ELLEN
BERG
Diary #30
My Poets
Last Wednesday my principal and I attended a session at the local university where preservice teachers had the opportunity to ask us the burning questions they had about the real world of teaching. At the end of the session, each of the teachers and administrators was asked to give the preservice teachers our most important piece of advice as they looked to enter the profession.
My advice was to continually ask the question, "Why?" Why did this lesson go well? Poorly? Why is Johnny acting a fool today? Why did Susie turn in all of her work this week? Why? Reflection is at the heart of teaching, and asking why will set these novice teachers on the path to learning from their experiences. With this in mind I returned to my classroom where we are studying poetry. At the close of our third week of the unit, I find myself asking many "why" questions:Why are my most reluctant students asking if they can write more than I ask them to write? Why are the majority of my kids engaged in writing during the class period? Why are my students sharing and critiquing—not criticizing—one another's poems without me prompting them? Why did 25% of the school sign up for a poetry slam workshop and 15% of the student body submit poems to the first round of the school-wide poetry slam competition, when the majority of students are in the lower two quintiles of our state test? Why did the student who takes days to write a paragraph write five, full-page, unassigned poems in the space of three days? Why are students expressing themselves so much more imaginatively than with prose?These are hefty questions, and I think the answers are the key to unlocking the secret of engaging teaching and learning. I do not have the answers, but I have a few hunches.
Some of my hunches
At the introduction of the unit, many students groaned as if I'd given them a death sentence. Their initial reaction did not prepare me for the enthusiasm I have seen since.
One strategy I believe contributes to my students' success is the use of poetry forms to begin our writing. Over the years I have been plagued by the statement, "I don't know what to write!" Using a specific poetry form that students can follow provides the structure but still allows for student choice. We have written a sensory image poem and a bio-poem so far, and instead of complaining, students have been asking to write more than one. Before writing, I teach the form, model my own thought-process and writing, and share a final piece with them. I also model how I moved away from the structure to make my poem unique, the way I want it to sound. Finally, students write their own poems and share them with one another. Another aspect that appeals to my students is the lack of "rules" with poetry. They seem freer to focus on what they want to say rather than punctuation, spelling, and grammar. The mantra in class is to make their poems sound and flow the way they like, and they seem buoyed by it. What counts is that their poem has meaning, that they are helping the reader experience the same feelings, attitudes, and ideas the author has experienced. We have also been sharing our poems frequently. We have been using the free NiceNet service to post and respond to poems in class. Through a threaded discussion, students comment on, praise, and suggest strategies for improving the poems they are reading. They are becoming a community of writers, and no one has shied away from the challenge. I made the decision not to focus too heavily on poetry terminology. At the beginning of the unit, I grouped poetry terms on a web in sound, imagery, and form categories. Instead of requiring students to memorize definitions, I have used the terminology frequently throughout the unit as concrete examples become available. For example, as we were working on our sensory image poems, I pointed out that the poem could either be written as similes (It smells like, it tastes like, etc.) or metaphors. My rationale is that if students learn how to write using these poetic devices, they will probably be able to understand the concept more thoroughly. In the end, I think the three main elements contributing to the success of this unit are student choice, becoming inundated with examples during read-aloud and mini-lessons, and the time to write and share their writing. We are real writers this quarter. Some of my favorite poems so far The Following Stare by Daniel W. Gray is its gain,a statue,
that stares at you,
hard cement,
dry paste,
clay,
a sea shell's song,
hard, dry and smooth. ---- Untitled by Jody M. A trampoline is the color of smoke.
It looks like oval shaped "spring" time.
It smells like socks everywhere.
It tastes like rubber.
It sounds like a creaking door.
It feels like dirt. ----
Untitled by Latrice H. Skirts are the color of blue jeans.
They look like SHORT cups of kool-aid.
They smell like the fashion of girls.
They taste like the honey from a hornet's nest.
They sound like the flow of a beat.
They feel like the hardness of wood when washed. ---- Untitled by Dante' E. When you are dying it feels like your body is burning.
When you're shot your life passes, flashes, in front of your eyes.
When you start to bleed you smell the sent of blood and hate.
After you've felt the burning fire in your body, you start to look
afraid.
When your heart suddenly stops beating, you know death is upon you. ----
Untitled by Mia M. Easter Sunday is pink.
Fun.
Good bar b q in the sun.
Stinky eggs.
Bad little kids jumping in the bed.
The hot hot sun burns my skin even when in the den --- Rapping by Keith M. Rapping is black Looks like anger smells like fresh t's and cologne taste like corn bread and kool-aid sounds like lyrics coming off the back off your head feels like getting rest. --- SHERRIEFF SMART, FUNNY, SHORT, LONG HAIR
SON OF SHERRIEFF & PAMELA
LOVER OF SPORTS, GIRLS, FOOD
WHO FEELS FRUSTRATED WHEN MY MOM IGNORES ME, MAD WHEN MS BERG TAKES MY BALL, CONCENTRATED AT GAME TIME
WHO FINDS HAPPINESS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, SPORTS,AND MONEY
WHO NEEDS AN EDUCATION
WHO GIVES FOOD TO THE HUNGARY
WHO FEARS BITES FROM DOGS,ALLIGATORS, AND ELEPHANTS
WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE ASHANTI AND BEYONCE
WHO ENJOYS SPORTS AND BOTHERING MY MOMMA
WHO LIKES TO WEAR FANCY CLOTHES AND FANCY SHOES
RESIDENT OF MISSOURI
SMITH ---- LIFE by Carlos B. WE LIVE IN A LAND OF MILK AND HONEY
WHEN DAYLIGHT IS SUNNY
AND NIGHT SEEMS FUNNY
WE PLAY AROUND
WHILE MOTHERS LAY AROUND
CAUSE MOTHERS ARE TIRED OF NONSENSE
YOU BETTER GET THE CIRCUMFERENCE
OR YOU'LL BE SUFFERING AT PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE.
