Backwards?

How to Write a Backwards Poem
by Bruce Lansky

Backwards poems are great fun. They're not only easy to write, they're very funny as well.


To help you get your students started, I'm going to give you the first and last couplets of a poem by Doug Florian that's published in Miles of Smiles. It's called, sensibly enough, "Mr. Backward."

Mr. Backward lives in town.
He never wakes up, he always wakes down.
(Insert your students' couplets here.)
He goes to sleep beneath his bed
While wearing slippers on his head.


Rhythm and rhyme: As you'll discover, the rhythm pattern in the last couplet is cleaner (more consistent) than the first couplet, so that's the one to follow:


da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM (A)
da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM (A)


As you can see, both lines feature four iambic (da DUM) beats. And both lines rhyme. Pretty simple, isn't it?


Now that you've got the rhythm and rhyme, all you need is a list of stupid things Mr. Backward does. For example, in the poem above Florian has him raking leaves off trees and baking a cake with antifreeze.


As usual, I suggest you start a list on your classroom board to get your students' creative juices flowing. Then send them home with the assignment to come up with a list (and a poem) of their own.


http://www.poetryteachers.com/poetclass/lessons/backwd.html

Cecil Frances Alexander

Cecil Frances (Humphreys) Alexander (Early April 1818, Dublin – 12 October 1895), was a hymn-writer and poet.

She was born in Dublin, the daughter of Major John Humphreys and Elizabeth (née Reed). She began writing verse in her childhood. Her religious work was strongly influenced by her contacts with the Oxford Movement and in particular with John Keble, who edited one of her anthologies. By the 1840s she was already known as a hymn writer and her compositions were soon included in Church of Ireland hymnbooks.

Her book, Hymns for Little Children reached its 69th edition before the close of the nineteenth century. Some of her hymns, e.g. "All Things Bright and Beautiful", "There is a Green Hill Far Away" and the Christmas carol "Once in Royal David's City", are known by many millions of Christians the world over.

In Strabane in October 1850 she married the Anglican clergyman William Alexander, afterwards Bishop of Derry and Archbishop of Armagh. Her husband also wrote several books of poetry, of which the most important is St. Augustine's Holiday and other Poems.

She was also involved in charitable work. Money from her first publications had helped build the Derry and Raphoe Diocesan Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, which was founded in 1846 in Strabane. The profits from "Hymns for Little Children" were donated to this school.

Little Chick's Big Day

My eighth outside book is Little Chick's Big Day by Mary DeBall Kwitz. It's not a picture book. A little chick keeps running away from her mother, the Broody Hen, because she doesn't want to take a nap. She thinks she's too old for naps. First she hides in the garden, next the barn, then down to the pond where he's never been before. She just sat there watching the dragonflies and the butterflies, the bees and frogs, and just the pond in general. She say she reflection and asked "Are you too old for naps?" (19). When her reflection didn't answer she decided she didn't care anymore. She was just happy watching the sun in the pond.

A little while later, she could no longer hear the Broody Hen calling for her and started to think that maybe she couldn't find her or maybe she herslef was lost. She started to look around and couldn't find the barn or Broody Hen. She asked her reflection if she was lost. The little chick in the water didn't say anything back. Little Chick started running back to find Broody Hen and announced that she was home to the barn. But Broody Hen wasn't in there. She ran all across the barnyard yelling "Broody Hen! Where are you?" (27)

Little Chick finally found her and Broody Hen said she was waithing for her. She told the hen she had gone to the pond, but Broody Hen already knew for she had seen her go down there and had decided to wait for the chick to come back to her. After a nap, Little Chick made the decision to go to the pond again tomorrow.

You're never too old for a nap (too true) and no matter how much you try to run away from your parents, they'll always be there for you ready to take you under their wing and sing you to sleep. It just may take some time by yourself, but you'll get there. Lost, but soon found.

When writing children's peotry...

When writing children's poetry here are some things to remember:

1. Don't Be a Mimic
The first mistake that all new writers to children's poetry fall into is writing like another writer. Publishers receive tons of Dr. Seuss-like poems from hopeful writers. If you are going to write children's poems, you first have to develop a unique voice, one that no one can dispute or copy. Courses in this area are usually available at local colleges, and writer's groups are invaluable for testing new work. This is the key to breaking into the poetry market.

2. Know your Market
You can't get a feel for the market that will buy your poems unless you read into it. Spend some time at a local bookstore, and browse other sets of children's poems in order to see the different types that are out there. Order children's magazine, and take a look at what makes the cut.

3. Find Areas of Interest
There are some areas that will always be of interest to publishers for poetry. Some publishers prefer easy reading, other prefer non-fiction and teaching books, and so on. Read up on this.

4. Make your Work Challenging
Children are very intelligent. Many writers feel a need to make their work very simple. Allow children to think while they are reading. Also, provide text that will lend itself to rich illustration, because most children love pictures.

5. Be Original
Stories about "Hairy hare," "tiny turtle" and "purple pig" will not go over well. Avoid moralizing, because everyone does not have the same beliefs. Cute and typical stories will not make it, whereas original, off-the-wall ideas will.

6. Hone your Advertising Skills
If you can write a good query letter, you can often get your poetry in the door. Read up on writing these letters, and sending them in a manner that will incline publishers favorably toward you. Read up on publishers before you send them a manuscript. Some specifically say that they do not accept children's poems, while others may not be suited to your work.

7. Don't Give Up
It is very easy to give up in the field of writing. But remember, if your style is truly original, you have a good shot at getting something in print eventually. Good luck!

8. Test your Work
Kids always love a good story. Find a class, family or preschool and ask if you can read your stories to their children. Feedback from kids is usually the best gauge you can have.

http://www.readprint.com/article-7

Copyright © 2006 Read Print. All rights reserved.

Short Bio of Kenneth Grahame

Kenneth Grahame was born at 30 Castle Street, Edinburgh, on 8 March 1859. He was the third child of an affluent advocate, and his great-grand-uncle was the poet and curate James Grahame. He was also the cousin of Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins (1863-1933), author (as Anthony Hope) of "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1894). Grahame's father was appointed Sheriff-Substitute of Argyllshire in 1860, and the family moved to Inverary. Grahame's mother died of scarlet fever in 1864, and his father, a heavy drinker, was incapable of caring for the children, so they were sent to Cookham Dene in Berkshire to be brought up by their grandmother. Grahame was educated at St Edward's School, Oxford (1868-75), but was unable to enter Oxford University. Instead, after a period working for his uncle in London, he joined the Bank of England as a gentleman-clerk in 1879, rising to become Secretary to the Bank in 1898.

Grahame contributed essays and stories to "The Yellow Book" and W. E. Henley's "National Observer", and his collections "Pagan Papers", "The Golden Age" and "Dream Days" were well received by critics such as Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch ("Q", 1863-1944), who became a close friend. Grahame's stories centred on a fictional family of five children which he had created during his own childhood.

Grahame married Elspeth Thomson in 1899, and their only child, Alastair, was born the following year (he was killed in 1918). Grahame created the character of Toad to amuse his son, but it was not until 1908 that he published "The Wind In The Willows", which had its origins in letters he had written to Alastair. By then he had already retired from the Bank (in 1907) due to ill health. The book was not an immediate success, but would achieve wider popularity thanks to the 1930 stage version, "Toad of Toad Hall" by A. A. Milne (1882-1956), whose "Winnie-the-Pooh" (1926) was created for his own son Christopher Robin.

In 1916 Grahame edited "The Cambridge Book of Poetry for Children", but he published no more work of his own. After Alastair's death, Grahame and his wife spent long periods in Italy. He died peacefully at his home in Pangbourne on 6 July 1932.

info from:

http://www.applebookshop.co.uk/author/grahame.htm

Copyright © 1998 to 2007 AppleBookshop Last updated: 13 Feb 2008

A Fox Jumped Up One Winters Night

This little golden book is based on a song of the same name. The book was written and illustrated by Nina Barbaresi. A fox run and runs all in hopes of getting to his den before dinner. He see a barn and decides to leave a dollar in exchange for a grey goose. The farmer's wife hears and send her husband after fox. But the fox gets away pretty fast. He makes it home to his den with his wife and 10 children to have a meal like they have never had before. He and his wife sit happily and watch their children as they chew on the bones.

I personally don't see a moral, but an adaption from a song.

Seach for Me

I found an awsome website if you are interested in becoming a teacher. It's http://www.teach-nology.com/ . It's where I got this word search. The word search is not interactive, but you can print it out and try it yourself. This site has many interesting connections to help anyone in their teaching class or if your are already a teacher of young children. It explains tips on lesson plans, games and just general classroom information. You can print out worksheets, fun sheets, holiday makers and other things for an elementary class. TeAchnolgy has every subject and even some I'm not even sure are taught in classes normally, or at least were'nt when I was in elementary school.