Read Across America week is here! My cooperating teacher (from my student teaching experience) asked if I would like to be a guest reader this week so this morning I surprised my class! I received many sweet hugs and got to read one of my favorite books, The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt. The Day the Crayons Came Home could be used as a mentor text when introducing letter writing.
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As my “Teaching Language Arts” graduate class starts focusing on poetry I have spent some time reflecting on my experiences and feelings about poetry both as a student and a teacher.
Poetry is my least favorite genre. I think the dislike started in elementary school. We had to read poetry and answer questions for EOG practice. None of the poetry was relatable to me or my life and I could not make sense of it. Throughout the rest of my school career poetry continued to be a drag. I think it comes down to me not being able to make sense of the text. Poets tend to be cryptic and I did not like that. Now I want to enjoy poetry so I thought I might start with Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur. I have not had the time or the strong enough desire to do so yet.
When it comes to writing poetry I really don’t (blunt, I know). Before my education classes in college I really didn’t have a writing notebook or journal so I did not write for fun. Now that I do have a writer’s notebook, I do not naturally write poetry. I would rather write poetry with more structure like a haiku, versus free verse. Pushing myself as a writer is a personal goal so part of that is writing more poetry. I am hoping the various mentor texts and other course reading will help me gain confidence in writing poetry.
I am nervous about teaching poetry. I will definitely be using a lot of borrowed resources and collaborating with other teachers. I have never observed or learned from a teacher who was an excellent teacher of poetry. Mostly I have seen poetry taught as EOG/test practice with typical multiple choice questions after reading. This does not make poetry exciting or engaging and is what made me not enjoy it. I do not want to teach poetry in this way. I want it to be an enjoyable, creative experience where students can express themselves. I also want to choose better poems than the ones I read in school. When I read poetry I know it was a good poem when I am awed at the end of it. I also like poetry that has meaning to me. For example, I like islands, mountains, and the outdoors so I enjoy poetry more when the poems are related to my interests.
In my future class I want to create a “Poetry Environment” by having poetry books in my classroom library (and not just Where the Sidewalk Ends although it will also be on the shelves). I want to expose my students to poetry without forcing it upon them. I think they might enjoy it especially if there are short poems. I also want to have a poetry unit during writer’s workshop. We can kick the poetry unit of by writing six word memoirs which are short yet engaging and can help my students view themselves as poets. I could also have an area in my classroom library where I highlight one picture book and one poem per week so my students see that I am also reading and enjoying poetry.
After reading Chapters 1-3 of Awakening the Heart by Georgia Heard, Firefly July by Paul B. Janeczko and Melissa Sweet and All the Small Poems by Valerie Worth, I thought a little more about how I want to create a “Poetry Environment” in my future classroom. Georgia Heard had so many great, specific ideas of how to create a poetry environment that I plan to use in my future classroom. Her book will serve as a major point of reference for me when it comes to teaching poetry in the future. I think she made an excellent point about her goal. She said, “After a school visit I received a letter from a young poet who reminded me that I have done my job well if I can help my students see poetry everywhere” (Heard, 1999, p. 61). Through my time studying writer’s workshop, I think it is so important for students to learn how to feel and think like writers. Georgia made her students feel and think like writers of poetry. Once we start practicing and creating that culture in our classroom of paying attention to the mundane things it will start to come naturally to students. Georgia Heard mentioned so many ways to incorporate poetry so students get to experience more poetry that they relate to; she hung it in the bathroom, over water fountains, in the cafeteria, etc. Once students are surrounded by exciting poetry, maybe even poetry they write and display in these places, they will develop a love for it.
Feel free to leave a comment on my Padlet!
References
Heard, G. (1999). Awakening the heart: Exploring poetry in elementary and middle school. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
*all students have photo permission
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