Unit 6
Author Study : Grace Nichols by Kit Wallace, grade 6
Grace Nichols is a poet from Guyana. She writes poems for adults and for children. Her poems are often both funny and serious. She wants us to laugh but also to think about the world. Although she now lives in Britain, some poems, such as “The Fairmaid”, include characters from Caribbean folk tales. Others refer to Caribbean history or to everyday life when she was growing up in Guyana. She sometimes uses rhyme but she often writes in free verse. When she uses Creole in her poems it makes you want to read them aloud. Miss Nichols’ poems are often just playful. A good example is “Cat-Rap” which is all about “The meanest cat rapper you’ll ever see”. In an interview, Miss Nichols gave this advice to young people writing poetry: “Write about things that really matter to you, that excite you.” I think this is what she does in her poems. You can hear Grace Nichols perform Cat Rap and other poems online. If you want to read more of her work, try my favourite book of poems, Everybody Got a Gift.
1 Kit included all of the following in his author study. Find an example of each. 1 Give biographical information 2 Make connections between the author’s life and her work 3 Refer to more than one poem 4 Quote from a poem 5 Give a link to a website
Sources of information may include: • the library • your teacher or other adults • books in your classroom • the internet
6 Talk about the themes of the author’s work 7 Say what you like about the author’s work 8 Say which book you prefer Imagine you are an interviewer. Make up three questions to ask the author, Grace Nichols.
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• Ask students what they think of Grace Nichols’ advice to young poets. CR Ask if they agree with Kit’s view that when a poet uses Creole “it makes you want to read them aloud”. Why do they think that is? • Extension: students work in pairs to choose an author whose work they have read and prepare a short author study, using a variety of sources. ICT They will find interviews with Grace Nichols, John Agard, John Lyons and other Caribbean poets here: https://clpe.org.uk/.
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