Heather in OK Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Since MCT is all the buzz here I'm wondering how the poetics program compares to Poetry Primer. I hate poetry. Hate it. Which also means I hate teaching it. But I know my children need to learn about it. And they need to learn to not hate it. We started and tried Poetry Primer. All three of us were b.o.r.e.d. We also got to parts that *I* didn't understand. So we dropped it. Is MCT more "I hate poetry but I want my children to learn to love it" friendly? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Heather, Have you looked at the samples on the RFWP website? Since you have the other book in hand, it might be easy to compare. I've not seen Poetry Primer, but I highly doubt there is anything out there that is at all like MCT poetry. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in OK Posted January 22, 2010 Author Share Posted January 22, 2010 Yes, of course I have looked at the samples. Posting looking/asking for personal experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Heather, what do you want to accomplish by teaching poetry? Are you teaching it because you feel like you should? Are you teaching it because you enjoy poetry and want to pass that love on to your children? Do you want to teach it as a separate unit or as an ongoing part of your LA program? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Yes, of course I have looked at the samples. Posting looking/asking for personal experience. Sorry, I wasn't trying to insult you. You didn't say anything about what you saw. Hopefully I at least bumped you up, since you hadn't had replies. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 (edited) My apologies. I should really not try to post before coffee. You said you hated poetry and you hated teaching it. That's fairly straightforward. Why teach it formally then and make yourself miserable? I like poetry, my kids like poetry and we still don't do it formally. Get a couple of decent poetry books with illustrations you like and a text or poetry guide you can tolerate. I'm not familiar with Poetry Primer but enjoy MCT's A World of Poetry with my 6th grader. We read a page or two of MCT, discuss it and then pick a poem or two to read on our own. We apply what we have learned if we can, discuss why we like it, or close the book and resolve to read a better poem the next day. We don't agonize over writing poems in a particular meter. What I appreciate about MCT poetry is that while the author is passionate about poetry, he doesn't beat a particular topic to death, extinguishing all joy. He will give you a succinct explanation of a metaphor, tell you it's more subtle than a simile, and provide a couple of stellar examples. Then you move on. If I want to go into a topic in more depth I might add a worksheet from Figuratively Speaking or do additional work in meter from a corresponding unit in Lightning Literature. Of course this is personal opinion, but if you hate poetry MCT is a fairly painless way to go. Edited January 22, 2010 by swimmermom3 Didn't answer original question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in OK Posted January 22, 2010 Author Share Posted January 22, 2010 I have no idea if I need to teach it apart from something else (we use CLE LA and Reading if that helps). Again, since I have a strong dislike for it, I really have no idea HOW to teach it or how necessary it really is. I want to enjoy it and understand it but I have a hard time teaching it. Maybe I should buy it and homeschool myself. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Maybe I should buy it and homeschool myself. :lol: See that's the cool thing about the MCT materials, I feel like I'll be teaching myself when I use them. It looks like there's more on poetics in the introductory book (aimed at 3 graders) than most people get after having a university education. I'm so excited these materials exist, and am chomping at the bit to get started. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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