Middle School Mars Moxie

Every once in a while teaching middle school has it’s perks. While plowing through the textbook in 7th grade Language Arts I stumbled upon this wonderful story by Ray Bradbury Dark They Were and Golden Eyed . It’s full of the type of suspense and literary skill that makes reading a joy.

“Earth people left to the strangeness of Mars, the cinnamon dusts and wine airs, to be baked like gingerbread shapes in Martian summers, put into harvested storage by Martian winters. What would happen to him, the others? This was the moment Mars had waited for. Now it would eat them.”

This story quickly became one of my favorite lessons of the year and my enthusiasm for it was contagious with my students. My “pre-reading activity” consisted of talking the story up. “This is the most awesome, creepy, strange story in our textbook by one of the best writer’s of all time.”

The students enjoyed turning it into reader’s theatre and it was a joy to hear the realization dawn on them as they exclaimed, “our book cover has a picture from the story!”

Another such Mars adventure began with a poetry assignment. As part of studying  poetry, my 6th graders had to write a letter to their assigned poet. One of my students, Natalie, got a response from the amazing poet Marvin Bell, Iowa’s first poet laureate. He wrote a very nice letter attempting to answer all of her questions and included a flyer for his poetry reading. I tucked a copy of his letter next to his poem in my book and I still smile whenever I see it.

Mars Being Red   by Marvin Bell

Being red is the color of a white sun where it lingers
on an arm. Color of time lost in sparks, of space lost
inside dance. Red of walks by the railroad in the flush
of youth, while our steps released the squeaks
of shoots reaching for the light. Scarlet of sin, crimson
of fresh blood, ruby and garnet of the jewel bed,
early sunshine, vestiges of the late sun as it turns
green and disappears. Be calm. Do not give in
to the rabid red throat of age. In a red world, imprint
the valentine and blush of romance for the dark.
It has come. You will not be this quick-to-redden
forever. You will be green again, again and again.

I resigned from teaching this week with the knowledge that as I embark on my new career wherever it takes me I have experience with the unknown.
It will be another adventure.