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Children Writing Poetry

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What is poetry?

Image

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Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or do nothing

Dylan Thomas

A way of manipulating and arranging words to create unique perspectives of the

world

First Steps The spontaneous

overflow of powerful feelings

William Wordsworth

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Poetry Feature Definition

Poetry Features

Poetry feature Definition Example

What are the features of poetry?

Alliteration Imagery SimileAssonance Metaphor RepetitionOnomatopoeia Rhythm RhymePersonification Hyperbole SymbolismRhetoric Questions

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Is this a poem?

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Definitions of poetry

Children do not come to understand what poetry is by listening to it or telling it by heart,

but can learn about poetry through the teacher making the principles about poetry visible via a variation of different ways of

talking about poetry

(Samuelsson et al, 2009)

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• Read and recite rhymes, poems, raps and chants.

• Create actions to accompany familiar rhymes.

• Retell/Recite favourite poems for a variety of audiences.

• Reconstruct poems that have been cut into individual stanzas.

• Talk about the purpose of writing poetry.

• Display charts of poems in the classroom.

• Have a class poetry festival.

• Explore patterns of rhyme and rhythm by reading poetry aloud.

• Invite a poet to visit the classroom and read their poetry.

• Listen to poems on tape, CD or Internet sites.

Exploring Poetry

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Poetry in the 1999 English Curriculum

Three-quarters of teachers made effective use of a variety of approaches for oral language development including talk and discussion, play and games, story, improvisational drama, poetry, and rhyme

Primary Curriculum Review Phase 1

NCCA, 2005

The methods of teaching poetry consisted mainly of presenting and reciting poetry. Other activities (including writing poetry, dramatizing, compiling collections, comparing poems) were less frequently engaged in by a majority of teachers

English in the Primary School

Department of Education Report, 1982

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.iePoetry in the Primary Language

Curriculum Oral Language

12. Playful and Creative use of language

Listen and respond to the aesthetic, imaginative and creative aspects of language and use language playfully and creatively.

Reading1. EngagementTake part in and enjoy listening to, reading and talking about the meaning and interpretation of written words and illustrations with others.7. Purpose Genre and VoiceExperience and respond to the aesthetic, creative and imaginative aspects of text and a range of genres expressing preferences and opinionsWriting6. Purpose Genre and VoiceWrite with a sense of purpose and audience while creating texts in a range of genre and develop an individual voice to share their thoughts, knowledge and experiences

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Poetry Frameworks

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Using frameworks

• String Poems

• Onomatopoeic Poems

• Acrostics

• Up & Down poem

• Limericks

• Haiku

• Riddle poem

• Kennings

• Pictorial Poems• Cinquain• Octopoem• Who, What, Where,

When, Why?• Pyramid Poem• Character poem• Auto-bio poem • Group poem • List poem

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• Time of year

• Weather

• Children’s preoccupations and interests

• Other areas of the curriculum

• A concern for broadening and deepening children’s tastes

• Events in the world at large

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Brainstorm

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Describes a person or thing. Each line adds one more word to describe the noun.

FrogA frog

A dirty frogA smelly, dirty frog

A slimy, smelly, dirty frogA green, slimy, smelly, dirty frog

A gross, green, slimy, smelly, dirty frogThat frog is mine!

(A short sentence at the end to round off the poem!)

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Line 1. Who?

Line 2. What?

Line 3. Where?

Line 4. When?

Line 5. Why?

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• In this instance we repeat the title three times on the first and last lines of the poem and at the end of each line in the poem.

• The poem can be as long or as short as you want.

• Vary the number of syllables in each word

• You can also ask that all of the adjectives in each line begin with the same letter

• Include verbs/adverbs also

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Spiders, spiders, spiders

Silently spinning spiders

Secretly spinning spiders

Slyly spinning spiders

Spiders, spiders, spiders

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Acrostic

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BlazingOrangeNightFlamesInfernoRoaringEmbers

Blazing branches twistOrange tongues eatNight hangs aboutFlames flicker outInferno with devils Roaring red with angerEmbers found next day

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Up and Down Poems

Homework

Horrible stuff,

cOmpletely disgusting, in fact!

Makes mE Want to

gO and find a

"Real job"...

Nah, I don't thinK so!!

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• A five line nonsense poem.• Lines 1,2 and 5 rhyme• Lines 3 and 4 rhyme. AABBA rhyme

There once was a lady from DingleWhose pocket did always go jingleOne day she went ramblingFell victim to gamblingSo with friends she no longer could mingle.

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A spider climbed into my bed

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Traditional Japanese poetry form

Line 1: 5 SyllablesLine 2: 7 SyllablesLine 3: 5 Syllables

Sun shines through crystalRainbows flash all around meLight birds are flying

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5 Lines of 22 syllables

Line 1: 2 Syllables

Line 2: 4 Syllables

Line 3: 6 Syllables

Line 4: 8 Syllables

Line 5: 2 Syllables

AMAZEI knowNot these my handsAnd yet I think there wasA woman like me once had handsLike these.

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Alternative Cinquain

Here is another suggestion for 5 line poems

Line 1: 1 noun

Line 2: 2 related adjectives

Line 3: 3 descriptive gerunds (verb + -ing)

Line 4: 1 complete, related sentence

Line 5: 1 noun (a synonym of first noun)

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• Word association webs

• Play word games and activities that use rhyme

• Jointly creating and displaying collections of interesting words–words starting with the same sound

–words ending with the same sound

–words that describe the senses

–words that sound interesting

Generating Words

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Riddle poems

Riddle poems can be just two lines long

I am a see-through pearHanging from my tree-less branches

Answer: Light bulb

Line 1: Clue about the subjectLine 2: Hint using an adjective and a nounLine 3: Two actions connected with the riddleLine 4: Last clue in the form of a phrase/statement

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Riddle poem

I have four legs

I’m sturdy stuff

Sitting or lying

You can relax on me

Couch!!!

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Kennings Poetry

A title or topic is chosen and is described in other ways without using the name

Round-facerNo-smilerStill-standerTwo-handerNight-friendlyHeart-beaterTime-keeperSudden-shrieker

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Octopoem

Choose a person or topic8 line formula

1. a colour 2. a season 3. a place 4. weather 5. clothing 6. furniture 7. t.v. show 8. food

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Octopoem

A heart is red

As a winter morning

In the rocky mountains

With the snow deep on the ground

Wrapped in a big, wooly jumper

Snuggled on the couch

Watching a romantic comedy

Feasting on chocolate and wine

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Poetry and Curriculum Integration

Gaeilge

Music

History

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List poems

• The first and last line are the same

• A list is used to describe the main idea. This can be as long or short as necessary.

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Group poems

The title of the poem is taken and repeated throughout the poem. This ensures structure and rhythm in the poem. It is an ideal form to create with a group or even your whole class and also is ideal for class performance or choral speaking afterwards.

In Kandinsky’s head Arrows and darts,

Roundabouts and flagsIn Kandinsky’s head

Noughts and crosses,Bullets and daggersIn Kandinsky’s head

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Teaching great poetry to students enhances their perceptions,

improves their writing, challenges their minds and

enriches their lives

Janine L Certo