Teaching of Poetry (G.M.T)

Teaching of poetry

Poetry offers wonderful opportunities for reading, writing, speaking, and listening practice for ELLs. Poetry also gives students a chance to expand vocabulary knowledge, to play with language, and to work with different rhythms and rhyme patterns. The benefits of using poetry are not simply anecdotal, however — they have been well documented. Research demonstrates the positive effects of poetry on literacy development. As Dr. Hughes points out, "paying attention to vocabulary and rhythm develops oral language skills," (Hughes, 2007, p. 1) and the development of oral language skills has a strong correlation to proficiency in reading.

Here are some ideas to get started where to begin:

Draw on students' background knowledge

It may be helpful to start poetry instruction by finding out what kinds of experiences students have had with poetry. Do students know poems in their native language? Is there a particular poem from their country or heritage that they like? Would they be willing to share a translation? Who are the famous poets from their country? Have students written poems before? Was it in English or their native language? Did student enjoy writing poetry?

Getting students to think about poems they are familiar with can help make the transition into English-language poetry smoother. Teacher may also wish to have students look at bilingual collections of poetry in English and their native language when available. Teacher may help in translations of the same poem compare,  words or phrases that don't translate well from one langue to the other?

Working with poetry from different countries and languages also is an excellent opportunity to encourage students to share their cultural heritage with the class, and to take pride in an art form that is part of their identity and may have been passed down across many generations.

Teacher may offer a number of ideas for guiding students in their exploration of poetry from their own cultures, which provides a foundation for the comparisons students do of poems from different cultures later.

Using Poetry in Reading Instruction

Familiarize students with different kinds of poems

Poetry can range from simple and fun to complicatedand abstract, which may be onereason it is daunting for many teachers and students alike. Start by choosing simple poems that aren't too abstract or complex — you'll get to Shakespeare eventually! Depending on the English level of the students, there are a variety of ways to start bringing poetry in the classroom.

Talk about the differences between stories and poems

 Provide students with a copy of a short story they've already read and a short poem. Ask them to work in groups and make a list of the differences between the two pieces, noting characteristics such as length or style. Have students share those differences with the class.

Start with poems that are manageable

Make sure the poems being presented have simple and familiar language, images, and themes so that they are accessible to ELLs. One ESL teacher recommends using poetry with "predictable language patterns, repeated words, phrases, lines, and identifiable rhymes" so that they are easier for students to read (Alpha, 2009).

Give students a chance to illustrate poems

Let students work in pairs to discuss and illustrate a short poem, or one or two lines of a longer poem. This will encourage them to think about meaning, and then express their interpretation in their own way. Ask students to share their illustrations with the class so that everyone has a chance to think about the different meanings that their classmates discovered.

Read a variety of poems out loud

Reading a poem out loud brings it to life. Students will begin to understand and notice different rhythms, rhymes, and feelings represented, as well as understand how the language creates an image or mood. The poem should be read in a natural voice, and the teacher can highlight the fact that you do not always stop at the end of each line, but instead use the poem's punctuation as a cue to where the pauses should be.

Be sure to include some poems written for kids and young adults

Children's poetry can be so much fun, and it also gives students a chance to talk about important ideas and feelings. If teachers are looking for poets whose work that might resonate with ELLs, check out Francisco X. Alarcón, Pat Mora, Naomi Shihab Nye, Rene Saldana, Jr., and Janet Wong. Older students may appreciate the work of poets such as Nikki Grimes andBilly Collins, as well as these video interviews with poets from PBS Teachers.

Discuss the vocabulary used in different poems

Poems offer a wonderful opportunity to teach new vocabulary related to a topic or idea, as well as a chance to think about language. Why did the poet choose a certain word? How does that word make you feel? What kind of sound does the word convey? Students may want to pick a word or phrase that is meaningful from a poem and write it on a "poetic word" wall — sort of a graffiti wall of sentiments. Students can continue to add to the wall as they discover new items, or even as they write their own poems. Another idea is to use a bubble Thinking Map. Students working in pairs take a word of interest from a poem and place it in the center bubble. They then fill in as many bubbles around the word with as they can with synonyms or related words. For example, if the word is "longing," students may write words in other bubbles such as, "missing, nostalgic, sorrow, homesick, desire, etc." Students can discuss how the poem would be different if one of the other words had been used. Pairs can share their word lists with other students and ask questions about new words they learn.

Give students a chance to read poems out loud together as a class and to each other.Reading poems out loud will improve students' confidence and oral language skills, as well as their reading fluency.

Look for opportunities to include poetry in other context

There is a wide variety of poems that can accompany social studies, history, science, and even math lessons! Poems are also wonderful additions to a discussion on culture and holidays.

Encourage students to immerse themselves in poetry

As students' comfort level increases, it will be possible to begin more in-depth conversations about different poetry forms, meaning, and language. Here are some ideas for more advanced students:

"I Am" Poem

An "I Am" poem is a good way to introduce poetry to children, because it allows them to focus on their own characteristics. The process is simple. The "I Am" poem is made up of three stanzas that are six lines each. It follows a specific format with the intention of describing something, often a person or an object. The beginning of each line is already written, and the writer fills in the end of the line by inserting a specific word or words. A simple strategy that all kids will find interesting, it's easy enough to implement and a great process for student self-expression. As you read their "I Am" poems, you might get to know your kids on a deeper level.

Shape Poetry

Explain the process for shape poems, which entails starting with a shape and building a poem from there. Some examples of shape poems are haiku, diamantesand acrostics. Shape poetry has to do with the physical form of the words on the paper. While the words, writing style and literary devices all impact the poem's meaning, the physical shape that the poem takes is significant. Combining content and form creates a powerful poem. This is a simple and fun way to get started with poetry in the classroom, and kids of all grade levels will enjoy it.

Turn Poems into Illustrations

Have students select a favorite poem and illustrate it. This can be done on paper, digitally, on a large sheet of butcher paper on the ground, or on the sidewalk by the classroom. teacher can use crayons, markers, paint or chalk. Get the kids talking about their poems while illustrating, or just let them draw. After this activity invite the class to do a "poetry walk" around the room or drawing space to share their impressions of the illustrated poems. Invite others to see the poetry-art. Consider pairing up with a colleague who might want to do this activity. Take photos of the poetry art to archive for later discussion. This is a great, easy way to start exploring poems and poets while mixing the medium of art in the process.

Use Music to Teach Poetry

Have students pick a favorite song. (Teacher may have to do a little screening here.) Next, have them share the song lyrics by reading them as they would a poem. Engage them in conversation about the similarities they note between song lyrics and poetry. Have them "investigate" the poetry in lyrics. Then, using a smartphone or tablet device, consider taking the time to video budding classroom poets reading their favorite lyrics -- or have them do it. Teacher can upload your content to YouTube Teachers.

Create Your Own Poem in Your PocketDay

Using ideas from Poets.org, teacher can bring this alive in the classroom easily. For example, on any day ask students to create bookmarks with favorite lines from a favorite poem. Do a think-pair-shareand have students chat about why they choose those specific lines. Did it remind them of something in their lives? A sad or happy experience? Also on that day, project a poem on the wall or on your interactive whiteboard (IWB) and have students read it aloud to each other. Talk about how the poem makes them feel. Discuss any similarities students have as they experience their poems. Have them do a reflective poem of their own in a notebook or journal. Take time to have students read them aloud if they feel comfortable.

Use graphic organizers 

These tools can be helpful when talking about a poem's structure or rhyming scheme so that students can reinforce their knowledge about the poetry form and meaning.

Discuss grammatical/syntax patterns found in poems

Poems may have unusual sentence structures that students will not encounter in prose text. Analyzing such sentences can help ELLs develop a better understanding of conventional English syntax.

Encourage students to share their personal interpretations 

Students will soon see that each reader finds a different meaning in the poem, and that's ok. Students shouldn't be bogged down looking for the right and wrong answers.

Using Poetry to Develop Oral Language Skills

Give students the chance to read poems out loud. Reading poetry aloud is a great way for ELLs to practice pronunciation and fluency, as well as a chance for students to play with rhymes and language.In order to increase confidence and fluency, have students start by reading some poems together as a class. Then have students choose a poem that they enjoy and then practice reading their poems aloud in pairs, experimenting with expression, volume, and speed. After students have had time to practice, listen in and offer some feedback on expression and pronunciation. Once students have one more round of practice, ask students to share their poems aloud with the class.