One Last Word by Nikki Grimes golden shovel poetry book study

This unit on Nikki Grimes' poetry anthology "One Last Word" includes resources for both literal and analytical reading responses as well as opportunities for students to create their own golden shovel poems in the style of Grimes.

This resource is helpful in having students prepare for class discussions on the poems. It is a great way to start class each day. You can discuss a poem each day that you assign the night before for homework. Look at one poem a day to spark discussion and kick off class. Because of the setup of the anthology, original works by Grimes have been paired with their accompanying poem from Harlem Renaissance authors. Some other ways this resource could be used:

1. Guided reading
2. A novel study in class
3. Group presentations on paired poems (Each group reads a poem from the Harlem Renaissance with its Golden Shovel poem by Grimes and then presents the poem and meaning in the order they appear to the class. The whole class reads Grimes first and last poems.)
4. Independent study or take home work for over a break

There are roughly 30 pages of open ended questions that accompany the poems in the anthology as well as an almost 20 page answer key to guide discussion around poems. This answer key should be viewed as a jumping off point and not a definitive guide to the meaning of Grimes' poetry.

Poems and Anthology not included with this purchase.