Tip #131 from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents (McKinley, Trombly) - poetry
Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.
#131
Poetry
Too many of us strive for new abilities
instead of striving to develop abilities we already have lying dormant within us.
~Alfred A. Montapert
There is a poet inside all of us in one way or another. We tend to think of poetry in the traditional way of exquisite verse that rhymes perfectly. Many of us think we could never write like that, but poetry is so much more than that—and so much less. It is simply someone’s view of the world put in such a way that may have not been done before; it’s seeing something extraordinary in something someone else has not; it’s the art of finding and interpreting ideas by way of the imagination; it’s idealizing in thought and in expression; it’s imaginative language or composition, whether expressed rhythmically or in prose; it’s any communication (in blank verse or in rhyme) that evokes feelings and in which the language is highly imaginative or impassioned.
Yes, we can write like that, and so can children. We may just need to help them see that. Through poetry, children can see that words have the power to make something happen. Poetry helps others see what they feel. It helps kids:
● tap into what’s important to them;
● see a new vision of their lives and the world;
● find their voice when their poetry is readily accepted and not criticized; and
● feel safe and free to write whatever’s on their minds.
Perhaps the first step is to let kids know that poetry does not always have to rhyme or follow a specific meter. Sometimes, poetry is simply beautiful writing with no specific, metered form. You can encourage your child to write poetry like this by turning a simple sentence he writes such as “I see a cat” into poetry by adding a few beautiful, detailed words. You can show him how “My eyes gazed at the cat’s beauty” sounds much more poetic. If he writes a paragraph and revises one sentence at a time in this way, he can begin to see how easy writing poetry can be.
At first, you may have to help him choose topics he feels strongly enough about. What does he love? Find beautiful? What moves him? Try suggesting that he use his five senses for this activity; he may find that helpful. Encourage him to experiment with using both long and single-word sentences for effect.
There are many forms of poetry to read and write. The greater the variety of poetry types your child is exposed to, the better he will become at writing poetry as well. Share your favorite poems with him, and explain why you like them. Read lots, and let your child discover poetry for himself. He’ll surely find out he’s a poet and he didn’t even know it!
Your child may also enjoy writing poems using specific frames to guide and support him.
Cindy McKinley Alder Patti Trombly
For more posts about the authors and their books (this is not the only one), click HERE.
For excerpts from more books, click HERE.
For more excerpts from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents, click HERE.For more posts about books about parenting, click HERE.
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