From: JSidman at aol.com <JSidman>
Date: Tue, 2 May 2000 08:31:33 EDT

In response to the question of whether classic and contemporary poetry can be mixed, I say ABSOLUTELY! Kids have no problem switching gears, as collections like "Talking to the Sun" have shown. Speaking of Shel Silverstein, I have paired his poetry with William Blake. In a poetry-writing lesson, we ask questions of mysterious animals, using as models Blake's
"Tyger, Tyger" and a poem of Silverstein's called "The Silver Fish," which starts:

While fishing in the blue lagoon, I caught a lovely silver fish, And he spoke to me, "My boy," quoth he,
"Please set me free and I'll grant your wish; A kingdom of wisdom? A palace of gold? Or all the fancies your mind can hold?"

While the language in Blake is difficult for elementary-age children, the rhythm and the imagery is riveting. They get most of it, and they write wonderful question-and-answer poems.

Joyce Sidman
Received on Tue 02 May 2000 07:31:33 AM CDT