Poems Can Take Us Anywhere

The poetry of science

By Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong

After reading this poem aloud, talk about how we can use technology for all kinds of creative purposes like virtual travel scenes or making personal avatars. Just for fun, use Voki.com to create a simple avatar for yourself and encourage the students to create their own avatars, too.
Read the poem aloud again, and invite students to say the crucial last line together while you read the rest of the poem.
Share example videos of student-made green screen projects (see Internet Resources).
Talk about how digital resources enable us to have virtual experiences without leaving our desks, and how we can use those same tools to create our own virtual worlds. Use this poem to identify and discuss each place featured and talk about the role of “green screen” technology in presenting places virtually.
Compare this poem with another about traveling via technology, “Hello, Hello!” by Janet Wong (see Internet Resources), and read about actual explorers in Trailblazers: Poems of Exploration by Bobbi Katz (see Resources).