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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: June 25 2008 at 7:29am | IP Logged
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Good morning everyone,
I don't know what happened last night. I tagged along with my SIL to a co-op planning meeting and ended up leaving signed up to teach a cooking class for 45 minutes AND a poetry class for 45 minutes for K-5 !!!!  I am the only one there who likes poetry and I had offered to teach a class on it in the past, more of a reading and memorization in the MODG style, a few years ago and everyone gagged and growned, so I felt my face get all red with embarrasment that I was the poetry geek and I dropped it. Well, I guess the president remembered and asked about that as a possible addition to the misc. class time that they rotate each month. (cooking, fitness, castles, and then a few others I forgot) and then poetry.
So, WHAT in the WORLD to teach to fill up 45 minutes with kids aging in range from K-5, at the same time???? I had found a really neat link online by some poetry teacher a few years back about teaching poetry and teaching it to kids etc. I can no longer find it. I am so nervous about having to teach, mainly in front of the grown ups there!
Anyway, here are my initial thoughts:
Pick a few kids poets like Robert Loius Stevenson and Robert Frost. Then, I would read the poem, say "Stopping By Woods on A Snowy Evening" I might even have some bells to "give a shake" during that part and try to find a nice picture of this poem if one exisits?? (I really like that poem and I have it memorized, so I thought I could dramatically recite it to show that it is fun and possible to recite poetry. )
I would also talk about the poets themselves and have a pic of them.
Then, I thought about talking about what poetry IS. Then, I would try to get them to share their thoughts about the poems I decide to read and they could even paint the "picture" that comes into their heads about it???
Then, I thought I could try to get them to write their own poem. Here is where I really feel confused since I only have a set amount of time, they usually like you to produce something for them to take home as a keepsake etc. I had thought about Haikus, (spelled right??) but didn't know if they were too difficult for little kids.
I guess I could use some guidance here and wondered what you all would do? I have to admit that I felt a bit of relief driving home last night knowing that I could "call" you all to ask!!! 
I want to also have them possibly learn HOW to LEARN a poem. I thought I could do something easy like "Rain" by RLS and show them that they can learn a line each week, or every few days, with just a little bit of time.
Do I use "props" like puppets or my kids dressed up as something to facilitate them understanding? (the younger ones mainly)
There are just so many ideas, but then I think they may be dorky or not play out well in the classroom setting. I have NEVER taught a co-op class before and am very nervous. I also want to show that poetry IS cool!!!
I also love that poem "A Child's Wish" and I thought about reading that one, but I thought it might be too difficult for the younger ones?? That is just the cutest poem. Then, for the younger ones, there is "The Puffin" or "The Owl and the Pussy Cat" but you might lose the older ones. (I actually know of a great illustrated version of "The Owl and the Pussy Cat" that I could use.
Anyway, hopefully SOMEONE here can HELP me.  I should make clear too that this is a ONE time 45 minute class, not a monthly class. And still, I am this nervous!!!! DON"T LAUGH!!!!
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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guitarnan
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| Posted: June 25 2008 at 7:40am | IP Logged
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What about having them write a cinquain? It's a little easier to count words than syllables.
I like all your ideas, really! What about reading one funny poem during your introduction?
I do think you have too many things for a 45-minute class (I teach at our co-op, and our classes are 45 minutes, too). I'd choose either the paint a picture or the write a poem activity, but not both.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 25 2008 at 9:17am | IP Logged
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Do you mean that this class is only offered once the whole year, Kim?
45 minutes will go fast. I taught a bit of poetry in a public speaking class I in co-op a few years ago. The age span wasn't so great though. That alone will present challenges.
I like your idea to introduce poetry with a dramatic recitation of one you know and love. But then, I'm a fan of the dramatic.
My suggestion would be to divide them up in ages and select a poem appropriate for each age group. You can introduce the poems like you said with a little history, and then assign it for memorization. Maybe one class can be set aside towards the end of the quarter or year to display their work. They could choose to present their poetry orally, or it could be displayed as a piece of art, written out beautifully and decorated by them (at home!) The classes in between intro to the poems assigned and presentation of the poems can be used to discuss a new easy poem just for fun. Selections like "Jabberwocky", or "If at first you don't succeed..."
I think you'll find you're limited by time and the variety of ages a lot! Go for simplicity so you don't get overwhelmed in the prep stages of the class.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: June 25 2008 at 10:22am | IP Logged
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Jennifer,
Yes, it is only ONE class, one month, for 45 minutes. I know, I know!! But, I have never DONE this before. hehe Anyway, I had originally offered to teach a class for each co-op and I thought I could have them memorize a few poems and it would have been really cute to showcase at the party we have at the end of the year. That is when I got all the groans and contorted faces! So, I thought maybe I was some sort of geek. But, these ladies are all math and engineer types, so maybe that is the situation. I would groan too if they wanted to focus on math for example. ICK!
All of the advice that you offered and Nancy have been helpful. I need to pare down my ideas to a simple level. Thanks!!!
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: June 25 2008 at 2:25pm | IP Logged
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I should add also that I was thinking if I could set up enough ideas, it would be a nice addition to the co-op in the future on a monthly basis. So, I was trying to get it all thought up and planned out so that if the kids enjoy it, I would have the confidence to see if the other moms wanted to include it, for maybe a shorter but monlthy session next year. This would be the maiden voyage! 
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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SallyT
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| Posted: July 02 2008 at 9:18am | IP Logged
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With little kids, you may find that "writing their own" is too difficult. Getting somebody to produce a poem in a short amount of time is always a challenge, even as old as high school.
I've done poetry-in-the-schools kinds of things with various ages. With the younger set, I find it easier to do a "class poem," where they suggest lines, and I write them on the board or a big piece of paper. Hands down, my most successful method of doing this goes as follows:
I bring in a bunch of cards with words on them (like a magnetic poetry kit, but on index cards). I just include as many words as I can think of that I like the sounds of. "Moon" is always one of them. They're mostly nouns and verbs, with some adjectives but not many. I put these up so that the kids can see them all (like along the chalk tray, if there is one).
At the beginning of the exercise, I get them to pick, say, five. The challenge is that we're going to write a poem that has to use these five words, one per line. You may have to explain what a "line" is, as opposed to a sentence -- that's a harder distinction than I expected, even for older kids. But our lines usually turn out to be complete sentences!
So as a group, you brainstorm five lines, using each of the chosen words in a line. The less the words have to do with each other, the better -- that way you can get led in some goofy directions. The point of the exercise is that a poem doesn't begin with an idea, but with language, and the poet's work is to listen to the language and follow where it leads, even if where it leads is kind of crazy and counter-intuitive (there's a clear theological element to all this, too!).
Once you do this as a group, you can have older kids choose words on their own (or in pairs -- some kids just like to pair up) to do the exercise themselves, while younger kids either copy and illustrate what you've already written, or just draw an illustration.
Your materials for this would be the words on index cards, something big to write on, paper and pencils for writing and drawing, and crayons or colored pencils for illustrating.
You can start with this exercise, then read some poems and talk about "where the language led" the poet. Or you can start with poems and then do the exercise, or whatever.
Of all the poetry exercises I've done with kids, this has hands-down been the best starter, with the least writers' block on the part of the kids. And it's a very good introduction to other forms, because what you do in this kind of poem is exactly what you do in working with a form.
Your class sounds like lots of fun -- enjoy it!
Sally
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catholicmomma
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| Posted: July 05 2008 at 3:33pm | IP Logged
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There are hundreds of illustrated poetry books - picture books - that you could read aloud. That could easily take 20 minutes alone. Then try limericks. Kids this age love them. Let them dance them, act them out, sing them, whisper them, shout them.
I CANNOT believe your coop doesn't have families that memorize lots and lots. I bet if you ask around, there are several kids who already have some memorized. (Usually families who know poetry know it WELL). I bet those who do would LOVE to come prepared to recite.
Ask the families to send kids with their favorite books of poems - then you could do a book pass: children choose one and look at it and pass it around. I let my 4-6th grade girls do this (15 gals), as we sat on the trampoline. We spent 45 minutes: each girl read until they found one they liked, then they read it aloud to the group. They didn't want to stop. These were poems new to them; I chose about 15 books with nature poems to top off our nature journaling unit. They weren't nearly as good as the poems the girls brought in when I asked them to bring their favorites.)
The most important part is to make sure that they are read aloud, and there is lots of fun. I am partial to classics myself, but the modern writers like Pretlusky (in the style of Shel Silverstein) always make the kids laugh.
With this age, I would definitely stay away from poetry analysis (since you only get one short class time with them - if it were a 6 week unit, you could get into making up your own, rhyme scheme, couplets and quatrains, have them memorize a poem, etc.) Think of your time as a very fun, high energy intro to poetry - a way to say, "Hey, this poetry is sooo much fun!"
Have a great time.
Lisa B in OH
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MacBeth
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| Posted: July 09 2008 at 6:20pm | IP Logged
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Jumping in late here...
Two fine resources for poetry that we have used with all ages are Rhyme's Reason, which teaches the forms of poetry with poetry in that form, and IEW's Poetry Memorization CDs and book, which teaches poetry using the Suzuki method.
Also, a poetry slam at the end of the class for parents and friends is a fun idea. More poetry party ideas on my poetry page.
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MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
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MacBeth
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| Posted: July 09 2008 at 6:24pm | IP Logged
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Ah! I reread your post...just one class, eh? And just one chance? That's a challenge...can you hand out poems for memorization or pre-reading? Maybe the whole class could just be called a poetry party. If it's that fun, they'll ask you to do it again!
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MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: HELP! -teaching poetry at co-op!!!
