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Classroom idea for poetry
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From: Robin Smith <smithr>
Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2005 14:36:36 -0500
A number of years ago, I heard Naomi Shihab Nye speak about her second grade teacher and the poetry-filled classroom she provided for young Naomi. Her description of the room, surrounded by chalkboards, filled with poems was a tremendous inspiration to me. As a second grade teacher, I longed to bring poetry to my children in a daily, regular way. Though I still wish I could be as inspiring as Naomi's second grade teacher, I don't think my headmaster would quite appreciate every minute of the day filled with poetry...so this will have to suffice. After some slogging about, I came up with this simple method.
One of our classroom jobs is called "Poet of the Week." The "Poet of the Week" is responsible for choosing a poem to read to the class each morning. I have the Poet of the Week choose her poem from a bag of poetry books, which range from old tattered anthologies to more modern fare. Each year, favorites come to light. One year, half the children chose from my Langston Hughes books and this year the favorite is Ghigna's A Fury of Motion: Poems for Boys and Oxford's One Hundred Years of Poetry for Children. Children often find poems from home. They don't tend to choose the childhood standards of Prelutsky and Silverstein...they like more serious stuff. I add new books to the bag all the time and we have a whole bookshelf of new books to highlight the new titles as they are published.
The child has a week to find one special poem and practice reading it aloud at home. Then, each morning of his special week, he recites it for the class. I also recite my favorite poem of the week later in the morning, and I change my poem each week. So, my students hear two poems five times each week and I am often amazed how much they remember.
Once, when Poetry Alive came and visited, their lips were moving as they were listening! The flash of recognition is so satisfying for them. And me.
Robin Smith Ensworth School 211 Ensworth Avenue Nashville, TN 37205
Received on Mon 18 Apr 2005 02:36:36 PM CDT
Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2005 14:36:36 -0500
A number of years ago, I heard Naomi Shihab Nye speak about her second grade teacher and the poetry-filled classroom she provided for young Naomi. Her description of the room, surrounded by chalkboards, filled with poems was a tremendous inspiration to me. As a second grade teacher, I longed to bring poetry to my children in a daily, regular way. Though I still wish I could be as inspiring as Naomi's second grade teacher, I don't think my headmaster would quite appreciate every minute of the day filled with poetry...so this will have to suffice. After some slogging about, I came up with this simple method.
One of our classroom jobs is called "Poet of the Week." The "Poet of the Week" is responsible for choosing a poem to read to the class each morning. I have the Poet of the Week choose her poem from a bag of poetry books, which range from old tattered anthologies to more modern fare. Each year, favorites come to light. One year, half the children chose from my Langston Hughes books and this year the favorite is Ghigna's A Fury of Motion: Poems for Boys and Oxford's One Hundred Years of Poetry for Children. Children often find poems from home. They don't tend to choose the childhood standards of Prelutsky and Silverstein...they like more serious stuff. I add new books to the bag all the time and we have a whole bookshelf of new books to highlight the new titles as they are published.
The child has a week to find one special poem and practice reading it aloud at home. Then, each morning of his special week, he recites it for the class. I also recite my favorite poem of the week later in the morning, and I change my poem each week. So, my students hear two poems five times each week and I am often amazed how much they remember.
Once, when Poetry Alive came and visited, their lips were moving as they were listening! The flash of recognition is so satisfying for them. And me.
Robin Smith Ensworth School 211 Ensworth Avenue Nashville, TN 37205
Received on Mon 18 Apr 2005 02:36:36 PM CDT
