Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

(Image taken from Lexile.com)

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

Sidman, J. & Allen, R. (2010). Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Reading Level: 1020L

Why Should You Read This Book?

- Eloquent language is used to introduce readers to the use of rich language in poetry.
- The poems are captivating for all ages.
- A scientific explanation accompanies each poem, providing the reader with a greater understanding of what takes place at night.
- There are beautiful illustrations with adept color choice.
- It is a text easy to integrate into a science unit. 

Online Resources:
Poetry for Kids contains an abundance of information and resources for the students when they begin writing their own poems. It also includes a list of poetic terms and a rhyming dictionary.
http://www.poetry4kids.com/blog/lessons/poetry-writing-lessons/

National Geographic has an informational section on multiple nocturnal animals, such as owls. The website also has specif species information and photography.
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/great-horned-owl/#GreatHornedOwl1.jpg

Keywords
Poetry, Animals, Creative Writing, Nature, Newbery Award Winner

Vocabulary:
Nocturnal: active at night
Stanza: a group of four lines in poetry
Fungi: spore-making organisms that feed on decaying organism matter
Migrate: in birds, to move from one region to another in order to raise young more successfully
Photosynthesis: how plants make energy from sunlight
Camouflage: coloring or body parts that help animals blend in
Predator: an animal that hunts other animals for food

Reading Strategy:
Before Reading: There is some advanced vocabulary present in the text, such as words like "vagabond" and "omnivorous". Although these words are not essential to understanding the text, they give the poems greater depth and will allow the reader to appreciate the language more. A quick vocabulary lesson on words like these and the vocabulary words listed above would be beneficial before reading.

During Reading: Ask the students questions about the poems while you are reading it. Point out examples of figurative language. By doing this, students will have a greater understanding of the poem. 

After Reading: Have the students discuss in groups what the poems meant and what makes the poem a poem.

Writing Strategy:
Combining this text with an animal science unit would be a stellar idea. Have the students mimic the book in how it has a poem about a subject on the right and subject content on the left. Students can transfer knowledge gained in their science unit and put it to use in their poetry.