Module 4: Science Poetry

                                                      

Module 4: Science Poetry 

Leaf Litter Critters

Ivana Marmolejo



Bibliography

Bulion, Leslie, and Robert Meganck. Leaf Litter Critters. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers, 2018. ISBN: 9781561459506.

Summary

This informative book of science is about all kinds of critters and bacteria that live under the leaf litter layer. As the book of poetry takes you deeper through each layer of the “duff,” the reader will meet the various bugs and organisms along the way. The book is comprised of nineteen poems that feature different crawly, wiggly, sticky critters. A useful table of contents is organized by name of the critters. Next to all poems are informative notes about the bug on the corresponding page. There are vivid illustrations of the critters and their layer of leaf litter. Readers will find the graphics intriguing as they read each poem. The back of the book provides more information, including a glossary, a poetry notes section, a critter comparison diagram, and more. 


Analysis

All readers will enjoy Leaf Litter Critters but especially students who are interested in the science of our environment and bugs. The tone of the book is informational but also inspires a reader’s investigative side. There are many poems that rhyme in various forms: ABAB, AABB, AABAAB, etc. Students will enjoy reading these aloud as they will be able to hear the rhythm of these poems.

Although scientific, the poems have figurative language. Personification is used throughout the book. In one poem, both the proturans and the diplurans say, “We eat debris/ from forest floors/ like rotting plants/ and fungus spores” (Bulion, 2018).

The author also incorporates imagery with colorful pictures to provide the reader with a detailed depiction of the insect and its layer. One poem that focuses on roly-polies describes them as “smallish bugs with longish names:/ Terrestrial crustaceans,/ with fourteen land-legs, all the same,” (Bulion, 2018).

The last poem is likely to be the reader’s favorite. It weaves all the other poems together into one by mentioning all the critters and their layers, ending with the reader as the final layer!


Excerpt and Use

My favorite poem is called Proturans and Diplurans. This is a compare-and-contrast poem. This poem is thoughtfully written. The left side stanzas represent what the proturans are saying that are particular to their kind, the right side represents the differences the diplurans are saying, and the middle column are both bugs telling the reader what they have in common. 

I would have one student read the proturans side and another student read the diplurans side. Then, I’d have all students read the middle section to represent the insects speaking together. It reads like a conversation. 

As an extension, I’d like students to craft their own compare-and-contrast poem. They could choose two different topics from their science class. For example, fruits, planets, insects, environments, types of heat, elements on the periodic table, etc. Students would enjoy writing personification from the points of view of the topics they chose.

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