Mentor Texts for Teachers,  Mentor Texts for Writers,  Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday: On a Flake-Flying Day

September 29, 2023 /
This week’s Poetry Friday host is Jama at Jama’s Alphabet Soup. https://jamarattigan.com/
 

On a Flake-Flying Day

 
 
 
Millbrook Press, 2023
 
On a Flake-Flying Day is another book in Buffy Silverman’s season series. You can see a preview of the beautiful pages here. It comes out officially next Tuesday (October 3). This one focuses on the wonders of winter. It’s complete with Buffy’s signature poetic language and paired with Millbrook Press’s amazing photo illustrations.
 
In fact, it’s what I call “Poem as Picture Book.” Think of Joyce Sidman’s We Are Branches, April Pulley Sayre’s weather series like Raindrops Rolls and Feel the Fog. All of those are essentially illustrated poems. I especially love nonfiction picture books that combine facts and poetry.
 
Because I’ve been teaching more than two decades, the first thing I think about when I read a picture book is: how can I use this with kids?
 
For each line of poetry, the back matter explains the science behind the words. The phrase “owl listens” in the text is paired with a paragraph of information about how important owl’s hearing is in finding food in the winter. Because there’s so much science embedded in the text and in the back matter, it’s a perfect read aloud that allows students to dive deeper into the animal adaptations and seasonal changes that accompany winter.
 
Here are some of the others ways, I’d use it in the classroom or library:
  • Science–Seasonal changes
  • Writing–poetry (rhyming, ekphrastic, science poetry)
  • Writing–vivid verbs and other specific word choices
  • Thinking routines using the photos first
  • Language Arts–Compare and contrast with other titles like Best in Snow by April Pulley Sayre
  • Nature Walks–All of Buffy’s books are perfect for taking a nature walk and then talking about what students saw in nature. Did they see something similar? Or if students live in a different climate–how are the seasons different?
 
I also highly recommend Buffy Silverman’s other titles about the seasons as well.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Haiku of the Week

 
 
construction site
rimmed with water lilies
hushes fall with trees
 
Haiku & Photo © 2023 Marcie Flinchum Atkins
 
Photo Taken: July 27, 2023 at EC Lawrence Park
Haiku Written: August 30, 2023
 
 

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What I’m Noticing

 
We spent a very rainy weekend near Colonial Beach, Virginia and visited Westmoreland State Park. This was the first bit of dry weather after downpours from Ophelia for three days. The Potomac was raging most of the weekend. I’ve never quite seen a river thrash like an ocean until this past weekend. I spent a lot of time reading and sleeping. Finally, a breakthrough of sunshine on Sunday afternoon allowed us to spend a little bit of time outside. 

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