Developing Linguistic Patterns Through Poetry Memorization?

[Sandy in Indy]

If you've used this, could you chime in and let me know what you think? I heard Pudewa speak at the Cincy convention, and I've been contemplating purchasing this...but it's a bit pricey. However, IEW will be at the Indy convention this weekend, so I'm guessing there'll be a price break--and I might have to dive in and purchase it. So...opinions????

[nmoira]

Subbing... I've been flirting with this for a year or so.

[GailV]

I love it.

 

And we use it completely incorrectly. We just listen to the CDs over and over and over again, rather than having the kids recite according to the handy-dandy schedule/checklist. We used to recite according to schedule, and fights would break out about who goes first, who does best, who miss-said a word, and any other possible permutation you could think about. Who knew that poetry recitation could be so horribly competitive?

 

So, these days I just plop it in the CD player every morning, and we listen to the poems. Sometimes the kids quietly recite along with it. Sometimes I skip through some of the older poems -- it sort of depends on my enthusiasm for hitting the "forward" button.

 

I figure that if kids can learn Star Wars dialogue through sheer repetition of listening, they can learn the poetry that way, too.

[Sandy in Indy]

I only have 1 younger that would be doing this. Do you think we'd be ok with just the book or are the CDs essential?

[Another Lynn]

....so we've only been using it 2 weeks. The first two poems are very short and my kids have memorized them easily so we haven't gotten the cd out yet. I can see where it would come in handy when we are further in the program. You could always just start with the book and then see if you need the cds later. Or if you'd need recordings of the poems, you could record them yourself for dc to listen to.

 

Maybe some others who have used the program longer will chime in :)

 

Have fun at the conference!

[dragons in the flower bed]

I figure that if kids can learn Star Wars dialogue through sheer repetition of listening, they can learn the poetry that way, too.

 

You would think so, right?

 

BTW, are your kids really named Thalia and AnnaBeth or are you big fans of Percy Jackson?

[dragons in the flower bed]

If you've used this, could you chime in and let me know what you think? I heard Pudewa speak at the Cincy convention, and I've been contemplating purchasing this...but it's a bit pricey. However, IEW will be at the Indy convention this weekend, so I'm guessing there'll be a price break--and I might have to dive in and purchase it. So...opinions????

 

 

I found it useful to have all those poems on CD, and the schedule, and the guidebook to how to memorize. When we first integrated poetry memorization, it helped ease me in. However, the poems are silly and sometimes morbid or gross (ie, Hillaire Belloc). When they became difficult to memorize, I realized that I didn't feel it necessary for the boys to put so much effort into memorizing such silly poems. If I had to whip them (not literally) to get them to memorize, then I wanted the poetry to be worth it. I started taking selections from our religious practice and The Book of Virtues. Now I use a whole different scheduling tool as well -- the free one from Simply Charlotte Mason, only binderized.

 

The kids do still like to listen to the poems. Also, I really enjoyed the DVD workshop that comes with the set.

[Kathy in NC]

My dd (7th grade) has really enjoyed memorizing the poems. She likes having the silly ones thrown in for variety. She did not like listening to them on CD, though; so we haven't pulled it out for a year or so. We adapted the binder idea from Charlotte Mason, and use that for scheduling the review now. The chart in the book was hard to keep up with.

[GailV]

BTW, are your kids really named Thalia and AnnaBeth or are you big fans of Percy Jackson?

 

Those are the names they chose for Internet use, and, yes, you figured out exactly where they got those pseudonyms. Left to my own devices I'd come up with catchy names like "Kid1" and "Kid2".

 

Anyway, my opinion on the CD:

 

You don't have to have the CD if you are willing to recite all the necessary poems each day yourself. The concept is based somewhat on Suzuki -- the child is supposed to hear the work performed each day (my kids do Suzuki piano, too, btw, so we play the Suzuki CDs at lunch time -- if the CD player breaks my entire world will crumble).

 

I knew that I would really begin to hate reciting all that stuff every day -- I'd start to rush through it, just trying to Get. It. Done. The CD is always patient, always uses the same inflection and pronunciation, never stops in the middle to command "STOP THAT RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" to the cat or kids, etc. It was a huge leap for me to buy the CD, since I am basically cheap and want to be totally Do It Yourself. Purchasing the CD involved admitting to myself that I am lazy and have a short attention span when it comes to reciting something week after week after week.

 

And it was a great decision for me. For you? Well, you'll just have to weigh what everyone has to say. Surely other users are going to speak up about this, right?

[melhouse]

We all enjoy it. To save money, I only bought the book. I photocopied the charts for each child. Each child has his/her own notebook with the charts at the beginnning. Behind the charts is a copy of the poems. I have them copy the poems for copywork. (Not daily; just once to get their copy in their notebooks - although we do use them for copywork sometimes after the fact.)

 

I didn't want to purchase the CD, because of money. So, I recorded the poems on our computer, and the kids each have a playlist of his/her poems. I also add scripture and ambleside-ish work as well. This has worked for us pretty well this year. We aren't as far along as I'd like to be, but they do know the passages well that we have done so far.

 

HTH,

Melissa

[jeri]

How do you do this on the computer? Please realize that I know computer *basics*, not *advanced*. So, if you could please explain the directions really slowly and carefully, I might be able to understand! Please!

 

jeri

[melhouse]

Jeri,

The idea of me explaining how to do anything to do with computers is very laughable:lol: , but I'll try:

 

You need a microphone. Some monitors have them built in. Our newer monitor does not; so I bought one from Wal-Mart. It looks like something a pilot would wear: with headphones and a wire that comes down to your mouth. It cost less than $20. In Real Player, (I imagine we downloaded this; I'm sure we didn't spend much money on it) under tools, there is a place to click called 'record with mic'. I just click on this button. There is a chance to name whatever you are recording. I read each poem, verse, song three times in a row. Then I set up a playlist for each of my children with the appropriate poem, verse, song, etc. I have burned them on cds before, but now they just listen to their lists from the computer.

 

I hope this helps. I'm sure someone on here can explain this better than I. I got the idea originally from Katherine a few years back.

 

HTH,

Melissa

[naturalmom]

I bought the book and not the CD. That way, we're not tied to every single poem that he chose, but can add it our own, and take away some that we don't like as much.

 

Also, I don't want my children saying everything just like Andrew, no matter how great he sounds! We have fun saying the poems different ways, and I think some children might find it more difficult to find their own expression if they always heard Andrew's.

 

Some of them are really fun to act out.

[Linda...inOwasso]

I'm the opposite of most: I bought the whole thing, but if I could only afford one it would definitely be the CD. It is SO easy to pop the CD in while driving and the kids really memorize them quickly that way.

 

I love the way Andrew reads the poems and I love the fact that my children emphasize the same words he does AND that even at their young ages they are incorporating some of these expressions into their speech.

 

I agree that the program is pricey, but it's truly worth it!!

[Tonia]

You can see the introduction and basics of the program (I believe this is right from the book) online (pdf).

[Peela]

We use it. I just bought the book- its all you need, unless you are people who really like listening to CDs a lot. I can see some families could use the CD. But for me, its too much trouble to get the CD out, put it on, find the correct part, play it, repeat it etc. And I didn't like his poetry reading anyway! (too slow for me).

But i use the book and we have had a lot of fun with the poems, it will last me another couple of years probably (already a year). My kids are older, but this is the only way poetry memorisation happens around here. We don't have memory books or anything anymore. I just pick up the book, we go over a few old poems randomly, then read the new one once or twice together.

[Sandy in Indy]

Thanks all for your suggestions and comments. I think I'll get the book and possibly make some recordings for ds to listen to--now that I know how!