Schoolwide Blog

An ESL Poem by J. Patrick Lewis

 

 

 Our keynote speaker for Schoolwide's Literacy workshop on March 17, 2010 (click here for details), J. Patrick Lewis recently gave us a poem that will soon be appearing in ESL Magazine.

I’m Learning to Speak English, Por Favor

Be pashunt please, I don’t know how to spell
Or read or write your language.  Por favor,
I’m learning to speak English—ESL.  More...

The Sound Of Poetry

The name, "sound poem," strikes most people as silly.  It struck me as silly the first time I heard it. How can a poem not be a sound poem?  The name makes a certain amount of sense, though, when you've found out what's special about sound poetry. While sound is important in almost all poems, even visual poems, in a sound poem, it has an a verbal importance it doesn't have in conventional poems.  That is, it is not concerned only with the sound of words as words, but with sounds in addition to the way words normally sound. To illustrate this, I've been inspired to write the following poem:

The year begins with spring, spring, spring, spring, spring. . .

And continues into summer summer summer summer summer summer summer...

Until it's autumn, autumn, autumn.

The year ends with winter.

Not much of a poem, right?  That's because I left out the stage directions.  First of all, you must know that toperform the poem as a sound poem, a group of reciters is required--a full class in the case of a classroom presentation. One performer (the teacher, perhaps) starts by saying, "The year begins with spring," in a quiet voice (the more melodious, the better), the several others, scattered about, say, "spring," quietly, one after the other.  As soon as they are finished, the first performer says, "And continues into summer."  A second voice repeats the word, "summer," then a third voice, whereupon more and more voices say the word, overlapping more and more.  Finally the first performer says, "Until it's autumn," in a low voice. Pause.  Then,"autumn," in a lower voice. Pause.  Then someone somewhere else whispers, "autumn."  After a silence, the first performer says, "The year ends with--" and stops, holding up a sign on which is written,"winter."  (Best if thisis a surprise even to all the other performers).

I hope the metaphorical point of the poem is clear.  The recitation, as a classroom exercise, should help open imaginations to what sound can do for a poem--and silence.  Some students, I hope,will suddenly spill into the huge difference between words as sound, and words as print.

Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day!

Today marks the second annual Poem in Your Pocket Day.  The idea is to keep a poem in your pocket all day long and share it with friends, family, students, and others you happen to meet.  Since we can’t share a poem with you face to face, we are posting one on the blog.

 Read to Them 

Read to them

Before the time is gone and darkness fills the room again

Read to them

 

What if it were meant to be that you were the one, the only one

Who could unlock the doors and share the magic with them?

What if others have been daunted by scheduling demands,

District objectives, or one hundred other obstacles? More...

Betsy Franco: My Favorite Poet / Math Poetry

Who is my favorite poet?

My favorite poet is not well-known yet, but he is inspirational.   His name is Bob Grumman and he writes math poetry.   

I was introduced to his work when I was writing a book The Secret Life of Words, with Maria Damon.   It's now out of print, but it was cool because it introduced kids to poets who were avant garde, or at least weren't the usual poets taught in school.   She and I are thinking of writing another book like this in the future.

Bob Grumman mostly writes long division poems, and they are beautiful.   He calls them "mathemaku."   They sometimes include colors or pictures.   More...

Paul B. Janeczko: Does Poetry Need To Rhyme?

For some rhyming and poetry seem irrevocably linked, while for others the two couldn't be further apart. In the video below (taken from our Staten Island Literacy Workshop on 3/20/09), the always entertaining Paul B Janeczko offers some interesting insight into this subject.

Check out upcoming workshops by clicking here. 

  

 

For more Paul B Janeczko  go to www.paulbjaneczko.com.
 

Paul B. Janeczko. Why Poetry? Schoolwide Literacy Conference 3/20/09

In the spirit of reading aloud, we’d thought we’d close out National Poetry Month with some clips of Paul B. Janeczko from our literacy workshop in Staten Island this past March.

For more about Schoolwide Workshops click here.

The video below is the first of four continuous posts of the funny and insightful Paul B. Janeczko on the relevance of poetry in the classroom and the lives of young people.

 

How do you teach students to value poetry? Is it essential? How does it help us to communicate and connect with others? What is its purpose in our lives?
 

Why do you think poetry matters? How do you use poetry lessons to make an impact in your students’ lives?

For more Paul B Janeczko  go to www.paulbjaneczko.com.
 

 

Friday With J. Patrick Lewis: What Is Poetry Revisited?

At poetry slams, the most striking poem is seldom the one that gets the loudest applause.

Poetry is best performed quietly to an audience of one.

To leave the greats of the past unread is to write in a bubble.

The finest free verse poets know that you must learn the rules before you breakthem.

Imitation is not plagiarism; imitation is practice.

Poetry? Lies, all lies. Isn't it wonderful? More...

Poetry and Teens Part 1: Betsy Franco

Sometimes when I go to high school classes or juvenile hall or Special Ed classes, or whatever, to write poetry with teenagers, the teachers remark that the kids seem to be participating more than usual.   What's that all about?

I think it's because I don't think of teenagers as second class citizens who aren't grown up yet and therefore, don't have the wisdom of an adult.

Actually, I think the opposite.   I think they have fresh ideas that sometimes aren't easy to hear or are achingly beautiful in their honesty.   I respect their thoughts and ideas and who they are.   And they know it.More...