SCHOOL POETRY

Dakos, K.  (1996).  The goof who invented homework and other school poems.  Ill. D. Brunkus.  New York, NY:  Dial.  ISBN 0-8037-1927-2

Students spend so much time at school, so what better way to include poetry than with poetry about school?  So many things happen at school, and Dakos’s book of school poems covers lots of topics that relate to school, from beginning of the year to the end.  Her descriptive poems include poems that relate to holidays celebrated during the school year such as the first day of school (“Have a Great School Year”), Halloween (“Oooooooooooo”), Thanksgiving (“Thanksgiving”) and Valentine’s Day (“Some Valentine’s Day!”).  Dakos uses point of view to tell school stories from not only the children’s or teachers’ points of view, but also the objects involved in school.  I love “Have a Great School Year” which is the opening poem.  Objects in the classroom tell what they are thinking the day before school starts for a new year – some are happy to welcome back the noise and happiness of the students; some are sad that the quiet times of summer are over.  Other poems are written almost as dialogue in a play with the speaker name given followed by what he or she said, while some poems are more traditional.  Many poems are illustrated with pen and ink drawings that add to the visualization.

An interesting aspect about the poems is that things from one poem show up in another.  For example, Jack’s Band-Aid project first appears in “Murder in the Fourth Grade” and then shows up again in “Thanksgiving.”   Keenan’s rooster starts out in “Announcements” and makes another appearance in “Thanksgiving.”  The volume includes poems that rhyme and those that don’t, short poems and long.  Several poems are multiple pages and tell stories such as the events from a school field trip in “Four Wishes.". 

After testing this book out on my kindergartner at home, I found that more background knowledge is needed to help with understanding some of the poems.  There are multiple references to middle-elementary ages and experiences, such as fourth grade (p. 19) , being eleven years old (p. 56), and tests (p. 9) which make this volume more suitable to those middle grades while still providing opportunities to expand vocabulary, understanding of figurative language, and sensual imagery.

This book abounds with ideas for teachers to use in classrooms.  Students can imitate the poems by writing about an experience in the dialogue format such as “The Goof Who Invented Homework” or they can tell a story from an object’s point of view such as in “Cries From the Lunch Box.”  They can use the poems to create visual representations of the words they hear.  For example, before reading “Homework” on p. 73, ask students to represent the word “homework” with a drawing.  If homework were a thing, what would it be?  Have several students share their drawings.  Then read Dakos’s poem to them, displaying the text on the board with the data projector or overhead:

               Homework

               I’m a monster

               With a giant mouth.

               I devour

               Your playtime,

               And then I burp up

               A clock

               That says,

               “GO TO BED!”

Have students follow up with another drawing representing homework as it is described in the poem.  How are the two representations different?  Alike?  Which do they like better – their idea of homework or the one described in the poem?  Not everyone dislikes homework.  Why do you think that is?   Finally, show the drawing that accompanies the poem of the monster devouring the fun stuff and spitting back the clock and conclude with a few more comparisons.

Poems about school are a great way to introduce poetry that has an immediate connection to what students experience every day.  What a good way to teach students about the poetry that can be found in those common experiences and objects.