On the Teaching of Poetry as Key to Writing InstructionMany of you have been interested in the teaching of creative writing genres.
Here, poet Dorethea Lasky argues for poetry as the foundation for writing instruction. Read her full comments here: "What Poetry Teaches us about the Power of Persuasion" She says, "If we care about how well our students write, we should not condescend and limit their exploration of language, either. We should make sure students have the space in schools to learn that they can write, and develop a lifelong passion for words. Poetry is the way to do this." What do you think about this approach? How do you think a poetry-centric approach would be received by other teachers, administrators, parents?
9 Comments
Emily Etheridge
3/27/2017 01:59:09 pm
I thin that a lot of these ideas are very good. She's right in realizing that poetry is in music and music is a daily portion of the average students life, particularly during the developmental period during high school in which students are still figuring out who they are and discovering multiple different types of music. So breaking down songs in order to teach poetry and different forms of writing is very practical and efficient. It makes it easier to get students interested and engaged in a lesson.
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Laikyn Hackett
3/27/2017 03:26:51 pm
I agree with Lasky's statement solely because our rigid rules on grammar are limiting to students and are ultimately taking away their passions to write. We wonder why we're seeing more and more individuals stray from writing, or why some are convinced that they simply 'cant write', when in all actuality it's because we taking taking away the fun from writing. Yes, I do understand that writing instruction is not supposed to be all play and no work, but approaching students with only non-fiction, fact-based writing certainly is not keeping them engaged in learning more about language and writing itself.
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Madeline Binney
3/31/2017 11:46:28 am
I have always loved poetry; in sixth grade I wrote a poem, “A Summer Day”, which I can still quote at a moment’s notice. It’s not a perfect poem, but I was proud of it and entered it into a contest in which it could get published in a collection of other middle schoolers’ poems; I didn’t place, but I got published and I was so excited that I remember taking the book to school and showing anyone who would let me. I agree that writing poems in and outside of class lets students write down what is swirling inside of their brains in a way that is both unique to them and common to all. I like that Lasky mentions the idea of expanding the student’s vocabulary and ability to choose the word that is just right for a specific moment or being able to write it more concisely; they can then use this experience when they are writing a paper and would like to use a stronger word.
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Sara Cain
4/2/2017 04:52:18 pm
I love the idea of a poetry-centric approach! Poetry is my favorite genre as well as the primary reason why I love literature, and I would love to help my students discover their own love of literature through the same experience. Poetry's unique structures and musical quality allow it to be more engaging, drawing readers in more easily than a traditional novel format. Teaching writing through poetry and utilizing comparisons to music make writing relevant and approachable because it proves that "all students can write, if we let them." With these techniques, we enable students to create meaningful writing, without the debilitating effects of stressing over rigid grammar rules.
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Alana Reynolds
4/13/2017 08:35:10 am
I really appreciate the ideas that Lasky is presenting here. Because poetry is such a versatile genre, I think it has the potential to function in a great variety of ways in the teaching of writing. Primarily, I think poetry is the first step a teacher should take in showing their students that they can write, they can write for a purpose, and they can write well. Poetry is perhaps the most powerful genre of writing, and can do the best job of showing students that their words can have power and evoke emotion and move mountains. Before students can develop a desire to grow as writers, they have to find the motivation to write, and I think students find motivation in knowing their writing matters. Poetry does this for students. I think that's why it's so intimidating for students at first. So I also believe you need to convince your students that because something is powerful doesn't mean it should be intimidating. Teaching poetry is also useful because there are so many CHOICES students can be given when writing poetry -- and I think that is essential in motivating and teaching students. Freedom is important in art. Writing is art. Freedom is important in writing.
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Dena Stanley
4/17/2017 08:09:39 pm
Personally, I somewhat agree with this approach, but not entirely. I feel as if the article shows that our ELA classrooms are in a direct need for diverse reading and writing genres to be taught to students. Students need to understand and appreciate different forms of writing, other than a research paper. There is a lot of emphasis on preparation for tests, college, among other things. This results in a lot of repetitive, basic five paragraph essay writing and evaluation. I feel as if a poetry-centric approach would not be taken well by other teachers, administrators, or parents because it strays so far from routine instruction of a normal classroom, and there are benefits but other genres of writing are necessary as well. I agree with this article because students need diverse forms of writing to be taught to them in the classroom. They need to discover what they like and don’t like, and they need to see that not ELA instruction is “boring” and based on research. However, we should not limit ourselves to just poetry. That is where I slightly disagree. I think poetry is vital to the world of writing instruction. It is also very relevant in pop culture, as the article states. However, what about the other neglected forms of writing? Poetry is important, but should not be the foundation for all writing instruction.
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Dalvin Armstrong
4/18/2017 09:46:26 am
I think the use of poetry is definitely a means of creating better readers and writers. But, some of the approaches used I wouldn't use in my own classroom. Some schools are often a place for a certain sort of rigid language instruction, which can make them hostile environments for students who are not exposed to poetry in earlier stages of schooling.The must important component I see in incorporating poetry is the freedom of all writers and readers. If we as educators care about how our students write, we should not limit their exploration of language. We should make sure students have the space in schools to learn that they can write, and develop a lifelong passion for words. Furthermore, I think poetry allows student sot grasp thesis ideas and become lifelong readers of all genres.Poetry gives us the sense of freedom in reading and writing to imagine things at a greater level in education.
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Derrick Chariker
4/19/2017 08:25:18 pm
I love this wonderful idea! An out of the box idea like this is what's needed in the world of academics so that it can shake things up a little bit. I write poetry, I've taken multiple poetry classes at this university, and have had a poem published as in another college's magazine. I've learned that poetry needs to have a flow, whether it's rhyming, story-telling, or both. When you read a poem, you just know when you hit a bump and go "hmm that doesn't feel right" While poetry is an expression of someone it should make sense in the context, much like writing. There are many forms of writing but they have make sense in the context in which they are written. How I write an academic paper will not be the same as how I write a newspaper columns. But poetry is fun too and helps focus on our thoughts which can translate well into writing. But like others have mentioned it may not be received well in other areas, like my old high school, and must be proven to those who don't see it's usefulness.
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Estefani Domingues
4/25/2017 07:07:42 am
I really like the approach that Lasky proposes. Poetry is a great way to have students engaged in writing and the best thing about writing poetry is that there is no wrong way to do it. I remember doing poetry back in public school and all of the students enjoyed it all because they had to freedom to do what they wanted. While some of the teachers might have required a certain form of poetry, it was still ours to fix up as we wanted. I do believe that there is a bit of a stigma about poetry among students just due to the lack of poetry done in the classroom, so when the one kid who frequently does poetry shows their notebooks or their stack of poems, they might get teased or looked at oddly. Yet, if poetry is done frequently enough, it could become a norm. I agree with Lasky about how poetry inspires new ideas. That is one thing I like about poetry. The moment it comes time to write, you immediately try coming up with different ideas. This is something that many students may not even sit down and do normally, but because they have been given the freedom to sit and do as they please with their poem, they flip through many ideas in their minds.
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