Poetry (noun): the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts. -Dictionary.com
Prior to reading class texts, I am going to write a reflection about my views of poetry. I will reflect on my personal feelings about reading poetry, writing poetry, teaching poetry, criteria for a good poem, and how I could create my own “poetry environment” in my classroom. Before I dive into my views of poetry, this is what I stumbled upon just by googling ‘Poetry.’ Check out these cool websites…
All of the above websites came from surface level research. All I had to do to find these resources was type in ‘Poetry’ to google. In a matter of 3 minutes, I was presented with countless information about poetry. To me, this means that poetry is ALL around us. It’s not only used in a classroom during the month of April (National Poetry Month). Poetry is beauty that surrounds us. All can recognize it in the world around them and write it. There is no right or wrong. It is up to interpretation and ones own viewings.
When I read poetry, I am in a trance. I am captured by the captivating words that authors use to draw readers in. My emotions are drawn in. When I read poetry, I am inspired to write my own poem. One of my favorite authors to read is Shel Silverstein. When I read Shel Silverstein’s poetry, I am brought back to my younger years. He draws readers in with his humorous choice of words. When I read his poems, I am drawn back to the times during elementary school that my mom used to sit down with my siblings and I and read from ‘Falling Up’ and ‘A Light in the Attic.’ Specifically, I remember the times that I would beg my mother to read the poem ‘Dancing in the Rain’ by Shel Silverstein. As she read, my siblings and I would giggle when we saw the man running in the rain without clothes on.
When it comes to writing poetry, the motivation is there. I am so inspired by authors and their abilities to write. However, when my pen meets the paper, I am at a standstill. I feel as if I can’t write the same motivational words that these outstanding writers do. Nothing that I write will ever compare to the things that they have published. One day, I aspire to be an author. I would love to make children giggle and think and dream the way that many authors have done for me. However, I don’t feel adequate enough. Especially with poetry.
Last year during student teaching, I taught a unit on poetry. Throughout the unit, my students learned the different types of poetry and then used application skills and activities to create their own. The poems ranged from verse, cinquain, rhyme, haike, narrative, and free verse. At the end of the unit, as students finalized their poems in their writers notebook, they were tasked to create their own ‘Poetry Portfolio’ to share at the 5th grade ‘Poetry Cafe.’ The poetry cafe took place on Parent Night. Here, the students were encouraged to read their poetry in front of the room for all 5th grade parents to hear. After teaching these lessons, the only poetry lesson that I really struggled with was narrative and free verse. For free verse, I used George Ella Lyon’s ‘Where I’m From’ poem as a template for them to write. If I didn’t have this template, I would be unsure of what direction to teach in. For narrative writing, I had students create stories based off of pictures that they see. Both were hard for students to understand. I felt as if I didn’t have the appropriate tools to properly guide them to understanding.
I know that I have read a good poem when I am captured by its words. Meaning, the art of the words bring my emotions to elevated thoughts. The words ignite my imagination to imagine a world of all beliefs. However, it is important to know that not all poetry will make you feel beautiful. In fact, there are many poems out there that make me angry and bitter. I still consider these poems to be beautiful and bright. It is these poems that spark the light of my imagination and ignite my feelings to feel something. It is these poems that ignite my flame to create my own poetry. One of the best poems that I have read that inspires me and ignites my desire to write is, ‘Continue’ by Maya Angelou…
CONTINUE: a poem Maya Angelou My wish for you Is that you continue Continue To be who and how you are To astonish a mean world With your acts of kindness Continue To allow humor to lighten the burden Of your tender heart Continue In a society dark with cruelty To let the people hear the grandeur Of God in the peals of your laughter Continue To let your eloquence Elevate the people to heights They had only imagined Continue To remind the people that Each is as good as the other And that no one is beneath Nor above you Continue To remember your own young years And look with favor upon the lost And the least and the lonely Continue To put the mantle of your protection Around the bodies of The young and defenseless Continue To take the hand of the despised And diseased and walk proudly with them In the high street Some might see you and Be encouraged to do likewise Continue To plant a public kiss of concern On the cheek of the sick And the aged and infirm And count that as a Natural action to be expected Continue To let gratitude be the pillow Upon which you kneel to Say your nightly prayer And let faith be the bridge You build to overcome evil And welcome good Continue To ignore no vision Which comes to enlarge your range And increase your spirit Continue To dare to love deeply And risk everything For the good thing Continue To float Happily in the sea of infinite substance Which set aside riches for you Before you had a name Continue And by doing so You and your work Will be able to continue Eternally
I hope to create a poetry environment in my classroom that is inspiring and uplifting. I want to encourage writers to love poetry. If I have students that don’t enjoy writing in the first place, I want poetry to be their window into writing. However, I am unsure of how to do this. How do I make poetry, something that I struggle with, something of extreme success for my students?
