General Introduction:
Music and language are two essential themes of Jordan Sonnenblick’s book Falling Over Sideways. This
activity expands on an assignment given to the main character Claire Goldsmith by her history teacher.
Students will write four line poems that may be set to music or presented as poetry or raps.
Activity Title:
Rockin’ Rappin’ Social Studies
Detailed Description:
Use your knowledge of any topic from U.S history up to the end of the Civil War, Texas history, or
geography to write a four-line poem using the following format:
First line-the first part of your description
Second line-the name of your subject repeated twice
Third line-The rest of your description
Fourth line-the name of your subject repeated twice.
Examples:
Desert north, savannah south,
Africa! Africa!
River Nile from start to mouth,
Africa! Africa!
From Tennessee to Texas he did go,
Davy Crockett! Davy Crockett!
He died at the battle of the Alamo,
Davy Crockett! Davy Crockett!
Crossed the Delaware but not for fun,
George Washington! George Washington!
Became U.S President Number One,
George Washington! George Washington!
Keep in mind that your poem must not contain any objectionable language or racial slurs. Use an online
rhyming dictionary such as Rhyme Zone or Rhymer if you are having trouble finding words to rhyme.
When you have written your poem, glue it on a piece of construction paper and give it to the librarian to
display. You can sign it, or it can be anonymous.
Extension: Create a rap beat or a melody for your poem. Use Virtual Piano(virtualpiano.org) to make a
melody, or use the Songify app (Songify by Smule for Apple or Android) to make a song from your poem.
Books to display:
Any biographies of historical figures such as presidents, U.S. military generals, and other notable people
of the time period
Any geography books with information and maps for continents (or countries currently being studied by
sixth graders)
Falling Over Sideways by Jordan Sonnenblick
Supply list:
8 1/2 by 11 inch lined or computer paper, half sheets (8 ½ by 5 ½)
Pencils, pens, markers to write the poem
9 by 12 inch construction paper, half sheets (9 by 6 inches) for mounting
Glue in bottles or sticks or rubber cement for mounting the poems on the construction paper
Trifold board, large cardboard, or bulletin board for displaying finished poem
I-pad, android tablet, or computer to play back songs if recorded.
Incentives such as star erasers, bookmarks, pencils, or pieces of candy can be used if desired.
Activity resources:
Printout of instructions as listed in the description above
Activity Resources for Teens, Teachers, and Librarians:
Websites:
virtualpiano.org Virtual Piano plays music using the computer keyboard. It is free.
rhymezone.com This free site will help students find rhyming words. It also includes a thesaurus.
rhymer.com Another free rhyming dictionary
Apps:
Songify by Smule This free app for Apple and Android makes your text into a song.
Note: It is best to download apps directly from the appropriate app store for your device rather than
from third party providers, i.e. from the Apple Store or from Google Play.