Poetry and Verse

Learning Resources

 

Required Resources

 

• Course Text: Literature and the Child
• • Chapter 4, “Poetry and Verse”
  • Chapter 5, “Folklore: A Literary Heritage”
  • Chapter 6, “Fantastic Literature: Fantasy and Science Fiction” (you may skip “A Close Look at The Underneath,” pp. 199–203; “A Close Look at The Storm in the Barn” pp. 204-205; and “A Close Look at Incarceron,” pp. 212-213)
• For this week’s Application, read:
• • *3–5 poems from one collection of poetry
  • *2 examples of folklore, each a different type
  • 1 fantasy or science fiction book from the following list:
  • • Tuck Everlasting
    • Charlotte’s Web
    • James and the Giant Peach
    • Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
    • A Wrinkle in Time

 

*You may select examples from the booklists provided at the end of Chapters 4 and 5, or choose independently.

 

Optional Resources

 

• Web Article: “Finding Humor Through Poems, Rhymes, and Stories” by Carolyn Ross Tomlin
  http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=427
• Web Site: American Folklore Society
  http://www.afsnet.org/
• Web Site: NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children
  http://www.ncte.org/awards/poetry

Application: Annotated Bibliography and Quality Checklist

 

Part 3: Poetry, Folklore, Fantasy, and Science Fiction

 

As you have been learning, each of these genres of literature can enrich the lives of readers in a myriad of ways. Poetry, with its colorful language and vibrant rhythms and patterns, has the power to awaken emotions and promote new awareness through flowing, memorable verses. Folklore, on the other hand, invites readers into the rich tapestry of ancestral cultures, passing along storytellers’ tales that have endured for generations. Fantasy and science fiction allow readers to either defer natural laws or consider new and exciting possibilities for the future. Literature within all of these genres can temporarily suspend reality and sweep readers away from everyday life into new worlds embedded in culture and history.

 

This week, you will delve further into the worlds of poetry, folklore, fantasy, and science fiction as you continue to work on the Application Assignment that you began in Week 1. You will add entries to both your Annotated Booklist and Quality Checklist documents.

 

Annotated Booklist

 

This week, you will read and annotate at least:

 

• 3–5 poems from one collection of poetry
• 2 examples of folklore, each a different type (use Figure 5-1, “Considering Quality in Folklore,” on p. 166 of your course text to help you evaluate what you have read)
• 1 fantasy or science fiction book from the following list:

  Fantasy:

  • Tuck Everlasting
  • Charlotte’s Web
  • James and the Giant Peach

  Science Fiction:

  • Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
  • A Wrinkle in Time

 

Quality Checklist

 

Based on what you have learned about poetry, folklore, fantasy, and science fiction this week, add at least three new entries for each genre. Make sure to write the entries in your own words.