This blog is a continuation of a class assignment for the TWU course 5603, Literature for Children and Young Adults. Subsequent entries are for TWU course 5653, Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults. The new entries are for TWU course 5663, Poetry for Children and Young Adults.

Monday, April 22, 2013

This Is Just to Say


This Is Just to Say
By Joyce Sidman


Cover image retrieved 4/15/13 from


Bibliography
Sidman, Joyce, and Pamela Zagarenski. This Is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co, 2007. ISBN 9780618616800




Critical Analysis
Modeled after the pioneering work of teacher and poet Kenneth Koch, This Is Just to Say is a fictional collaborative body of work, supposedly by the students of the author. The premise here is that students have written letters of apology for past misdeeds. The topics range from playful (a tussle during a game in PE) to serious (an apology to a father from the daughter who believes he left home because she was not good enough.) the range of topics is a realistic blend, mirroring the lives of a typical class. The variety of moods is essential to the overall impact of this volume of poetry: not too sappy or trivial, not too serious or heavy. Each poem is carefully crafted, with aptly chosen words that lend appropriate emotional impact.


The different voices and styling of these poems create a consistent flow of meaning, rhythm, and sound. The reader would never have a chance to become bored with the collection, since each is on a different topic, of differing length, and with differing intensity. Readers will find many examples of figurative language, as the imaginary writers of the poems employ the use of rich adjectives and descriptive language.

Poems in this volume are arranged into two sections: apologies and responses. In a clever twist, each author delivered his/her poem to the intended recipient and asked for a response in poem form. Responses for a couple of poems were supposedly written by a classmate, such as a poem from a statue in response to an apology for rubbing its nose, since the object obviously could not write the response. A table of contents at the beginning of the book allows the reader to locate response poems easily, to read one immediately after reading the apology. The book definitely accomplishes its purpose of delivering a creative, fresh look at the angst and issues of sixth grade students. Late elementary to middle school readers will enjoy these poems and their creative, multi-dimensional illustrations.


Book Reviews
Randall Enos (Booklist, May 15, 2007 (Vol. 103, No. 18))
The different voices and styling of these poems create a consistent flow of meaning, rhythm, and sound. The reader would never have a chance to become bored with the collection, since each is on a different topic, of differing length, and with differing intensity. Readers will find many examples of figurative language, as the imaginary writers of the poems employ the use of rich adjectives and descriptive language.

Poems in this volume are arranged into two sections: apologies and responses. In a clever twist, each author delivered his/her poem to the intended recipient and asked for a response in poem form. Responses for a couple of poems were supposedly written by a classmate, such as a poem from a statue in response to an apology for rubbing its nose, since the object obviously could not write the response. A table of contents at the beginning of the book allows the reader to locate response poems easily, to read one immediately after reading the apology. The book definitely accomplishes its purpose of delivering a creative, fresh look at the angst and issues of sixth grade students. Late elementary to middle school readers will enjoy these poems and their creative, multi-dimensional illustrations.


Book Reviews
Randall Enos (Booklist, May 15, 2007 (Vol. 103, No. 18))
Book Awards
Claudia Lewis Award, 2008 Winner United States
Cybil Award, 2007 Winner Poetry United States
Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, 2008 Honor Book United States


Best Book Lists
Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2008 ; Bank Street College of Education; Outstanding Merit; United States
Choices, 2008 ; Cooperative Children’s Book Center; United States
School Library Journal Best Books, 2007 ; Cahners; United States
School Library Journal Book Review Stars, May 2007 ; Cahners; United States
Teachers’ Choices, 2008 ; International Reading Association; United States



Poetry Break!
Spotlight Poem

Poetry Break!
Spotlight Poem

Poem of apology:

              What Was I Thinking?

Wow, am I really in the principal’s office?
She is bigger than I thought.
Is that a gray hair on her neck?
Her dress is the color of ripe plums.
She is asking so many questions!
I have such a bad feeling in my stomach.
       Bao Vang is my best friend.
       She is always laughing.
       She was laughing when she hit the fire alarm.
       It was an accident! She was just fooling around!
The principal’s eyes are like hot sparks.
My parents will be so angry.
They will yell and yell.
My mouth is opening!
I’m blabbing about Bao Vang and the fire alarm!
I can’t believe this is happening!
The principal sends me away.
I slink out like a whipped dog.

Bao Vang: my best friend.
       I told on her, then pretended I hadn’t.
       Will she ever forgive me?

                      By Mai Lee


Response Poem:

              The River of Forgiveness

Here I am,
reading Mai Lee’s poem.
I am wading into the river of forgiveness.
Thinking of alarm bells,
of breaking glass, of confusion,
and the fear that crushes your heart
when you’ve done something wrong.
I feel cold and alone, fighting
the water as it pulls at me and fills my eyes.
Will I ever make it across?
I keep thinking of a friend
who helped explain the world,
whose arm is always around my shoulder,
a friend who stands with me in the crowd.
There she is – my friend,
on the other side of the river.
She’s the one looking worried
when I cough and choke,
the one about to jump in after me.
But wait – my feet are touching!
I’ve reached the sandy bank!

I’ve crossed the river of forgiveness.
I open my arms to her.

              By Bao Vang



Learning Extensions
Introduction:
·      Preselect two students to practice and present each of the poems in this set.
·      Set up the reading by asking students to listen to the presentation to see which student they most identify with.
·      Have two students share these poems orally.

Extension:
·      Facilitate group discussion of which of the poems students most closely identify with, and why.
·      Extend discussion to include how it feels to be on each side of the situation.
·      Ask students to reread the selections, as students listen with fresh ears after the discussion.


Other books by Joyce Sidman
Author’s website:  http://www.joycesidman.com/
Like the Air
Just Us Two: Poems about Animal Dads
Eureka!: Poems about Inventors
The World According to Dog: Poems and Teen Voices
Song of the Water Boatman: Pond Poems
Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry
Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow
This Is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness
Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors
Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night
Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature’s Survivors
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature




Like the Air

Just Us Two: Poems about Animal Dads
Eureka!: Poems about Inventors
The World According to Dog: Poems and Teen Voices
Song of the Water Boatman: Pond Poems
Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry
Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow
This Is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness
Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors
Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night
Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature’s Survivors
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature













No comments:

Post a Comment