Summersaults

Florian, D. (2002). Summersaults. Illustrated by Douglas Florian. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Brief Annotation: The author has created poetry for all things that happen in the summer. The topics of the summer weather, summer activities and places to go, and even insects we encounter in the summer.

Genre: Poetry

Grade Level: Grade 2- Grade 6

Readers who will like this: I think all children would like this book since most kids love the summer! It showcases experiences one would have during the summer, in a poetic matter. Each poem has a matched illustration which allows for a visual component to each piece.

Response/Rating (1-4): Summersaults is part of a seasons poetry collection by Douglas Florian. I would rate this book a 4. The poems are thought provoking, short, and allow the reader to connect to the summer as most of us generally do. The illustrations aid to draw out the vision the author had when creating the poem. The collection could be read by older children, or you could do a read aloud to any age group during a unit on poetry. It could also be incorporated during a unit on the weather, for the seasons, as a way to draw out a student’s experiences.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: When you think of summer, what words come to mind?

Reading Strategies Connection: Collaborative Books (Tompkins pg. 25). Students will work either together as a whole class or in small groups to write the collaborative book. The first thing to do is choose the topic of your book. Our collaborative book would be a poem about the summer. The teacher will model a one page write-up as a means to introduce the project to the class, explaining each student will create a one page poem about the summer, and encourage them to illustrate their poem as well. The students will make a rough draft of their page in a small writing group. Their peers will review the rough drafts and offer corrections or suggestions to the author of the page. Each student will make a final copy making any needed changes. The class pages will then be ready to be compiled to create the book. Students can add a title page and a cover for the book. Now the book is complete, and the teacher can make copies of the book for each student to have a copy. Teacher’s should laminate the class copy to make it sturdier, and it can also be put in the school library for other students to read.

Collaborative books can be made more readily than a book done individually, and it is a good way for teachers to introduce the stages of the writing process. This strategy also is helpful for teachers to assist students since they only need guidance on one page as compared to an entire book. Collaborative books can be about a book that has already been read, a non-fiction topic, or even something as simple as an alphabet book.