Every time that I listened to a poem I felt happy, and when I was scared, I always asked mom or dad to please read to me a poem. What I liked the most was the calming effect that the sound of poems had on me. I did not understand why. Why did poetry have a different sound from other stories? Why was I captivated by the rhythm in it? Why did it make me feel the same way I felt when I sang at church, or at the school choir? One day I realized that the songs I had to learn for choir sounded like poetry when I read them. When I told my choir director about my realization, she said to me that songs are another form of poetry. My fascination with the sound of poems finally had a reason. It sounded like songs, and singing makes me happy.
As I grew older and started reading novels and Plays, perhaps because of my own limited knowledge of poetry in general, I just kept the memories and the sound in me privately. Little did I know that one day I was going to become a teacher, and that wonderful memory was going to follow me into my classroom. Just like my mother did, I read poems to my students. Teaching poetry has been limited for me to reading short poems and translating them into English. I want to give my students more than what I have given them so far, and I want them to be captivated by poetry the same way I am. . In the second language classroom is even more challenging because the students have to give meaning to the sounds of words, but at the same time it is a wonderful opportunity for increasing vocabulary and strengthening their used of prior knowledge. Everyone has a sound that affects them in a positive or negative way, using poetry I would like to put my students in touch with the sound of words and how they feel when they listen to it. Perhaps they will be able to understand that through sounds they can get meaning. In order to do that, I need to focus on right pronunciation and intonation as well as rhyme and rhythm. The sound can give meaning to words even when the listener does not speak the language in which the word was spoken. It is my intention to teach poetry through the entire school year, but to start I have to provide my students with the tools they need to make of this an enriched experience that they will be able to use for the rest of their lives.
I taught Spanish I and II last school year at Providence High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. For the coming year I might teach Spanish III as well. Thinking about the different levels in which I will be able to use this unit made me come to the conclusion that phonics and phonetics are part of the tools that my students need. Second language acquisition is a slow learning process. If at an early stage of the process the students do not learn sounds correctly and keep repeating the sounds the wrong way, it will be very difficult to correct the bad habit later. There are numerous sound devices used in poetry, such as Alliteration, is the repetition of the same sounds. Assonance is the repetition of a vowel sound in words that are close to each other; this also includes diphthongs. Like alliteration, it is the sound rather than the letter used that is important. Consonance, on the other hand, is the repetition, at close intervals, of the final consonant of accented syllables or important words. Partial end rhymes are rhymes that are close but not exact. Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds. All of this can be used to teach pronunciation and intonation in the target language.
At the beginning levels of language acquisition, students are able to demonstrate some accuracy in oral and written presentations, when reproducing memorized words, but they have interference from their native language when they try to communicate beyond the memorized words or expressions. It is important that students feel confidence about their learning process by knowing that the teacher is there to model pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and oral expression. Students will be more eager to try reading in the target language if they have some background knowledge and teacher support.
The use of poetry in the second language classroom enables students to explore the linguistic and conceptual aspect of the written text without concentrating on the mechanics of language. Poetry can become a powerful tool in stimulating learning while acquiring a second language. The learner is likely to become intellectually, emotionally, and physically involved in the target language, as well as more aware of the new culture, and it can be taught in conjunction with music.
Objectives
The unit "¡Que Bello es el Sonido de la Poesía! Teaching sounds and Culture through Poetry" will help me accomplish a variety of goals. I will be able to introduce to the students Hispanic literature, using poems and songs that will help me establish a pronunciation and intonation chart, where students will be able to refer whenever they are not sure of the right sound in a word. There are two very important goals in this unit: to discuss the ways in which English and Spanish sounds differ, and to help students improve their pronunciation of Spanish. To achieve both goals I need to include in the background information of this unit knowledge of the articulatory system, its components and function. I need to teach the differences between letters and sounds, the classification of sounds, the similarities and differences between Spanish and English sounds, and the sound system of Spanish and its variation across the world.
The students use the target language for the specific purpose of communication. They experiment with non-verbal, communicative aspects of language (body language, gestures, and facial expressions) as well as verbal aspects (intonation, rhythm, stress, slang, and idiomatic expressions), while interpreting a poem. Poetry is one of the best techniques to help teachers combine phonics and reading instruction in a way that is enjoyable and engaging for students. Today's society is visual and auditory oriented. This gives teachers the opportunity to bring back to the classroom the memorization and recitation of poetry which unfortunately has gone out of fashion. While text and speech are related, the actual sound of a poem constitutes an experience, for the person who recites and the listener. Rhythm and intonation give a special flavor to the recitation.
Second language acquisition becomes part of our students' lives when they begin to feel the language, and gain confidence to interact outside of the classroom in the target language. When the students learn and master the use of vocabulary, they become engaged in free- flowing conversations as they interact with one another. Poems that express strong emotions, opinions or ideas can be an exciting language- learning experience, through which students are able to develop vocabulary and cultural awareness.
The last goal of this unit is to create cultural awareness for the language learners. The students will be able to research poems and their authors, as well as to listen to music and poetry, which will allow them to see the importance of traditional values. The roll of the family and the love Hispanics have for their countries. At the same time they develop love and respect for the United States of America. With poems such as "Toda Intención es Suprema" by, Fernando Hervás, "Amor con Amor se Paga" by, José Martí, " No te quiero sino porque te quiero" by, Pablo Neruda, and " Padre mío" by, Jaime Sabines, the students will be able to develop listening, speaking, and reading skills in Spanish, and at the same time, they will be able to analyze cultural factors.
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