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Year after year my students groan at the mere mention of the word 'poetry.' I had the same experiences as a student myself, so I certainly empathize with them. I remember poetry always being taught in a rather rigid manner, with very little creative flare incorporated. Sure, we were all told that it was important to study poetry (never why it was important), but the teacher was generally the voice, interpreter and decider of how poetry was represented. Even after I became a teacher, I dreaded teaching poetry because of the memories that I had of sitting through poetry lessons. Then I realized, there are a lot of different ways in which poems can be introduced to students to make it relevant and interesting at the same time. Let's take a look at some of these methods for teaching poetry.
Tone is the author's feelings within the poem. Mood is the way the readers feel when they read the poem. To teach these concepts, have the students read the poem silently at first, then jot down the tone and mood of the poem. Ask for volunteers in the class to read the poem out loud. After each reading, ask students to write down the tone and mood of the poem. After hearing the poem read aloud multiple times, discuss with students how an oral reading changes the tone and mood of the poem based on their notes.
Students can really get into the poetry lesson by creating a musical beat for a poem, whether it is Hughes, Walden or Bronte. Older students love it because it gives them a chance to explore their creative side while, at the same time, analyzing rhyme scheme, imagery, and other poetic devices. An extension assignment could be to have students create their own poems, but encourage them to think of the poems as a song without music (think a capella). Have students share their poems with their classmates and ask them to name the rhyme scheme, imagery, metaphors, similes, and other poetic devices that were used.
Another activity that students usually love is to have them bring in the lyrics to their favorite songs (clean versions only). Students should be prepared to present the song to the class and discuss the important elements of the poem. Ideas for discussions could include:
Imagery is an important part of poetry. Imagery involves the author's use of certain words or phrases to describe the setting, a person or emotions. Visualizing what is being read helps students understand the context of the poem as the author intended. Have students create visual representations of images that come to mind as they are reading a poem. This is a good opportunity to infuse culturally-diverse poetry into the class, as it will challenge students to think about how culture influences perspective when reading poetry. Visuals created by students can be actual drawings, clip art or cut-outs from magazines. The purpose of this assignment is for them to be able to identify words or phrases that provoke thought or images as they are reading.
Getting students actively involved in a lesson heightens their engagement in the assignment. Children can act out a short poem, including small props and simple costumes if they would like to include them in the dramatization. This will encourage students to analyze the poem for deeper meaning and challenge them to think about various poetic devices used in poetry.
Rhyme patterns and rhyme schemes are often synonymous with poetry, particularly couplets, sonnets, ballads and so forth. Cut a poem into strips. Place students into groups of 3 or 4 and give them an envelope with the poem strips inside and have them piece it back together. This activity seems simple in nature, but it requires students to use their higher order thinking skills to not only create the correct rhyme pattern but to organize the poem in a manner that makes sense.
Teaching poetry can be fun and effective at the same time. Using activities such as reading aloud lines of poems, evaluating poetry as a song, adding visual expression to lines of poetry, recreating poems through dramatic expression and reorganizing poetry as pieces to a puzzle can engage students in everything from Edgar Allan Poe to The Bronte sisters.
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