I have chosen the poetry of Nikki Giovanni and Eve Merriam to form the core of the unit. The most important reason, however, is that children respond enthusiastically to the works of these poets. Many of the poems in the unit will be the slightly less than sweet works of Giovanni and Merriam. In the early part of the unit, paired poems which promote discussion and understanding of basic poetic concepts will be studied. The more adult poems will be used to elicit the heartfelt discussions and writings waiting to be brought to fruition by my students.
Writing begins immediately.