Entry # 32:
"Excited and scared" --
the poetry unit begins
We started the poetry unit this week, and things are going splendidly. So
far the reactions of my students have been overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic,
something every one of us strives for from our students on a daily basis.
Last year the poetry unit was also very popular. Even my most challenging,
reluctant learners seemed to enjoy reading and writing poetry, something
that puzzled me. When I asked one of them about it he said, "Poetry
is easy. You just say what you feel." I suppose students feel they
have more choices and fewer rules. Maybe they feel they have permission
to write for themselves and not for the teacher. If so, I wonder how I can
help them develop that attitude towards all the writing we do.
It is this thinking that has me reconsidering the way I originally planned
this unit. We have started out reading "The Sneetches" by Dr.
Seuss. Students are working in groups to write and perform their own versions
of the story from the narrative poem. They are allowed to change anything
about the story except the general story line, and it is exciting to see
the transfer of understanding as they create new scenarios in which new
characters face similar challenges. Students are eagerly working with each
other, and though it is noisy, I can honestly say that every student is
on task.
I chose this activity to begin our unit because I knew they would love it,
and it would be a nonthreatening way for us to begin our investigation into
poetry and the different ways authors have of communicating their message.
I am happy I began with this activity because my students are becoming comfortable
with thinking about and discussing their ideas about poetry.
They're so excited that I'm a little scared
"Mrs. Berg, when do we get to start writing our own poems?" Lisa
asked before leaving my classroom earlier this week. Although I was excited
by her question and obvious enthusiasm, her query worried me a bit. Throughout
the week, other students asked the same question, began creating homemade
poetry books, and begging me to read poems they wrote at home or in other
school years. Again, edgy, uncomfortable worry crept into my mind and body.
Most teachers would be jumping for joy, excited to see the eyes filled with
the love of learning, of creating, and there is a huge part of me that feels
exactly that way. Still, I am scared.
What if I kill that light in their eyes?
I feel an enormous responsibility here to help their enthusiasm build as
they learn more about the tools poets use and investigate different poets
and forms. I remember all too well the teachers who sapped the life out
of poetry for me, and I worry that I will make the same mistakes they did.
Part of my concern comes from my better planning around the curriculum and
state standards. While I was fine-tuning this unit, I clustered similar
skills and concepts week-by-week, developing mini-lessons, classroom activities,
and projects. Although I feel more prepared, I am suddenly questioning whether
I am going about this in the right way.
Once we are done with the play I am planning to go on to figurative language,
looking at simile, metaphor, and imagery to observe how poets use language
to evoke a picture. My general plan was to read poems that included similes
and the like, conduct a very businesslike mini-lesson, and then identify
how the author used that technique. Maybe then I would have students write
their own poems where they could practice using those same techniques.
Blecch.
Some parts of the plan I like. I like that I am integrating the reading
and writing of poetry together so students have a meaningful context within
which they can apply what they learn. I like that I am planning to include
authentic examples of how poets use the techniques we will be studying.
It's not all bad, but there is a lot of room for improvement if I want to
keep the fire burning in their eyes.
A better approach?
I think a better way to approach teaching these techniques is having students
decide what images come into their minds as they read a shared poem, then
have them work alone or in pairs to identify the words and phrases that
help create those images in their minds. We can list them on a piece of
chart paper and talk about what makes them effective from the students'
point of view. Only after we have done these things should I introduce the
terms, "simile," or "metaphor."
As for writing, I hesitate to "require" anything. Although I do
want my students to use the tools of the craft, requiring them to do so
may squash their creativity, just add a set of rules to poetry. After careful
consideration, I think a better way to approach this is to simply give them
time to write and share their poems while helping them consider how to create
the images they want to create in their poems.
I think I will model my process for creating images by making a web of images
from Cozumel, my time with my niece, or my two cats, Diego and Mr. Fabulous.
If I can model my process of brainstorming, writing and revising, maybe
they will take a more thoughtful approach with their own poetry.
I feel a little less worried.
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