Voorhees Middle School
One School, One Book: Summer Reading 2017
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
This summer our whole school will be reading The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. It is a wonderfully unique novel told through a collection of poems. Teenager Josh Bell and his twin brotherare star basketball players following in the footsteps of their father. The boys grow up on and off the court as they learn lessons about sports, sibling rivalry, romance, and the meaning of family.
Summer Reading Assignment
Read the novel, The Crossover by Kwame Alexanderand complete the following:
Assignment: This is a two-part assignment.
- Identify 3 different Poetic Elements in the novel. See the list of poetic elements included in this packet as a guide. Fill out the sheet included on the back of this paper.You must name the poetic element, give the page number and copy the line(s) that show the use of the poetic element.
- Write your own poem! Be creative! The fun thing about poems is that you are free to do what you want. Your poem can be any form or style. Your poem can reflect some of the same themes that are in The Crossover, or it can be about something completely different. You are encouraged to use the list of poetic elements and the poems in The Crossover for inspiration. The guidelines for the length of the poem are as follows:
6th Grade-minimum 12 lines
7th Grade- 16 lines
8th Grade-20 lines
All student poems will be automatically entered in a school wide contest. Winners of the contest will receive a reward and recognition.
Due Date: Wednesday, September 13th, 2017
Hand in both assignments to your Language Arts teacher.
The Camden County Library has many copies availablefor you to borrow. Those who wish to purchase the title may utilize online discount retailers such as The Reading Warehouse, Amazon, or purchase in person at Barnes & Noble.
Name______Teacher______
Summer Reading Assignment, part 1
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, Examples of Poetic Elements:
- Poetic Element: ______Page(s)______
Lines (copy the line(s)______
- Poetic Element: ______Page(s)______
Lines (copy the line(s)______
- Poetic Element:______Page(s) ______
Lines (copy the line(s)______
Poems have a different look than traditional writing. Poems also often contain sound elements, vivid descriptions and figurative language. Look for examples of thesePoetic Elements in the book, The Crossover,and record. Elements marked with a star were included for more advanced interpretation.
List of Poetic Elements:
Alliteration: repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words ‘The lovely lady laughed loudly’’ = alliteration of the ‘L’ sound.
Rhyme: repeated sounds at the ends of words. ‘fat cat sat’
End rhyme: rhymes appearing at the ends of lines.
Internal rhyme: Rhyming words within the same line, not just at the end of a line.
*Rhyme Scheme: the pattern of rhyme. (To show this when studying poetry, the end of every line is labeled with a letter to represent the pattern. Lines that rhyme are labeled with the same letter)
*Consonance: repetition of consonant sounds at thebeginning,end or middle of words. Ex.: Carla and Mark were running over the flowers in the rain as it poured and poured. = consonance of ‘r’ sound. (differs from alliteration because the sound can also be at the middle and ends of words, not just the beginning)
*Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds‘While at the beach, I can see the sheen of the deep green sea.’ = assonance of the long e sound. (this is not the same as rhyme)
Onomatopoeia: words that imitate sounds, ex. ‘hiss’ ‘crash’ ‘boom’ ‘swish’
Repetition: words or lines repeated for emphasis or effect.
White Space/Line Breaks/Stanzas: Poems have shorter lines than paragraphs with full sentences. These lines are called stanzas. They are surrounded by white space. The place where a poet chooses to end one line and begin another is called a line break. Thus, the ends of lines are called "line breaks." White space is the area around the poem.
Simile: use of like or as to compare two different ideas or things. ‘The sea sparkled like a diamond.’
Metaphor: comparison without the use of like or as (usually using was or is) It describes one object or person as if it were another. ‘My father is a bear.’ ‘The party was a zoo.’ ‘My mom is my rock.’ ‘She was the sunshine of my life’
*Extended Metaphor: The metaphor is extended throughout an entire poem/song or story. Ex. An entire poem describes love as a battlefield, or an entire poem describes the sea as if it were a hungry dog.
*Implied Metaphor: the comparison is not stated directly. For example: ‘The teacher barked orders.’ It is implied or suggested that the teacher is like a barking dog.
Personification: language in which human qualities are given to something not human. ‘The tree reached its arms to the sky.’
Hyperbole: extreme exaggeration for emphasis or effect
Idiom: a common saying with understood meaning within a culture or language. (not to be taken literally) ‘It’s raining cats and dogs.’ ‘The win is in the bag.’
Theme: The lesson to be learned or prevailing message (this may not be directly stated, but after reading the whole poem readers should be able to identify the theme)
Allusion: a reference to something or someone well known outside the story or poem to give the reader a clearer understanding. Familiarity with the reference is assumed. Ex: ‘I’m the next Kevin Durant’ or ‘like a red Corvette’
Tone: the attitude toward the subject matter projected by the author. (this is usually not directly stated, but after reading the poem the reader should be able to identify the author’s tone)
Mood: Overall feeling a literary work conveys to the reader. (not directly stated, but after reading the poem the reader should be able to identify a mood. For ex. ‘joyful’, ‘encouraging’, ‘pessimistic’ ‘hopeless’ ‘angry’
Imagery: Vivid descriptions appealing to the senses, also called Sensory Language.