Fellowship Paper

Introduction

Just as students of painting learn their craft by copying the works of those great masters that came before them, so students of writing can learn the craft of poetry by copying and then modeling the works of great poets. Like the study of art, which requires an eye for form, light, color, and texture, so the poet requires an eye that sees the world through an artist's lens. My goal for the Poetry Anthology Unit is to teach students appreciation for the form and style of poetry as they begin to see the world through the eyes of a poet.

The unit includes a series of poetry writing workshops, the creation of a personal poetry anthology, and oral presentation of student work. The workshops help students develop skills and confidence. The presentation and the workshops run well because of a rubric created and used by students. The poetry anthology is a compilation of poems: some students have discovered through reading the work of a variety of authors and some of their own poems written during workshop time.

The unit is accessible to all students of all abilities. It helps create in students an appreciation for the genre of poetry, and it helps students develop a richer understanding of the nuances of language and the fun they can have with it. In addition, through the unit students develop a deeper understanding of themselves and their world as they examine it (inside and out) and make discoveries through the eyes of a poet. The unit also meets the objectives of the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks.

As I developed the unit, a series of questions guided my work:

• How can I make poetry accessible to all of my students who have a wide range of abilities?
• How can I meet some of the state curriculum standards in a well-planned poetry unit?
• How can I help my students better understand themselves and their world as they learn to look at life through a poet's eye?
• How can poetry serve as a way of appreciating and experiencing the nuances and the fun of language?

Preparation: Research, Study, and Methodology

Research Design

I turned to Hubbard and Power's text (1993) The Art of Classroom Inquiry to investigate the options for research that were available to me. From my review of that work and my own thinking on the subject, I outlined a plan involving data collection and other preliminary steps. I resolved to do the following:

1. Text Readings on Theory

2. Article Research

3. Review of the State Curriculum Frameworks

4. Formal Interviews

5. Informal Interviews

6. Multiple Intelligence Survey

7. Poetry Survey

8. Anecdotal Notes

9. Reflection on Practice

10. Classroom Diagram

11. Rubric Development

Text Readings on Theory and Practice

Two texts helped me frame my questions. My primary concern was that my students gain an appreciation for poetry and a love of the genre. I believe the rules will come, as students become more and more curious about the poems that they have learned to love.

Schultz and Ellis, in their text (1997), With a Poet's Eye, speak to the freedom of poetry and how its very lack of structure can be what attracts students most. They talk about how that flexibility can free a student to write in his or her own voice. The authors not only consider the child in the class who is the "good writer," they also talk about how poetry can be a road into the land of words for the child who is a struggling author:

Teachers sometimes consider poetry a luxury they can't afford, especially with students who struggle to sit still, to process language and to master basic writing skills. But these are exactly the children for whom poetry can be a way into stronger writing. Poetry gives them an opportunity to say what they see, think, and feel, free of the restrictions of other kinds of writing. When these students focus only on mechanics, they easily lose the spontaneity and flow of their thoughts; they become stuck. But poetry leaps. It can start in the middle and quickly get to the heart of the matter. Poetry enables these children to find a voice, sometimes for the first time, and begin to believe they are writers. (xii)

Jacqueline Sweeney's book (1993), Teaching Poetry, Yes You Can!, is full of practical ideas for incorporating poetry into the classroom. This text stresses the use of poetry in a whole language approach to teaching.

Poetry is wonderful to use in any whole language program because each poem is a complete work, and is usually short enough to be easily reproduced for classroom use. Plus poetry's range of subject matter, tone and style makes it accessible to any group. (5)

Sweeney stresses using poetry across the curriculum; she offers suggestions for teaching the language of poetry using a fun and multiple intelligence approach. She gives practical information about the developmental readiness of students according to their grade level and offers practical suggestions for approaching fifth and sixth graders; these were very helpful in the development of my unit.

I also reviewed a number of texts that I had used throughout my master's program in special education. Those texts helped remind me of some of the thinking I needed to use when making a unit accessible to all the students in my inclusive classroom setting. I was reminded to think about the classroom as a community. A review of the multiple intelligences made me think about considering all of my student's abilities and made me think about creating workshops that allowed students access to poetry from many directions. A review of reading abilities reminded me to offer poetry books in a wide range of reading and interest levels to allow all students access to the materials. All of this research sent me to new resources for finding workshop material that would allow students with a wide range of abilities to experience success. My final reminder was that the gifted child is included within the scope of special needs, and that child must be stretched as well. This encouraged me to include more advanced levels of poetry and thinking about it in my materials.

Andrea Davis, in her article, "Salmanca Hiddle is Alive and Well: Developing a Palette for Poetry," written for the February 1997 publication of Voices from the Middle (a magazine on middle school teaching), helped reinforce my thinking about allowing students to focus on appreciation of verse instead of analysis of form. She writes of her own struggle to find the best way to teach poetry. She encourages an invitational approach and discusses a dilemma: the fine line between analyzing a poem and "inviting readers to see how it works." As an English teacher she of course wants to talk about poetry but sometimes finds it more effective to just "let it sink in" with maybe a spontaneous response from a student but maybe not. Her writing inspired my own development of the poetry anthology unit.

The research I did supported my decision to move away from the study of form and on to a more open-ended approach to free verse. I was also convinced I should add project-based pieces to the study--the anthology (created, illustrated, published by students) and a celebration of student work (in a "Poetry Café). As an aside, the celebration at the end of the study (involving student's presentations of a memorized poem) was brilliant! Thank you, Andrea!

Review of State Curriculum Frameworks

Prior to developing any unit for my classroom, I go into my assessment tool, which is based on the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks, and look at the objectives I must meet.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts feels that teaching poetry is a good idea. Literature Strand 2--Standard 4 asks students to understand the difference between poetry and other forms of literature. In my poetry unit, students not only learn this, they experience it.

Literature Strand 2--Standard 5 asks students to be able to understand the concept of theme. This objective is being met in the anthology unit, as students are asked to choose the poems for their anthology based on a theme of their choice. They are also asked to write four of their ten poems based on that theme. What's more, the cover of their anthology and the artwork inside support that theme.

Literature Strand 2--Standard 8 talks more about the mechanics of poetry and
reminded me to include some workshops on form in my lesson plans. This also was what prompted me to add a "glossary of terms" to the anthology.

Composition Strand 3--Standard 7 focuses on student self-assessment. Students are asked to develop standards for assessing quality of work, use a rubric to conference with a teacher, and use a rubric to evaluate others' compositions, recitations, or performances. I incorporated all of these elements into the Poetry Anthology Unit. They nicely complement student work on the anthology, publication, and performance.

Interviews, Conversations, and Meetings

To add to my body of research, I completed two formal interviews. My first interview was with Jeff Agnoli, a high school counselor who has taught English and reading for thirty years. He has taught at the elementary, junior high, and high school level. He is a published poet and feels poetry should always be an integral part of any language arts curriculum. Some of my favorite pieces of my interview with him are as follows:

• " Poetry is part of our literary tradition. It is part of a comprehensive approach to teaching language arts."
• "Poetry helps students to better understand what it is like to be a human being. It is an attempt to put into words the inexpressible."
• "Poetry is part of what makes language arts enjoyable. It is short, so it is not intimidating for students to read. But it can contain some very complicated ideas."
• "A poetry lesson can be completed in one class period. It allows students a sense of accomplishment."
• "Poetry has been around since the writing of the Bible."

The second interview was with Josh Aronie, a local poet. Josh has worked at the elementary and junior high level. He shares his love of language with students in a multi-sensory approach that encourages students of all abilities. His words also made me think about poetry and about ways to teach it. Here are some of my favorite excerpts from my interview with him:

• "Poetry makes you think differently. It gives you a perspective that you didn't know you had. It makes you feel things."
• "To help someone to write poetry have them list things that they observe. To describe things differently from a different perspective have them sit in a different chair or thing about them from someone else's perspective."
• "Poetry is a great way to help writers to find their own voice. Reading your poems to others can give you confidence."
• "The worst thing a teacher can do is make a student change their creativity (writing). They need to respect the students writing."
• "I would encourage students of poetry by not expecting them to do what I want them to do, by having them rewrite a focused few lines, and by saying to them, 'That's a great line. Is this the best way that you can say it?'"
• "Poetry is impossible to grade. You need to grade on effort and you can't grade on creativity."

My interviews confirmed that I was on the right path and gave me new insight into the teaching, writing, and appreciation of poetry. They helped me in my quest to find ways to open the door to poetry for all of my students. They strengthened my belief that poetry is a key component of any language arts program. They also encouraged me to find ways of assessing that do not critique poems but rather the effort of the students and the quality of presentation.

During the development of this poetry unit I also spent a great deal of time in my school and with other professionals talking about the benefits of poetry as a medium for allowing students of all abilities to gain a better understanding and love of language.

I met with our special needs administrator, Susie DiRubio. Susie gave me some very concrete ideas on how to allow students to be successful. She suggested allowing some students to use a word processor for completing their poems. Use of the overhead projector was also recommended, as well as the creation of a clearly delineated student unit that made all of the expectations very concrete.

One of the most helpful meetings I had was with the teachers who are responsible for teaching language arts in the loop (non-graded, multi-aged groupings, in which students spend two years with an individual teacher) below mine and in the loop above mine. Those teachers gave me an idea of the units they were creating for age groups they taught. This help assured me that I was not recreating units that they had already presented or would be presenting. These teachers were also generous with their sharing of resources.

The final meeting I had was with my cooperating teacher, Jennifer Sanders. She was full of encouragement and enthusiasm for the project. Jennifer let me know what was going to be occurring in her classroom during the time my class worked on the anthology, and she was open to field trips I had planned, trips that would allow students to access their "nature smarts" and use all of their senses. Her wonderful sense of the abilities and interests of students made her an excellent backboard from which to bounce off ideas.

Multiple Intelligence Survey

The next step I took was to survey the students about their multiple intelligences. After completing the multiple intelligence survey, students were asked to find their top three intelligences. They were then asked to graph those intelligences on the board using post it notes to indicate their own intelligences on the graph. I was not surprised to find that the top three intelligences represented in my classroom were body smart, art smart, and music smart. My students' parents include many artists, musicians, theater, and trades people. This survey gave me a direction for the workshops in my unit.

I then reflected on the reading and research I had done on poetry. This is what I wrote:

Poetry lends itself to the multiple intelligences. It is by its very nature a conduit for our senses into words. It can be appreciated through a song because lyrics are poems. It can be danced to because it contains inner rhythm and beat. It can inspire or describe while it shares its meanings with others. It can be mathematical in its design as the haiku counts every syllable or the sonnet creates patterns of rhyme. It is inspired by nature as it translates experience into words. Poetry may be the perfect vehicle for exploring the multiple intelligences. (See also Appendix A)

This is the point at which all of my reading, interviewing, and discussion began to "gel" with my own thinking. Reflection was the culminating activity in my preparation; it helped me determine my next steps.

Additional Preparation

Poetry Survey

The poetry survey was a way for me to gather information on my students' prior knowledge about poetry and their attitudes towards poetry. My favorite question was "What is poetry?" My students' answers delighted and amazed me. I ended up developing a bulletin board around their answers so that their quotes could be shared with the entire group. The survey itself was a great starting point for discussion. (See Appendices B and C)

Classroom Diagram

Creating a diagram of my classroom allowed me to consider the flow my unit would take within the space we had available. It made me look at the best ways to arrange my desks for the work ahead. I considered where the parts of the lesson would take place and where I would place the resources and supplies. I thought about students' individual needs for quiet space to read and write, for meeting space to share their insights, drawings, poems they loved, and space for editing conferences. I looked at message board location and bulletin board placement. I tried to think "outside of the box" including, for added space, the back porch and the coatroom. I also looked for the best area for whole group meetings. These occurred twice during each class: in the beginning as a sharing time and at the end as a reflection time.

I also considered alternative settings where I might run workshops in our larger island community. I contacted the Trustees of Reservation and spoke with Suzan Bellincampi, the Conservation Education Coordinator. Together we brainstormed places where most of the children had not been in order to find a new place to spend some time writing that would offer fresh sensory experiences. These trips turned out to provide students with excellent places to create sensory poems. At the beach, for example, we wrote, but we also hiked and painted (using salt water).

Rubrics for Writing and Presenting Poetry

My final research tool came as an answer to my quest for quality in my students' work. The rubric specified the quality work I expected from students during class time, in the creation of their anthology, and in their final performance. Reviewing the rubric with my students at the beginning of the unit helped them to understand my expectations and set the stage for a high level of student participation.

Within the rubric I attempted to make high quality work accessible to all students. I did not say their poems needed to be of excellent literary quality or that they got more credit for choosing college level poems for their anthology. But the rubric does require a consistent performance showing effort, thought, and care. The rubric is also used for self-evaluation at the end of the unit. See Appendix D.

Reflection on Practice

This unit was a lot of work up front. Not only did I need to complete the research, design the surveys, forms, and rubric, and write the unit (see Appendix E), I also had to meet with the school librarian and reading teacher and go to the school library and the local library to gather resources for the classroom. My goal was to fill the classroom with poetry books and anthologies in a wide range of reading abilities and representing a variety of interests. I also asked students to bring in books from home to share with the class.

All of my preparation made my time in the classroom a joy. Because the resources were there, the expectations were clear, the days were well planned and organized, and the students were enthusiastic about the work, I had the time to stand back and observe my students. One of my favorite things to do is "kid watch," and taking anecdotal notes makes me especially observant. I saw students get excited about the poems they were reading and writing, and I watched students begin to share poems with one another and with me.

My reflections, which often looked like brief notes, will help me to plan the unit again in the future. They make the unit better and give me a chance to pause and reflect on all my hard work. They have also given me the opportunity to relish my students' successes. The groundwork I laid throughout the year--creating independent learners through reading and writing workshops--helped as well.

Conclusion

The unit provides my students with many choices, and the opportunity to make those choices gives my students ownership of their time and work. For the anthology component, students were allowed to pick their own theme, choose their own poems, illustrate and create their own covers. Because of the structure I have in place and because of the rubric students help design, students have the guidance they need; they know exactly what is expected of them. They have enough time to do it, and they have the choices necessary so they feel in control of their own learning.

The Poetry Anthology Unit is based on solid research. Its creation involved collaboration with teachers and specialists from inside and outside the school community. Preparation of the unit utilized input from students, and it included reflection on their strengths and needs. It is project-based and publication-driven and allows for creativity and choice within a quality framework. The end product is exhibited to the school community, including parents. The unit meets the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks, and yet it is not rigid in implementation or overly programmatic in nature. Most importantly, the unit teaches to the strengths of all students, allows for student choice (of subject and in use of time), creates accountability while allowing for freedom in planning, and calls for self-reflection and self-evaluation from students and teacher alike.

Teaching the Poetry Anthology Unit was the highlight of my school year. The best thing about the unit is the way it enables students of all abilities to enter into the world of poetry. It allows for differentiation because it allows for choice, and it allows students of all abilities to challenge themselves. Students who write and read at a more mature level naturally gravitate towards writing and reading at that level. Moreover, students who face considerable difficulty learning write some of the most amazing poems. Perhaps most important, not one of my students has completed this unit without finding a poem they love and without writing a poem that surprises them--because it is better than what they thought they could write. Those two facts make all the effort worthwhile.

About the Author

Amy Reece is a teacher at the Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School. She teaches 10 and 11 year olds in a multi-aged classroom. She is responsible for teaching social studies and language arts and, in conjunction with her teaching partner, Jennifer Sanders, works on integrating these areas with the subjects of science and math. Recently she completed her masters in special education through Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. She loves teaching on the island of Martha's Vineyard because it has beautiful and inspiring natural settings available to her students. The school fully supports using the island as a classroom and encourages trips to beaches, wooded areas, and outdoor sculpture gardens for inspiration and authentic experiences. If you have any questions, comments, or great poetry teaching ideas, please contact Amy Reece at:

Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School
P.O. Box 546
West Tisbury, MA 02575
amyreecemv@aol.com

Agnoli, Jeff. 2001. Interview by author. Martha's Vineyard, 4 April.

Aronie, Josh. 2001. Interview by author. Martha's Vineyard, 26 April.

Aronie, Nancy Slonim. 1998. Writing from the Heart Tapping the Power of Your Inner Voice. New York: Hyperion.

Atwell, Nancie. 1998. In the Middle New Understandings About Writing Reading, and Learning. Portsmouth: Heinemann.

Goldberg, Natalie. 1990. Wild Mind Living the Writer's Life. New York: Bantam Books.

Goldberg, Natalie. 1986. Writing Down the Bones, Freeing the Writer Within. Boston: Shambhala.

Graves, Donald H. 1990. Discover Your Own Literacy. Portsmouth: Heinemann.

Hubbard, Ruth Shagoury, and Brenda Miller Power. 1993. The Art of Classroom Inquiry. Portsmouth: Heinemann.

Kirk, Samuel A., James J. Gallagher, and Nicholas J. Anastasiow. 1997. Educating Exceptional Children. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Leu, Donald J., and Charles K. Kinzer. 1995. Effective Reading Instruction. Columbus: Prentice Hall Publishing.

Lipson, Greta Barclay, and Jane A. Romatowski. 1981. Calliope A Handbook of 47 Poetic Forms and Figures of Speech. Carthage: Good Apple, Inc.

McVeigh-Schultz, Jane, and Mary Lynn Ellis. 1997. With a Poet's Eye. Portsmouth: Heinemann Publishing.

Sweeny, Jacqueline. 1993. Teaching Poetry Yes You Can!. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Tomlinson, Carol Ann. 1999. The Differentiated Classroom Responding to the Needs of All Learners. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Vaughn, Sharon, Candace S. Bos, and Jeanne Shay Schumm. 2000. Teaching Exceptional, Diverse, and At-Risk Students in the General Education Classroom. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Villa, Richard A., and Jacqueline S. Thousand. 1995. Creating and Inclusive School. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Wood, Chip. 1999. Yardsticks, Children in the Classroom Ages 4-14. Greenfield: Northeast Foundation for Children.


Useful Web sites

http://fuzzy.snakeden.org/plessons/types.html

http://www.poetryteachers.com

http://teenwriting.about.com

http://www.geocities.com

Word Poetry is, by its very nature, a conduit for our senses into words.

 

Math Poetry can be mathematical in design as the haiku counts every syllable or the sonnet creates patterns of rhyme.

 

Music Poetry can be appreciated through a song because lyrics are poems. Music can inspire poetry writing.

 

Body Poetry can be danced to as it contains obvious and subtle inner rhythms and beats.

 

Art Poetry can describe or inspire art as a vessel of expression of our world.

 

Self Poetry can identify and reflect on the soul of the writer as it strives to describe the most indescribable emotions and feelings.

 

People Poetry attempts to share the soul of the writer and their world with others as it attempts to put into words the inner and outer self.

 

Nature Poetry views the world through a poet's eye and notices even the smallest miracles that occur in our everyday world.

Literature Strand 2--Channel 4
Novice - Beginner

Directions: Please answer the following survey questions neatly and in complete sentences.

1. Do you like poetry?
Why? Why not?


2. What is poetry?


3. Name a poet you like.

4. What is one poem you remember from when you were a child?

5. What is the last poem that you read?
When did you read it?

6. Do you like to write poetry?
Why or why not?


7. How many kinds of poetry can you think of?
Please list them



8. Which is your favorite kind of poetry?


9. Are the words to a song the same as poetry?


Write the words to a song you like from the radio or a CD on the back of this paper.

10. How do you figure out what a poem means? Tell me exactly how you might do it.

11. What do you remember having read to you as a child? Stories or poems?

To the question What is poetry? students responded:

• Poetry is paragraphs of rhyming and tongue twisting sentences.
• Poetry is a form of expression on paper. It is like your feelings on paper.
• Poetry is like a story but not as long.
• Poetry is a rhyming story.
• Poetry is rhyme and rhythm.
• Poetry is a short story that rhymes and that is just not finished.
• Poetry is a song or story that rhymes.
• Poetry flows.
• Poetry is like a story but sometimes it doesn't have to make much sense.
• Poetry is cool because it softens your heart.
• Poetry is a type of writing.
• Poetry is writing with a rhythm. Even if it doesn't rhyme, it has rhythm.
• Poetry is a short story.
• Poetry is something that lets you describe something and look at something and you have things come to your head.
• Poetry is a play on words or something to describe a moment.
• Poetry is creative writing not in book form.
• Poetry is writing that exercises your feelings.
• Poetry is creative writing that expresses your feelings.
• Poetry is like a song without the melody.
• Poetry is a form of writing that tells about a particular thing.
• Poetry is a form of writing.
• Some poetry is very long or boring and I don't understand it.
  
  

Poetry Anthology Unit

Introduction

For the next six weeks we will be immersing ourselves in poetry. We will do this through the creation of a poetry anthology and a day of poetry presentation. The anthology will have some very specific requirements, but within those requirements you will have a lot of room for creativity. I know that you will enjoy this unit because it will give you a lot of chances to be creative and a lot of choices about how you use your time.

The unit will be run as a reading/writing workshop. This is what each class will roughly look like.

1. Poetry share by students. You will be able to sign up for days and you may share a poem that you really enjoy or a poem that you have written.

2. A mini-lesson on poetry. This may be a new structure for writing a poem or an introduction to new vocabulary that is specific to poetry.

3. Status of the class. This will be your chance to let me know how you plan on spending your time that class. You may choose to work on one of your own poems, have an editing conference, spend time reading poems in search for your anthology, or later on begin memorizing and planning for your poetry presentation or work on the cover for your completed anthology.

4. Independent reading and writing time.

5. End of class share. At the end of each class we will return to the carpet area to share what we have worked on and reflect on our learning and our progress.

The Anthology

You will publish an anthology by the end of the six weeks. The anthology will include the following.

1. A chosen theme. You are better off choosing a broader theme because it will give you more options of poems. Some themes might include nature, courage, change, journey, celebration of life, love, or humor.

2. Ten poems that you find in poetry books that fit that theme. Each poem must be copied in cursive and should be illustrated in some way. At the bottom of each poem should be a brief explanation of why you chose that poem.

3. Ten poems that you have written. At least four of these poems should fit your theme. I know this sounds like a lot but I am going to give you lots of ways to write poems in class and lots of help. These also need to be in cursive and final draft form.

4. A glossary of poetry terms page. This page should include definitions poetry terms. I will give you a sheet of terms and you will learn the definitions during mini lessons. Your glossary will need to be in cursive and in final draft form.

5. An original cover. Your cover should reflect your theme and must have an original binding such as yarn, rope, or nails. For example, if your theme were nature, your cover might be made from birch bark. If your theme were change you might decorate your cover with pictures of caterpillars and butterflies. If your theme were greed you might decorate your cover with pictures of money.

6. A self-assessment conference with your teacher about the completed quality of your anthology.

The Production

At the end of this unit we will invite your parents in for a "Poetry Café." At this time you will be responsible for presenting your poem of choice. Your presentation will include the following:

1. The presentation of a memorized poem. This poem should be a minimum of 20 lines. If you would like to present shorter works you may do a series of poems.

2. Creative representation through the use of costume, props, music, or whatever you think would make your poetry presentation more effective.

Multiple Intelligence Connection

Math Smart, Word Smart, Self Smart

Objectives

• To begin thinking about how to figure out the meaning of a poem.
• To understand the traditional form of haiku.
• To begin exploring the nuances of language and understand how personal each person's interpretation can be.
• To introduce the idea that poetry is a way of translating the world.

Materials Needed

• Overhead Projector
• Poems and Haiku samples on transparencies
• Handouts of haiku
• Paper and pencils

Lesson

1. Introduce the title of Anna Swir's poem, I Have Ten Legs. Ask the students to predict what they think it might be about.

2. Read them the poem while showing it on the overhead projector. Ask them what they think it is about. Accept all responses.

3. Introduce the famous haiku by the Japanese poet Basho (which can be found in One Hundred Frogs, a collection by Hiroaki Sato). Use the Japanese words and their literal translation.

4. Present students with the problem, "How can the English words be shaped into a poem that translates both the meaning and the poetic pleasures of sound and rhythm?"

5. Discuss traditional Haiku format but stress that you will not be requiring that format in their translations.

6. Present some of the poems in One Hundred Frogs and ask students to point out what they notice.

7. Give students their own poem to translate

8. Share student translations with whole class.

Directions

Read the poem, Little Peach Blossoms in the Garden, by Li Shang-yin. Now try writing your own poem. You can use some of the words in the poem or all of them. You can arrange them in any order, and you can add other words too.

Multiple Intelligence Connection

Body Smart, Word Smart, People Smart

Objectives

• To experience an everyday object with fresh eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and sense of touch.
• To search for fresh and surprising language.
• To engage the senses in order to engage the mind.

Materials Needed

• An orange for every child in the class
• A paper towel
• A worksheet on which to brainstorm ideas
• Paper and pencils

Lesson

1. Present the orange to the students as if it was a rare and valuable gift. To help the students remind them that an orange was a favorite present given in stockings a hundred years ago because of their scarcity.

2. Tell students to eat the orange slowly and with much intent. They need to use all of their senses as they do so, and they should write their ideas down (on the form provided) as they come to them being sure to cover all the senses. Invite the use of metaphors and similes.

3. When they are done they should write a poem about the experience. They could title it How to Eat an Orange.

4. Allow time for peer sharing and editing.

5. Have students present their rough drafts to the class.

6. Keep comments limited to "The most surprising image I heard was . . ."

7. Have student's final draft and illustrate their poems for their anthology.

Directions: Eat your orange as if it is the first orange you have ever had. Pretend that it is a rare and valuable object. Then, fill in the rows with as many descriptive words as you can think of for each category. Feel free to use metaphors and similes as well as adjectives, nouns, verbs, and adverbs.

What do you see?





What do you hear?





What do you smell?






What do you feel?






What do you taste?

Multiple Intelligence Connection

Body Smart, People Smart, Art Smart

Objectives

• To see that our lives are filled with objects, events, and people.
• To realize that poets often look at what is right in front of them and through their art, reveal the ordinary world in all of its extraordinary beauty and detail.

Materials Needed

• Overhead Projector
• Sample poems (on transparencies) about ordinary objects and events
• A collection of everyday objects that could be transformed into poems
• Paper and pencils

Lesson

1. Project and read Frank O'Hara's poem Today.

2. Discuss how ordinary objects in poems can be surprising.

3. Project and read some student poems about ordinary objects.

4. Discuss lines that surprise and delight.

5. Allow students to choose an object from those that you have brought in or from anywhere in the room to write a poem about.

6. Have students share and edit their poem with one or more peers.

7. Share student poems and have students write their comment "sandwiches" to hand to the students as they finish their reading.

8. Have students create a final draft form with illustrations to add to their anthology.

Multiple Intelligence Connection

Music Smart, Art Smart, Word Smart

Objectives

• To create drawings and then poems inspired by music.
• To encourage imagery and word play.
• To experience the translation of music into words.

Materials Needed

• CD player
• A variety of instrumental pieces from jazz to classical
• Art supplies such as crayons, markers, water colors, colored pencils, pastels and good art paper
• Paper and pencils

Lesson

1. Ask students to listen quietly to the world around them. Ask them what they hear and ask them to describe it.

2. Have them listen to a variety of instrumental pieces with their eyes closed and then discuss what they heard.

3. Have them listen to a variety of instrumental pieces and then create drawings of those pieces.

4. Next have the students listen to that music again but have them write in poetry what they hear.

5. Allow time for peer sharing and editing.

6. Have students read their poems aloud; then have their classmates share what they specifically liked about the writing.

7. Have students combine their drawings and poems in final draft form for the anthology.

Multiple Intelligence Connection

People Smart, Word Smart

Objectives

• To further understand the use of dialogue.
• To have an opportunity to create a poem with a peer.
• To find the "voice" in a poem.
• To find clues for understanding meaning in a poem.

Materials

• A way of grouping students so partners have differing abilities.
• Paper and pencil

Lesson

1. Introduce students to dialogue poems by sharing with them a few examples.

2. Group students into mixed ability pairs.

3. Have students work together to create a dialogue poem.

4. Have students practice and perform their dialogue poem for the whole class.

5. Have the class respond to the performances and poems in written form for the partners to read together later. Notes should include a positive comment, a question they have, and a suggestion.

6. Using the written comments of their peers, have partners revise their poems for publication.

7. Have students create a final draft and illustrate their dialogue poem for their anthology.

Multiple Intelligence Connection

Body Smart, Word Smart, Self Smart

Objectives

• To notice words in the world around us.
• To pay attention to how words can combine to create different meanings.
• To explore written language and find words that students enjoy and connect with.

Materials Needed

• For homework the day before this class students should cut out 50 to 100 words from magazines and newspapers that they have at home. The more words the better. They should be sure to choose a variety of parts of speech.
• Glue and colored paper

Lesson

1. Students should bring with them to class 50 to 100 words that they have gathered from newspapers and magazines at home.

2. When they get to class, students should take out their words and arrange them on colored paper in a poem format.

3. They may not write words but they may create them out of letters or trade with a friend if they like.

4. Completed poems should be shared with the class and included in their poetry anthology.

Multiple Intelligence Connection

Nature Smart, Art Smart, Word Smart

Objectives:

• To see their world through a poet's eye.
• To connect art to language.
• To experience nature through art and poetry.

Materials Needed

• A clipboard and pencil for each child
• A sensory poem sheet for the beach for each child
• A set of art supplies of the child's choosing (watercolors, magic markers, crayons, colored pencils, sketching pencils)
• Watercolor paper for each child

Lesson

1. Prepare the student's for their walk by sharing with them some nature poems.

2. Take the students to a natural setting (in this case a dramatic beach) that they have not been to before to help them appreciate their world through a poet's eye.

3. Have them find a place to sit alone, and let them sketch or write in the order of their choosing.

4. Before writing, have them fill out the sensory sheet. Ask them to try for "surprising" language or language that sounds like their images.

5. Give students plenty of time and encouragement to appreciate and write about their setting.

6. The goal for the day should be to end up with a rough draft of a poem that they can edit and polish back at school.

7. Before leaving the setting have students share their work with each other. Students may comment on words or groups of words that they particularly enjoy.

Directions: Today, when you are at the beach, you will need to find a spot where you can be alone to concentrate on your writing. You should drink in with all of your senses the experience of being at the beach. Before you write, you should fill in as many sensory images as you can think of for each category. Let your language be surprising and fresh.

What do you see?





What do you hear?





What do you smell?





What do you feel?





What do you taste?