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The Crossover 3/1/2021

  • Writer: Sarah Scrattish
    Sarah Scrattish
  • Mar 1, 2021
  • 5 min read


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This story is truly a stand alone -- as it is written in different ways as free verse poetry.


I was in tears by the end of this book because Alexander has truly created a masterpiece with this novel. From the very beginning the reader is captivated by the visual movement of his words on the page, jumping out at you, swooping down the page and seeming to actually "dribble" through the sections of the story.


With a free verse novel I don't know why I didn't think it could possess the power and strength to move me in such a powerful manner that it did. But I can say one of the affordances of a free verse novel is that the reader is sucked into every single word in the story. Each word in a poem is chosen with such care and attention to detail that no word is used for "fluff" or unnecessary detail. Pauses are created through space on the page and in the structured rhythm of the poem. Kwame Alexander absolutely captivated me throughout this story. I could still see every character in my mind, watching them interact as if this were a typical novel. I really felt the emotion that was poured out onto the pages of this novel with the shortest poems or poems with the two word lines often being the most powerful.


Another affordance of this free verse novel is that students who struggle to read lengthy novels can feel just as empowered as their peers when reading this 240 page book. The free verse aspect of the story forces students into deep thinking without really struggling to read chunky paragraphs -- yet the work is just as powerful as typical novels.


 

Another free verse novel I wanted to reference on my blog is Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga. This is yet another powerful novel written in free verse poetry. (I think I have found my new favorite genre of book as I am currently building my collection!)


 

Mentor Poems within The Crossover



One of the benefits I received from this book includes a couple of mentor poems that I can use with my students. Alexander uses many different styles of poems throughout the novel, making it easy for me to pick at least 2 different poetry styles to teach to my students. A couple of poems that I picked out in order to teach with variety in poetry styles are “Ode to My Hair” (pg. 33) and “Text Messages from Mom Part I” (pg. 179-180).



“Ode to My Hair” was one I wanted to explore writing myself. What immediately came to mind when writing a topic for an “ode” poem was something that I love dearly and am just about almost never without; my socks. It was seemingly silly and quirky for me to write about my socks but I figured that this would show students that an ode poem can be addressed to anything that you are passionate about or have a strong attachment to.



I also wrote my own “Ode to My Hair” poem as a means for having my own mentor for my students. They can analyze Alexander’s style and flow and follow the pattern that takes place within this poem, practicing by replacing a few words here and there to describe their feelings with their own hair. Students can also rewrite the entire poem to fit what they want to say about their hair, as long as they are writing to their hair and addressing their love and appreciation for it in some form. An important topic to discuss with students about writing an “ode” poem is that this is a poem that is fixated on one person, place, or object and their love for this person or item.



When writing my “text message” style poem I took an idea for the poem from a narrative I had written earlier -- my narrative piece that I explored working with and featured in my previous blog post. The basis and idea of the poem is centered around my longing and desire to live in the mountains, at least for the majority of my life. I took the same setting and moment in time that I used for the basis of the narrative piece and wrote some “text messages” I feel like I would have written to my fiance Noah about these feelings. I put myself into the seat in the car that I was riding in at that moment and pictured myself verbalizing my feelings to my sweet significant other.


It went a little something like this…



...This style of poetry was one that I had not explored before but I am glad that I had the opportunity to dive into. This style might be an easier form to write with older students as most of them are probably more familiar with sending/receiving or at least reading text messages. A fun twist that could take place with younger students might be having them act like they are sending emojis or pictures to their friend or family member to describe a moment or feeling in time.


 

"Writing, Redefined"



Texting or writing with images or emojis brings me to a point that is made in the article “Writing, Redefined” by Shawna Coppola. The forms in which we communicate have already changed and are continuing to evolve every day. Encouraging students as writers means that we as educators become more accepting of students using these styles of communication when practicing their writing skills and cultivating their voice as a writer.



When we incorporate these writing styles and types of imagery into our writing curriculum, then we are creating a more inclusive space for our students to grow and gain confidence in their writing abilities. Please visit the article that I have linked into the title of the article and decide for yourself how you want to begin expanding and inviting your students into more exploratory writing styles.


 


Kwame Alexander





Kwame Alexander is an award winning and New York Times Best Selling author. He is also a poet and an educator who has his own curriculum set entitled From Page to Stage. (check out more about it below in the video.)

Read more about Kwame here! Including a kid friendly biography.




 

Additional Resources for The Crossover



Some additional resources that you can check out in connection to some of the famous NBA basketball players that are referenced in Alexander’s novel include:








**These resources may be beneficial for your students to better understand and connect with the story if they have not heard about these individuals already. If students do already know about each of these players, invite them to dive deeper into their knowledge of the players and the history of the NBA. This could easily turn into a fun history research project in connection with poetry writing! Invite students to write a report on one of these figures in a poetic format, just for fun ;)


 
 
 

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