Poetry Writing Starts the Year


Poetry can change our view on things.
Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash

INSIDE: Why start the year with poetry writing? + A book of (silly) poems!


Early this year our writing class has been writing poetry. Why?

There's actually a method to our madness.

Poetry offers the opportunity to do lots of short writing that is focused on using precise language. Because poetry often operates on two levels -- the literal and nonliteral -- it gives writers (and readers) a chance to think beyond the obvious. And thinking is what our classroom is all about!

I created a couple poetry mini-units and collected some examples of poems for us to read and think about. In the process, I'm introducing the kids to the idea that writers study "mentor texts" for ideas about how to achieve certain effects with their writing. The best writing teacher is something good to read.

I am From...  Poems 
Our first mini-unit was writing some "I am from..." poems. These explored who we are and what is important to us. Our goal was to think a bit deeper than the actual physical location we are from and begin to examine what we love to do and who has been important in our lives.

We tried to create strong, clear images so our readers could really see (and feel) what we meant.

The poems were terrific! Many students posted their poem to Kidblog for others to see. Some may have printed them off and brought them home because some really are a tribute to parents and grandparents!

Over-the-top Odes
Our second mini-unit explored odes as a poetic form. Odes are "praise poems." They originated in the distant past as a way to praise a king or queen or some other "important" person. They have an over-the-top quality to them that is fun to imitate and twist.

Modern poets -- Pablo Neruda, in particular -- have written odes as a way to praise much more ordinary things. For instance, Neruda wrote a famous poem in praise of his socks.

In our unit, I wanted to introduce the kids to nonliteral language (and thinking). In addition to continuing our work on strong imagery and precise language, odes are chock-full of similes and metaphors. You'll see the way students used these techniques in their poems to heighten the playfulness of their poetry.

These tools -- imagery, simile, and metaphor -- will come in handy throughout the year. But even more importantly, this way of thinking -- where words can be read on several levels at once -- is an important way to think about reading and language and is key to understanding complex stories and ideas.

Poetry can change our view on things.

At any rate, here is a link to a book that contains some of the odes we wrote.

Comments

  1. Oh my goodness. I LOVE these odes. I laughed and smiled and now today, all day long, every single object that crosses my path (and even ones that do not) will feel alive. I, too, may find myself over-complimenting them. Student Ode Writers, The tips of your pens offer glorious gifts of words, gifts like shooting stars across the heavens of my morning here in the small country town of Holland, NY. I thank you completely, from the chippy red polish dotting my toes to my uncombed, graying hair. xxxx

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  2. Dear Amy (if you don't mind us calling you that),

    Thank you for your
    glorious compliments.
    Your words are like
    rabbits hopping along
    the path of our lives
    across the pages of our minds.

    Your words are like arrows
    shooting across the world
    across all of the ode-ceans (get it?)
    so deep and wide.

    We thank you, dear Poet,
    for wrinkling our faces
    with happy smiles.
    Our hearts are melting
    like marshmallows
    roasting over
    a glowing campfire.

    :)
    From,
    the Poets of 5-P

    PS. If you need poems for your next book, you might want to look in our direction...

    ReplyDelete

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