Joyce Sidman

Author Presentation

Andrea Ruiz

February 11, 2013

Biography Born June 4, 1956 in

Connecticut

Graduated from Wesleyan University, with a B.A. in German

She teaches poetry writing to school children and participates in many national poetry events.

Her recent book, Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature, has been critically acclaimed and is a Junior Library Guild Selection.

Published Work Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature

Dark Emperor and Other Poems of

the Night

Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's

Survivors

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in

Colors

This Is Just to Say: Poems of Apology

and Forgiveness

Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of

the Meadow

Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete

Poetry

Song of the Water Boatman and

Other Pond Poems

The World According to Dog: poems

and teen voices

Eureka! Poems About Inventors

Just Us Two: Poems About Animal

Dads

Themes

Science

Nature

Animal

Insects

“The natural world fascinates me,

elates me, grounds me. It raises

questions that I try to answer in my writing.”

Writerly Technique

Animal’s perspective

Metaphors

Alliteration

Personification

Rhyming

Imagery

Personification-Cattails

The Season’s Campaign I. Spring

We burst forth, crisp green squads bristling with spears. We encircle the pond.

II. Summer

Brown velvet plumes

bob jauntily. On command, our slim waving arrows rush towards the sun.

III. Fall

All red-winged generals desert us. Courage clumps and fluffs like bursting pillows.

IV. Winter

Our feet are full of ice. Brown bones rattle in the wind. Sleeping, we dream of seed-scouts, sent on ahead.

How to use in your classroom?

"Mouse Ears" Mice rely on their excellent hearing to avoid predators like the owl.

1. Have each student sit somewhere in the classroom, with a piece of paper and a pencil.

2. Ask them to shut their eyes and listen carefully. How many different noises can they hear? What do they think each noise is? Have them write down as many noises as they can, trying to describe and identify each one.

3. Discussion: compare noises heard; perhaps write them on the board.

4. Then ask them: if they were mice, lost in the classroom, which would be important noises for them to identify? How could they escape using just their hearing?

BOOK: Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night

More ways to use in classroom

Seasonal Diary Find out & record how the natural world changes in fall, winter, and spring.

1. Read “The Season’s Campaign” and talk about how the cattails see their world changing from season to season.

2. Plan to take several different nature walks in two or three different seasons.

3. Once outside, encourage children to be as observant as possible. Have them take notepads and list one thing they see, one thing they smell, hear, feel. Have them think about these questions: What are the trees doing in fall/winter/spring? What does the sky look like? What animals do you see? What do you imagine going on behind the scenes? How is life in this season different from another?

4. Back inside, have each child make a diary page, including the date, and record everything they observed. Encourage illustrations. Bind each diary page into a class book for each season.

For more information

Go to www.joycesidman.com

Under Teacher tab

There you can find lesson ideas that

correlate with the books she has written.