Poetry Text Set
Read Write Think's Writing Poetry
Shel Silverstien's Website
Poetry can often seem boring for students, despite its beautiful form and various applications to the real world. Shel Silverstein’s website, however, is anything but boring. The website contains all the names of Shel’s books. There are also many animations that bring Shel’s poems to life. In addition, there are interactive games relating to Silverstein’s poetry, as well as other resources such as a biography of Silverstein himself and other learning resources.
This website would be a great tool in the classroom because it can benefit both students and teachers. Students can use computers to explore the life and works of Shel Silverstein. The many interactive aspects of this website make learning about poetry fun and exciting for students. It also gives teachers more variety in the way they teach poetry. Instead of just standing in front of a classroom and reading poetry to students, a teacher can allow the students to explore for themselves. The students can develop their own opinions about Shel’s work via this website, rather than letting the teacher’s comments about poetry go in one ear and out the other. Reading his biography also allows students to learn Shel Silversteins purpose behind his poetry, which helps solidify the SOL requirement.
Silverstein, Shel. (2013) Shel Silverstein http://www.shelsilverstein.com
Read Write Think has a section of their website in which students can run programs which teach and allow students to produce their own poetry of different types. While structured and guided, these programs are not strict or limiting to creativity. As a jumping off point, they have many good ideas and themes for helping beginning poets find their feet in the world of poetry.
Of the available programs on the Read Write Think’s writing poetry section, the most relevant programs are the acrostic poem, diamante poem, haiku poem, theme poem and word mover poem.
Each of these programs first educates the student about the poem form in question, and then allows the student to explore that poem form and create their own poem. Each program explains the poem form in a concise and understandable way. They also are designed well and function smoothly when used.
These programs would be used during class computer time, when students have the choice between the programs available but must produce 1-2 poems to be turned in. The use of these programs would allow students the freedom to work on a poem type of their choosing, while the teacher knows that the program is doing a thourough job of educating the student about that type of poem.
International Reading Association. (2014). Student interactives: writing poetry. Retrieved from http://www.readwritethink. org/search/?resource_type=16&type=28
Lila Gray Smyth is a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Emerson Elementary School in Berkeley, California with a pedagogy for nurturing students’ creative ability in the field of poetry by putting on open mic nights in the classroom once a week. “There is totally a culture of loving poetry in this classroom” (Smyth) Smyth early on in the video comments, revealing that this approach to poetry is completely effective. By modeling and displaying her own love for poetry, her students respond energetically to the genre and also wish to understand the techniques used.
Smyth believes that poetry is “a doorway to multiple perspectives…to understanding other people’s experiences” (Smyth) and from that belief, she holds a weekly open mic in her classroom which a stage in the corner with a curtain, a spotlight, and a microphone for the student to feel important. The students all collect poetry that inspire them forcing them to “be on a constant search for poetry” (Smyth) while also developing their own poems to preform because “it’s important for them to learn that expressing themselves can be really fulfilling” (Smyth).
These open mic sessions allow the students to feel safe and respected for putting themselves out there in reading a poem they think is important or one they’ve written on their own. The students build confidence in expressing not only their opinions about poems, but also in expressing themselves. By making the experience special, the students take it seriously and a community can be built in the classroom (Smyth).
This video showcases a highly useful activity in the classroom that would fall in line with this unit by creating an environment for students to share their poetry and celebrate one another in self-expression.
Smyth, L. G. (n.d.). Poetry Open Mic. Retrieved November 16, 2014, from https://www.teachingchannel .org/videos/poetry-lesson-plan
This is a clip from a TEDxKids program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. TEDxKids is similar to TEDTalks but set up for middle school students from across the country. For some more information regarding information on TEDxKids@SMU click here.
In this particular video, Asha Christensen is a 7th grader who attends Imagine International Academy of North Texas. She presents her original slam poem about writer’s block.
This video is included in our lesson plan because we think that students will enjoy it for many reasons. One of which is because this presents a poem to the students with the emotions that the author had written. It gives students the opportunity to see where the author vocally puts more stress on certain parts. Often times, students have to come up with their own interpretation or rely on their teacher for the interpretation.
This clip also shows the students that even kids can write and perform powerful poetry. This gives them the knowledge that if other kids can do this, then so can they. That simple statement provides a great deal of self-confidence to students and can inspire them to pursue something they enjoy.
It is also on a topic that students will feel connected to (even at the third grade level). Everyone at one point or other has reached the moment where they have no idea what to write (or draw) and time seems to drag on and the frustration builds. Students may not know what that feeling is at first, but I think this video helps them to identify it and lets them know that it happens to everyone, and that it is okay. By knowing this, students will feel more confident in their writing or art.
TEDxYouth (2013, March 28) Asha Christensen at TEDxKids@SMU 2012. Retrieved from https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=rtnEnEqjk0E