Who’s on First?
Poem runs : baseball poems and paintings by Florian, Douglas — Harcourt Children's Books, 2012--811; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.0 A collection of baseball poems by Douglas Florian, including selections that depict a "mean-armed pitcher," a "daisy-picking right fielder," and related topics.
Rationale: When I was a kid, my grandpa and I were baseball buddies. We’d go to recreational league games, our local semi-pro games, the local minor league games, and even an occasional major league game. I was so into baseball, that when my favorite player hit a grand slam (I was listening on the radio while in my bed), I was so excited that I jumped so hard I broke the bed down. When spring training arrives, a little of the excitement returns, and I like to share that with school friends.
Some years we do a reading motivation activity that our local minor league team sponsors--kids completing the activity earn a ticket to a game. Other years I simply make a display of baseball gear and books. Still other years I do a series of story hours. We also play a literary baseball game or library skill review game. What I do depends on the classroom teachers and their classroom needs--the classroom and curriculum ALWAYS are FIRST.
In the Teacher Resources section below, the lesson plan from The Classroom Bookshelf has a number of ideas for poetry and baseball projects. I identify three of them-- an author study of Douglas Florian, a comparison of version so "Casey at the Bat," and poetry reading buddies. I also really like the idea from Houghton Mifflin’s teacher guide to perform a poem from Poem Runs and taping the performance. If you are planning a story hour try the short video clips from Wonderopolis. For upper grades I like to use various picture book versions of Casey and the Bat to do a visual comparisons--most of the time we do content comparisons, but Casey provides an opportunity to do a visual literacy lesson.
There will be several other My Books Alive entries that feature baseball biographies and the Negro Leagues including but not only, You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax? and We Are the Ship, Brothers at Bat, and Clemente!. The Related Books I selected are poetry and fiction books and are newer titles. I also included the best Casey and the Bat versions for a comparison project.
Teacher Resources:
All Around the Baseball Field K to 4 | Lesson Students construct a mock baseball field and from there explore the sport of baseball through art, movement, and sound. http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons/grade-3-4/All_Around_The_Baseball_Field.aspx
What Is Spring Training? PreK to 5 | Activity, Video, Website Is it starting to get warmer where you live? If so, you may have noticed a little extra "spring" in your step. And it's time to step… up to the plate, that is., Grab your mitt, a bat and a ball. Come on over to Wonderopolis' spring training camp for a preseason look at America's pastime! http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-spring-training/
Which Bat Is Best? PreK to 5 | Activity, Video, Website Wonderopolis fan Wills sent us the idea (and great video!) for today's Wonder of the Day. Thanks Wills! Along with falling leaves, October brings us Halloween-inspired images of flying bats and "scaredy cats.", Sports lovers, though, will tell you that October also brings an even more important "batty" thing. Step up to the plate with us as we investigate baseball bats and celebrate the World Series Wonderopolis-style! http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/which-bat-is-best/
Lesson Plan from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt http://www.teachingbooks.net/media/pdf/HMH/PoetryKitMultipleTitles.pdf
I really like this suggestion: Perform a poem from Poem Runs with a partner. Select a favorite poem and decide together how to best share the poem with an audience. Will you and your partner alternate stanzas or lines? Recite it in unison? Think of how you will use your voice to show emotion when you perform the poem. Where will you pause? How fast will you speak? Will the tone of your voice change at various words? Stage an “open mike” event for partners to share poetry from Poem Runs with an audience.
Lesson Plan from The Classroom Bookshelf http://www.theclassroombookshelf.com/2012/04/poem-runs/
Author-Illustrator Study. As part of your celebration of Poetry Month, explore Douglas Florian’s body of picture book poetry collections. What are some of the similarities and differences between his collections? What subjects are covered? How does he use similes and metaphors across his body of work? What do your students find most appealing? You may want to explore the first entry in “The Classroom Bookshelf,” which featured Florian’s 2010 Poetrees(http://classroombookshelf.blogspot.com/2010/10/poetrees.html) .
Reading Buddies and Poetry Month. Have your older elementary students read aloud some of Florian’s picture book poetry collections with their primary grade reading buddies. Have them take notes on their reading buddies’ reactions to his work, and then compare and contrast with one another. What is Florian’s appeal with younger audiences? As a component of this exercise, you might want to have the older students work with their reading buddies in jointly authoring and illustrating poems in Florian’s style, complete with brown paper bag and mixed media art.
“Casey at the Bat.” What exploration of baseball and poetry would be complete without a revisit to “Casey at the Bat,” perhaps the most famous baseball poem in America? Sometimes, comparing and contrasting illustrated versions of the same poem is a simple way of scaffolding for students an understanding of how different readers can read the same poem. The various ways that illustrators have chosen to illustrate a poem reveals a great deal about what each individual illustrator thinks the poem is about. Have students look at the two well-reviewed picture book versions of the poem listed in Further Explorations below, as well as other older picture book versions that you can find at your local and school library. After students read through several in small groups, have them focus in on a particular set of lines in the poem, to do a close analysis of how that line is illustrated differently in each of the picture book versions.
Baseball Poems from the Baseball Almanac http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poems.shtml
Baseball Hall of Fame https://baseballhall.org
Major League Baseball https://www.mlb.com
Related Books:
Three strikes for Rotten Ralph by Gantos, Jack — Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.1 When Rotten Ralph, the cat, fails to win a spot on a baseball team with his friend Sarah, he becomes the "cat boy" instead, still dreaming of proving himself the superstar he imagines himself to be.
This is the game by Shore, Diane ZuHone — Harper, 2011--811; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.2 Rhyming text recounts the history of baseball, describing how the game has changed and why it is one of Americans' favorite sports.
Bats at the ballgame by Lies, Brian — Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.3 Two teams of bats play an exciting nighttime baseball game.
Lipman Pike : America's first home run king by Michelson, Richard — Sleeping Bear Press, 2011. Dewey: 796.357; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.8. Illustrations and text describe the life of Lipman Pike, who grew up more interested in baseball than his father's small haberdashery in Brooklyn, and became one of the sport's iconic players. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.
The boys by Newman, Jeff, 1976- — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010--E-; Int Lvl: K-3 A shy boy, seeking the courage to play baseball with the other children in a park, is coaxed out of his shell by some "old timers" sitting nearby who, in turn, discover they are still in the game.
Nevius, C. (2008). The baseball hour. Ill. by B. Thomson. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish. Dewey: 796.357; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 3.9. This picture book captures a young team practicing with amazing attention, verbally and visually, to the moves each player makes.
Prelutsky, J. (2007). Good sports: Rhymes about running, jumping, and more. Ill. by C. Raschka. New York: Knopf. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.3. Prelutsky and Raschka team up for a collection of poems and illustrations from the points-of-view of young athletes trying a variety of sports.
Never blame the umpire by Fehler, Gene — Zonderkidz, 2010. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.6. Eleven-year-old Kate is having a wonderful summer, playing baseball and taking a poetry class, until her mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer, causing Kate to struggle to keep her faith and trust in God.
Mercado, N. (2008). Baseball crazy: Ten short stories that cover all the bases. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 4.9. A collection of short stories that center on baseball, ideal for grades 5-8, from some of children’s favorite writers.
Nelson, K. (2008). We are the ship. New York: Hyperion. Dewey: 796.357; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.0. A middle grade history of the Negro Leagues in oversized picture book format, a stunning work of art and ALA Sibert Award winner.
Curlee, L. (2005). Ballpark: The story of America’s baseball fields. New York: Atheneum. Dewey: 796.357; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.4. A nonfiction picture book for middle grade reader’s on the history of baseball through the lens of baseball parks and stadiums around the nation.
Take me out to the ball game by Norworth, Jack — Imagine, 2011. Dewey: 782.42; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.7. Text and illustrations present the well-known song about baseball games. Includes CD with three songs performed by Carly Simon.
Thayer, E. (2000). Casey at the bat: a ballad of the Republic sung in the year 1888. Ill. by C. Bing. Handprint Books. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.3. The famous poem set to original illustrations, ripe for comparison and contrast with earlier versions.
Thayer, E. (2003). Casey at the bat: a ballad of the Republic sung in the year 1888. Ill. by C. F. Payne. New York: Simon and Shuster Books for Young Readers. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 5.1. The famous poem set to original illustrations, ripe for comparison and contrast with earlier versions.
Casey back at bat by Gutman, Dan — HarperCollins, 2007. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.1. Sequel to the poem Casey at the bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. Presents a humorous sequel to Ernest Lawrence Thayer's classic "Casey at the Bat" with colorful illustrations and rhyming text.
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