|The Crossover|
- Cassidy Harris
- Mar 2, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 3, 2021
Poetry is a construct that I always struggled to understand. I felt as if the last lines of my haiku were never strong enough or my rhymes were too basic and repetitive. I know I am not alone in this and am even more sure that my students will have had similar perceptions of poetry. College has been a wonderful place to explore literature as a whole, especially poetry. I have found beauty in the freedom that poetry provides. While structure is fascinating and I have grown to enjoy following such them due to an increase in self confidence and creativity, I feel poetry allows me to write to the beat of my own drum.
A mentor text that I admire and plan to implement in my future classroom is The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. I have had the opportunity to read a few pieces of literature from Alexander, and I believe his works are some of the best to use for mentor texts with poetry. When I first read this novel, I could not put it down. It led me through a rollercoaster of emotions that I knew my future middle school students could relate to. While reading, my body felt the rhythm so much that my head sometimes nodded and my feet tapped my dog at the end of the bed. It reminded me of rap music, which is something I am sure middle schoolers would love! Poetry can often be unfamiliar, making it difficult or uncomfortable for students to interact with. However, the way Alexander structures his poetry gives off a completely different vibe that is both comforting and inviting.
Please click the above image to be directed to Kwame Alexander's website: The Crossover.
Introducing Students to The Crossover
In an ideal world, I would give each student in my classroom a copy of The Crossover. However, I feel it is always a great idea to sample a book before diving all in. So, to introduce The Crossover, I would plan a day to give students a glimpse into the book.
As students come into the classroom, they will pick up a handout with an invitation for them to remix a narrative entry in their writer’s notebook. The handout would look as follows. While students are looking over their notebook, to set the tone of The Crossover, incorporate some music! I would start playing “Filthy McNasty,” by Horace Silver, connecting to the verse, “How I Got My Nickname,” (pp. 6-7).
Once students have read the handout and are prepared to move on, the teacher should talk a little bit about Kwame Alexander and his book, The Crossover. Links are provided to your convenience in introductions!
Please click the above image to be directed to Kwame Alexander's website.
After some introductions, I think it would be a good idea to get students writing as a warm up for reading The Crossover! Students should get excited about writing, and, in turn, get excited about reading Kwame Alexander's work!
Steps to Get Students Writing
Step 1: Choose two entries for students to interact with as a glimpse before reading the entire novel. For the purpose of my models, I would suggest choosing Sundays After Church (pp. 50) and i-ron-ic (pp. 104).
Step 2: Model an entry where you remixed a narrative to fit the format of Kwame Alexander's writing. For my model, I took a narrative entry from my writer’s notebook titled, “Memory,” and remixed it to fit the format of i-ron-ic (pp.104).
Step 3: Alternative writing options, in my opinion, is a great idea for the writer who does not feel comfortable using a previous entry. Therefore, I have included using Sundays After Church (pp.50) as a way for students to almost fill in the blanks. If students have not gone to church, suggest remixing their entry to be “Fridays After School” or “Mondays After Dinner.”
Step 4: Gets students writing! After modeling, have students get to writing their own remixes. I would suggest putting on some music to keep the mood flowing and enhance the pre-reading and writing experiences. Spotify playlists are wonderful for matching moods of music to writing. Some examples are provided!
And… this song is a MUST have when reading a story involving basketball:
Step 5: Following the bottom half of the student handout, have students begin writing their remixes. Students may write until the end of class
Optional: If students finish early, there are a few options. One would be to have students write more than two remix entries. A second option, which is what I would do, is have students fill out an anticipation form as an exit ticket. This could be a way for the teacher to collect data on how students are initially feeling about The Crossover.
Making Connections
Consider using the poem Dear Basketball by Kobe Bryant to connect to the greats of basketball mentioned in The Crossover as a paired mentor text!
The Crossover is a text that can impact students in so many ways. This novel is a breath of fresh air for students when it comes to poetry. Rather than eyes rolling following the announcement of a poetry unit, students will be so excited to dive into Kwame Alexander’s verse poems. Whether it be diving into identity, relationships, or family, so many areas can be covered in a way that asks students to dig deep into their thoughts and feelings. With this introduction, students will be eager to dive into the entirety of The Crossover.
Note: I have not provided images of pages from The Crossover due to copyright laws. I have provided links to purchase this novel on various websites.
References:
Alexander, K. (2014). The crossover. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
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