Friday, March 14, 2014

Have Fun with Science & Poetry with Fourth Grade PFA FOR SCIENCE!

Each day this week I will be sharing about the new PFA FOR SCIENCE, brought to you by Sylvia Vardell & Janet Wong, with a host of fine poets contributing!

Here's the schedule:
Monday: KINDERGARTEN
Tuesday: FIRST GRADE
Wednesday: SECOND GRADE
Thursday: THIRD GRADE
Friday: FOURTH GRADE
Saturday: FIFTH GRADE

Each day I will be giving away a copy of the Student Edition for that grade level... and at the end of the week, I will choose one winner from all the commenters via blog/Facebook/Twitter for the K-5 TEACHER edition!

So, FOURTH GRADE. Again, the line drawings that accompany the poems in the Student Edition are wonderful and engaging! There's also a Glossary and Index, both of which I find particularly helpful. And I especially appreciate the inclusion of English and Spanish translations of some of the poems. Nice!

Today I've chosen one of those poems that appears in both English and Spanish, though, due to me not knowing how to use the keyboard to create special characters, I'm only sharing the English version here. Read the Spanish translation for yourself in the book!

OH WATER, MY FRIEND
by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Are you scared?
Is that why you run
to rivers, to streams, to lakes?
Do you feel safer pooled in ponds?
Does it hurt to boil?
Does your anger roll and roil?
Is that why you recoil from the heat and sun?
Do you feel trapped, contained, restrained?
Is that why you weep and seep
through window panes?
Does it feel weird to leave the earth,
to rise above the rest?
Do you get dizzy hovering in the heaves?
Are you afraid to fail - to fall?
Aren't we all.
Aren't we all.
-----
Aren't we all, indeed! I love poems that use personification. To imagine how water FEELS... love it! (Interestingly I attended a workshop this past weekend on haiku, and as it turns out, personification and feelings are not allowed in haiku! Who knew?)

In the TEACHER'S EDITION for this poem (p.), Sylvia Vardell has created TAKE FIVE! activities that include: 

Including audio or video of water while reading the poem
Inviting Spanish speaking students to share the poem
An art activity addressing the questions in the poem
Discussion about the water cycle
A reference to other poems about water


Good stuff. And yes, I have a poem in this one called "Science Fair," after a real-life science fair experience of my own.

GIVEAWAY: Comment here or on Twitter @irene_latham or on my Facebook page! Winners announced daily.

Also: Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Kara at Rogue Anthropologist for Roundup. AND Big BIG thank you to all those poets who signed up for for 2014 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem.... I'm sorry I was not able to accommodate everyone. I've always thought we needed more than one month for National Poetry Month. Sigh. Love to all! xo

9 comments:

  1. I like the contemplative voice in this. Sounds like they've put together a great series - congratulations on being a part of it, Irene.

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    1. Matt, you are the winner of the 4th grade student edition! Please send your address to irene at irenelatham dot com. Thanks so much! Irene

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    2. Thanks, Irene! I just saw this post now, so I'll send you an email soon. I appreciate it!

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  2. Great post Irene for a fantastic collection of poetry books for kids and teachers.

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    1. So glad to see your work in there, Joy! Con

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    2. Congratulations (don't know what happened to the rest of that word. :)

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  3. Placing the feeling onto water is interesting. I just reviewed Laura Purdie Salas' water book this week, & now here is another 'source' for water study. I just received my anthology today-fun to see you there, Irene.

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  4. I just ordered this collection, Irene - can't wait to find other treasures like the one you shared.

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  5. I'm so glad to be reading so many poem from this collection! Congratulations for being a part of it, Irene.

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Your thoughts?