Science Verse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, ill. New York: Viking, 2004. ISBN: 9780670910571 (hc), 9780670062690 (pbk., 2007)
Annotation: A colourful book of poems, each with science references, heard by a young boy after his teacher tells him it is possible.
Media: multimedia collage
Rating: 5Q/4P
Curricular connections: Poetry, Science, Art
Grade level: Upper Elementary
lss August/2009
Science Verse by Jon Scieszka; Lane Smith, ill. New York: Viking, 2007. ISBN: 978-0670062690
A young boy is zapped by his science teacher with a curse of “SCIENCE VERSE,” and begins hearing science poems in head.
Medium: pen and ink, paint, multimedia
Rating: 5Q/3P
Literary device utilized: rhyme
Example:
“Hey diddle diddle, what kind of riddle
Is this nature of light?
Sometimes it’s a wave,
Other times particle...
But which answer will be marked right?”
Curricular connection: Science, Poetry, upper elementary school
Lesson plan (upper elementary level):
- Start with a class read-aloud. The teacher reads the introduction page, and then the students take turns, each reading aloud a poem from the book.
- The teacher then points out how the poems in the book were based on other poems by famous poets, and with the students’ help, creates a new short poem on the spot, based on a well-known poem or nursery rhyme.
- The teacher then chooses a science-related theme, such as electricity or the weather, and couples it with a well-known nursery rhyme, such as Mary Had a Little Lamb, and for homework the students will write their own poems based on that theme, using the structure of the nursery rhyme.
- The next day, the students will read aloud their science poems in class. The teacher will grade the assignment based on each student’s adherence to the theme and how closely their original poem followed the structure of the template.
submitted July 2009 by Josh Mitchell
Science verse, by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, ill. New York: Viking, 2004.
ISBN: 978-0670062690
Annotation: After a teacher comments that “you can hear the poetry of science in everything,” a young boy begins hearing everything as science-themed parodies of well-known poems, songs, and nursery rhymes. A fun way to introduce students to science concepts and/or the famous poems referenced.
Curricular Use: 8th-10th grade; Math, Poetry
Illustrations: collage, painting, printmaking
5Q/4P
DM 6/20/09
Scieszka, J. 2004. Science Verse. Lane Smith (Illustrator). New York: Penguin Young Readers Group. ISBN: 0-670-91057-0
Annotation – A student cursed with science poetry realizes that his senses are discovering rhyme everywhere and in everything. Scieszka parodies well-known poems to assist the student in remembering the teacher’s science lesson. For students who find poetry just a little boring, this book may peek their interest.
Media used for illustrations – paper collage, pencil and ink drawing, acrylic paint
Rating for quality of text, illustration and popularity – 4QT and 4QI/3P (1 = low - 5 = high)
Use of rhyme – One does not have to be familiar with the poems used to appreciate the effort put in to the science rhyme (though it seems a bit more fun to laugh at the parodies). Even non-poetry lovers may be able to read through many of these poems. One may even get inspired to come up with an original verse: Science is a lonely road; science friends are mostly foes; science could get very boring; but Science Verse will have you roaring!!!!
Parodies (Spoofs) of Poems
Mary Had a Little (Lamb) Worm....
Battle Hymn of the Republic: Glory, glory evolution, Darwin found us a solution....
Jack Be Nimble: Jack jump over the combustion reaction of 02+heat+fuel to form CO2+ light+.... Rober Frost: Astronaut Stopping by a Planet on a Snowy Evening Jabberwocky: Gobblegooky...oh, Polyunsaturated Boy....Twas fructose and the vitamins did zinc and dye red #8.... Casey at the Bat: Scientific Method at the Bat Some of the Science Principles referred to in the Book ¡
Amoebas Nutrition Planets Atoms Combustion Evolution Some of the Famous Poetry Rhythm Rhyme Alliteration Simile Parody New Vocabulary
l Nancy
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APA Citation
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Scieszka, J. and Smith, L. (2004). Science Verse. New York: Penguin.
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ISBN
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0-670-91057-0
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Rating
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4Q/5P
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Top 10
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no
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Media
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Multimedia collage
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Grades/Subject
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4+; science, art, English
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Annotation
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A boy falls asleep in science class and recasts famous poems in a science light.
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sk 4.27.08
Science Verse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, ill. New York: Viking, 2004. ISBN 0-670-91057-0.
Science comes alive in these fun rhyming poems when a student drifts off to sleep in science class and finds science in the rhythm of familiar poems and songs.
Color illustrations look like oil, collage, even crackle paint that pop with the energy of science.
Literary Concept: Rhyme:
Science Verse plays upon popular poems and rhymes.
For example, from Mary Had a Little Lamb:
Mary had a little worm
She thought it was a chigger
But everything that Mary ate,
Only made it bigger
It came with her to school one day,
And gave the kids a fright,
Especially when the teacher said,
“Now that’s a parasite!”
Curriculum Connections:
Science:
(DM 4.28.08)
Scieszka, J, & Smith, L (2004). Science Verse. New York: Penguin Group. Illustrations by Lane Smith. ISBN: 0-670-91057-0.
When a boy begins hearing his science lesson in poetry, he thinks the teacher has zapped him with a curse. This cleverly written book of poetry of science topics is additive; from What’s the Matter that is similar to the story “The Lady with the Alligator Purse” to “Lovely” that mimics the poem “Trees”.
The illustrations were painted on boards with oil paint and then sprayed with an acrylic spray varnish.
Use of rhyme
The book Science Verse uses many rhymes to describe various types of science. Here is one example:
WHAT’S THE MATTER?
Miss Lucy had some matter.
She didn’t know its state.
She only had three choices,
So tried to get it straight
She thought it could be liquid,
Quite possibly a gas.
And if it wasn’t solid,
Well call me sassafras.
Miss Lucy called the plumber.
Miss Lucy called the cop.
Miss Lucy called the egghead
With the perfectly bald top.
“Liquid,” said the plumber.
“Solid,” said the cop.
“Gas,” said the egghead
With the perfectly bald, perfectly ball, perfectly bald
Top top top.
Page 27
MWood
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