Module 3: Poetry Break - Poem That Does Not Rhyme

INVITATION FROM A MOLE By Alice Schertle
(Found in: Schertle, Alice. 1999. A LUCKY THING. Ill. by Wendell Minor. San Diego, CA: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 0152005412)

INVITATION FROM A MOLE is an amazing poem that really capitalizes on the power of sense imagery. This poem does not rhyme, but readers will be hooked immediately by language that allows them to practically see, hear, taste, smell, and feel a mole’s world simply by reading the words of the poem. For example, readers will “smell / the sweet damp feet of mushrooms” and feel “the cold face of a stone” pressing against their cheeks with ease. Schertle uses no capitalization or punctuation in this poem, allowing readers to quietly focus on the strong sensory images evoked by the words. Also, Schertle cleverly utilizes line breaks and spaces to help convey meaning and draw the reader’s attention to important images. Wendell Minor provides a captivating painting of a mole, a worm, and a pencil in the dirt to accompany the poem. While Minor does a good job portraying the earthy world of a mole, the language of the poem itself is powerful enough that readers will have their own images from a mole’s perspective in mind.

INTRODUCTION: Since all kids love going outside, take them outside and tell them that today they are going to explore dirt and mud! Bring along shovels, rakes, and smocks or aprons to protect clothing and ask students to start digging and studying the earth. If the dirt is dry, try adding some water to it to see how it changes the way the dirt feels. Tell students to uses their senses to pay attention to what they see, feel, hear, and smell as they play with the dirt and mud. After students are cleaned up, write down what the students observed as a group and briefly discuss. Then tell them to close their eyes as you read the poem to them.

INVITATION FROM A MOLE
By Alice Schertle

come on down

live among worms awhile
taste dirt
on the tip of your tongue

smell
the sweet damp feet of mushrooms
listen to roots
reaching
deeper

press your cheek against
the cold face of a stone

wear the earth like a glove
close your eyes
wrap yourself in darkness

see

what you’re missing

EXTENSION: Since moles may be somewhat unfamiliar to students, this poem could launch an interesting investigation into moles and their characteristics and habitats. Additionally, the illustration that accompanies this poem appears to be of a unique type of mole called a star-nosed mole. Children will most likely be very curious about this mole’s distinctive nose, and they may enjoy reading further about this type of mole and exploring real photographs of star-nosed moles online. Pictures of star-nosed moles can easily be found online (such as the images on the following websites: http://www.livescience.com/imageoftheday/siod_050207.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star-nosed_mole). Finally, after listening to INVITATION FROM A MOLE, children may be motivated to write their own unique animal poems following the “Invitation from a ______” format. For example, students may choose to write invitation poems from a hummingbird’s perspective or a sloth’s perspective. Children might really enjoy writing poems from interesting animals’ perspectives, and listening to everyone’s poems to “see what you’re missing” could be a lot of fun!

Module 3: Poetry Break (Unusual Form) - Limerick

IRISH PEACE TALKS by Brian P. Cleary
(Found in: Cleary, Brian P. 2004. RAINBOW SOUP: ADVENTURES IN POETRY. Ill. by Neal Layton. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, Inc. ISBN 157505597X)

Children and adults alike will need to prepare themselves for some serious laughs prior to reading the poem IRISH PEACE TALKS. Brian Cleary includes this hilarious limerick in an interesting and comical poetry collection that also offers helpful descriptions and information about the various forms of poetry used throughout the book. According to Cleary, a limerick is a five-line verse that is usually funny and follows a specific rhyme pattern (Cleary 2004, 38). The rhythmic feel of limericks combined with the hysterical meaning of this poem are sure to appeal to readers of all ages. Cleary’s careful word choice and skillful manipulation of words and sounds add to the rhythm and readability of the poem. For example, readers will notice the sounds and cadence of the words “scrapin’” and “offa” as they read the poem aloud. Adding to the charm of IRISH PEACE TALKS is Neal Layton’s hilarious sketch-like drawing, which depicts a large and aggressive looking schoolgirl with pigtails intimidating a humorously tiny boy in a school hallway. The drawing is done almost entirely in black and white. The green clothes and bows on the frightening schoolgirl offer the only color in the illustration, drawing even more attention to the girl’s comically mean look. The cartoon, doodle-like quality of the illustration will undoubtedly intensify the appeal of this poem for children.

INTRODUCTION: Prior to sharing this poem with students, ask students if they know what a limerick is. Use Brian Cleary’s explanation of a limerick from RAINBOW SOUP or another source to inform students of the rhyming structure and humorous quality of limericks. After a simple and brief explanation of limericks, tell students that you are going to share a funny limerick with them today. This is an excellent poem for the reader to really act out with facial expressions and tone of voice, so have fun when you read this one!

IRISH PEACE TALKS
By Brian P. Cleary

There once was a schoolgirl from Galway,
Who said to her lad on a fall day,
“If I find you starin’
At Maggie or Erin,
They’ll be scrapin’ you offa the hallway.”

EXTENSION: After the students stop laughing, consider allowing them to write limericks of their own. The Giggle Poetry website (http://www.gigglepoetry.com/) offers Bruce Lansky's excellent directions for how to write a limerick at http://www.gigglepoetry.com/POETRYCLASS/limerickcontesthelp.html. Neal Layton’s sketch-like illustration of IRISH PEACE TALKS may also inspire students to attempt illustrating their own limericks as well. Additionally, since humorous poems have the potential to really grab students’ attention, sharing a poem like IRISH PEACE TALKS with children is an excellent way to open the door to the world of poetry for them. Once children realize how much fun poetry can be, finding and sharing great poetry with them can be enjoyable for everyone. Direct students to the poetry section of the library and challenge them to find and share more limericks that they enjoy.