Exploring Children's Poetry Through The Theme Peace, Respect and Social Justice

How To Eat A Poem

By Eve Merriam

Don't be polite.

Bite in.

Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that

may run down your chin.

It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.

You do not need a knife or fork or spoon

or plate or napkin or tablecloth.

For there is no core

or stem

or rind

or pit

or seed

or skin

to throw away.

Poetry, song and verse are thoughtful, engaging ways to invite children to delve into literacy. These formats are open to everyone. They vary in length and difficulty and there is truly something for everyone. The beat and rhythm of poetry, song or verse are inherently attractive to humans. We have a visceral reaction to these formats. They creep into our thoughts and dreams and we cannot shake them. Even children with speech challenges, learning differences, and ESL learners find poetry, song and verse achievable and more interesting then many other forms of text. Welcome to our blog. We hope that you will be inspired to use this format to enthuse and engage your students’ literacy!

Our Group Book Talk

During our group Elluminate session we had an in-depth discussion about the poem song Silent We Stand. We used the Tell Me format to discuss the poem starting with our likes, dislikes and puzzles. After that, the questions came naturally as we hope would happen in our classrooms. The words of the poem and highlights of our discussion follow.

Silent We Stand

Music and Lyrics:  Lomenda and Pogue, 2003

Silent we stand, united by peace,

together we call for all violence to cease.

One human family under the sun,

together we look for a new day to come.

Working for justice, praying for dawn,

creating a new world where all fear is gone.

Peace and harmony, circle the earth,

standing as one we'll bring them to birth.

Silent we stand, united by peace,

together we call for all violence to cease.

One human family under the sun,

together we look for a new day to come.

This piece of music composed by Calgary music teachers Lomenda and Pogue, can be used in poetry format to effectively address the issues of peace, respect, and social justice. It stems from the picture book titled "Sadako" by Eleanor Coerr.  Teachers and students alike can further explore the true story of Sadako by visiting:  http://www.informeddemocracy.com/sadako. 

Liked:

Our group liked the ideas of togetherness; the power of working with one another. We felt that a poem/song like this tempts us towards the innate greatness in humankind rather than apathy or our more base instincts. The text was emotionally uplifting. The theme of diversity and global respect for the earth and all of its beings spoke to us on a deep and meaningful level. We also appreciated the connections to caring for nature.

Disliked/Puzzled:

The word “silent” seemed less ideal to some of our group members. We wondered why this word was used. Some members felt that “silent” was too inactive. We discussed actions taken by Gandhi and debated whether they too were silent or rather non-violent resistance. Some members saw silence as peaceful activism while others saw it as inaction. There was also a feeling of a purposeful juxtaposition between the words “silent” and “stand”.

We contemplated how humans can come together to take a stand. Power versus powerlessness and knowledge versus ignorance were mulled over. The overwhelming nature of “peace” (What does that mean? What does it entail?) was touched on. We discussed how humans, who are generally caring, so often do not know where to start; so do nothing.

Connections/Patterns:

In terms of the form of the poem, we discussed how the poem did have a rhyme scheme. Students tend to think poetry has to have a rhyme scheme but this is not always the case. This could be why students shy away from writing poetry because a rhyme scheme can be difficult to create and keep the sense of the poem. The poem uses a more simple language which makes it easier for children to understand however there is vocabulary which would warrant discussion such as justice, harmony and peace.

In our group we made connections to other songs about peace, respect and social justice like “Wavin’ Flag” and “Work for Peace” (Gil Scott-Heron). We also linked this work to Barbara Coloroso’s “The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander”. We wondered about the “silence” of the bystander. We discussed Gandhi and other famous peacemakers and pondered their methods of taking a stand and acting. Our group was also interested in the interest of corporations and the military industrial complex in keeping us compliant, complacent and confused.

A Poem To View In Preparation For October 17

This poem song came up in our discussion as we delved into our topic of respect and social justice. Please view this poem in preparation for our discussion during our Elluminate session on October 17th.

Young Artists for Haiti - Wavin’ Flag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTPCwHZ3kP4 

Wavin' Flag 

Music and Lyrics:  K-naan, 2010

When I get older, I will be stronger, they'll call me freedom, just like a wavin' flag. 
When I get older, I will be stronger, they'll call me freedom just like a wavin' flag, 
and then it goes back, and then it goes back, and then it goes back, oh 
Born to a throne, stronger than Rome, a violent prone, poor people zone 
But it's my home, all I have known, where I got grown, streets we would roam. 
Out of the darkness, I came the farthest, among the hardest survival. 
Learn from the streets, it can be bleak, accept no defeat, surrender, retreat. 
So we struggling, fighting to eat and we wondering when we'll be free. 
So we patiently wait for that fateful day, it's not far away, but for now we say: 
When I get older, I will be stronger, they'll call me freedom, just like a wavin' flag, 
and then it goes back, and then it goes back, and then it goes back, oh 
So many wars, settling scores, bringing us promises, leaving us poor, 
I heard them say, love is the way, love is the answer that's what they say 
But look how they treat us, make us believers, we fight their battles, then they deceive us 
try to control us, they couldn't hold us, 'cause we just move forward like Buffalo Soldiers 
But we struggling, fighting to eat, and we wondering, when we'll be free, 
so we patiently wait for that faithful day, it's not far away but for now we say: 
When I get older I will be stronger, they'll call me freedom, just like a wavin' flag, 
and then it goes back, and then it goes back, and then it goes, and then it goes 
And everybody will be singing it, and you and I will be singing it, and we all will be singing it: 
When I get older, I will be stronger, they'll call me freedom just like a wavin' flag, 
and then it goes back, and then it goes back, and then it goes back, and then it goes back, oh,
 When I get older, when I get older, I will be stronger just like a wavin' flag 
just like a wavin' flag, just like a wavin' flag, flag, flag, just like a wavin' flag.

  Young Canadian Artists for Haiti draws attention to the plight of Haitian people who have suffered through years of poverty, political strife, and most recently a tragic earthquake. 

Amanda's Favourite

Please view Amanda's favourite poem by clicking on the link below.

The Blue & Green Ark

By Brian Patten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOq1yT9-AB4

This book is a beautiful and engaging introduction to environmental education. It is easy to use with elementary students. The pictures are amazing and the text is gorgeous. This could easily link into an art/writing activity where the students make their own class “Alphabet for the Planet Earth”.

Linda's Favourite

Just the Way You Are

Music and Lyrics:  Bruno Mars, 2010

Oh her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're not shining,

her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying,

she's so beautiful and I tell her every day.

Yeah I know, I know when I compliment her she won't believe me,

and its so, its so, sad to think she don't see what I see,

but every time she asks me do I look okay I say:

When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change,

'cause you're amazing, just the way you are.

And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile,

'cause girl you're amazing, just the way you are.

Her nails, her nails, I could kiss them all day if she'd let me.

Her laugh, her laugh she hates but I think it’s so sexy,

she's so beautiful, and I tell her every day.

Oh you know, you know I'd never ask you to change,

if perfect what's you're looking for then just say the same,

so don't even bother asking if you look okay you know what I say:

When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change,

'cause you're amazing, just the way you are.

And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile,

'cause girl you're amazing, just the way you are.

Matty B is a young boy who is passionate about sharing his musical talent and creativity with the entire world.  In this rendition of Bruno Mars's song "Just the Way You Are", he recognizes that beauty is in diversity and acceptance is a virtue that is learned.  For the video please see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b7y9UYt_fM&noredirect=1.

Angela's Favourite

                                              Mean Song

                                              By Eve Merriam

Snickles and podes,

Ribble and grodes:

That’s what I wish you.

A nox in the groot,

A root in the stoot

And a gock in the forbeshaw, too.

Keep out of sight

For fear that I might

Glom you a gravely snave.

Don’t show your face

Around any place

       Or you’ll get one flack snack in the bave.

Although this poem and many others of Eve Merriam have faced controversy, or have been banned in schools, I think it is important to investigate why.  Mean Song seems to be linked to the saying: ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.’  I think investigating this poem through the Tell Me approach, and then discussing the above saying will prove some interesting results.  This poem lends itself to discussions on rhyme scheme and pattern, on onomatopoeia, and the power of words, sounds and the feelings they invoke.  To me, this is the easiest segue into a discussion about bullying, reactions to bullying, and respect.  It also begs the question of perspective – who is the narrator of this poem: the bully or the victim?

I would have students compose their own poems about their own issue with bullying (or what they have witnessed) using some nonsense words (so they can make it rhyme) and have Merriam’s poem as a starting structure.  I would also have students create a picture or a play based on their poems to share.

Erin's Favourite

Please view Erin's favourite poem by clicking on the link below.

Harriet And The Promised Land 
By Jacob Lawrence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-tfygnLyTY

This story through verse spoke to me because of the subject. This is the story of Harriet Tubman and all she risked to help slaves escape to the promised land. I think the story as much as the illustrations will lead to much discussion on respect and social justice. I will use this book in my grade 5 Social Studies as one of the topics is the Underground Railway. I would then ask students to research another activist and perform a character sketch about the person.

Professional Learning Process For Teachers

We reflected on the importance of scaffolding and moving from simple to complex with Book Talk topics. We spent a long time discussing the text and articulating our various reactions. This showed us firsthand the importance of allotting time for the discussion and all of the connections we made between the text and our background knowledge. We also noticed how we were able to be flexible with opinions that differed from our own. Sometimes our own point of view changed over the course of the discussion, at other times we had to learn how to disagree. We also naturally stayed away from “why” questions. Our feeling was that we treat adults differently when considering their opinions and that the respectful way that we treat our own peers is an important reminder of how we should also treat our students and children generally.

Bibliography Of Poems On Respect

Our list of references includes poems, stories told through verse and songs. There is poetry for all age levels that scaffolds the concept of respect starting with respect for self and others at a primary level moving up to respect and social justice for secondary levels.

References

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Coerr, E. (1993). Sadako. New York, NY:  G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS.

Costanzo, C. (1999). The twelve gifts of birth. New York, NY: HarperResource.

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K’naan. (2010). Wavin’ flag. (Recorded by Young Artists for Haiti: K’naan, Drake, Nikki

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