Okay, so I know I called in sick today, but I'm trying to get my mind off the potentially paralyzing pain going on in my mouth (root canal at 11:00 today). Last week I started an art project with my class. It started with the inspiration of spring. What other way to honour this season of change than with poetry? Using my favourite research tool, the vast knowings of the internet, I searched for the type that would be perfect for spring. I came accross a type of poetry called "I am" poetry. Basically it encourages students to think about what they are, metaphorically, and describe it in a poem. It doesn't have to rhyme, there's no specific length and you can say whatever you like. Everyone came up with a poem. And not ONCE did I hear moaning or groaning over poetry! Yippee! I paired the poem with an art project, one using clay. Based on Barbara Reid's beautiful artwork, we created a clay likeness of our poetry. We used CD cases to hold our artwork, creating a practical, inexpensive frame (not to mention it restricts how much clay students use as the case needs to close). This picture is the butterfly that I created out of plasticine. The students created a background for theirs as well.I am a Butterfly by Megan Aspenes
I am a butterfly
Although I started plain and simple
Patient I waited for my debut
I tried new things
I worked hard
I became my best
A new beauty, inside and out
Now, off to the dentist. Wish me luck!
The best part about this type of poetry assignment is that it seems to most effectively quell the misconception prevalent among students that "poetry is something that rhymes and that I have no hope of understanding." Because it allows them to be self-indulgent for a while, they are automatically interested, and can, as you said, write whatever they want. I really stress to my students that poetry allows you even more freedom when you write it (compared to prose) because it is so loosely defined: "What is poetry?" "Essentially, it's anything that is not prose." All that means is that it doesn't need paragraphs or sentences, or to follow any regular rules. That means they can go crazy! It really simplifies the whole poetry thing for a bit, and is a great intro. I've used this same kind of assignment in 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12. And, if I hadn't had that 10-2 class swapped out for math, I would have used it there too!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty butterfly, and very pretty poem.
Exactly! Growing up, I was always afraid of poetry! Now that I'm teaching it, I wish I would've had more opportnities to express myself this way - free. Free from form and free from tradition.
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