Poems used include Getting the News ~ Jesse, Getting

the News ~ Jerilyn, The Next Day ~ Jesse, and The Next Day ~ Jerilyn.

Narrator: This was a day that the family thought they would never see coming. The father whispered the news to Jerilyn while the mother told Jesse.

Jesse: “My ears aren’t working. My hearing’s broke. Mom’s lips are moving. Is this some joke?”

Jerilyn: “Daddy told me in a whisper sharp as a switchblade and just as sly. Blood ran before I felt the cut.”

Daddy: “Jaron won’t be coming home anymore.”

Jerilyn: “What?”

Narrator: The father silently stepped away from Jerilyn.

Jerilyn: “When daddy stepped away, he turned himself like a book so I couldn’t read, couldn’t look inside. Mommy also hid, her eyes dull coins peeking from the pockets of her lids. No one would look at me.”

Jesse: “My sister’s crying. What has she heard? Somebody tell me! Why are you sad? Something’s happened. Something bad. Why can’t I feel my hands anymore? The only thing I know for sure is that my mother couldn’t have said my big brother, Jaron, is dead.”

Narrator: On the day of the funeral, the father, mother, and Jerilyn leave while Jesse must stay at home.

Jesse: “They tell me I’m too young to go, to stay at home. To wait alone. But how am I supposed to know my brother’s really dead?”

Narrator: At the funeral, Jerilyn holds her mother’s hand and rubs a circle of comfort in her father’s back. The preacher speaks and the choir sings. The family squints at the casket.

Jerilyn: “There, nestled among roses no one wants to smell, is Jaron – not a him, but an it, some fake container, wearing clothes stolen from my brother’s closet. But where is he?

Jesse: “They should have taken me along. Instead, I lie across his bed and sniff his shirt, his scent so strong- he’s here, inside my head.”

Jerilyn: “I push down the scream that rings in me. Suddenly, I need to believe in Heaven.”


MODIFIED GUIDED READING ANALYSIS

Bibliographic Information:

The poems “My Man Blue” and “Fearless” from the book My Man Blue, written by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1999.

Semantic Aspects of the Texta. Vocabulary

Receptive Vocabulary indigo urge twineIt is important that students know these words if they are to develop a full understanding of the poems, but wouldn’t necessarily be useful for students in their development of basic English language skills.

Productive Vocabulary leathery rugged fierce sturdy scrambleThese words are all essential to a full understanding of the poems; they are also examples of more sophisticated words that students can apply to concepts they already know, and would therefore help them build a more nuanced and varied English vocabulary.

b. Locate any figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification) that might prove confusing to ELLs.

“His leathery skin’s like indigo ink” ; “loop my fear like twine around a branch” ; “clothes of midnight black”

Locate any idioms that might prove confusing to ELLs.

“dude” ; “the shades” ; “gentle-giant” ; “I kill time” ; “no big deal”

Are there any unusual uses of verbs that could surprise or confuse students?

“we storm the park” ; “kill time”

Explain your thinking on the items you’ve identified. How could you support students’ understanding

within the context of the book?

I chose phrases whose meaning isn’t apparent from the words they contain, or that don’t really mean what they seem to say. To support student understanding within the book’s context, I could pause after each confusing phrase and ask the students to predict, based on the illustrations, what they know of Blue’s and the narrator’s character, and what they understand from the rest of the poem, what they think the phrase means. Once a basic understanding of the phrase has established, students could practice using it in their own original sentences. I could also, to support understanding of the poems’ similes and metaphors, deliver a more structured mini-lesson about the structure and use of these two formal poetic techniques.

c. Homophones; Homographs: Identify any homophones or homographs that might confuse ELLs.

“right” (correct) vs. “right” (as in, “right here”) ; “loop” (noun) vs. “loop” (verb)

How could you support students’ understanding within the context of this book?

To support students’ understanding, I would pause after reading a section containing a confusing homophone or homograph and ask the students to paraphrase the passage in their own words. We would then work as a group to parse out the exact meaning of the confusing word in this context, as well as its other possible meaning. Depending on how common the homophone/homograph is, I might also have students generate their own sentences using both of the word’s meanings.

Grammatical Aspects of the Texta. Keeping Cappellini’s explanation of language patterns and developmental levels in mind (p.29), what level would an ELL need to be to understand this text on his/her own?

An ELL would have to be, based on Cappellini’s levels of English language development, at least at an Intermediate Level in order to understand these poems on his/ her own.

To help children grow, which aspects of grammar might the teacher need to support?

Auxiliary verbs (could, would, etc.); poetic syntactical structures

Explain your thinking for both questions.

According to Cappellini, the Intermediate Level is the stage at which students develop an understanding of features such as contractions and coordinating conjunctions, which are very prevalent throughout the text; I believe that the poems would be essentially incomprehensible without a basic understanding of these grammatical structures.

The poems also contain a significant number of auxiliary verbs, which students are not expected to develop until the Advanced Level; students at the Intermediate Level would therefore need some amount of teacher support in order to work through them. Additionally, because these are poems and not prose, the text sometimes contains unusual syntactical structures in which words are left out (for example, “send me scrambling toward the clouds, the sun, the sky” instead of “the clouds / the sun, and the sky), or extra words are added in (for example, “Blue and me / we storm the park). Students would need heavy teacher support in order to understand these more unusual sentence forms.

b. Identify any punctuation that might prove challenging to students.

Heavy use of contractions; dialogue punctuation; a small amount of parentheses, colons, and dash use

How could you support students’ understanding within the context of the book?

I could ask stronger students to paraphrase any confusing passages for less-able students, allowing them to develop a more nuanced understanding of unclear sentences. I would also, particularly for the more common punctuation and frequently-used grammatical features, deliver a series of mini-lessons about each feature to help students build a strong understanding of the structure in general, before applying that knowledge to the poem.

Text and Generic Structuresa. Identify the book’s genre: fictional poetry

b. If the genre is story, does it follow a typical orientation, complication, resolution structure?

This book is a series of poems all relating to the same characters – Blue and the narrator – that are only very loosely gathered into a plot. The two poems this MGR lesson focuses on both depict single instances in the characters’ lives (the first is simply a description of Blue, the second, an account of one of their trips to the park), and therefore do not follow a typical story orientation.

If not (e.g., flashback), how could you support students’ understanding?

Because this book is not a storybook, I wouldn’t devote any time to discussing typical story orientation; I would explain that poems are more often “snapshots” of action, or reflections of a specific moment, rather than full and complete stories, and we would analyze the poetry from that perspective.

Content or Conceptsa. Which aspects of content or which concepts might be unfamiliar to ELLs?

Students may be unfamiliar with aspects of urban life; they may also be unfamiliar with certain images Grimes uses throughout her poetry (for example, “indigo ink”)

b. Using your handout on WIDA supports, consider which visual, graphic, and/or interactive supports could increase ELLs understanding?

To support student understanding of urban life, we could examine and discuss pictures of children living in urban settings or, if possible, take a field trip to an urban park (sensory supports), or a fellow classmate who is more familiar with the concept could help to explain certain images or events in the poems (interactive support). To help students build a concrete understanding of some of the more unfamiliar imagery used in the poems, I would try to bring in a real object that can be associated with each image (for example, an actual bottle of indigo ink).

Explain your thinking.

The purpose of WIDA supports is to help students have some kind of concrete experience that will help them approach the text from a more knowledgeable position. I would therefore focus on using supports that would help them become familiar with the concepts of the poems, so they could devote more energy to deciphering the language and meaning of the text instead.

Yearlong Author StudyFourth Grade

September: Fantasy with Roald DahlOctober: Historical Fiction with Phyllis Reynolds NaylorNovember: Poetry with Nikki GrimesDecember/January: Informational Texts with Nicola DaviesFebruary: Multi-cultural Literature with Gary SotoMarch: Biography with Jean FritzApril: Traditional Literature with Deborah Nourse LattimoreMay: Realistic Fiction with Sharon Creech


Year l on g a ut h or st udy

Author Study Project Rubric: Nikki GrimesName(s): Ariel Cornett, Carolyn Crabtree, Debbie Diner, Kelly Farley, Tori O’SheaDate: December 12, 2011

Assessment Criteria 3 2 1 0Group members handed this rubric with all names listed to course instructors at time of presentation

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Presentation did not exceed the 15 minute limit -Displayed books represented a comprehensive sampling of the author’s workDisplayed books were arranged in an “inviting” fashion, including artifacts connected to the books Displayed books had indications of reading level (ex. Guided Reading or Flesch-Kincaid)

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PowerPoint presentation gave useful information about the authorPowerPoint presentation supplied suggestions for work with childrenPowerPoint presentation shared web sites that feature the studied author -Presentation included a drama-based event that would encourage others to read the featured bookPresentation was well-prepared and organizedTeacher’s guide included a list of the titles, genres, and levels of books displayed -Teacher’s guide included all group members’ mentor text lesson -The mentor text lessons were thoughtfully developed providing clear descriptions of how to support students’ writing (and incorporated previous feedback)Teacher’s guide contains four questions for each of three books -The questions represent a range of levels, stressing those that will produce strong discussions.Teacher’s guide included an MGR text analysis for one of the author’s books -The MGR text analysis is thoughtfully and thoroughly developedTeacher’s guide includes a year-long lesson plan in which author’s work is featured -Teacher’s guide was attractively formatted -

Grade: out of 47 points

GRADING KEY:3 = clearly above average, shows obvious effort and care in the execution of the task. 2 = adequate; meets requirements. 1 = not all aspects of the task have been fulfilled; brief and sketchy; rushed or marginal in effort. 0 = unacceptable; important aspects are neglected or unfinished

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