A+Project+How+to+teach+Poetry

Whitney Savoy December 11 2011 The A Project: Inquiry

“Oh Euterpe, Calliope or Erato, Teach Me the Ways of Poetry”

Learning how to teach students how to read skillfully is something that new teachers need to learn. In this class I have learned so much about how to keep students engaged and how to help them improve their reading comprehension and reading ability. Yet, one topic that we really did not cover in class was poetry: how to teach poetry and how to get students to really grasp the meaning of poetry. So my essential question is how do I, or any new teachers, teach poetry to students in an effective way. It is very difficult to grasp the meaning of poetry, especially when the poem has difficult language or when the author might have written the poem for a reason that is unapparent to the reader. I was never great at analyzing the meaning of poetry. This dissuaded me from even wanting to touch this literary form; I do not like reading or trying to understand poetry. This obviously is not good since I, as a teacher, cannot run away from a poetry unit in high schools or even middle schools. Finding ways to teach poetry to my future students will really benefit me as a teacher. In this paper I am going to state what we have talked about in class about poetry, and ways that I have learned to teach poetry in my own classroom. In the first few days of class, Dr. Shea wanted us to fill out a note card that gave him a little insight to us as readers. One of the questions asked was to list one literary form, book, or concept of reading we dislike; I, of course, indicated that I disliked all aspects of poetry. Another instance where poetry was mentioned was for one of the book talks. There were 5 poetry books that all had a different theme that would satisfy any student’s interest. “The debate about how we should teach poetry has been raging since verse was first introduced into classrooms” (Milner, Milner & Mitchell, 2008). Robert Scholes stated in //The Crafty Reader// (2001) that “we have lost the craft of reading poetry-lost sight of poetry’s private pleasures and of its public powers” (Milner, Milner & Mitchell, 2008); finding a new way to teach this difficult literary style to this new generation will only benefit schools and their English classrooms. I never saw the benefits that poetry has in an English classroom just because I disliked it so much; however, poetry awakens students, it helps students discover “unexpected realities,” it introduces a whole new world of unique language, and helps students detach from their own reality and helps them enter into a new world that they make up. One major strategy that this book promoted that helped students get into poetry is the idea of adding music into learning to read poetry. “Music provides another entry into poetic understanding and enjoyment. We have mentioned that the sounds and rhythms of spoken language awaken children’s earliest delight in poetry” (Milner, Milner & Mitchell, 2008). Music and poetry have a lot of similarities that students of this generation and generations to come can relate to, and these similarities will help students comprehend poetry more easily. I like how the authors of this book stated that poetry is “not a thing far removed from the ordinary sphere of human experience, but a thing at the center of out lives” (Milner, Milner & Mitchell, 2008). Having this vehicle of music to help students enter the world of poetry will help students to relate to the rhythms and evocative language that can sometimes be a roadblock. One of the activities that could be used as an entry into a poetry unit, which I liked a lot, is on page 171 in the //Bridging English// text book. I thought the activities would prove to be very useful in analyzing song lyrics, looking for poetic features and elements. Also, having students create their own poetry is another way to encourage interest and motivation to discover meaning in a poetry lesson. Students having choice in poets, forms, or themes of poetry will help teachers deliver a poetry lesson because teenagers love choice. When they have a say in what they read, it is easier to get and keep their interest (Milner, Milner & Mitchell, 2008). My mother is a high school English teacher and has been teaching for 33 years. I would say that is a lot of experience dealing with and teaching students of all backgrounds, so I would like to ask her how she teaches poetry and what ways are the most helpful (Savoy, 2011 ). After that, I have a graphic that helps them discover sensory language and the intent and effect of that language. I also use a graphic organizer with the acronym SIFT (syntax, imagery, figurative language and tone). Of course, that means you must instruct syntax (cumulative, periodic, inverted sentences, enjambments, caesura, etc). The students make posters of the unfamiliar vocabulary of poetry: the different forms, different types of rhyme and meter. These are displayed during the unit so that students can refer to them and use them correctly. Of course, discussion, discussion, discussion.
 * Whitney:** Do you like teaching poetry or is it one of your easier units? Why or why not?
 * Mom:** Poetry is very daunting to most students, no matter their age, or their academic abilities. It is hard work, but once students understand that there are specific strategies to reading poetry (or listening to song lyrics), they are willing to spend the time to find meaning. I especially like to teach poetry to my AP students because it is a joy to watch them have an epiphany.
 * Whitney:** What activities/lessons, that you use, are the most beneficial in teaching poetry to students?
 * Mom:** The first step is for the students to realize they must read a poem three times. The first time for the general idea: who is the speaker and what is the situation. The second time to discover the imagery, figurative language and the sound. The third time to begin to discover meaning. This takes practice and quite a bit of modeling.
 * Whitney:** How do students react to these activities/lessons?
 * Mom:** Usually, the AP students, as expected, are hesitant at first, but then they dig in. The students in the regular 10 class like the poetry if it is not overdone, not over-analyzed. Sometimes, listening to song lyrics that they bring in (checking for appropriateness first) and then reading them, connecting to them is enjoyable and is the gateway to pursuing more poetry. They want to read poetry that is highly imagistic because they can then match pictures to it or just because they can visualize it and that is more real to them. Protest poetry is also something they like and there are quite a few protest songs that can be used effectively.
 * Whitney:** Do you think poetry should be a huge part of high school curriculums?
 * Mom:** I don’t know that it needs to be a huge part of the curriculum, but I do think that exposure is essential. We need to be a literate society, one which can respond to joy, to remorse, to pain, to thrill, to wistfulness. All of these emotions and more can be found in poetry. Students can learn to be responsive to these emotions in the safe confines of a classroom, and, later in their lives, they can use these experiences as a springboard for life. I have AP students who have saved a copy of a poem that spoke to them in their wallets or they will email me…”remember that poem we read about the two horses”… If students let poetry into their lives, it never leaves.

So, I do call on the Muses to instruct me in the ways of poetry so that I can create lessons that will enthrall my students with the imaginary world of poetry. After reading and talking to my mom I found ways that I can use that will help me teach poetry in an effective way.

**Work Cited**

Milner, J., Milner, L., & Mitchell, J. (2008). //Bridging english//. (5th ed., pp. 168-178).Boston: Person Education Inc.

Savoy, J. (2011, December 11). Interview by WLSSavoy[Personal Interview]. How to teach poetry in a productive way. , Over email