My class hosted a poetry slam within the last week of school, it was a success. I feel that my readers will benefit from this experience tremendously. The children practically did all the planning and the hosting of the event. It was part of their project for this term. I felt a sense of pride when my weakest reader with a little coaching and his partner who is a 'semi-fluent' reader were able to go on the stage and present the poem with little mistakes, this is ironic because his partner did not want to work with him initially because he claimed he could not read. This exercise showed me as a teacher that you must give children different opportunities to practise fluency.
Subsequent to the Poetry Slam I read an article by Christy Barnes entitled "Choral Recitation". This artcle reiterated the aspect that reciting poems is so important. At the Rudolf Steiner School the day "begins with speech exercises opr poems recited in unison for speaking awakens the one who speaks.Listening tends to make us sleepy."this is looking at poetry as a way of of keeping the brain active.
The author also refers to the recitation of poetry as the "best possible physical 'breating exercises,' for it requires a natural deep breathing which strengthens the diaphragm muscles."- children's lungs become stronger!
References:
Choral Recitation by Christy Barnes
Education as an Art
published by Waldorf Schools of North America
Vol.31,No.2-Spring/Summer 1973
Keeping the dying art of poetry alive.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to hear that your students had a wonderful poetry experience because it is well known that some children have a natural aversion to poetry and many see it as boring (especially as they get older). Since children are naturally open and willing to try new things, I think that the way poetry is taught to them has a large part to play in the way that children view poetry. Choral reading is a wonderful strategy that incorporates poetry and is well received when taught to students. It is much more exciting than plain poetry because it is more dramatic and collaborative. Also as “ students are not speaking alone, they may feel less conspicuous or intimidated, and this offers greater opportunities for those who are shy or withdrawn to speak.” It also “provides for speech improvement in pitch, tone, volume, rate, diction, enunciation, and clear interpretation of selections.”
I believe that poetry is a dying art and the benefits to be realized from such artistic work make it imperative that we keep it alive. We can also incorporate the web 2.0 technological tool of podcasting. Podcasts can be used to give students the purpose of performing for an audience and motivate them to do better. It can also be used to improve students’ speech.
Your idea of a poetry slam was a good one as it made the students see poetry as fun and you can even make it more engaging next time by using podcasts.
Your success gives me the impetus to form a speech band with my students. So, to my Tobago colleagues, any ideas? Please let me know. Anything that we can do to enhance students ‘literacy in a way that is fun and engaging is a worthwhile venture.
Reference: English Language Arts: Choral Reading or Speaking retrieved from www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/mla/speak023.html
Amazing Damali! Giving children different opportunities to practice fluency is really important as your activity has proven. At my school, many students who struggle with print literacy are often found to be very artistic and verbal in terms of expression. This is why I look forward to using vodcasts in classroom activities so that they can apply their visual and verbal skills (often dramatic form of verbal expression) in expressing their thoughts and actions.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea as recommended by Tompkins (2010) is that of literacy centers which can be designed with specific literacy tasks in mind. For example if we are having a writing workshop, we as teachers will need to set up the centers with appropriate software and other writing tools (pens, paper, pencils, online dictionaries, pictures etc.)to make the activity successful. Together with explicit instruction on how to use the technology (prior to the activity) to ensure that students are able to effectively navigate and explore what is available to them online as well.
Reference:
Tompkins Gail, E., (2010) Literacy Research for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach. (5th ed) Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Glad you all appreciated the idea, I really enjoyed doing it with my children. Today even after this time they are still reciting the poems in addition any time we do a poem form the SEA practice test they have to act as if it is a mini'poetry slam'. Yesterday we did the poem 'Please Mrs. Butler' they recited this poem in many different ways this exercise helped them to understand the poem better and this also relected in their answers to the questions.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, I will do a podcast next time.I know they will enjoy that.