Dark Emporer and Other Poems of the Night

Poetry Workshop

Dark emperor & other poems of the night

Written by Joyce Sidman

Illustrated by Rick Allen

Published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010.

Lyrical, visual/imagery, scientific, rich in vocabulary, biology

 Awards:

• Newbury Honor Book 2011  
• Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book
• Boston Globe/Horn Book Award Honor Book
• Cybils Poetry Award Finalist
• NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts
• Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
• NSTA-CBC Outstaning Science Trade Book
• Eureka! Nonfiction Children's Book Award
• Horn Book Fanfare
• Bulletin Blue Ribbon
• Booklist Editor's Choice
• CBC Bank Street Best Book of the Year (starred)
  

Summary:  

Like Sidman's Caldecott Honor Book, Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems (2005), this picture book combines lyrical poetry and compelling art with science concepts. Here, poems about the woods at night reveal exciting biology facts that are explained in long notes on each double-page spread. In a poem about crickets, lines describe “the raucous scrape / of wing against wing,” while a prose passage explains that the cricket's wing has a serrated “file,” which the cricket rubs against a hard “scraper” on its other wing to attract a mate, creating a sound called “stridulation” that can swell to deafening levels. The facts are further reinforced in the accompanying picture, which shows the small file on a cricket's wing. In an opening note, Allen explains his elaborate, linoleum-block printmaking technique, and each atmospheric image shows the creatures and the dense, dark forest with astonishing clarity. Looking closely at a picture of a snail, for example, readers will see the physical detail, described in an adjacent poem, in the small animals' moist, sluglike bodies, “riding on a cushion of slime.” The thrilling title poem captures the drama of predator and prey: a mouse in the undergrowth flees an owl's “hooked face and / hungry eye.” A final glossary concludes this excellent, cross-curricular title. Grades 3-6. --Hazel Rochman - Booklist

Reading Level: Lexile Framework 1020,
Grade 8.6 (interest level 3-5, so make it a read aloud for middle grade!)

Suggested Delivery: Read aloud, poetry workshop

Description: Poetry anthology

Key Vocabulary (by page number): forage (6), whorls (8), sherbet (10), pollinating (10), preen (12), raucous (20) ... there is also a glossary of 20 words in the back of the book.

Teaching Suggestions:

1. This book is rich in biology vocabulary. Be sure to focus on this vocabulary before, during, and after reading so that students understand the book.
2. This book is the perfect supplement to a science lesson on creatures of the night, biology, nocturnal creatures, etc. due to its lengthy nonfiction notes on the topics discussed in the book. 
3. Students who enjoy Joyce Sidman's book about the creatures of the night may also enjoy the following titles by her: 

Comprehension Strategies

Pre-Reading- Before reading, individuals should each be assigned a vocabulary word in the book and work it out in a graphic organizer for the whole class to see. A way to do this is in a Verbal and Visual Word Association map, similar to a Frayer model. The organizers could be copied and binded into mini dictionaries for students. 

During Reading- When it comes to poetry, some students may lose focus due to the rhythmic nature, not focusing on the words being said. A way to promote attention and comprehension of the poetry would be to have students create their own hand motions to go along with a reading of the poem. For example, as one student reads "Oak After Dark," students could decide to brush their knee off at the phrase "...as nighttime rustles at my knee...".

Post-Reading-  After reading, pairs should pick one of the animals in the book and research it.Students could represent their knowledge in several ways, such as with a PowerPoint presentation, a Prezi, a poster, or diagram.

Writing Activity: Students could each write their own poem about either about the night, or about an animal that they know in their own lives. Observation is key here. Students should be instructed to observe their surroundings. For example, a student could watch their little brother's bedtime routine or their dog as it gets ready to sleep.

 

Vocab Gal is a great resource for all teachers!

Electronic Resources:

Vocab Gal 
When looking for vocabulary resources, I discovered Vocab Gal, a blogger with so many resources for vocabulary instruction! To get her handouts, you just need to provide your email address and they will be emailed to you. A personal favorite is "think tac-toe."



Verbal and Visual Word Association
Here is the link to the graphic organizer, verbal and visual word association map.

Sidman, J., & Allen, R. (2010). Dark emperor & other poems of the night. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.