Poetry
Poetry... where do I begin? I have never been a fan of poetry. My high school self would say "I hate poetry" but I realize now that hate is such a strong word. I strongly disliked poetry, mainly the poetry we did in class. It was boring and outdated, to say the least. They were always the same kind of poem- with rhyme and iambic pentameter. I always dread poetry weeks. Poetry was something I could never get a handle on. Choosing English as my concentration meant I would have to teach my students poetry at some point. I was nervous how I would get my students interested in poetry when I, myself, aren't interested in poetry.
My SED 407 professor had us come up with a dream unit, one that we would want to teach if we didn't have to worry about state standards, and parent push back. It took me a couple minutes to think of something that I would want to teach my students and that's when it hit me. I tried thinking what would get me interested in poetry, at least interested enough to learn something. Prof. Burns played "Lose Yourself" by Eminem while we worked and that's when my idea hit me, I wanted to teach my students how to analyze rap (or their favorite kind of music) as poetry.
This started out as a dream unit until I started my observation hours at North Providence High School. The students I was observing, had "senior-itis". They were highly grade motivated but were not interested in the typically required works for seniors. My cooperating teacher had to come up with a way to teach these students so she started to do a poem a day with them. We have to teach two lessons during these observations and that's how my dream unit became a reality.
Christensen talks about poetry being a community builder; letting students know "they are not alone in their struggles, that other people face similar challenges" (Teaching for Joy and Justice 15). Engaging with students on personal levels helps them to feel respected in the classroom. I wanted to be able to incorporate what my students enjoy and the curriculum. I presented my lesson plan to my brother, who is 19 and closest to these in both age and viewpoint on school. I asked him what he thought and he said that he would pay attention more in class if he was able to do more assignments like the one in my lesson plan.
Students need to feel like their voices are heard and that their opinions and likes are welcomed in a class. There is no better way to afford them that than to incorporate their interests into your classroom curriculum.
My SED 407 professor had us come up with a dream unit, one that we would want to teach if we didn't have to worry about state standards, and parent push back. It took me a couple minutes to think of something that I would want to teach my students and that's when it hit me. I tried thinking what would get me interested in poetry, at least interested enough to learn something. Prof. Burns played "Lose Yourself" by Eminem while we worked and that's when my idea hit me, I wanted to teach my students how to analyze rap (or their favorite kind of music) as poetry.
This started out as a dream unit until I started my observation hours at North Providence High School. The students I was observing, had "senior-itis". They were highly grade motivated but were not interested in the typically required works for seniors. My cooperating teacher had to come up with a way to teach these students so she started to do a poem a day with them. We have to teach two lessons during these observations and that's how my dream unit became a reality.
Christensen talks about poetry being a community builder; letting students know "they are not alone in their struggles, that other people face similar challenges" (Teaching for Joy and Justice 15). Engaging with students on personal levels helps them to feel respected in the classroom. I wanted to be able to incorporate what my students enjoy and the curriculum. I presented my lesson plan to my brother, who is 19 and closest to these in both age and viewpoint on school. I asked him what he thought and he said that he would pay attention more in class if he was able to do more assignments like the one in my lesson plan.
Students need to feel like their voices are heard and that their opinions and likes are welcomed in a class. There is no better way to afford them that than to incorporate their interests into your classroom curriculum.
Jaci, I'm seeing a common theme in the blogs this week: we all have some sort of dislike or discomfort with poetry. I think we can all look back on our experiences in high school and know that that's the reason. I'm sure we've all had similar ELA curriculum's in high school, maybe the reason we were so deeply rooted in Shakespearean poetry because of where we went to school. I can't help but think about the socioeconomic factors that play a role in how a teacher approaches curriculum. Christensen taught students who had a tough home-life and found a way to help them channel that energy in a curriculum friendly way. I hope in the future, if we ever teach poetry, that we can approach it the same way Christensen did.
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