Cousins of Clouds!!

Dear Teacher Friends,

http://www.tracievaughnzimmer.com/COUSINS.html

I am SO EXCITED to tell you that my very own new book is now available just in time for POETRY MONTH, people! The best celebration of the year! If you're looking for a new way to freshen up your poetry unit then have I got a guide for you. Seriously, I went a little crazy with this guide. It's got vocabulary, discussion questions and comprehension plus oodles of mini-lesson ideas for each poem. Plus, a HOW-TO guide for writing  narrative poems (including revision techniques).

Happy poetry,


Tracie

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku

Teachers’ Guide for
Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku
by Lee Wardlaw
Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin
Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Ages 5 and up

“Wardlaw has a fine understanding of the feline mind,
and each poem packs a big impact…
a surprisingly powerful story in verse.”
  – Publisher’s Weekly

“Wardlaw’s terse, traditional verse captures catness from every angle, while Yelchin’s…illustrations telegraph cat-itude with every
stretch and sinuous slink. Perfect pussycat poetry
for anyone who has ever loved a shelter cat.”
                            – Kirkus, starred review

Both the tightly constructed lines and elegant, playful illustrations
unerringly imagine a cat’s world…
[Wardlaw] creates a lovable, believable character
in this wry, heartwarming title that’s sure to find wide acceptance
in the classroom and beyond.
                                    – Booklist, starred review

  About the Author

  Lee Wardlaw’s first spoken word was “kitty.” Since then, she’s
  owned more than two dozen cats (not all at the same time!) and
  published more than two dozen award-winning books for young
  readers, including 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents and 101 Ways to
  Bug Your Teacher. She lives in Santa Barbara, California with her
  husband, teenage son, and (of course) three cats.
  www.leewardlaw.com


 
 
  About the Illustrator

  Eugene Yelchin is a Russian-born artist. He illustrated Who Ate All
  the Cookie Dough? by Karen Beaumont and The Cobbler’s Holiday
  or Why Ants Don’t Wear Shoes by Musharraf Ali Farooqi. With his
  wife, Mary Kuryla, he co-wrote Heart of a Snowman and Ghost Files:
  The Haunting Truth, which he also illustrated. He lives with his
  family in Topanga, California.
 www.eugeneyelchinbooks.com




  Author Interview

1.How did you get the idea for this book?

“When one of our two beloved cats passed away, my young
son and I went to a local animal shelter to pick out a new
kitten.  We interviewed several of them, and it was like some-thing out of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’:  This one is too shy, this one too skittery, that one bites, that one is napping
in his litter box (ew!)…but this one is just right.  So Won Ton’s story is based on the journey we took with our new family member, from the ‘choosing’ to the car ride home, to the ‘naming’, to the first subbed meal – and beyond.”

2.Haiku is deceptively simple. What advice do you have for writers of the form?

“Writing haiku is like cupping a moth between your hands. You are capturing a moment, stilling its wings to better see it, observe it, appreciate it. So haiku is all about noticing – with eyes and ears wide open – what is happening before you right here, right now.  That takes patience and practice – but it’s worth it!


“For teachers wanting to introduce haiku to their students, I highly recommend Patricia Donegan’s book Haiku (Tuttle
          Publishing). In her book, Donegan talks about the Seven Keys
to Writing Haiku:  Form, Image, Kigo, Here and Now, Feeling, Surprise and Compassion. I’ll discuss these keys in more detail later in this Guide.”

3.Who are some of your favorite poets? What have you learned from them?

“I enjoy Valerie Worth, Ellen Kelley, Thalia Chaltas, Kristine
O’Connell George, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Joan Bransfield
Graham, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, April Halprin Wayland,
Shel Silvertein, Tracie Vaughn Zimmer…the list is endless! 
As for what I’ve learned from them?  Observe! Notice! And play!”

4.What can your fans look forward to next?

101 Ways to Bug Your Friends and Enemies (ages 10-14)
is scheduled for publication September, 2011; I also have a rhyming picture book for toddlers and preschoolers due out
in the spring of 2012. It’s called Red, White and Boom! and
it’s about the many ways families across the U.S.A. celebrate
the 4th of July.


 Pre-reading 

What is haiku? Do you think it is easy or hard to write? Why?


  Discussion Guide

What does the shelter have? What does it NOT have? What does our cat hero mean when he says, “or so I’ve been told.”
How are the cats alone but together in the shelter? Describe what feelings you think Won Ton has.
What’s special about visiting hours?
Explain why the cat thinks there is “no contest” with dogs.
Do you agree? Make a pros and cons list for each pet.
Do all the children during visiting hours treat the cats kindly? How do you know?
How hard is it to name a pet? How do you decide? What name does the boy choose? Do you think it’s a good name or not?
How does Won Ton feel about the new place? What details prove this? Have you ever been nervous or afraid to try something new?  Why?
What does it mean to “snub” something? What foods do you snub?
What habits does Won Ton have that you like or dislike?  Would you like him to live with you?  Why or why not?
Where is Won Ton’s favorite place to sleep? Where is yours?
What happens when the boy’s sister plays with Won Ton? Do cats usually like little children or not? Why?
What does your “nose know?” What are good snacks for cats? Which ones are disappointing? What’s your favorite snack?
Describe the types of things that the boy and Won Ton like to do together. How do cats get the attention of their owners? How do you get the attention of your parents?
What is the best part of owning a pet? What can be difficult?
In the end, what does Won Ton tell the boy that’s important?

Reading

All stories (even ones written in haiku!) have three parts to them: a beginning, a middle, and an end. As you re-read the story, fill out the following graphic organizer on the most important things to remember about Won Ton’s story.
   
In the beginning…
In the middle….
In the end…


Writing

  Try writing your own haiku or senryu poem. Tell the story of your
  own pet (or dream pet) in a series of at least five poems. Read the
  author’s note at the opening of the book for more information about
  this form of poetry.


  Math

  Solve these word problems:

1.If Won Ton, Pumpkin and Gypsy each eat a cup of food a day, and they spend two weeks at the shelter before they’re adopted, how many cups will they eat in total?

2.If  Gypsy spends an extra week at the shelter (she has a cold, poor baby), how many more cups of food will you need?

3.Imagine you received $75 for your birthday to pay for adopting a cat.  If the adoption fee is $35.00, and it costs $15.00 to have her spayed and $20.00 for her first shots, do you have enough to adopt?

4.If a cat sleeps 18 hours a day, how many hours are left to play?



  Art

  Inspired by the sharp angles and lines of Eugene Yelchin’s
  illustrations, create a portrait of your own pet (or dream pet) on
  the flat surface of a paper plate. Paint or color the ruffled edges to
  look like a wooden frame. Hang your favorite haiku/senryu beneath
  it for a hallway display.



  Community Service Project

  Host a bake sale, carwash or other fundraiser to benefit a local pet 
  shelter or Humane Society. Be sure to call the shelter and ask what




  type of donations they need. Care packs for newly adopted pets are
  often welcome.


 
  Science

  Both poetry and science rely on close observation. As you work on 
  creating a haiku or senryu, use the following chart to make direct
  observations of your pet or topic:


Sense:
What you notice about your topic:
Details you can SEE (color, shape, size, movement)


Details you can HEAR (volume, repetition, tone)


Details you can SMELL (strong, pleasant, sharp, warm, etc.


Details you can TASTE (sweet, sour, tangy, bitter)


Details you can TOUCH (scratchy, silky fuzzy, soft)







 

  The Seven Keys to Writing Haiku
  From Haiku by Patricia Donegan

1.Form:  A haiku poem should have three lines with or
without a seventeen syllable count. (Five syllables in the
first line, seven in the second, five in the third.) A good rule
of thumb is to make your haiku one breath long.

2.Image:  Your poem should have a descriptive image. For
example, instead of ‘a cat’, write ‘a black cat in the grass.’

3.Kigo:  Kigo is a ‘season’ word. Haiku always refers to
nature in some way, hinting at the day’s season or weather.

4.Here and Now:  Write from a real observation – an experience or a memory of an experience – instead of from your imagination.  Remember: you are noticing – and writing about noticing – a present moment.

5.  Feeling:  Show, don’t tell.  Your haiku should not explain;
      use an image to show your feelings.

5.Surprise:  Haiku should have an ‘ah’! or an ‘a-ha!’ moment:
Something that wakes the reader up.

6.Compassion:  Haiku expresses open-heartedness toward
living things.



This guide was created by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, a reading
specialist and children’s author. To learn more about Tracie and
her books, visit tracievaughnzimmer.com. For hundreds of other guides Tracie has created, visit: wildgeeseguides.blogspot.com/

Mother Poems

Mother Poems

words and pictures by Hope Anita Smith

About the book:

A young girl thinks of her mom as a superhero, a doctor, her North Star. She feels loved in her mother’s arms and capable of conquering the world. But when her beloved role model dies, she cannot even cry; her sadness is too overwhelming. As she struggles to manage her grief, she must learn how to move on while keeping the memory of her mother very much alive inside her.

Hope Anita Smith uses her remarkable talent to explore a personal yet universal subject: the death of a parent. Through the eyes of a child and then a young woman, these poignant poems, together with stunning folk-art images, capture the complicated feelings of a young person who shows great hope, strength and will to overcome.

About the author:

Hope Anita Smith is the author of The Way a Door Closes and Keeping the Night Watch. A professional storyteller and in-school poet, Hope teaches poetry writing workshops to all grade levels. She lives in Los Angeles, where she writes, knits, and creates paper collage stationery and illustration.

Author interview:

1. How did you find poetry?

I found poetry when I was very young.  I learned poems from God's Trombones by James Weldon Johnson and performed them at church.  That led to Antebellum Sermon by Paul Laurence Dunbar and The Madam Poems by Langston Hughes.  I loved learning and reciting them.  I also loved that poetry told wonderful stories in such a small space on the page.

2. What do you wish kids knew about poetry?

 I wish kids knew that poetry should not be hard to understand.  It is not rocket science.  And I want them to know that poetry is a great way to look at words.  Through metaphor, simile, personification, etc. poems can bring such power and meaning to words.

1. What can your fans look forward to next?

 My fans (and I love you all) can look forward to a mid-grade novel and a couple of fun picture books.

Discussion guide:

1. Describe the relationship between the narrator and her mother. What images does the author use to show how she feels about her?
2. What is the narrator’s imagination in the poem “Sound Advice?” What advice have you received from you mom and grandma?
3. What give the narrator the blues? What gives you the blues? How can you chase them away?
4. What do you know about the narrator’s mom by the way she speaks?
5. How does the girl imitate her mother? Do children always imitate their parents?
6. How do the grandma and mother do things differently? Is it true for you as well? Why do you think so?
7. Find examples of figurative language (simile and metaphor) that help the reader understand the girl’s relationship with her mother.
8. What happened while the narrator slept? How does she feel?
9. How is death described in the poem “Duped?” How would you describe death?
10. How does the narrator try to find her mother? Do you think she understands the permanence of death? How can children possibly understand this kind of loss?
11.  What does the narrator mean when she says, “We both know/good daughters are hard to find.” in the poem “Let’s Make a Deal?”
12.  When were there flowers in the narrator’s world? How do you think she feels about them? How do people try to show they care? What actually helps, do you think?
13. The narrator feels safe and loved when her mother braids her hair. What ordinary moments make your mom feel close to you?
14. What is the structure of the poem “Words?” Why do you think the author chose to use this format?
15. How does the narrator try to get her mother back? How will she feel when she realizes, eventually, that she can’t?
16. What is Rule #1?  What is your number one rule?
17.  Compare and contrast the narrator’s mother’s kitchen to her Aunt Nedra’s. Whose kitchen would you like to learn how to cook inside of? Is the narrator hungry for more than food?
18. What childhood things does the narrator miss out on by having lost her mother so young?  What does she mean when she says, “that I’d all but hung the moon/ each time a tooth fell out of my mouth.”
19. How does the narrator feel about her friend’s treatment of their mothers? Is it inevitable that daughters and mothers have this difficult time through the teen years?
20.  How was the narrator “Cheated” by her dreams? In the bible, what did Lot’s wife do?
21.  Find out the “Q and A” on you and your mother or first caregiver. Why do you think it’s important to know what you were like?
22.  What phrases are in your own mother’s “rule book?”  Why do you think there are so many euphemisms for death like “losing someone?”  Do they make things better or worse?
23.  How does memory change over time for the narrator? What do you remember about someone you have lost? Is it concrete or like clouds? Why do you think memory is so difficult to understand?
24.  What is the “Dangerous Game” the narrator is playing? Have you ever played one too? How is repetition used to an intense effect in this poem?
25.  Why do you think the building of a Christmas tree is so clear for the narrator? How does she build the memories of her mother? What has she learned about herself?

Projects:

Reading:

Poems are meant to be read aloud so take turns reading one of the poems from the book aloud in pairs. Afterwards, discuss what the poem means to you. Try to make connections to the poem from something in your own life, or to another story you’ve read or to the writing itself.

Writing:

Inspired by “What My Mom Says” write a poem about your own mother and her list of words for you. Play with simile, metaphor and line breaks as Hope Anita Smith did to bring your poem to life.

Art:

Study the torn-paper collage of Hope Anita’s beautiful illustrations for the collection. Create one yourself to accompany your poem.

Stampede

Stampede

Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School

by Laura Purdie Salas

Illustrated by Steven Salerno

About the book:

There’s only one place to find creatures that stampede like elephants, swarm like bees, swoop like sparrows, and swing like monkeys. School!  These eighteen funny and imaginative poems observe students in their natural habitat and reveal their unusual behavior, crazy communication, and very healthy appetites. Whether they’re in the classroom, on the playground, or in the cafeteria, school brings out the animal in all of them. And if you look carefully as you turn the pages, you may even glimpse some of the wild side in yourself!

About the author:

Laura Purdie Salas was inspired to write these poems when her daughter, Maddie, had two teeth pulled and came out of the dentist’s office looking like a walrus. (A very cute walrus, of course.) From that point on, she began viewing all kids with fangs and fur instead of ponytails and soccer shirts. Laura is the author of several other poetry and nonfiction books for children. She lives with her family in Minnesota, and you can find out more about her at www.laurasalas.com

About the illustrator:

Steven Salerno is so busy creating illustrations for children’s books, magazines, and advertising that he often wishes he had eight arms, just like an octopus! He has illustrated many popular picture books for children, including Bebe Goes Shopping, which was chosen as a Best Book of the Year by Nick Jr. magazine, and Margaret Wise Brown’s The Dirty Little Boy, as well as his own stories, coco the Carrot, Little Tumbo and Harry Hungry! Steven is a graduate of Parsons School of Design and lives in New York City. You can visit him online at www.stevensalerno.com

Author Interview:

What is your favorite thing about writing poetry?

Poetry is so flexible! It can hold any thought, any mood, any emotion. I can be silly or serious, sarcastic or amazed when I write a poem. I can tell a story or just describe something. And I can talk about things that would sound kind of funny if I brought them up in normal conversation (like how much an angry kid reminds me of a porcupine, or what the spine of a book would say if it could talk). So I can never be “not in the mood” to write a poem. There’s no wrong mood!

How did you first fall in love with the form?

By accident. I wanted to write about the illness of someone I loved. I sat down to write, but instead of a diary entry or an essay, poems came out! I was shocked. They weren’t good poems, but they were important. They helped me get through some really hard times and also made me want to write more, more, more poems!

Describe a bit about your process for creating a poem and a collection of poetry.

Most poems start with a question, like “I wonder what lives inside that tree,” or “Which of my favorite things start with the letter B?” or “How can I describe this amazing puddle?” Then I play with forms. I like to write acrostics, haiku, and other forms, plus nonrhyming free verse poems. Sometimes I try one poem in several froms before one feels right. Sometimes I like a poem so much that I want to write a bunch more like it. Then I get obsessed with poems like that, and they start spilling out, even when I should be working on other things!

What can we look forward to next?

My next poetry book will be BOOKSPEAK: POEMS BY AND ABOUT BOOKS. It doesn’t have a pub date yet, but it will come out from Clarion as well.

Pre-reading:

What type of animal would you lie to be? Why?

Questions to consider:

1. Which words rhyme in the first poem? How do you write a rhyming poem?

2. Why does the new girl feel like a mouse? Have you ever felt lost in a maze at school too? How can we help new students feel welcome?
3. Do you like to jump in mud puddles like the boy in “Whole Hog?”
4. Is it hard to concentrate when you are hungry in school? Why does that feel like a bear? “I’m a starving bear in springtime” is that a simile or a metaphor?
5. Why is the girl dreading picture day? What did her dad call her a butterfly?
6. Do you wish you could crawl into a den sometimes at school? When do you feel this way? What special things does she keep in her desk?
7. Has anything ever made you blush? What other animal could be used to show how you look when embarrassed?
8. Are you a good duck in school? Why or why not?
9. “My sharp words are/ quills to prick you.” What does the author mean by sharp quills? Have you ever used sharp quills with someone?
10. What is your favorite school lunch? Why do you think she’s writing about a dog in this poem?
11.  If your school had prarie dog tunnels big enough for kids would you go inside? Why or why not?
12.  Where are you king? Do you think everyone is king of something?
13.  Who are your favorite sparrows to play with?
14.  What is the problem in “Printer Problems?”  How do you improve handwriting?
15. What strategies can a kid use instead of counting with their fingers? Do you think it is important to memorize certain math facts or not? Why?
16. P.U. is about an embarrassing moment. Write about an embarrassing moment you’ve had too.
17.  What do you do when you don’t know the answer like the child in “Turtleneck?”
18.  Why is there a stampede? When else do kids stampede?
19. Which poem is your favorite? Why?
20.  How did the illustrator add real kids with animals?

Projects:

Language Arts:

Write your own school/animal poem of course! Use Laura Purdie Salas’s poems for inspiration but choose new animals and new situations at school or home. Share!

Art:

Create a collage with your poem, photographs of your animal and kids faces from magazines.

Science:

Create a three-dimensional animal out of whatever materials you can find around the house. Then, list five facts about that animal on an index card. Turn in both!

Reading:

As your teacher reads the poems aloud, raise your hand when you hear two rhyming words!

This guide was created by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, a reading specialist and author, visit her website to find hundreds of other guides to children’s literature.

Sketches from a Spy Tree

Discussion Guide

Twins
Everyone thinks that Anne Marie and Mary Ann are identical but are they? How are they alike? How are they different?
Do you think twins like being treated as a matched set: "like a pair of shoes/or gloves,/worthless if one/ gets lost." What does Anne Marie mean by this? Did you learn anything from Anne Marie about twins? What?
Reread: "Not to Brag But" and then decide: do you wish you had a twin? What would be great about it? What would get old?
Parents:
Describe Ann Marie's mom, dad, and Mike. How does she get along with them?  What would you find most difficult in Anne Marie's story? Do you think it is fair how she feels about Mike? By the end of the book, what is Anne Marie trying to do?
Reread: "Dad's Roses"  What did Anne Marie do to her dad's rose bushes? Why? What does she mean when she says, "Only the roses came back?"
Neighbors:
Which of Anne Marie's neighbors did you find most interesting? Who would you like to live near? Is there anyone (or animal) that you're glad doesn't live by you? Why? In poems the author doesn't have much room for description, how can you still "see" the characters? What techniques can a writer use? Which poem is your favorite about the neighborhood? Why? How is Anne Marie's neighborhood like yours? How is it different?
Growing Up
Reread "The Book Lady"  What types of things does Anne Marie want to do when she is older? Why do you think she said "build my own fence/ change my own oil?" What on her list would you like to do too? What things would you include on your own list? Why do you think Ann Marie thinks it is important to "buy new books/ with all the rest/ for each kid who/never had one" ? Who would you like to help when you get older? What could you do? Is there anything you could do now?
Friendship
Discuss Anne Marie and Mary Anne's friendship with May Ching. How do things change with a new friend? What other friendships do they have in the neighborhood? How are the similar to the friendships you have outside of school? Are friendships different at home and at school? How?
Art:
Why is Anne Marie's sketchbook so important to her? What does she learn by creating pictures and poems about the people she knows? How does it make her like her dad? What, like Anne Marie's sketchbook, is important to you? What does Anne Marie mean when she says she's "hidden by these green and paper leaves?" Which illustration is your favorite? What technique did Andrew Glass use to create it? What colors did he use? Why do you think so?

The Spy Tree Scavenger Hunt	Map | Help | Home
Teacher's Guide

Pre-Reading Activity:

Do you know any twins? Do you think it would be fun to be a twin? What would be great about it? What might be hard?
Check out the cover:
What do you think this story might be about? What do you think she might see from her spy tree?

Comprehension Check:

1. Who is the narrator of this story? Describe her.
2. Why does Ann Marie say that she's the "one with hate/painting my heart black"?
3. Explain what's going on between Mike and Anne Marie.
4. Retell the main events in the story.
5. Predict what happens after the close of the collection.

Poetry  Lessons:

Poetic element scavenger hunt.
After reviewing the poetic elements (Figurative Lesson Low Down: A brief introduction to the poetic elements), then search through SPY TREE to find examples of each.
Have students make a graph of their own, or use this one!  Poetic Element Scavenger Hunt
Imagery work:
Using highlighters (or post-it notes) let students tag the imagery in the book. Use a different color for each one of the senses.
Line break bonanza:
Use this copy of the words from "Across the Back Fence" which is missing all the line breaks. Have students work in pairs to decide where they would have ended each line. Compare it to the original.

Projects:

Spy Journal:  Keep a writer's notebook or sketchbook and go exploring in your own neighborhood for great characters, settings and scenes. Write at least five poems or descriptions about what you see, hear or smell! Choose one of these to revise and share.

Make a Venn diagram comparing Mary Anne and Anne Marie. What do they have in common? What are different? Think about not just what they look like, but what they do, think, say and how others view them.

Anne Marie explores a wide variety of art techniques throughout the collection. Create three different pictures inspired by your own neighborhood and use a variety of media as well. Be sure to try one as a collage because, well, it is so much fun!

Character chart: Make a chart (or print out this one) that explores the characters in Anne Marie's neighborhood. List the characters going down and the following categories across: what they look like, what they say, what they do, what others think of them. Then, fill in the boxes based on your reading of Spy Tree.

Anne Marie says in "The Book Lady" that shed like to buy new books for all the kids who never had one. So, have a book drive for a homeless shelter or other place for kids. Be sure the books are of high quality (like NO cartoon characters, for example) and in good shape. You might even want to purchase a new one (like your favorite of the year) to share with kids who may not ever get a brand new book.

Create a map of the neighborhood from Spy Tree. Make it out of 3D materials and use stuff from around the house- no buying! Try to add as many details as you can from the story.

Write a letter from Anne Marie to her real dad. What would she say to him? Write his response.

Reaching for Sun

Reaching for Sun

by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Reading Group Guide

1. Reaching for Sun is a story about a girl who is like most girls—she fights with her mother, has a crush on a boy, and feels bullied by the popular girls.  In what ways do you personally relate to Josie, and in what ways is she different from you?  How do these differences make you feel?

2. What did you know about cerebral palsy before reading this book?  After?  In what ways does Josie’s cerebral palsy challenge her, and in what ways does it make her stronger?

3. Josie likes to eat breakfast for dinner.  What is your favorite meal?  What makes it so special?

4. Josie, along with her mother and grandmother, has a special connection to her family’s land.  Does your family have a special place—a summer cottage, vacation spot, or even the house you live in year round—that has an important meaning to you?  Why do you feel so connected to this place?

5. Reaching for Sun is divided into four sections based on the seasons of the year.  In what season is Josie happiest?  How do Josie’s relationships with her mother, her grandmother, and her friend Jordan change over the course of the year?

6. Josie wants her summer “to be a wildflower-seed mix (pg. 81).”  What do you think Josie means by this?

7. Josie and her grandmother dream of going to Paris.  If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? 

8. Josie likes to visit the Lazy Acres nursing home with her grandmother.  Why?  Where do you feel most accepted?

9. Josie uses images from the natural world to describe her own emotional and physical growth, comparing herself to flowers and other plants.  For example, she doesn’t “want to be pruned or pinched back/like a wilting petunia” when her mother nags her about therapy (p. 80).  Which flower, plant, or tree best represents you and why?  How does your favorite flower or tree make you feel?

10. Josie and Jordan are best friends who meet under a willow tree and discover their mutual interes

Voice:
Reaching for Sun is written completely in Josie’s voice. Experiment with voice by writing a few free verse poems through the eyes of Jordan. It can be any part of the novel or even set after it is over. Think about what types of words Jordan would use to describe an event and what types of things he might compare something to.
Comprehension:
Reread any poem in the story and answer the following questions about it: Who is it about? What happens in the poem? Where does it take place? What poetic language does the author use? Why did you choose this poem?
Fluency:
Free verse poetry is a great form to build student fluency- with it’s generous white space it doesn’t intimidate and it is written to flow off the tongue. Have students tape themselves reading a poem and then practice reading it silently (or under their breath) and then re-tape their reading. Students will be impressed by their marked improved performance.
Vocabulary:
As you read find ten words that you wouldn’t usually use in your everyday conversations. Then, try to use them as you go through your day. Write a brief journal about how this word experiment went.
Science:
Three Feet Square
Josie and Jordan tape off a small section of the garden and then study it over the course of the summer. You could do the same (and choose an even smaller border). Count insects, take pictures, study the plants and the soil conditions over time.
Health:
Learn more about cerebral palsy or another common disability. Research the causes, the impairments it can cause, the treatments, and how you can help. Create a pamphlet about what you learned.
Art:
Create a piece of collage or sculpture inspired by Josie’s story.  Use any media you like but explain it in a brief artist’s statement that you turn in with the piece (an index card works nicely).
Cooking:
Gran’s Divinity Recipe   (from the author’s grandmother’s kitchen)

Poetic Elements

Reaching for Sun

By Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Poets use word tools to make their language stand out from regular prose. This poetic language is called figurative and it has many types. Read the definitions of these tools and then find an example of each in the novel. Then, try your own!

Types of poetic language:	An example from the novel:	An example of your own:
ALLITERATION:  Repeated consonant sounds  " lovely, leafy lettuce”
ASSONANCE:  Repeated Vowel sounds  "The June moon loomed over the horizon"
IMAGERY: Creating pictures for the senses “First day of school smells like new books”
METAPHORS: Comparing two things by saying something IS something else: “the ocean is a bowl of dreams”
SIMILE:  A comparison using the words "like" or "as."  "He smells like a gym shoe.”
PERSONIFICATION:  Making an object act or look like a person or animal  "The storm danced across the sky”

©2007 Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

 

 

 

Character Chart

Reaching for Sun
Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
     

Readers learn about characters in four ways: what they say, what they do, what they look like, and what others think and say about them. Find details about each character that helps you understand them from the book.

                                     Appearance             Actions                          Words                     Others

Josie
Gran
Jordan
Mom
Natalie

 

 

COMPREHENSION
Making Connections:

Good readers make connections as they try to understand a story. They think about how the story reminds them of other stories, how it relates to their own life and to the world around them. Tuck this chart in the book so you can make notes about what you’re thinking as you read the novel. Try to make at least one of each type of connection for each season in the book.

Chapter & p. #	Text to text	Text to self	Text to world
Definitions:	Tell how this book reminds you of another in plot, content, style or structure	Relate what you just read to an experience or memory from your own life	Show how the book relates to events from the real world, or facts and info. that you know
Examples:	This book reminds me of LOVE THAT DOG by Sharon Creech because it is written in poem	Like Josie I’ve been teased at school though not as often.	I wonder if Josie can be cured of cerebral palsy or if she’ll always have it.
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

COMPREHENSION
Understanding Poems

Sometimes readers get confused when they read poems because of the fancy language or how few words are used to tell a story. Practice your understanding of poems by thinking about the five “W’s” as you read: who, what, when, where, and why.

Title of poem: _____________ page______

Who is this poem about?

Where does this poem take place?

What happens in the poem?

When is it happening?

Why is this poem important?

Title of poem: _____________ page______

Who is this poem about?

Where does this poem take place?

What happens in the poem?

When is it happening?

Why is this poem important?

Hugging the Rock

Hugging the Rock

by Susan Taylor Brown

About the book:

When Rachel’s mom runs away from home she knows just who to blame- her dad, because the possibility that she could somehow have been the cause is just too much to think about. A remarkable look at how just two people can become a family and how one year can change everything a girl has ever known.

About the author:

Susan Taylor Brown is the author of several books for children. She always dreamed of being a writer though it took her many years to get the courage to actually sit down and do it, her fans are certainly glad she finally did. This is her first novel.

Author Interview:

Author Interview:

1. How did you decide to tell Rachel’s story in verse?

The short answer is that it was the right format for Rachel's story. The long answer is that it took several years and many tries to figure that out. I started Rachel’s story as a straight prose novel but it went nowhere. I knew what the story was about but I couldn’t get to the level of caring that I knew was needed for the main character. And if I didn’t care about her there was no way that the reader would. Part of the problem was, I’m sure, that I wasn’t going deep enough to the painful parts of me that I needed to access in order to bring the level of pain to Rachel. The other part was that no matter what I tried, I couldn’t find her voice. At that time in my life I was working a lot of hours which meant I didn’t have a lot of time to write. A friend of mine suggested that I use my pockets of writing time to play with poetry. It made sense. My time was short. Poems were short. She was hoping it would help me understand the characters and the plot better. What happened instead was that it gave birth to the voice and showed me the perfect format for the book.

2. What’s the best part of being a children’s author? What’s the most difficult?

For me the best part about being a children’s author is the best part about being a writer; I get paid to play with words which is my most favorite thing in the world to do. Writing for children means being able to write for my own inner child (who seems to be stuck at about 10 years old). I think everything I write in one way or another is to try and help the child I used to be find her way in the world.

The most difficult part? Just getting a book sold. It’s a major accomplishment to even finish writing a book from start to finish but that’s the only thing I have any control over. Getting a publisher to buy a book is just plain tough and depends on many things that are way out of my control.

3. What books have most inspired you as a writer?

This is always a difficult question for me and I wish I was one of those people who could cite a book or books that marked a turning point in me or my writing. The fact is that as long as I can remember I have been inspired by books and it all depends on what it is I am working on at the time. In the realm of verse novels I have to say that Stop Pretending by Sonya Sones and Loose Threads by Lorie Ann Grover were two books that had tremendous impact on me. I still remember the day that Emma Dryden put an ARC of Loose Threads in my hand and told me how powerful she felt it was. Because of the subject matter (breast cancer) it took me a few months to get up the nerve to read the book and when I finished it, I went right back to the beginning and read it again.

4. What can your fans look forward to next?

I’m in the process of working on several books right now. One is another middle grade verse novel that is loosely based on my year as the writer-in-residence with at-risk kids. Another is a young adult coming of age novel in straight prose set in the aviation world.

Pre-reading:

Can parents run away from home? How would your life change if one of your parents just left one day? What would be the most difficult part?

Discussion Guide:

1. Rachel says, “I thought you loved us. Loved me./ I’ll be good. I promise.” To whom is she talking? Why is she promising to be good? What is she hoping for?
2. Describe Rachel’s relationship with her father at the beginning of the book. For example, what is his “disappearing face.” How are things awkward between them?
3. Who does Rachel blame for her mother leaving? Why? Who do you think deserves the blame? Should a child ever feel responsible for a parent’s leaving? Why or why not?
4. How does Grandma try to help? Does it work? What does Rachel learn by listening to her Grandmother? Do you think it is a good idea that Rachel and her dad are on their own or should they let Grandma stay? Why?
5. Discuss the friendship between Rachel and Sara. How are the two girls alike? How are they different? Describe the differences in their families. Would you rather live with Rachel or Sara? Why?
6. How do Rachel, her dad and even her mother’s dog, Madison, react to her mother leaving? What types of things are most difficult at first? How do they get easier over time? What do you think would be the worst part?
7. How do Rachel and her dad finally start connecting with each other? What types of things do they begin to do together? What must each of them learn along the way?
8. Why does Rachel say, “Sometimes/ Sara says/ too much.” Is Sara being a good friend overall or not? What do you think Sara should say to Rachel? How can you be a good friend to someone who is going through a difficult time in their family?
9. Rachel describes her mom like this, “She built a fence around herself/that only let me close enough/ to see what I couldn’t have.” (p. 92) What does she mean by this? How was Rachel’s mom not really there even before she left?
10.  Why is the photo album left in the garage an important artifact for Rachel’s life? What does Rachel learn because of it? Do you think that her mother’s earlier troubles make it harder for Rachel to understand or easier? Why?
11. What does Rachel learn  about why her mother calls each week to talk? How does it make her feel? How would it make you feel? Would you want to continue taking her calls? Why or why not?
12. How have Rachel and her dad forged a relationship after a year? Do you think they are actually better off without her mom? Why? What do you think Rachel will be like in five years? In ten? Do you think she’ll ever try to see her mom again?

Projects:

Language Arts:

Write a list poem like “Reasons Mom Left” (p. 61) You might consider the following topics (or create one of your own):  What I Believe, What I know, What I Dream, Reasons I’m Here, etc.

-or-

Which poem is your favorite in the novel? Why? Inspired by this example, write your own narrative poem about another girl’s story. Choose one scene from your new character’s life and reveal it through a free verse poem.

Art:

Using magazines pictures and other print advertisements create a piece of art that represents the inside of Rachel’s mind. What images swirl around and represent how she feels? What colors will you use? In a brief journal explain your piece.

-or-

Inspired by the book create your own sculpture using any materials you like. It can be abstract or realistic but you must explain your piece in a brief artist’s statement.

Drama:

Write a scene between Rachel and her mom that takes place two years after the close of the novel.

Music:

Choose one scene in the novel and try to find a piece of music (with or without lyrics) that you think would work best for the movie adaptation. In a journal explain how the mood of the music matches the storyline.

-or-

Create an entire movie soundtrack for the book. Choose at least eight songs that you think would work best. Explain your choices in a brief journal.