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Answer the following two questions after engaging in a discussion with your classmates.

1. According to this video, what makes a poem a poem and why?

One thing that makes a poem is ____ because...

Without it, it is not a poem or it is different because...

1. How is this format of writing - a novel in verse - different from the other types of texts we have read this year?

The format of the writing is different from our other novels because...

An example of how the writing is different is...

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Do you agree or disagree with Bowels's statements about the importance of diversity in children's literature? Why or why not? Choose either agree or disagree - do not write both.

I agree/disagree with Bowles's statement about the importance of diversity in children's literature because...

One thing he stated in the video that I agree/disagree with is ____ because...

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Reflecting Our World with David Bowles | Shake Up Your Shelves

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Reflecting Our World with David Bowles | Shake Up Your Shelves

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Let's watch this video to get to know a little bit about our author, David Bowels. The video is called "Reflecting Our World with David Bowles | Shake Up Your Shelves." As you listen to the video, take notes of some of the points Bowels makes about the importance of having a diverse library and the effect it can have on children. After watching the video, you will reflect on Bowles's statements and determine if you agree with him or not and why.

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Reflecting Our World with David Bowles | Shake Up Your Shelves

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Our next novel, They Call Me Guero, is written in verse. Which is a fancy way of saying that it is written as poetry. Even though the novel is written in verse it still tells a narrative or story. So each of the poems can be read separately or together, and when read together, they tell the story of Guero.

As we watch this video, make note of some of the examples of what poetry is or is not.

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1. List two-three things you learned from the trailer.

2. What is one of the major issues that will be discussed in the book, They Call Me Guero?

One major issue that will be discussed in the book is...

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We are going to start by watching a book trailer for our next novel called They Call Me Guero. The author will talk about his book and what makes it different from other books you may have read.

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David Bowles Talks about his YA Book of Poetry, "They Call Me Guero"

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Let's look at a few pages from the graphic novel version of our book, The Crossover. While we will be reading the version with the poems written in words, it will follow the same poetic way of writing. We will read these two parts together, and then discuss the difference between this type of writing and the other novels we have read this year.

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Spoken Word poetry is a form of poetry that is also performance. Authors choose to write and perform their works as Spoken Word poetry for many reasons. Spoken Word poetry allows the author control over how the poem is read, the rhythm, and emphasis of words or sections. It is another way for them to express and share their art.

There are several Spoken Word poetry competitions for young adults where the prize is often a scholarship. Young adults from all backgrounds compete in state and national competitions sharing their art and getting their voices heard. Spoken Word poetry can be done as an individual or a group.  Spoken Word poetry is highly emotional form of writing and performance.

While we watch/listen to this performance, think about what the poem is about and why the author wrote/performed it.

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2017 - 21st Annual Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam - "Chingona" by Leticia

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They tell me I'm not really Mexican.
As if my latina could be determined by
How many times I can move my hips.
Like no I can't dance but the cumbia
Still moves through my veins l
Like me my mom moved through the house
With a bidi bidi echoing down the hall
And the smell of chilaquiles on Sunday morning.
They tell me I'm not really Mexican
As if my grito wasn't authentic enough,
Having to prove that I can keep a conversation in Spanish
My identity is stripped with grammatical errors.

And I guess I'm not really Mexican because
I refused to wear hoop earrings
Because I didn't want to look chola
But what I meant was - Mexican.
Felt like if I could blend in that that was okay
As if earrings could point me out
While trying to hide an accent cause
I don't want to be made fun of for saying Chipotle'
But yes can I have the sofritas and veggies please.

In interviews, when I'm asked if I'm anything but Mexican
given the "sorry you just don't seem
Hard-working, Independent, Chingona"
Told that I wasn't really Mexican
Because my playlists consist of too many rap songs
That I shop like I'm not broke
Because my privileged 🤬 knows no struggle.
But just because I'm not a GMAC student
Doesn't mean I'm not a dreamer.

We internalize racism, while idiots in government
Want to build a wall that's already built.
We protest racism while practicing it here
Like we're training for points.
Training to sign up
but we're failing to understand each other.
Too American for the Mexicans and
Too Mexican for the whites
I'm bicultural
not assimilated
But Sometimes I wished I was
When I wished my skin wasn't brown and
That I didn't have to fight to legitimize my identity.
Or fight to feel safe.
I'm tangled
Trying to understand the skin that makes me indigenous.
But I'm finding empowerment in Chicana and Chicano

Whoknows what it means to be really Mexican anyways
Too spicy, not so exotic,
strict parents, broken English, but not broken pride.
Soy Mexicana. Gracias.

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Reflect on the poems words and the author's performance. What do you think the poem is about and why? Why do you think the author wrote/performed this poem?

I think this poem is about ____ because...

I think the author wrote this poem because...

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Read the poem "Border Kid" by David Bowles. It is the very first poem in our novel. While you read the poem, reflect on what you think it means and why the author wrote it; including why the author started with this poem.

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Reflect on the poems words and the author's performance. What do you think the poem is about and why? Why do you think the author wrote/performed this poem?

I think this poem is about ____ because...

I think the author wrote this poem because...

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Now that we have discussed both "Chingona" and "Border Kid" separately, let's compare them.

What are some of the connections between these two poems?

How might either poem help the reader?

What personal connection if any can you make to one of the poems?

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1. Do you see any similarities between the poems? What are they?

2. How might one or both of these poems help the reader?

3. Are there any personal connections you can make to either poem? (Optional)

A similarity I see between the two poems is...

These poems might help the reader by/because...

(Optional) A connection I can make to the poem is...