The Sound of Words: An Introduction to Poetry

Strategies

On its most basic level, this unit is about the way that poetry and oral language combine to enhance literacy development. The poems contained within the lessons will be from literature. When selecting poems, I shy away from the use of commercial texts and reading series in which the poems are written for the express purpose of being illustrative of a specific element of poetry, and would encourage you to do the same. There are so many extraordinary poems and poets to study in these lessons; it only takes a small amount of effort to find just what you need in the vast array of what has already been written. Occasionally jazz and blues music will also serve as vehicles for their own particular brand of poem. I think it is important to include jazz and blues poems in this unit. Teaching blues and jazz poems without music would be analogous to teaching someone how to bake bread without flour. In both cases, you would be missing the main ingredient.

As children become immersed in and inquisitive about the poems they hear, the lessons will include additional information about poets, their backgrounds, and the history of selected poems. In addition to following the scope, sequence, and pacing of the curriculum, subject matter of the poems may be linked to seasons or special months. We will read nursery rhymes and sensory poems in September, "scary" poems in October, fall poems in November, holiday poems in December, tongue twisters in January, African American poets highlighted during Black History month in February, Dr. Seuss poems aligned with his birthday celebration in March, poems about the Earth and nature in April, and Mexican and Mexican-American poets featured around Cinco de Mayo in May.

In implementing the activities in the unit, I will be employing a variety of strategies, sometimes alone, but most often in combination. These would include, but not be limited to the following:

The Read-Aloud

Read-alouds are a strategy in which literature is used to introduce a specific element of content to students. I conduct my read-alouds by sitting in a chair in front of the students who are gathered in a large group or reading circle on a carpet. Then we look at the cover, make predictions, discuss the author and illustrator, sometimes we take a picture walk, then I read aloud from the book and the children listen and respond.

I like this setting, with the children on the carpet, because it is particularly effective in creating a close, non-threatening atmosphere that lends itself easily to listening to, discussing, and seeing books being read. This arrangement increases the likelihood of sharing as it is a more relaxed and less formal setting than being seated at tables or desks.

The Write-Aloud

Write-alouds are a strategy in which the teacher works with the children in a whole group setting to create a story, letter, or poem. I solicit ideas from the students and write them on the board, chart paper, or a graphic organizer. Together, we share ideas, organize the print, and edit the finished work. This is an excellent practice for modeling various writing processes, i.e. friendly letters, sentences, paragraphs, etc. This method also promotes a cohesiveness that I like to see develop in the class where everyone can work toward a common goal cooperatively.

Audio Recording

In order to capture spontaneous thoughts and ideas, my classroom will be equipped with a recording center. Small, simple, handheld voice recorders will be available for student use. This will be helpful for students practicing working with sound - either that of their own voice or hands-on sound creation with manipulatives. This method truly fuels creativity. There is nothing my students love more than hearing themselves.

Video Recording

As in the use of audio recording, video recording will be used to capture students' creative moments, as well as performances. Over the course of the year, I plan to use this technique frequently, often in conjunction with one or more of the other strategies. Sometimes it will be in the foreground; sometimes it will be just "on" in the background so that the students will become accustomed to it and not be tense, silly, or unnatural when being recorded.

Digital Photography

I will often be using photography in these lessons as yet another means to record student work. Since the advent of the digital camera, its utility in the classroom has increased substantially. It is convenient and cost effective as most of us have the use of printers in school and no longer have to pay for film and developing.

In my experience with first graders, I find it to be an invaluable tool. So much of what we will do in this unit, at least initially, involves the use of manipulatives. I believe photography will be especially useful in capturing the constructs of those lessons which will be sensory in nature and difficult to make a record of by other means.

Interactive Bulletin Board

Over the course of the year, as poems are introduced, I will add each poem to a "Poet's Corner Hall of Fame." By displaying poetry in this manner, it will always be available to the students. Even though the students may not be able to read the poems at the beginning of the year, this strategy hearkens back to the whole language method. The children will have a visual image of the poems to go with the spoken words. By applying phonetic principles to the whole words in the poems, the sound-letter associations they have will enable them to begin to recognize and remember some sight words and decode those words which are regular in spelling.

The Poet's Corner will add to the "print richness" of my classroom. This will be a great way to showcase "Our Poetry." This will include a listening station where students may hear themselves as well as classmates' recordings. As skill level increases, original work by the students will also be displayed there.

Recitation

Recitation will be an important strategy that will be used to meet oral language standards. I will have my students memorize and recite poems either chorally, in a large group setting, or individually. The choice of poem will depend on the lesson. Sometimes I will choose the poem or rhyme and sometimes they will. I like to offer choices as often as I can to give the students a measure of autonomy. I also like to see what they choose. Their choices often lead to interests that I can use to differentiate instruction. For instance, a student choosing to memorize a poem about the ocean might indicate an interest in going to the beach; I can then use that as a starting point for that particular student when he or she is trying to think of something to write about. I can take that information in another direction by providing additional poems about the ocean to motivate more reading. I can expand even further by helping the student explore his or her interest by introducing books with different sea animals or ocean environments that could be used to inspire ideas for writing.

Reader's Theater

I like to adapt poems to be used in the Reader's Theater format. I will use mixed ability, collaborative learning groups to make an arrangement of a poem to perform. These adaptations will be either from literature or they may be from original student work.

Collaborative Learning Groups

Students will work together in heterogeneous groupings to complete activities related to specific lessons. Research has shown that these mixed ability groupings can be very effective for students working together to complete literacy tasks.¹¹ These groups are also effective places to brainstorm, strategize, and problem solve.

Invented Spelling

I encourage the use of invented spelling to help students flex their creative muscles. Even in first grade, children can become consumed with the idea of perfect spelling. Imagine if you were trying to write a poem and you had to stop and ask someone how to spell almost every word. What would your stress level be? Would your creativity suffer? I know mine would. When you advocate the use of invented spelling, children can approach writing in a much more relaxed manner without the restrictions imposed by correctness. Promoting its use can lead to poetic creation, fuel the imagination, and generate word play - and the practice you are providing for newly acquired phonics skills is an added bonus.

Word Play

There are many interesting forms of word play I like to use. The most practical, according to state standards, involves the creation of new words by means of rhyming and word families. I also like to include the use of onomatopoeia, alliteration, nonsense words, and figures of speech. I have to admit, though, for some of the more sophisticated elements, I just introduce the concept and not the terminology. I call onomatopoeia, words that make noise; and alliteration, tongue-twister words. Students get the idea, but they aren't perplexed by terms that are even difficult for some adults.

Reflection and Self-Evaluation

Because of the nature of poetry, especially in the primary grades, reflection and self-evaluation are the only means of assessment I would recommend using. I cannot find a valid reason to parse and grade a first grader's first forays into creative use of language. Grades imply that there is just one right way to do something. In this case, being right is not the objective - the objective is allowing the creative use of sound and words, as well as providing a vent for feelings. In support of this, I can list three valid reasons not to grade:

1. It might dampen enthusiasm for the very thing we are trying to promote.
2. It could be damaging to self-esteem. Again, completely anathema to what we want to accomplish.
3. It could construct a lifelong writer's block and negative feelings about the genre.

I recommend the use of writing portfolios. Establish one for each child. Then provide choices and allow students a degree of autonomy in what they would like to retain in the portfolio. When necessary, assist in the thoughtful consideration that should be given and help children develop their own criteria for making his or her choices.

Conferencing

In order to help guide discovery and differentiate instruction, I think it is important to provide opportunities for conferencing with individual students. I know that this is difficult to accomplish at times, especially if you are the only adult in the classroom. I would encourage everyone implementing this unit in a primary grade to solicit volunteers. You can use parent volunteers, mentors in the school, people from churches or other organizations in the community. Having more than one adult assisting during the activities will free up more time for one-on-one guidance to help students achieve success.

Debriefing and Sharing

Debriefing is not just for the military. All activities in the unit should be followed by a short period reserved for reviewing what we have just completed and sharing the results of the activity. Taking time to debrief reinforces the value of the activity. Taking time to share student creations validates their work while teaching an appreciation of one's own work as well as the work of others.