Pistes d'exploration

Scan the poems for soccer-specific vocabulary. Make an illustrated glossary of terms to accompany the book.

Choose a poem that reminds you of an experience you have had playing soccer. On sticky notes, annotate the poem to show your text-to-self connections.

Work with a partner. Notice the use of font and punctuation in some of the poems. What clues do they give you about how to read the text? Read the poems together with appropriate expression.

Scan the poems for soccer-specific vocabulary. Make an illustrated glossary of terms to accompany the book.

Describe pictures from the book using vocabulary from the glossary.

Write descriptive sentences to explain the general meaning of five soccer poems.

Soccer Crazy

Mots-clés

Humour , Poetry , diagrams , poetry (collections) , rhymes , soccer , sports

Commentaire descriptif

Fun and informative, this collection of soccer-themed verse is perfect for all ages. The poems include every aspect of soccer from balls, bruises and bad weather to coaches, referees, rules and origins of the game, to soccer around the world. There is even a Shakespeare connection. Short and funny, these bouncy, rhythmic verses capture the energy and excitement of the game while providing tips on how to play. In “Red Card to Humpty D,” readers are informed he wasn’t just “‘relaxing’ on the wall.Humpty had been benched becausehe tried to crack the ball.” Some of the shortest poems, like “The Concussion Discussion” with only two words in it, “Have it!” are serious and humorous at the same time. Silly pen-ink-and-Photoshop cartoons will appeal to fans of soccer or anyone who has ever played or contemplated the game. The book kicks off with the comically labelled body parts of a soccer player, e.g. “soccer elbows: very bendy;” “soccer hands: no fingerprints on the ball.” Playful font complements the surprising twists and turns in the poems. The final page offers a sampling of poems written by kids and invites readers to visit the author’s website for tips on how to pen one of their own.