![]() One of the exercises Thomas has used successfully is the Emotional Workshop, in which she asks participants to write a five-line poem. You have to find the fun in it," added Thomas, whose Web site, UpWords Poetry, often features student writings from her workshops. "If I tell the kids to simply write a poem, it's not going to happen. As the poetry person for a day, I have to come up with creative ideas that help the students stretch their imaginations. "In school, the students might be coming from math class, where they're not used to using the right side of their brains. "When I go into schools, I try to get the students to think outside their normal boundaries," Thomas said of her approach to leading workshops. This forces the students to be more creative."Įlizabeth Thomas, an accomplished performance poet who frequently conducts in-school workshops, is the director of Words Alive, a program that sponsors distinguished poets to work with high school students. We make a list of the words and the students have to write a poem that doesn't use any of the words on our list. For example, the subject could be wind chimes or a stone wall," Vicinanza said. I pick one, and they all write on the same subject. "For this exercise, the students give me a list of suggestions for different subjects to write about. Where have they gone? What do they see? It's amazing what the students come up with." They follow the guy, and they have to tell me what happens once they're through the door. They see a very strange-looking guy disappear into a doorway that somehow wasn't there a few seconds before. "I ask students to imagine they're at a carnival. "This exercise works better with high school kids or adults," noted Vicinanza. They can even make up a little biography of their object. They have to be that object and tell me what they see, where they go, and how old they are. I ask the class for suggestions and write them on the board as the students shout them out. It might be a drop of rain, the color blue, a school bus, or a stalk of wheat. "This is a very cool exercise," Vicinanza explained. An example of this is 'I'm sorry I broke your window, but it's the first time I ever hit a home run.'" They're sorry for something, but at the end there's always a reason why they enjoyed doing what they're expressing sorrow for. I have my students write a tongue-in-cheek apology. "He ends the poem with 'but they were so sweet'. "There's a wonderful poem by William Carlos Williams in which he apologizes for eating someone's plums," explained Vicinanza. ![]() Vicinanza shared with Education World four exercises she has used successfully in workshops with both children and adults. That's what I try to convey in my classes." But writing poetry is a simple form of self-expression. "A lot of teaching of poetry makes it seem much too difficult, too inaccessible for the lay person. "Through the years, I've developed a whole set of exercises designed specifically to get students writing from a particular place," Vicinanza added. "We want them to put something down on paper, something significant. She is the organizing force behind Words in Motion, a collective of poets who perform and teach in schools and other venues. "When we go into schools, our focus is to get the students to write, not to teach the theory of poetry," said Faith Vicinanza. Working poets use them to teach and inspire students of all ages. Give the following techniques and exercises a try. Helping students achieve that delicate balance of theory and creativity is never easy. ![]() Turning students loose with only pen, paper, and instructions to write a poem, on the other hand, can result in undisciplined drivel. Concentrating too much on the theoretical aspects of poetry, such as rhyme scheme, scansion, feet per line, and poetic form can stifle students' creativity. ![]() Teaching poetry can be a tricky business. Included: Exercises to help students access their creative powers and produce well-crafted poems. ![]() well-disciplined creativity! How often has that thought crossed your mind? Don't despair! The experts - working poets who teach their craft - share their secrets for instructing and inspiring budding poets.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |