• The sky's the limit, but one need not limit the study of sky poetry to the sky-related poems of Carl Sandburg! The Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness (SCSA) Web site is replete with examples of sky-related quotes from numerous authors and scientists (see sidebar on most SCSA Web pages, or Other Sky Poetry Web page).
• One need not visit a planetarium to implement a successful sky poetry unit--for inspiration, simply go outside and look up at the real sky! Rather than night sky phenomena, focus on day sky phenomena, e.g., the Sun/Moon (yes, the Moon does appear in the day sky!), twilight/planets, sky color and optical phenomena (red sunrises/sunsets, rainbows, sundogs, haloes, etc.), clouds/nephelococcygia and precipitation (rain, snow, etc.). Visit the For Spacious Skies Web site for ideas and inspiration.
• Working with the real sky may require more spontaneity--the "teachable moment" is weather-driven! Develop the lessons; make photocopies and put them on the shelf until the perfect day arrives. This type of teaching/learning is often more memorable than linear instruction.
• Sky poetry may be used as the Language Arts component of a thematic unit, e.g., Snowflakes - A Thematic Approach. An interdisciplinary unit embedded within a larger interdisciplinary unit--wow, that's deep!

The following resources may be useful in planning, implementing, and evaluating a sky poetry unit:

• Lesson Plans (courtesy Ms. Dara Jacob, former Grade 7 English Teacher, Sandburg MS) - classroom-ready instructional materials including Unit Overview, Moon Rondeau Word Splash, Poetic Devices, Teacher's Answer Key - Poetic Devices, Illustrated Sky Poem Assignment.
• Illustrated Sky Poetry Assessment Rubric - performance-based assessment instrument.
• Carl Sandburg - biographical information (courtesy The Academy of American Poets). For more information, visit the The Carl Sandburg Historic Site.
• Carl Sandburg Sky Poetry - full-text electronic versions of 16 of Sandburg's sky-related poems, featuring hyperlinks to related imagery and concepts.
• Sandburg Sky Poetry Scavenger Hunt - reinforce understanding of poetic techniques while discovering the scientific concepts embedded within Sandburg's sky-related poems.
• CSMS Student-Authored Sky Poetry - the "greatest hits" from the Sandburg Sky Poetry unit (since 1997).
• The Sky Touches Everyone, by Ms. Judy Kramer, Sandburg MS Enrichment Specialist - full-text electronic version of an article which appeared in the May 1998 issue of Apple, the FCPS professional magazine. Highlights interdisciplinary Sandburg Sky Poetry unit.
• National Poetry Month (April) - a collection of resources available from The Academy of American Poets.

The following list is by no means complete. Please send the name/performer of songs to add to the list: wsanford@wsanford.com

¹   Personal communication, Dr. Sidney Perkowitz, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Dr. Perkowitz speculates that Van Gogh was influenced by the third Earl of Rosse's telescope-aided drawings of "spiral nebulae," circa 1850.