1. Line breaks and stanza
This idea emphasizes on the role of the line lengths and verse shapes in poems. Take a poem and remove all the lines and stanza breaks. Present it as one solid paragraph of prose and read it aloud with the class. Compare it with the original poem and then read it once again. Discuss the differences and look at the changes the spaces and shape make to the poem.
2. Shared reading
Encourage the students to read the poem aloud in their heads. Ask them to read to each other in groups or pairs. As they do so, discuss how they read the poem. Add thoughts and notes to the page. In doing so, many elements of the poem will be discovered.
3. Teacher as role model
A teacher’s attitude can influence the pupils. Teachers are to be given time to explore and appreciate their own creativity. Identify parts of the poem that are unclear at first reading, as well as some elements of poetry that is enjoyable. If possible, relate the poem to your personal experience. Decide on activities that are helpful in teaching poetry. The students need to see a positive model of how adults read poetry.
Hi Winifred,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I do find the poetrysociety website useful for ideas on teaching poetry. The idea of removing line and stanza breaks in order to emphasise their importance is a good one. I think this could similarly be done with punctuation to the same effect.
Also, I agree with another suggestion on the website which encourages teachers to model how poetry reading and interpretation should be done. By introducing open comments such as "What puzzles me is..." or "This reminds me of...", teachers encourage new directions in thought and less discomfort with any perceived vagueness in the poem.
Jina
Hi Winifred!
ReplyDeleteI really liked the idea of removing the line and stanza breaks. I do wonder if the students would still be able to identify if it is in fact a poem, or do they identify a poem through only its form. This would be a good exercise to introduce them to a poem's form and verse. This exercise may perhaps be a prelude to encouraging a student to write their own poetry and explore beyond the prescribed poems.