Bruchac How the Birds - Pomelo...
Transcript of Bruchac How the Birds - Pomelo...
week 20: Art & ColorsThird Grade
Take 5!
The Poetry Friday Anthology
Celebrate Diversity with The Poetry Friday Anthology series (for K-‐5 and Middle School)
featuring original poems by over 75 poets with a Take 5! Mini-‐Lesson for each poem
How the Birds Got Their Colors by Joseph Bruchac
Long ago, it is said,all the birds were brown.Gluskonba loved the red and gold and all the other colorsthe trees turned every autumn.
But he grew sadwhen winter cameand all those leaves fell from the trees.
So Gluskonba bent downand picked up all those colors from the ground.
He gave those colorsto the birdsso he could see themall year round.
1. Point out to students that many poems are funny, but some are quiet and thoughtful—like this one based on a Native American legend from the Abenaki people. You may also need to provide background on Gluskonba, known as “the one who helps the people.”
2. Share the poem again, inviting students to echo read the lines of the second stanza only, repeating each line after you say it. Then you read the rest of the poem aloud.
3. For discussion: What are your favorite colors of fall?
4. This poem is an example of a narrative poem—a poem that tells a story. Guide students in seeing how the stanzas build to create this poem story. Talk about how the poet uses some rhyme (leaves/trees; brown/down/ground/round), but not always in a regular pattern.
5. Pair this with another poem about Gluskonba and the birds by Joseph Bruchac, “How the Geese Became Chiefs of the Birds” (5th Grade, Week 8, page 234).
“Savvy teachers have learned they can trust Vardell and Wong . . . these carefully chosen tips and strategies offer ways to present poems through art, drama, and technology and describe curriculum connections.” —IRA’s Reading Today
“This is a lot of resource and professional development for $29.99!” —The ALSC Blog
“A treasury of the greatest science poetry for children ever written, with a twist—it can be used to ignite the spirit of students in a different, out of the box way.” —NSTA Recommends
Honors and Accolades for the series:
✻ an NCTE Poetry Notable✻ Poetry Foundation CPL Picks of the Month✻ NSTA Recommends
Available in:Common Core editionsand Texas TEKS editionsfor K-‐5 and Middle School
plus a National Science Edition based on the NGSS (with a TEKS Supplement)
pomelo books*
poem ©2012 Joseph Bruchac (josephbruchac.com)
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