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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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