Poetry

= ** #3 Learning Module – Celebrating Poetry **  =

__ Website Reflections __ Since I intend to be armed with as much information possible, I have bookmarked all the sites given. Every new teacher eventually develops their signature approach to teaching and reaching their students. I believe these resources will provide the ammunition needed to develop my unique style when teaching poetry. Even the best teachers continue learning and incorporating brand new techniques to their teaching methods. Therefore, I plan to retain these sites and add to them as time progresses. When I left undergrad, the only way to remain abreast of the innovation and new developments in any industry was to subscribe to its publications or attend costly conferences. Now, these poetry websites allow teachers to stay current with the genre at not monetary cost. These sites allow you to educate yourself and continue personal education free of charge.

__ Library of Congress __ Poetry can seem an antiquated art form to high school students, even though poetry is still a thriving contributor to the human experience. The Library of Congress provides a window into the vibrant culture and community of modern poetry and poets. This resource will provide me with fresh information pertaining to the genre, research, theorists and activity focused on poetry that hold national recognition and warrant. From podcasts to news and events, this resource offers current information that may help construct teaching approaches that are fresh, contemporary and relatable to my students. __ Video and Audio Internet __ I feel incorporating video and audio Internet sources into teaching poetry vital to the task. Unpacking poetry is more than merely understanding it’s various types and elements. To grasp the fullness of the art, students must hear the inflections and see the emotion only yielded through performance. It will help students to interpret the poem and gain insight into the author’s intent and emotion. I am a firm believer that poetry should be read aloud – reciting the words breathes life into a poem’s purpose. Therefore, I will always utilize video, audio, students, guests or myself to meaningfully recite all poems in efforts to gain the full implication of the work.

__ Introducing Poetry __ In efforts to introduce poetry, I will adopt Julia McNamee’s suggestion of connecting students’ through their initial love of poetry, the nursery rhyme. The nursery rhyme will be the vehicle I use to evoke pleasure and define meaning. Once we rekindle their appreciation for poetry and explicate how to decipher and support a rhyme’s meaning, I will introduce students to another familiar nursery rhyme to dissect in the same manner. While investigating nursery rhymes, I will take this opportunity to define and practice indentifying the elements or devices of poetry. I believe it will be less difficult for them to understand and identify a simile or metaphor in a familiar rhyme than in a Bryan Keats selection first time around. To preserve their attraction to poetry, I will ask them to apply their newly learned knowledge to the clean-version of their favorite hip-hop song and bring it to class. I will also bring my favorite hip-hop song and as a class we will indentify the basic elements of poetry within our selections. Once they have a working knowledge of these elements, we will start applying the learned elements of poetry to literary works – starting with modern poetry then moving toward the classics. In order to move into unfamiliar poetry, I will allow the class the pick the poem we will use. I will give them the topics of the poems I have selected from the required works we must tackle. After they have picked a topic, we will discuss all we know regarding that topic to churn their background knowledge and expectancy. Then we will approach the required poem armed with an understanding of poetic devices and background knowledge of the topic. As we move through the poem applying the devices and identifying meaning, we will look up challenging vocabulary to unlock deeper significance.

__ CCSS Standards – Poetry __ Critical thinking is the central ambition for language arts according to the CCSS standards. While teaching the poem //I Want to Die While You Love Me// by Georgia Douglas Johnson, I will address theme, rhythm, imagery, stanza and symbols while exercising and building analytical ability. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify these four elements of poetry in other works and critically interpret a poem by using only the poem and background on the author to substantiate their interpretation. Setting the context for learning this poem would be my first activity. I would schedule this lesson either around Valentine’s Day or during the teaching of Romeo and Juliet – since this play deals with a similar theme of love and death. We will first learn the elements of poetry mentioned by defining and applying them to a familiar poem we have covered (reinforcing and building on prior knowledge). Our next exercise will be applying the elements learned to their favorite love song – done and presented in class. Now we are ready to introduce the poem, //I Want to Die While You Love Me//. First, we will visit the time the poem was written with a brief history lesson. Background on the author will be provided. An audio clip and slideshow found at [] will be played to showcase the poem’s tone and inflection. While sitting on the floor in a circle, we will identify the elements poetry in this particular poem and identify similarities between the poem and other literary works covered (adhering to the expectations of the CCSS). Once we have applied the elements to the poem, we will move into using our critical thinking skills to interpret the poem on a higher level. Our activity attempts prompt examination and reasoning outside the text.

We will split the class in two groups to compete. The groups will rewrite the poem with the title //I Want to **Live** While You **Hate** Me//. Playing with opposites in the title, each group will write a poem with the same rhyming free-verse structure, rhyming pattern of a-b-c-b and four stanzas. The twist will be changing the theme around to stretch their thinking and foster teamwork. Once they have completed the poem, they will designate one person from their group to present it to another English class memorized. The English class viewing the presentation will pick the best poem. The group responsible for the winning poem will receive an A on the assignment. The losing group participants have to write another poem individually for their grade.