Teacher’s Guide for

Aneesa Lee and the Weaver’s Gift

by Nikki Grimes

Illustrated by Ashley Bryan

Pre-reading:

If possible, show students an example of a tapestry before reading Aneesa Lee.  Discuss the colors the artist chose (and why), the design and texture.  Next, show students the cover of the book and the illustration that follows the “weaving words” page. Brainstorm all the words that students may already be familiar with about weaving like yarn, spinning wheel, thread, and loom. Introduce the other terms if you’re working with students in higher grades.

Comprehension Questions

Knowledge:

1. Match the vocabulary word to the illustration of it.
2. Copy the sentence where the vocabulary word appears.
3. Which words did you learn because of the context they were written in? Which ones did you need to look at the vocabulary list for? Why?

Comprehension:

1. Describe Aneesa Lee in your own words.
2. Explain what weaving means to Aneesa Lee. Find an example that makes you think so.
3. Describe Aneesa Lee’s family.

Application:

1. Decide which illustration is your favorite. Tell why!
2. Choose which poem is your favorite. Why? Is it the rhythm? Does it rhyme? Do you like what it says about Aneesa Lee or her family?
3. Which line do you want to repeat over and again? Can you figure out why?

Analyze:

1. Examine the rhyme scheme in “Family Gathering” Can you figure it out by giving each line a letter? Hint A, A, B, ___, ____
2. What does the author mean when she says, “The loom connects us all/ In a community/ Of cloth”?
3. Decide if the poem “Love is Purple” uses simile or metaphor.

Synthesize:

1. Ms. Grimes wrote thirteen poems in this collection which all center around the art of weaving. Is there any hobby that you have that you could write a series of poems about? Generate a list of possibilities (at least four).
2. Predict what Aneesa Lee will be like when she grows up. Will she weave as a career or hobby? What makes you think so?
3. The poem “Fruit for the Loom” uses an extended metaphor because the whole poem sticks to the comparison between the yarn and what? Can you think of anything else that the poet might have used? Why do you think she picked this comparison?

Evaluate:

1. Which illustration do you think best represents the poem? Why?
2. Which poem do you think will stay with you the longest? Why?
3. What can you learn from Aneesa Lee?

Multiple Intelligence Projects for

Aneesa Lee and the Weaver’s Gift

by Nikki Grimes

Illustrated by Ahsley Bryan

Verbal/ Linguistic

In Aneesa Lee and the Weaver’s Gift a glossary is necessary to help the reader understand the piece. Create a glossary of at least six words for a skill or hobby of your own. (For example: a ballerina would surely need to know: arabesque, tutu, plies, etc.)

And/Or

Fill out the worksheet on imagery below to learn more about this poet’s tools.

Logical/ Mathematical

Because weavings should be, “ Computed inch by inch, / Not left to chance” an artist plans out the piece before sitting down to a loom. In that spirit, plan the design of your own tapestry using graph paper and colored pencils.

Visual/ Spatial

Create an illustrated picture to go along with your glossary. Try to use all the words in your list if possible! Be sure to label them in a neat way to avoid confusion.

Body/Kinesthetic

Create a simple loom using Styrofoam trays (usually free at the grocer in the meat or produce department). Using a ruler, make even hash marks every inch or so along two sides of the tray. Then, using scissors cut about 1” into the tray to hold the yarn. Secure the warp thread, and show student how to weave in and out. Then, continue the weave from row to row, or cut after each row leaving at least three inches to tie off later. Experiment! Play!

Musical/ Rhythmic

While students are working on their weavings, play a variety of musical pieces. Pick music with a variety of rhythms and moods (samba, classical, country, etc.).  Then, discuss (or have students write a journal) about how the various music affected their art.

Interpersonal:

In the poem “Love Is Purple”, “ Her yarns express her deepest thoughts/ in variegated tints.”  Rewrite the poem, changing the colors to the ones that you would pick if you were weaving. What about other emotions? Which colors would you choose for anger? Fear? Hope?

Intrapersonal:

Memorize one of the poems from Aneesa Lee and the Weaver’s Gift. (And DON”T just choose the shortest one!).  Instead of reciting in front of the whole class, students will share their poems in pairs. Afterwards, write a journal about the process of memorizing the poem (the who, what, when, where, how and why) focusing on what made it difficult or easy. Also, students should respond to how knowing the poem by heart helped them understand the meaning of it more.

Teacher’s Guide provided by www.TracieVaughnZimmer.com

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Imagery

Aneesa Lee and the Weaver’s Gift

by Nikki Grimes

Illustrated by Ashley Bryan

Imagery is when a poet uses their senses to describe something. Find examples and sort them into the sense where they belong.

            SEE                           HEAR                         SMELL                      

TASTE                   TOUCH                 

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