Performance Poetry

Performance Poetry

Bibliography

Greenfield, Eloise. 2006. The Friendly Four. Ill. by Jan Spivey Gilchrist. New York, NY: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-000760-7

Summary/Analysis

“The Friendly Four” is a collection of 34 poems that go together to tell the story of four friends and their summertime adventures.  The most distinctive feature of this collection by Eloise Greenfield is that these poems are written for performance.  The lines are color-coded to designate the different characters speaking and black text is used for lines to be read by all of the characters.  The language used is straightforward and easily understandable for most elementary students.  Some poems are rhyming while most tend to be free verse and narrative. Repetition, alliteration, and rhythm are used throughout the poems as well as everyday, conversational speech.  

Use

Playground

All: We’re running,

Dorene: we’re sliding,

Louis: swinging,

Rae: sweating.

All: Water drips from our faces.

Drum: Our backs are wet.

Louis: Get out the bottles of water.

All: Find some shade.

Rae: Sit.

Dorene: Drink.

Louis: Flop.

Drum: Rest.

All: Ahhhhh.

This poem does a good job demonstrating the simple language and dialogue used in most of the narrative poems. Weather permitting this would be a great poem to read outside near or on the playground.  The whole class could take turns or just have the class share in the response for the “all” part.  The speakers could act out the parts or there could be a seperate group acting out the motions of the poem.  Also because of the simple four parts the class could be split into groups of four and read with each group taking a different part. Have students work in groups to come up with their own poem that has multiple roles.  Have copies of You Read to Me and I’ll Read to You for students to reference and get ideas.