- An athletic youth is sidelined by injury and forced to focus his free time on reading - his father’s passion, but not his. A turbulent family situation combined with the challenges of bullying, friendship and a first crush all wrapped up in a combination of free verse, haiku and other poetry styles makes this an unusual and engaging read.
Author: Kwame Alexander
Genre: Sports, Poetry, Fiction
Keywords: soccer, sports, poetry, family dynamics, divorce,
Appropriateness for Junior Grades: The text is very accessible for junior readers and the main character’s affinity for soccer will appeal to an audience who are more interested in sports than academics. Some of the subjects addressed in the novel are sensitive and occasionally some of the language is challenging so it’s important that as a teacher you’ve read through the text completely so that you’re prepared to manage the discussion around those areas. Marital breakdown and divorce feature in this book and is likely to resonate with children who have personal experience with it.
Sample Text: https://www.amazon.com/Booked-Kwame-Alexander/dp/0544570987/#reader_0544570987
Classroom Suggestions
What could be taught using this text in terms of content, themes, and/or literacy?
- Content: The story covers a broad range of topics for investigation including divorce, friendship, love, sports and the different relationships people have with words.
- Themes: Young people finding their own way in the world
- Literacy: Different forms of poetry
How could students respond to this text?
Activity 1 - Found Poetry
Use the technique Mr. Mac used in Booked to create a new poem from an existing work to create your own poem. Select a page or poem from Booked and select words to create a new message (poem in free-verse) using those words. See if you can do it keeping the words in the order they appear on the page, or re-arrange them if necessary. Students may select a different book as their source material. When students have completed their poems, have them read them aloud and discuss how the new poem is different from the original source. (Language Grade 6 Reading 1.1. Oral 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4)
Activity 2 - Write a Poem and Perform It
- Explore Words and their Sounds. Working independently, have students choose a poem in the book that they think focuses on the sounds made by words through the literary devices of alliteration, repetition and rhyming. Class discussion of the impact these tools have on the writing and readers reaction to the writing. Students create their own poems of any form including free verse using these literary devices. Review samples of rap and slam poetry to broaden their perspective on different styles. This exercise may be extended to include a performance of their work accompanied by appropriate music or constructed as a rap with appropriate backing track or as a slam poem with accompanying soundtrack. Students may wish to produce their work as an audio or video track rather than performing live. Class discusses each work and talks about who the intended audience for the work is. Discuss why the poem will reach and resonate with the intended audience. Discuss how other audiences might perceive the message (Language curriculum Oral Communication 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5. Arts Curriculum Music C1.2, C1.3)
Activity 3 - Fun with Malapropisms
- The book includes a number of malapropisms. Working alone, have students make a list of the malapropisms they can find throughout the book. After they’ve compiled their list, have then work in pairs to discuss what word should have been used and what impact the malapropism had on what the reader was saying. Have each of the pairs talk about one of the malapropisms that they liked the best, what the correct word should be and why they think the author chose to use that word in that situation. (Language Grade 6 Oral Communication 2.2. Reading 2.4).