Dark Emperor
Written by Joyce Sidman & published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, ©2010
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Grade Level: 3-6 Whole/Small Group Read
Lexile Score: 1020L Accelerated Reader: 6.1
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Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night is a short book that includes poems about nocturnal animals, insects, and even the moon! Along with each poem comes a blurb that details information on the animal, insect, or object that the poem focuses on. This is the perfect book to dive into if you are interested in wildlife of the night!
Key words/phrases: science, ecosystems, nocturnal animals, poetry, & the night
Suggestions for the Classroom
This video talks about National Poem in Your Pocket Day, in which you select a poem to carry with you and share with others throughout the day. Share this video with your students prior to reading the text to build knowledge about the power of poetry (read more about the day here)!
These two PDFs are student and educator resources from NatGeoKids. They cover the topic of nocturnal animals to help students extend their knowledge of the text. Download these PDFs by scrolling to the right and clicking .
This interactive from ReadWriteThink teaches students about line breaks and can be used after reading the text to help students create their own poems.
click the image to be linked to the website
SUGGESTED COMMON CORE STATE STANDARD:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.5
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
KEY VOCABULARY
Abdomen: in spiders, the part of the body that is at the end and is usually the largest
Camouflage: coloring or body parts that help animals and plants blend in/hide
Echolocation: a method of locating objects by bouncing high-pitched sounds against them
Nocturnal: active at night
Omnivorous: eating a wide variety of foods, including both plants and animals
Predator: an animal that hunts other animals for food
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES
Before Reading: Divide students into small groups and have them create a "Graffiti Wall." For this "Graffiti Wall," students will organize the information already know about nocturnal animals and insects on chart paper with their groups. During and after the reading of the text, students will add key information they learn to their wall.
During Reading: Have students choose an animal or insect that one of the book's poems focuses on. Using the free computer application "Wordle," students will need to pick and type in words/phrases that are key to defining and describing their animal or insect. After students create their Wordles, they can meet with a small group and share their creations. You can download Wordle here or see examples of Wordles here.
After Reading: Have students create an advertisement for Dark Emperor. This can be in the format of a poster, video, PSA, or another means. The goal of this advertisement is to inform viewers about the text while also enticing them to read it. Students should be creative with this project!
WRITING ACTIVITY FOR INFERENTIAL COMPREHENSION:
After reading the text, instruct students to pick a topic they are interested in (i.e. ocean life, baseball, dinosaurs, etc.) and create at least three informational, free verse poems about their topic. Then, divide students into small groups and have students share their work with their group mates.