Christmas

INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, Christmas is celebrated with gift-giving and parties by Christians and non-Christians alike. However, December 25th is a religious holiday for Christians on which to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It was first celebrated in Rome in 354 a.d. It became increasingly important as a festival in the middle ages. In the 17th century the Catholic Church began to emphasize the religious importance of the day. Now the religious and secular aspects combine to make this a major holiday in much of the world.

POEM

CHRISTMAS IN THE WOODS

By Frances M. Frost

Tonight when the hoar frost falls on the wood,
And the rabbit cowers, and the squirrel is cold,
And the horned owl huddles against a star,
And the drifts are deep, and the year is old,
All shy creatures will think of Him.
The shivering mouse, the hare, the wild young fox,
The does with started fawn,
Will dream of gentleness and a Child:

The buck with budding horns will turn
His starry eyes to a silver hill tonight,
The chipmunk will awake and stir
And leave his burrow for the chill, dark midnight,
And all timid things will pause and sigh, and sighing bless
That Child who loves the trembling hearts,
The shy hearts of the wilderness.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
THE ARBUTHNOT ANTHOLOGY OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE. 1953. Fair Lawn, New Jersey: Scott, Foresman and Company.

EXTENSION
How does this poem relate to the religious aspect of Christmas? What is the poet saying about Jesus and His relation to all living creatures?

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Christmas

INTRODUCTION
Ask students to share how they feel when they are waiting for Christmas to come. Tell them that you are going to share a poem with them that is about waiting for Christmas to come.

POEM

Waiting

By Maria Fleming

Each day that dawns,
yawns.
Each night that falls,
crawls.
Each minute that ticks,
sticks,

And I go on waiting…
and waiting…
Waiting’s the worst.
Because Christmas is coming

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hopkins, Lee Bennett, comp. 2004. CHRISTMAS PRESENTS: HOLIDAY POETRY. Illustrated by Melanie Hall. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 006008054X

EXTENSION
Ask students to list things they like to eat on Christmas, favorite smells, something they enjoy touching, special Christmas sounds and sights. Then have them write poems that tell why it is hard to wait for the holiday.

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Kwanzaa

INTRODUCTION
Kwanzaa is a week long holiday created in 1966 as a celebration of African American heritage. It includes candle lighting in honor of self-determination, creativity and cooperation and the giving of home-made presents.

POEM

Kwanzaa Time Is Here

By Helen H. Moore

“Habari gani!”—What’s the news?
What’s the great occasion?
Let’s pull together—“Harambee!”
To make a celebration.
It’s Kwanzaa!
Time for Unity
And Self-Determination!
We’ll share Responsibility,
and show Cooperation.
It’s Kwanzaa!
Time for Purpose,
Time for Creativity,
And Kwanzaa’s also time for Faith.
It’s Kwanzaa! Harambee!


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Moore, Helen B. 1997. A POEM A DAY: 180 THEMATIC POEMS AND ACTIVITIES THAT TEACH AND DELIGHT ALL YEAR LONG. New York: Scholastic Professional Books. ISBN 0590294334

EXTENSION
Read SEVEN CANDLES FOR KWANZAA by Andrea Davis Pinkney or a favorite Kwanzaa book. Discuss the seven principles learned in the poem and the story, unity, self-determination, responsibility, cooperation, purpose, creativity, and faith. Ask if those are good principles to live by. If time allows, allow students to make a black placemat that has red and green paper strips weaved through to represent the Kwanzaa colors.


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Hanukkah

INTRODUCTION
Explain that Hanukkah is a holiday much like the Fourth of July. It celebrates the end of a long war between the Jewish people, led by the Maccabees, and the Persian Empire. When the Maccabees finally defeated the Persian army in 165 b.c., they rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem. Hanukkah means rededication. Tradition says that when the rededication ceremony began, an oil lamp was filled with the only oil available. That small amount of oil lasted a full eight days, long enough to produce more so that the light never went out. In honor of that miracle candles are lit for eight nights on a menorah, and foods cooked in oil (latkes and donuts, for example) are eaten.

POEM

Hanukkah Lights

By J. Patrick Lewis

Verse:
Let the miracle and aura
Of eight lights from that menorah
Lit from one small vial of oil
Call the faithful from their toil.

Chorus:
As each house begins its glowing,
People coming, people going
Make a time—the overthrowing,
The defeat of the invaders.
People born in every nation
Celebrate our liberation.

Verses:
Let us keep the promise simple:
To rededicate the Temple
With a symbol to inspire
Peace and Freedom—candlefire.

Let no enemies destroy us
In a season turning joyous,
For it’s Hanukkah that’s bringing
Children laughing, children singing.

But let every child remember
That this festival December,
So enriching a revival,
Is a hymn to our survival.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kimmel, Eric A., ed. 1998. A HANUKKAH TREASURY. Illustrated by Emily Lisker. New York: Henry Holt. ISBN 0805052933

EXTENSION
During the Spanish Inquisition it was a capital offense to practice Judaism. Jews who wished to pray together pretended to be gambling with a little top with markings on four sides. Remembering their bravery, people still play with dreidels on Hanukkah. Teach everyone the game and let them play.

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December

INTRODUCTION
In front of a map, discuss how weather varies across the country. Is it always cold in December? Is there always a blanket of snow? How do plants react to winter in different parts of the country? When I lived in Massachusetts, I would sometimes wake up to find ice covering flowers that had been blooming the day before. Picture a tulip covered with ice as you hear Hines’ poem.

POEM

Winter Sunshine

By Anna Grossnickle Hines

Today it is December.
Time for winter weather
And the air is frosty, chilly,
Only…
No one told the rosebush
And it has two yellow blossoms,
Two spots of sunshine
To warm away the cold.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hines, Anna Grossnickle. 2001. PIECES: A YEAR IN POEMS & QUILTS. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 0688169643

EXTENSION
Try to think up something unexpected for each season of the year. It might be something you are surprised to see or something it is unusual to do during that season.

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Thanksgiving

INTRODUCTION
Thanksgiving is a day for being thankful and for feasting. It is also a day for fun. One thing people enjoy is watching or marching in parades. Show the children pictures of a Thanksgiving Day parade or even a video clip of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

POEM

Thanksgiving Parade

By Nancy White Carlstrom

Boom barroom
Pum Pum
Boom barroom
Tum tum

Beat the drum
Beat the drum
Make music in the Thanksgiving parade

Clickity click
Play the sticks
Ting-a-ling
Ping Ping
Tambourines shake
Shake shake shake
Make music in the Thanksgiving parade

Knock knock
The wooden blocks
Ring the bell
All is well

One two three four
March to the door
Make music in the Thanksgiving parade

Boom Knock
Ping shake
Make music in the Thanksgiving parade

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Carlstrom, Nancy White. 1999. THANKSGIVING DAY AT OUR HOUSE. Illustrated by R. W. Alley. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers. ISBN 0-689-80360-5

EXTENSION
Tell the children they will be a marching band in a small parade. Have blocks, bells, and shakers and other noise-makers available. Have the children each pick an instrument to carry. Lead them through the library or school making music for Thanksgiving.
Later on read “The Thanksgiving Day Parade” by Jack Prelutsky

From: Prelutsky, Jack. 2007. IT'S THANKSGIVING! Pictures by Marylin Hafner. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN978-0-06-053709-8

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Robert Lewis Stevenson's Birthday

INTRODUCTION
Robert Louis Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He studied first to be an engineer, and then to be a lawyer. But he did not like either profession; he wanted to read, write and travel. He wrote essays and books about his travels, but he is better known for his adventurous tales: TREASURE ISLAND, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE and KIDNAPPED. He also wrote several books of poetry, but the one that is most remembered is the one he wrote for children, A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES.

POEM

My Shadow

By Robert Louis Stevenson

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an India-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s nothing of him at all.

He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;
I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepyhead,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stevenson, Robert Louis. 1999. A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES. Illustrated by Tasha Tudor. New York: Simon And Schuster. ISBN 0-689823-82-7

EXTENSION
Take chalk outside to the playground. Have half the class trace the shadows of the other half. Wait a few hours and go back out. Have the other half trace shadows of the first half. Compare the sizes. Have the children make guesses about why some shadows are so much bigger than others. What do they think will happen after lunch?
If there is time repeat the experiment twice more in the afternoon.

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Veterans Day

INTRODUCTION
On November 11, 1918 at 11:00, Germany surrendered and World War I ended. Originally called Armistice Day, the end of the war was celebrated with a moment of silence at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. In 1954 the name was changed to Veterans Day and it became a holiday in honor of all men and women who served this nation in combat. We honor them, because we know they face horrors and risk their lives.

POEM
Anthem for Doomed Youth

By Wilfred Owen

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries for them from prayers or bells,
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,--
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.
What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.
The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of silent minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Harrison, Michael. 1999. ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF POETRY FOR CHILDREN. By Michael Harrison and Christopher Stuart-Clark, eds. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 019-276190-0

EXTENSION
Ask the students to think about how they would like to be remembered when eventually they die. Challenge them to find a poem that they think describes their lives. Put the poems together in a book for the students to browse through.

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Aviation History Month

INTRODUCTION
Tell students that it is Aviation History Month. Show pictures of airplanes throughout history with dates written on them. Arrange in order to form a time line.

POEM

The Plane

By Charlotte Zolotow

High overhead
on a still fall night
flashing lights of a plane in flight
flying through the darkness
like a lighted torch
while we watch
from our porch

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Zolotow, Charlotte. 2002. SEASONS: A BOOK OF POEMS. Illustrated by Erik Blegvad. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0060518545


EXTENSION

Allow students to make paper airplanes and let them have a contest to see whose plane can fly the farthest.

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Halloween

INTRODUCTION
If you were building a haunted house, what would you put in the house to scare everyone? Suppose you did not know what to expect, and you went into a house like the one we planned, what words would describe your feelings?


POEM

That Old Haunted House

by Judith Viorst

That old haunted house was so creepy, so crawly,
so ghastly, so ghostly, so gruesome, so skully-and-bony.
That old haunted house gave me nightmares and daymares
and shudders and shivers and quiver and quavers and quakes.
That old haunted house made my hair stand on end and my
heart pound-pound-pound and the blood in my veins ice-
cold freezing.
That old haunted house gave me goose bumps and throat lumps
and ch-ch-ch-chattering teeth and the sh-sh-sh-shakes.
That old haunted house made me shriek, made me eeek, made
me faint, made me scared-to-death scared, made me all-over
Sweat.
Would I ever go back to that old haunted house?
You bet.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stockland, Patricia M. 2004. COBWEBS, CHATTER, AND CHILLS: A COLLECTION OF SCARY POEMS. Illustrated by Sara Rojo Perez. Minneapolis: Compass Point Books. ISBN 0-7565-0565-8

EXTENSION
Look at the words the class put on the list to describe feelings. Which of those words would sound more emphatic if you extended them like the words in the poem? Are there other words that come to mind to add to the list after hearing the poem?
Try to write a sentence poem using at least one of the extended words.

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Statue of Liberty dedicated in 1886

INTRODUCTION
On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland was on an island in New York City’s Harbor ready to dedicate the Statue of Liberty. Now the Statue of Liberty is a treasured national monument, but it was not originally so popular. Conceived by sculptor, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi and financed by donations from the French people, Americans were supposed to build the pedestal to hold the statue. Fund-raising went slowly. Many of the wealthiest Americans thought a statue in honor of liberty would cause unrest among the working classes. Others were suspicious of the French people’s motives; why did they want to give such a huge gift? Finally, newspaper publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, started a grass-roots campaign to raise funds. As part of this campaign, Emma Lazarus was asked to right a poem that spoke about America’s place as a land of liberty for refugees from around the world. The Statue stands now as a symbol of our dedication to liberty.

POEM

The New Colossus

By Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A might woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Have a discussion on the political view of the poem. The Statue of Liberty was controversial back in 1886. Lazarus describes a vision of America as a place that welcomes all immigrants. Is her vision widely accepted or is it controversial? Why?
If you disagree with her vision, what does the Statue of Liberty symbolize to you?
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kennedy, Caroline, ed. 2003. A PATRIOT’S HANDBOOK: SONGS, POEMS, STORIES, AND SPEECHES CELEBRATING THE LAND WE LOVE. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-6918-6


EXTENSION
Have a discussion on the political view of the poem. The Statue of Liberty was controversial back in 1886. Lazarus describes a vision of America as a place that welcomes all immigrants. Is her vision widely accepted or is it controversial? Why?
If you disagree with her vision, what does the Statue of Liberty symbolize to you?

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Nikki Grimes birthday, October 20

INTRODUCTION
Danitra Brown is a recurring character in Nikki Grimes’ poetry collections. When Danitra goes away for the summer, she and a friend exchange letters.

POEM

Dream Places

By Nikki Grimes

Dear Danitra,

Since you left,
I’ve put a map on my bedroom wall.
I stick gold stars on all the places
I’ll travel to someday:
Zaire, Hong Kong, Bombay.
I find each city in my geography book,
Look up the facts and figures,
And write them down in the diary
I keep beside my bed. I lay my head
Back on the pillow, close my eyes,
And see myself, a little older,
Walking down an African street,
Soaking in the heat of the sun.

EXTENSION
Everybody has dreams of taking a trip someplace extra-special. Tack a large world map to your class wall, and provide map pins for students to locate places they want to visit someday. Have students write poems about their dream places and display them with the world map.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grimes, Nikki. 2002. DANITRA BROWN LEAVES TOWN. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0688131557

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Columbus Day, October 12

INTRODUCTION
After sailing across the Atlantic for months, on October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived on an island he called San Salvador. When he returned to Spain, he mistakenly proclaimed that he had reached the rich and wonderful land of India. Europeans were excited by his stories and began planning more voyages across the Atlantic. It was not many years before Europeans realized they had found other lands—North and South America. Since Columbus’ voyage began the wave of exploration and colonization that eventually led to our nation, we honor him each year on the day he arrived in this new world.

POEM

Columbus Day

By Myra Livingston Cohn

Across the word,
Columbus,
you dreamt your wild schemes.

You slept on decks
of sailing ships;
you nailed the wooden beams.

You coaxed west wind
into the sails;
you mended tattered seams.

Across the word,
Columbus,
you dreamt your wild dreams.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Livingston, Myra Cohn. 1985. CELEBRATIONS. Paintings by Leonard Everett Fisher. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0-8234-0550-8

EXTENSION

Find out what conditions were like on early sailing ships. What did the sailors eat? What were their beds like? What jobs had to be done on board? What frightening things might happen? What do you think the sailors might have done for fun? Then pretend you were on board one of Columbus’ three ships. Write a few journal entries describing what happened as your sailed across the ocean.

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First Man-made Satellite is launched October 4, 1957

INTRODUCTION
I was a new first grader when the Soviet Union put Sputnik, the first human-made satellite, into orbit. It happened on October 4, 1957. At first we were scared of something flying around the world; we thought it might fall on us at any moment. We could not have imagined the world being as it is today with hundreds of communications, weather, and spy satellites orbiting above us. Sputnik began a new interest in science in general, rocketry and astronomy.

POEM

Skywatch

By Douglas Florian

On a clear night you might try
To gaze upon the starry sky.
A telescope or binoculars are
Great aids to observe a star.
To find your way it's good to sight
Upon a star that's very bright,
Like Sirius or Canopus,
Alpha Centauri or Arcturus.
You may see a planet or
A flash of light from a meteor.
Use a constellation chart
To help you tell the stars apart.
Start out when the day is done.
Most of all: Have lots of fun!

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Florian, Douglas. 2007. COMETS, STARS, THE MOON, AND MARS. New York: Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-15-205372-7

EXTENSION
Show the group pictures of constellations, and explain how ancient people played connect the dot with the stars, and visualized different pictures. Then give each child a paper with sparse dots scattered on it. Ask them each to draw a picture by connecting some of the dots. Explain they may choose any dots and connect them in any order. Then have them make sentence poems that describe their picture.

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Johnny Appleseed's Birthday (Sept. 26)

INTRODUCTION
Tell everyone that Johnny Appleseed /John Chapman was born in 1774, just before our nation was born. Explain how he spread apple seeds through the northeastern part of our country thus producing many apple orchards. Cut an apple in half to show the seeds inside.

POEM
Discovery
Within its polished universe
The apple holds a star,
A secret constellation
To scatter near and far.

Let a knife discover
Where the five points hide;
Split the shining ruby
And find the star inside!


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Esbensen, Barbara Juster and Barbara Fumagalli. 1971. SWING AROUND THE SUN. Illustrated by Cheng-Khee Chee et al. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications. ISBN 0876141432

EXTENSION
Make apple prints using cut apples, stamp pads, and construction paper. While children work, try reading excerpts from the picture book poem, JOHNNY APPLESEED by Reeve Lindbergh.

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Autumnal Equinox

INTRODUCTION
Using a globe, illustrate the meaning of the word equinox and tell why it was important to people in ancient times.

POEM
Recipe for Writing an Autumn Poem

By Georgia Heard

One teaspoon wild geese.
One tablespoon red kite.
One cup wind song.
One pint trembling leaves.
One quart darkening sky.
One gallon north wind.


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Heard, Georgia. ed. 2009. FALLING DOWN THE PAGE: A BOOK OF LIST POEMS. New York: Roaring Brook Press. ISBN 1596432209

EXTENSION
Bring in leaves from a variety of trees. Make leaf rubbings on light and dark papers using crayons in autumn colors. Let children add pictures of other ingredients of autumn.

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Talk Like A Pirate Day (September 19)

INTRODUCTION
Wear a pirate hat and head scarf. Pin a stuffed parrot to your shoulder and address your group as “Ahoy me hearties! Arrr! Listen up, ‘tis the captain talking.”

POEM
A Ballad of John Silver (excerpt)

By John Masefield

We were schooner-rigged and rakish, with a long an’ lissome hull,
And we flew the pretty colors of the crossbones and the skull;
We'd a big black Jolly Roger flapping grimly at the fore,
And we sailed the Spanish Water in the happy days of yore.
We'd a long brass gun amidships, like a well-conducted ship,
We had each a brace of pistols and a cutlass at the hip;
It's a point which tells against us, and a fact to be deplored,
But we chased the goodly merchantmen and laid their ships aboard.

Ah! The pigtailed, quidding pirates and the pretty pranks we played,
All have since been put a stop-to by the naughty Board of Trade;
The schooners and the merry crews are laid away to rest,
A little south the sunset in the Islands of the Blest.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hague, Michael. 2001. THE BOOK OF PIRATES. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0876141432

EXTENSION
Pass out copies of common pirate sayings found at http://www.yarr.org.uk/talk/ and have the students try them out while enjoying a cup of apple juice “grog.”

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Back to School

It's time to head back to school!

INTRODUCTION
As everyone begins a new year of school and becomes familiar with what happens during the day, it’s time to imagine what happens in the school building at night. What if all the objects in the room came alive at night? What do you imagine they would do?

POEM

By Carol Diggory Shields

Do you know what happens in the school at night
When the teachers all leave and turn out the light?

The math books count out, “3,2,1!”
Then the clock on the wall shouts, “Time for fun!”

The erasers start to race around the floor.
The rubberstamps stamp right out of the drawer.

The scissors cut up, and the stickers peel out.
The paper clips twist, the globe spins about.

The flag waves, “Bye-bye! Don’t be late.”
As the wall calendar goes out on a date.

The telephone gives the map a ring.
The rule gets bossy and acts like a king.

So if something in your desk doesn’t look just right,
Maybe it’s because of what happened last night.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Shields, Carol Diggory. 2003. ALMOST LATE FOR SCHOOL: AND MORE SCHOOL POEMS. New York: Dutton Children’s Books.
ISBN 0525457437

EXTENSION
Take another tour of the entire school. What is something that you saw on the tour that you think could become active after the lights are out and everyone has gone home? If the school could write a poem about us, what do you think it would say that we do after school?

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