Welcome this week to Poetry Friday, this week hosted by the talented Buffy Silverman Here. Be sure to stop by for a visit.
This month, I have been thinking about Democracy and what a real life lesson we are all receiving daily, and discovered this wonderful 2016 middle grade novel in verse, THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY, by Laura Shovan. It was waiting on my desk, actually. It seemed so relevant at this moment in history, that I wanted to post about it.
It is possible that the teachers on Poetry Friday have already read this, but maybe not. I hope middle graders are reading it and talking about it.
I was so impressed with the author’s craft: 18 memorable character, yikes! And all different, the use of different poetry forms to reflect character, and the engaging story.
A full discussion of the plot as well as an excellent teacher’s guide can be found here.
The main plot briefly goes like this: The Board of Education of Emerson Elementary wants to close the beloved school and the students are determined to stop it. The themes include Democracy and the right to protest.
Students protest with the following poem, which is a petition to the school board, recalling the words of our Founding Fathers in our Constitution:
PETITION George Furst, Edgar Lee Jones, and Rennie Rawling We the People of Ms. Hill's Fifth Grade, in order too give a more perfect Understanding of the importance of our student voices here at Emerson Elementary, seek to establish a Protest by our Classroom, which hath Studied the U.S Constitution and Civil Rights, to Provide our United opinion regarding the fate of our beloved Emerson Elementary, and Demand that the Board of Education promote general Knowledge about its plans, and share the Blessings of Facts with ourselves and all Emerson and Montgomery Middle Students. Thus we do create and Submit this petition to halt the razing of Our School indefinitely. Signed in Equality on this 6th Day of January.
In the study guide, the first question posed is this:
“Have you ever found yourself in a situation that seemed very unfair and you were unsure what to do about it? How did you handle it?”
This is exactly the question I have been asking lately. What can I do to have any impact given what’s going on in America today? But this book gave me hope that children are learning about the fundamentals of Democracy, and how important their voices are. The book is an opportunity to appreciate our rights as Americans, especially, the freedom of speech.
Thank you, Buffy, for hosting. I hope everyone is safe and anticipating with excitement the vaccine that just might restore our ability to be with friends and family.