Crossing Over to Poetry
Part 1:
The book I chose to read for this unit was the Crossover by Kwame Alexander. I chose this book because I have always been very involved in sports and have played then since I was five years old. Sports, especially soccer, have been a huge part of my life and I felt like I could really relate to the main character, Josh when I read this book. I too used my sport as an outlet, and like the main character, I have a sibling who I was always compared too and vice versa while playing the same sports, so I empathized with his struggles.
I absolutely loved this book and how relatable it was to almost everyone in my group. I think I could definitely use it in my future classroom due to the easiness of reading and that it was not hard to understand like sometimes poetry can be. This book used a very simple form of poetry that did not have to be dissected and was not confusing in any way. We clearly understood the emotions the writer wanted to portray and I think he did a great job since poetry can have the tendency to be very confusing, especially at a young age.
I would use this book in a classroom during a poetry unit and let the students know that poetry can be written in any way and about anything they want. In this book, we see poems about family, his sport, friends and girls and they all come together to give the readers a glimpse into the life of Josh. I like that they can see how different poems can actually tell a story and should be about a topic that makes you feel something towards it.
Part 2:
so much depends
upon
a little blue
house
full of my closest
friends
who mean the world to
me.
One Reply to “Crossing Over to Poetry”
Your book seems like it was so interesting and relatable to your life. I as well played sports like many others so it seems like this book could relate to many people like you said. I thought it was nice how you were able to relate to the main character a lot because you guys went through some of the same struggles. Your idea of how to incorporate it into your future classroom was amazing. I believe that many students don’t get the freedom as to write about whatever they want and since poetry does not come naturally to many people this is a great way to get kids excited. The idea will also be a great way to learn more about your students on a more personal level.
I loved your poem you created. I was able to tell just from your short poem that your friends are very important in your life. Great post this week! I hope you had a great weekend!