Going Buggy with poet Douglas Florian! (Poetry Workshop).What better way to celebrate science than with a hilarious insect poem by Douglas Florian! His unique recipe of rich rhyme, keen observation, and off-kilter comedy has made him a favorite with kids everywhere. But don't let his playfulness fool you: Serving up poetry that intrigues and tickles the funny bone is serious business. Sharing The Poem Read the verse through with gusto, pausing to relish each meticulously placed word. Does the poem first sound scary? How is it funny? Does the idea of a teeny Teeny 1/16 or 0.0625 of one full point in price. Steenth. bug seeing itself as a dreadful dragon have anything to do with it? Explain that this literary technique is called metaphor. Build critical-thinking skills by drawing a Venn diagram A graphic technique for visualizing set theory concepts using overlapping circles and shading to indicate intersection, union and complement. It was introduced in the late 1800s by English logician, John Venn, although it is believed that the method originated earlier. on the chalkboard, labeling one circle "Dragonfly dragonfly, any insect of the order Odonata, which also includes the damselfly. Members of this order are generally large predatory insects and characteristically have chewing mouthparts and four membranous, net-veined wings; they undergo complete metamorphosis. ," the other "Dragon," and the overlapping circles "Both." Invite kids to tap their imaginations and tell you all the ways they are alike (scary, green) as well as different (real, make-believe). Now turn your attention to the poem's evocative action verbs (sweep, munch, seize, etc.). Use sticky notes to replace them with over-used verbs such as fly, eat, and take. Read your humdrum version aloud. Are kids yawning yawning a deep, involuntary inspiration with the mouth open, often accompanied by the act of stretching. Repeated yawning in the presence of other signs, may accompany signs of chronic abdominal pain or hepatic disease. ? Guide them to understand that word choice is imperative to a poem's success because it enables readers to make exciting pictures in their mind's eye mind's eye n. 1. The inherent mental ability to imagine or remember scenes. 2. The imagination. mind's eye Noun in one's mind's eye in one's imagination . Time to turn the tables: Can kids think of some great verbs to describe a dragonfly? Make a list, plug them into the poem, and read your rendition chorally to boost fluency! Writing Insect Poems Challenge kids to locate all the insect facts present in the poem. Explain that Florian does a lot of research, which he relies on to craft a precise--albeit exaggerated-version of reality. Invite students to do their own research and get the facts on daddy long-legs, carpenter ants, weevils, or another favorite creepy crawly crawl·y adj. crawl·i·er, crawl·i·est Informal 1. Creepy. 2. Feeling as if covered with moving things. . Challenge kids to use what they've learned to write their very own insect poem inspired by "The Dragonfly." Display finished work with pride on a "We've Gone Buggy!" bulletin board. I sweep I swoop I terrorize. For lunch I munch On flies and bees. Mosquitoes with My feet I seize. I am the dragon: Down on your knees! Douglas Florian RELATED ARTICLE: The Dragon fly (Zool.) any insect of the family See also: dragon . I am the dragon, The demon of skies. Behold my bold Enormous eyes. |
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