Dava Sobel‘s The Glass Universe continues to inspire me. Although I couldn’t find any direct relationship between stellar spectra and the Fibonacci sequence, a mathematical form seemed appropriate for this topic.
Stars
hide
secrets
in white light.
Spectral lines reveal
elemental composition
and temperature to sleuths who probe their mystery.
© Catherine Flynn, 2017
Writing poems in a specific form can be a fun yet challenging way to summarize learning in any subject area. The concision of poetry forces kids to hone in on the essential aspects of a topic, book or article. It also provides an authentic purpose for using subject-specific vocabulary. As I wrote this poem, I found my biggest challenge wasn’t the basic science behind the stellar spectra, but getting the right words to match the syllable count of a Fibonacci poem.
Thank you, Laura, for once again being so generous with your time and talents. Thank you also to Stacey, Betsy, Beth, Kathleen, Deb, Melanie, Lisa and Lanny for creating this community and providing this space for teachers and others to share their stories each Tuesday. Be sure to visit Two Writing Teachers to read more Slice of Life posts.
Reading to the Core 
Thank you for so much in this post, especially your poem and the introduction to Fibonacci poems. I’m looking forward to giving them a try! Fitting a content-specific topic into a form looks like a real challenge.
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Thank you for inspiring me to try this format!
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Thanks for reminding me of this form. Last week we got to the letter E for Ekphrastic, so when we return we will be on F. Fib poems, of course. This science is fascinating but way above my head. Thanks for the inspiration.
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Thank you for the inspiration of a Fibonacci poem.
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You are the second Fibonacci poem writer I’ve read today. So excited to learn about a new form. Love that “Glass Universe” continues to inspire you. Can’t wait to dive in this weekend!
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I am right there with Margaret – I am not a science teacher for a reason! I wish more of our content areas would use writing poetry as a way to show mastery of concepts. Maybe I should them this! 🙂
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Although challenging, don’t you love it when the syllables fit, like “elemental composition”? Wonderful!
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Great poem and great point on creating subject-specific poetry. I loved the line, “…to sleuths who probe their mystery.” Creative and thoughtful post, as always!
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Love this! You are mastering the craft of writing. Need to check out “The Glass Universe”.
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Your poem and description of poetry’s power cuts to an important point about how to purposefully integrate learning and writing. Brilliant thinking.
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Great sounds in “spectral lines” and “sleuths,” Catherine. The 3rd graders I visit sometimes write Fibs with their science unit on Light. They would love this poem!
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