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A Stick is An Excellent Thing

A Stick is An Excellent Thing by Marilyn Singer is a compilation of 18 poems that capture the enjoyment of outdoor games played all around the world.  This book shows that although we grow older, games are timeless and can be enjoyed from generation to generation.  I enjoyed reading these poems because as a little girl, I grew up playing most of these games but to know that the same games are played around the world but in different ways shows how we are all the same in many, many ways.  The book expresses poetry in every way such as personification, verse, rhyme scheme, and even being content that speaks to readers.  Another book by this author is Tallulah's Tutu.



Classroom activities:

1.) Since there are 18 poems that express the participation of outside activities, each day, for 18 days, choose a poem to read and then allow the children in your classroom to split into groups (or have one giant group) and play the game of the poem that was chosen.  Have each student pick a friend to take turns until everyone was chosen to take a turn.  On the last day of the games, have the children go around and choose which poem/activity they liked best.

2.) Read the poems together.  Have 9 children pick a poem and the other 9 choose a partner (without the partner telling them what the activity is.  Each day, rotate so that everyone plays the games at least once.  Afterwards, have the children write a short poem to explain the game they liked the best and have them present it to the class.  After presenting, have the students play a guessing game of what game their peer has explained in their poem.

Goals:

  • Both activities allow students to read and understand poetry.  They also show how different games are played around the world giving them a feel for multicultural poetry is.


Bibliography:

Singer, M., & Pham, L. (2012). A stick is an excellent thing: poems celebrating outdoor play. Boston: Clarion Books.

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