Science Verse

Science Verse

Written by Jon Scieszka

Illustrated by Lane Smith

Genre: Poetry

Award: 

ALA Notable Children’s Book Award 2005

Suggested Grade Levels:

Grades 2nd – 5th; These grade levels would be suitable for this text because it engages students in a light, fun manner to the concepts of science, while aiding younger students in their development of reading. The illustrations are humorous and may not be understood by younger audiences, who also may not find the facts in the midst of the poems.

Summary:

This neat collection of poems begins in a story form by telling of a young boy, the only true character, who is sitting in science class. As his mind begins to wander about the “poetry of science” that is mentioned by his teacher, all the concepts and ideas of science turn into various poems. The focus of the poems range from the human body to dinosaurs to astronomy and beyond. With the support of humorous illustrations, the whimsical, silly poems are engaging and factual. The conclusion of the story drifts back to the boy in class who is now asleep in “science verse,” but awoken suddenly by his teacher. He’s cured from “science verse,” but now he must anticipate art class.

How Science Verse can be used in the classroom?

Some of the poems in this book would be excellent for choral reading because it would teach children to read with rhythm of the poem and fluency. Pointing out the various features and introducing them, such as lines and stanzas, would help students understand poetry and how to read it with beginning poetry students. This book could also be used to engage students in a cool new science lesson or concept. Reading poems about the subject will interest students and get them thinking and asking questions as to what it means in a teacher-supported class discussion. Using the poems in Science Verse as a model, students can creatively compose their own “science verse” about a scientific subject, concept, or fact that was taught or reviewed in recent lessons. Each students’ poem will be compiled into a class book for sharing and reading in the classroom.

ESOL strategies/applications/accommodations:

Implementing paired reading or buddy reading activities with native speakers and ESOL students would be an effective approach to helping ESOL students learn fluency. The more experienced native speaker may be able to model appropriate pausing and intonation during reading if they are in upper grade levels, with previous experience to poetry. Using the audio tapes or CDs associated with this book can help ESOL students be exposed to the poems and story in repeated instances. This additional exposure can be beneficial to the student because the poems are being read to them by a different speaker, aiding them in an understanding of fluency, rhyme, and meter. Directing ESOL students to use the illustrations as additional support for general concepts could be an effective strategy for comprehension in this text. Though, teachers should be aware of the students’ understanding because some illustrations are very silly and might be misunderstood if not attended to properly.

Suggested read-aloud pages:

I would suggest reading the entire book aloud since it covers a wide variety of scientific subjects, with a connected beginning and ending with the young boy. Reading aloud the poems, or repeating the readings of some afterwards, will allow for discussion, enjoyment, and engaged time in a lesson plan on either science or language arts.

My opinion of Science Verse and its illustrations: 

Science Verse truly brings to life the excitement of science while binding together the joy and fun of poetry. I was engaged and interested throughout the book, curious as to what the next topic would be for the next short poem. The funny illustrations support the text and make the book more appealing, as well as factual.