William Howitt’s poem, “The Migration of the Grey Squirrels” (click here), is a simple story of squirrels’ migration from one forest to another. The language Howitt uses, however, transforms the squirrels into a fleet of sailing vessels, needing to cross a body of water to reach a safe new harbor...er, forest.
Early in the poem, Howitt uses language, such as “in the depths” and “buried treasure,” to start readers thinking about the sea, even pirates (via pigs that dig up their acorns). When the squirrels reach the stream to cross, he refers to their tails as “upright sail[s].” Along the way, Howitt uses several other sea-related words:
William Howitt combines a brilliant, fresh idea (comparing migrating squirrels to a fleet of sailing vessels) with vivid language that makes the metaphor work.
As an adult, I love to write. However, I spend minimal time writing poetry. I love to read light, quirky poetry, like “The Migration of the Grey Squirrels,” but the moments of inspiration and genius for generating my own poetic masterpieces...tend to be more like the tree-dwelling acorns after the thieving pigs come by. How does a writer get from a blank page to a wonderful poem that compares squirrels to boats?
Mini-lesson:
Here are a few ideas and resources to get the ideas flowing.
- Play a round or three of Apples to Apples. This is a card game, designed to make people compare ideas in non-traditional ways. Many teachers may already own the game. A junior version of the game is available and might be a better option for younger students. An online version of the game is also available, but note that this is not the junior version. Teachers should preview these resources before using them with students.
- Playing the game will be a fun, high-interest activity. Immediately follow the activity by asking students to recall one of the unusual comparisons that came up while playing the game.
- The teacher will guide students through a discussion of how these two ideas are alike. This is the critical part of this mini-lesson! The teacher should model some form of graphic organization, such as a Venn diagram, a web or a chart, during this part of the lesson. Students should take appropriate notes.
- Read “The Migration of the Grey Squirrels” with the students.
- Discuss the comparison of the squirrels to sailing vessels. Use the same graphic organization as before to take notes during the discussion. (Sequence Note: In some cases, the mini-lesson might work better by starting with Howitt’s poem and then playing the game. In that case, introduce the graphic organization here.)
- These words from Howitt’s poem may be important to discuss: fleet (noun), launch (verb), league, mast, steer (verb). All of these words are linked to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, which might be a useful resource as students write their poems.
- Students may also want to use a thesaurus to identify words that match big ideas of their poetry. Here are a few ideas from “The Migration of the Grey Squirrels,” along with links to an online thesaurus: sea, sail, pirate.
- Armed with a game to generate ideas, graphic organizers to bring order to non-traditional comparisons, and online dictionary and thesaurus resources, students are ready to start writing poems from their own inventive ideas!
Connection to Ohio ELA Standards:
Writing Processes – Benchmark A (End of 5-7 Program)
Generate writing topics and establish a purpose appropriate for the audience.
Writing Processes – Benchmark C (End of 5-7 Program)
Clarify ideas for writing assignments by using graphics or other organizers.
Writing Processes – Benchmark E (End of 5-7 Program)
Select more effective vocabulary when editing by using a variety of resources and reference materials.
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