Common Core Through Recreational Physical Activities and Poetry
Volleyball (Score!)
Black and white ball sails
over the net. I block it.
Bright lights. No fear. Score!
By Bo Ping
This poem is a haiku, a Japanese poetry form. A Haiku has 17 syllables. There are five syllables in the first line, seven in the second line, and five in the third. Traditional haiku are about nature, but modern ones can be about anything.
The inspiration of this haiku was a high school student who has Usher syndrome. She played volleyball, and her coaches provided a black and white ball, which for her was easier to see because the white ball got lost in the lights. Her state’s High School Athletic Association approved the use of the black and white ball.
Kayak
I steer my kayak through the stream,
A course that through these mountains flows.
This river’s scent of mossy dreams,
Rises through damp woodland scenes,
Taunts with hyacinth, my able nose.
I steer my kayak through the stream.
This kayak’s stitched, both skin and seam
While snowflakes fall and harsh wind blows,
No river’s scent of mossy dreams,
Lifts among the oaken beams
In this cabin where family goes.
I steer my kayak through the stream,
Where quiet edges swell and teem
With little froglets and minnows,
Know river’s scent of mossy dreams.
I’ll always follow outdoor dreams.
Though hearing and my vision go,
I’ll steer my kayak through the stream,
The course that through these mountains flows.
By Elaine Kitchel
This poem is a villanelle. A villanelle consists of five tercets, or stanzas of three lines each. The final stanza is a quatrain, or four lines. In each stanza, alternate lines from the original tercet must repeat. These are refrains.
The inspiration for this villanelle was a teenager with Usher syndrome. Her aunt had a kayak, and she would let the teen use it when her family stayed at a summer cabin in the mountains.
Wind Chimes (or Ancient Sounds)
I hear them ring,
The ancient chimes.
They help us enjoy
Our happy times.
First hug of friendship,
Last day of school,
Christmas, Mayday,
A chiming tool.
I work by touch
With pipes and clay,
And teach young hands
To make chimes today.
Oh, hang the chimes
And spin them ‘round,
And cheer us all
With ancient sound.
By Bo Ping
This poem is a verse written in iambic dimeter, meaning it has two “iambs” per line. An iamb is a unit of measure that consists of accented and unaccented syllables. There is no accent on the first syllable or word, followed by an accented word or syllable. An example is, “The frost´ed pump´kin lay´ up on´ the ground.´”
“The” has no accent on it, but “frost” does. Together, those two words form an iamb (also called a “foot”). In this line, there are five iambs/feet, so we say that the line is written in “iambic pentameter.” The poem above has two iambs/feet per line, so we call it “iambic dimeter.”
The inspiration for this poem was a woman who was born deaf and lost her sight at age 33. Her life-long passion for the arts inspired her to learn how to make wind chimes.
