Week 32

We are moving on to Week 32 and looking closely at the poetic devices of metaphor and simile, our focus for this week. Our sample poem is from fifth grade and is by poet Deborah Chandra. It paints a picture of night-time that children are sure to respond to.


Night Comes
by Deborah Chandra

Night
comes
slow,

....

circles round,
closer . . .
        closer . . .
settling down—
like a big black
cat
with fur of silk,
and deep dark purr,
lapping
the milk.


[Look for this lovely poem in its entirety on p. 258 of The Poetry Friday Anthology.]


Take 5 Activities
1. Before sharing this poem, take a moment to help students picture the day turning to night, the dark sky, the moon shining. Then continue by reading this poem aloud.

2. Share the poem again, inviting students to say the repeated lines Night / comes / slow (lines 1, 2, 3 and lines 10, 11, 12) slowly as you read the rest of the poem aloud—slowly.

3. For discussion: What are the best and worst things about the night?

4. What comparisons does the poet make in this poem? Help students identify the similes and metaphors in the poem (like a big black / cat; as the world / fills up / with cool / milk, for example).

5. Follow up with “Poem Like the Sea” by Patricia Hubbell (3rd Grade, Week 29) or selections from Sky Magic, edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins.


Now head on over to Random Noodling where Diane is hosting this week's Poetry Friday gathering.