Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night (2010)
Written by: Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by: Rick Allen
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston
Lexile: 1020L
Accelerated Reader: 0.5

Graceful, Majestic, Mysterious, Eye-opening, Stimulating, Informative

Suggested Delivery: whole class read aloud

Electronic Resources to Support Reading:

      1.  Raptors

           This site is University of Minnesota "Raptor Center" which includes a monthly activity that is ecologically friendly and may teach students ways to reduce their carbon footprint, as well as further information about various raptors, including bald eagles, owls, and hawks, to name a few.

      2.  Writing Poetry with Joyce Sidman
           Joyce Sidman provides writers with a starting ground for writing poetry, geared towards younger writers or older writers.  There are numerous ideas for themes to adopt while writing a poem and tips to get started, walking a writer through the thought process.  This site will especially come into use while students write their own poem.

Key Vocabulary:

• abdomen - in spiders, the hindmost part of the body (usually the largest)
• echolocation - used by animals such as bats or dolphins, the act of locating objects by bouncing high-pitched sounds against them
• fungi - a group of spore-making organisms that feed on decaying organic matter
• nectar - a sugary liquid made by plants to attract pollinators (such as moths and bees)
• nocturnal - active at night
• omnivorous - eating a variety of both plant and animal foods
• orbit - to travel around a larger planet or star in a circular path
• photosynthesis - the chemical process by which plants make energy into sunlight
• spinnerets - organs in a spider's body that produce and squirt out silk
• ubi sunt - the name of a style of medieval poetry that expresses the loss of heroic and beautiful things

           

Before Reading:  Simulate dusk in the classroom by turning off the lights and playing a "nature sounds at night" audio.  Tell children to relax, they may close their eyes if it feels helpful to them, in order to visualize being outside at dusk or nighttime in the summertime.  What sounds do they hear around them, as the night world and its nocturnal creatures awake and thrive?  After hearing the audio, review with students what "nocturnal" means, and have students write down words or phrases that came to mind when they visualized being outside at night in the summer.  They may write down visual observations, anything they perceive with their senses, or feelings they personally experienced.  Tell students to listen to how the author, Joyce Sidman, uses her own "nighttime" words and phrases to describe her experience in the dark outside, and if they are the same or similar to the way they described nighttime.

During Reading:  After reading aloud each poem, have students work together at their tables to analyze Sidman's choice of wording and phrasing and hypothesize what type of night creature she is writing about.  After each response is shared, announce the title of the poem, and go on to read the expository information on the right side of the page, explaining to students the difference between the poem presented beforehand, and the factual information presented afterwards.  How are these bodies of writing different?  How do they each contribute to the importance and message of the book?  Have students share what new information they have learned and record new information and facts that students have just learned and recalled on big poster paper.  

After Reading:  Each student will create an infographic that presents at least ten pieces of information about one of the animals presented in Sidman's book.  This will require additional research on behalf of the student in order to have enough factual information to present in their infographic.  They may use piktochart.com or another approved infographic website.  Students will then present their infographics to the class and share with each other important facts they learned about their species.

Writing Activity:  Students will compose a poem about their animal they researched and created the infographic.  Similar to Joyce Sidman, they are encouraged to write about all senses, evoke feelings, and translate the beauty of each animal or living entity they are assigned.  They may clearly state which animal they are talking about in the poem, or create a mysterious poem that leaves readers with a little interpretation to do on their own.