Appropriate for fifth graders or above

Introduction: Have history books available. Divide the class into groups and have each group find the answer to one question. Which Americans were allowed to vote when this country was founded? When were African Americans allowed to vote? When were women? Have the groups share what they found. Then, explain that although the Constitution gave minorities suffrage, the right remained theoretical for almost 100 years as local governments frequently circumvented the law. Then read Johnson's poem aloud.

Untitled
By Brandon N. Johnson

Black ancestors
died for my freedom.

My great uncle Jimmy risked
his life to help
Black people vote.

My great great grandmother voted
for the first time
when she was
80 years old.

Black is boldness.

From:
Adedjouma, Davida, ed. 1996. THE PALM OF MY HEART: POETRY BY AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN. Illustrated by Gregory Christie. Introduction by Lucille Clifton. New York: Lee & Low Books. ISBN1-880000-41-5

Extension:
Have everyone investigate events leading up to the Voting Rights Act thorough old newspaper stories. Have each child choose one incident and try to recap the actions and/or feelings that occurred. Ask them to arrange their sentences as if writing a poem. Can they add or change words to give a more vivid impression? Can they add white space or use font size to make the poem more dramatic?

Janeczko, Paul B. ed. HOME ON THE RANGE: COWBOY POETRY. Pictures by Bernie Fuchs. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0-8037-1911-6

This collection of nineteen poems by different authors can be enjoyed on their own, but they are also perfect to use in conjunction with social studies lessons on Texas. Teachers are always searching for ways to make the cowman’s life come alive, to show students that the cowboys had a variety of experiences—not just those shown in movies, to show the hardships they endured. These poems bring those experiences to life through their rich imagery.

The collection starts with the too-familiar refrain from the 1873 title poem, “Home on the Range” by Brewster Higley. The other poems are by contemporary poets who know either the beef or dairy cattle trade. They are by turns admiring, sympathetic, funny, nostalgic or sad as they focus on differing aspects of this life style. Three of the poems use traditional cowpoke dialect (hoss for horse, ya or ye for you, a-playin’ for playing, gittin’ for getting), but the rest use standard English. Ted Steagal, who was Poet Laureate for the state of Texas in 2006, penned an ode to cowboys in “Hats Off to the Cowboy:”
The cowboy’s the image of freedom, / The hard-ridin’ boss of the range. / His trade is a fair one, he fights for what’s right, / And his ethics aren’t subject to change.

There is a poem on coyotes, another on the danger of chancing upon a bear, yet another on the difference between rodeo and ranching cowboys. One poem, “Old Vogal,” deals with the demeaning view of women in this male-dominated field:
“He assured me I was lucky / That my bales were done up tight / Lucky that I caught the dew / and chanced to bale it right.”
Several describe the hardship of working unprotected from the weather. For example, “Rain on the Range:”
“When you’re ridin’ on the cattle range and hit a rainy spell, / Your whiskers git plumb mossy, and you note a mildewed smell / On everything from leather to the makin’s in your sack; / And you git the chilly quiver from the water down your back.”
Not only does this conjure up the damp, irksome cold, the rhythm of the words also reminds readers of the rhythms of the horse’s gait.

Many of the poems in this collection use similar rhyme schemes and rhythms, but not all. Some are free verse including “The Barn Cats.” It contains wonderful memories of early life with milking cows:
“How you remember dull ringing sounds / As the first squirts hit bottom; / How the sounds changed to a quiet hiss / As foaming milk filled the shiny bucket; / How the smell of fresh warm milk / Rose to mingle with the clean-cow smell; / How the barn cats sat half-circled, / Mewing politely, insisting there was enough / To fill their little pan.”

Fuch’s illustrations combine pencil drawings with oil pastels and cover from one to three pages for each poem. There is an emphasis on the brown of the dry west with purples, greens and oranges used more sparingly. They blend well with the poetry and add to the poems’ impact.

Overall, this is a collection filled with the deeply felt love of the poets for ranch and farm work. Reading their words and seeing the illustrations bring this increasingly rare life.

Introduction: Children may face a variety of traumas in their young lives. Sadly some children deal with the death of a sibling through accident or illness. Others deal with the loss of potential siblings when their mother miscarries. When a child is dealing with that form of grief, they may wish to discuss their feelings, but be unable to find the words.

This poem may open the discussion. Explain first, that Mattie had three siblings that died. He misses not only what he remembers, but also what they would have become had they lived to get older. Then read the poem aloud.



Reality
By Mattie J.T. Stepanek

Sometimes
I really miss
Having a brother.
I miss
My two brothers and my sister,
And I don’t
Understand
Why they died.
Sometimes
It’s so sad
To not have
A brother, and
Another brother, and
A sister
When I should have them.
And I know that
Something
Will make me
Happy again.
But, right now,
I don’t know what, and
I don’t know when.

From:
Stepanek, Mattie J. T. 2002. HOPE THROUGH HEARTSONGS. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-6944-5

Extension: After waiting for any reactions from the child, ask if it is all right to be happy after someone dies. Will different members of the family be grief-stricken for different lengths of time? What if anything might help at this moment? Next week? Next month? Would it help to write down what they are feeling at the moment? Let the child guide the discussion.