Friday, April 15, 2016

Science + Poetry = Trees

Here is the next installment in my series of science poetry tied to science-themed picture books. My graduate student, Amy Horn (in my "Poetry for Children" class) selected the focus on “trees” from the series of professional resource books, "Picture Perfect Science Lessons" by Karen Ansberry and Emily Morgan (and published by the National Science Teachers Association). Here are her three infographics centered around trees. The focus picture book pair is:
  • Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel
  • Be a Friend to Trees by Patricia Lauber
The poem that works perfectly with this book pair is “Leaves” by Douglas Florian from her book, Poetrees. Below is a graphic featuring all these books, followed by the featured poem, and then the Take 5 activities to accompany the poem along with a "bonus" poem, “Photosynthesis” by Marilyn Singer from The Poetry of Science. Enjoy!








Today is also Poetry Friday, so don't miss all the other wonderful poetry sharing hosted by Michelle at Today's Little Ditty. See you there! 


Science of poetry graphics created by Amy Horn

Image credit: dialoguealumninews.wordpress.com
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7 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:54 AM

    Great links and activities. Thank-you for sharing. I will pass the link along like leaves on a windy day.

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  2. Maria Gianferrari9:43 AM

    I love Poetrees (and pretty much all of Douglas Florian's poems & art).

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  3. Maria Gianferrari9:45 AM

    I also adore everything by Joyce Sidman, and this poem:

    “What Do the Trees Know?

    What do the trees know?
    To bend when all the wild winds blow.
    Roots are deep and time is slow.
    All we grasp we must let go.

    What do the trees know?
    Buds can weather ice and snow.
    Dark gives way to sunlight's glow.
    Strength and stillness help us grow.”

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  4. Michelle Heidenrich Barnes11:57 AM

    A tree-lined park is, by far, my favorite laboratory! Thanks for your post today, Sylvia, and also to Amy Horn and two of my favorite poet teachers for the science lesson.

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  5. Linda B7:14 PM

    I grew up with a tree that was called "mine", so trees are such powerful things to me. Thanks for these books. I don't know and will look for Our Tree Named Steve, looks great.

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  6. Sylvia Vardell9:06 PM

    Hey, thank you all for swinging by this Poetry Friday and all your lovely comments and poem sharing. I am also a huge fan of trees-- climbing as a kid and then identifying kinds of trees in Girl Scouts. I planted a big oak tree in front of my current house and love watching it grow. No wonder that poets have been writing about trees for generations!
    Sylvia

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  7. Mary Lee7:06 AM

    The PFA for Science is an incredible treasure! We're lucky to have it (and I'm proud to be in it!)

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