Rationale
For over two decades, I have dedicated myself to teaching the art of reading and writing to diverse groups of children, spanning from kindergarten to fifth grade. Throughout my experience, I have encountered students with varying degrees of ability in reading and writing. However, what stands out most prominently in my memory are the countless students who exhibit hesitancy to engage with these fundamental skills. Many are apprehensive about expressing their thoughts in writing, intimidated by the act of writing, and lack a genuine passion for reading. Hence, as an educator, I can change this narrative, instill a love for reading and writing in my students, and empower them with the skills they need to succeed.
As I began brainstorming ideas for my curriculum unit, I reflected on my journey as an educator. My focus gravitated toward my experiences with teaching reading and writing. I pondered the depths of my past, reminiscing about the moments when I observed the transformation of students as they blossomed into confident and enthusiastic readers and writers, thanks to the world of poetry. These moments of transformation, where students overcame intimidation, hesitancy, and fear, are the most rewarding and inspiring part of my journey. I carefully reflected on the various strategies and techniques I have utilized to cultivate successful readers and writers and enable them to exceed the typical expectations for their respective grade levels. And the "sound and image" of poetry made it possible!
It was a moment of inspiration. I realized poetry is a powerful tool for teaching and learning because I used it, and I am living proof of its power in students’ reading and writing. Over the years, I have found that it is one of the most effective methods for helping students understand language and express themselves through writing. Poetry’s “sound and image” qualities captivate students, sparking curiosity, pure joy, innocence, genuine fun, and creativity. The rhythmic patterns in poetry allow students to connect with their emotions symbolically. Using rhyme helps them appreciate the beauty of language sounds, understand how sounds form words, and see how words combine to create sentences from the simplest to the most complex. The structure and form of poems bring them to life, making them more relatable, transformative, and artistic for students. This delight and excitement that poetry brings to the learning process is an excellent source of inspiration and motivation for educators.
In the evolving landscape of education, as society embraces modernization and technological advancements, certain fundamental elements, such as poetry, which were once crucial in fostering literacy skills (especially language skills), have been overlooked and undervalued. Unfortunately, this shift has led to the neglect of exposure to poetry, creating a lack of background knowledge, appreciation, and interest. Present-day education, particularly in elementary settings, heavily emphasizes informational texts and explanatory essays, neglecting the rich tradition of poetry and its valuable contributions to literacy development. This neglect concerns me and motivates me to advocate for the reintroduction of poetry into the classroom.
It is imperative to seamlessly integrate poetry to address this disparity and infuse vitality into the role of poetry within the reading curriculum, particularly at the fifth-grade level. While acknowledging the importance of informational texts in shaping students’ readiness for future careers and academic pursuits, it is crucial to underscore the indispensable value of poetry in offering a well-rounded literary education.
Poetry serves as an invaluable conduit for students to immerse themselves in a unique form of language, grapple with the nuances of figurative language, nurture their creative instincts, and articulate a rich array of emotions, thoughts, and ideas through the written word and visual art forms.
In an exciting renaissance, I am reinstating the rich world of poetry to my students, focusing on the works of celebrated poets and artists from the Harlem Renaissance that they can relate to, such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Jacob Lawrence. By immersing students in the "sounds and images" created by these talented individuals, I aim to reignite their interest in learning and appreciating their cultural heritage and sense of identity and pride, with an end goal for students to understand their community and its literary traditions better as they engage with these influential figures' captivating and accessible poems.
Comments: