Poetry... uuuuuugggghhhh

[tinkbaby]

I -know- I'm supposed to be teaching poetry... or at least exposing my DD to it regularly, but ... I HATE POETRY! I've never like it; not even as a child. Our weekly poetry reading has basically been me handing the anthology to DD & having her go off to read/memorize it on her own because I just have no interest.

 

And I feel bad. The mother-guilt is strong.

 

Which got me thinking... there must be poetry lessons for people that hate poetry. There's LA currics for children that hate grammar, a dozen different math programs for different learning styles... so... what's the best way to learn/teach poetry if you hate poetry?

[momtoamiracle]

I don't care for it either and neither does my son. However he does like mother goes nursery rhymes so we've done some of those.

[Amethyst]

I HATE poetry too!!!! My kids did not get enough of it, I suppose. But oh well.

[ladydusk]

IEW's Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization.

 

Book. CDs. Easy.

[Kuovonne]

Get a book of Jack Prelutsky's poetry. He is hilarious.

[TKDmom]

How old is your dd?

 

I like IEW's poetry memorization. We've just finished level 1 and have moved on to level 2 (the program includes 4 levels of 20 poems each). Most of the level one poems were chosen because they are funny or relate well to a kid's life.

 

My 7yo and I have started reading A.A. Milne's poetry, and I have been pleasantly surprised. We are both enjoying his poems. Before that, we read Robert Louis Stevenson's poetry and he made me want to gag most of the time.

 

My kids all adore Shel Silverstein.

 

We do a bi-weekly poetry tea-time with a couple of other homeschooling families. The host family sets out a nice spread with baked goods and hot chocolate or apple cider (none of us actually drink tea). The kids get a few minutes to thumb through various poetry books and choose a poem to share. Most of the kids in our group gravitate towards the silliest Shel Silverstein poem they can find. Once everyone has read their poem to the group, we eat our treats and then the kids run wild for an hour while us moms sit around and chat. And eat all the leftover cookies. It seems like it's been a good way to build positive associations between our kids and poetry. (As I type this my dd11 interrupted me to ask when we would get to host the next tea time--since we just bought a new tea set from Goodwill. ;) )

[MrsMe]

I'm there with you. I hate poetry. Either sing it or write a book. :glare:

[dbmamaz]

we did a little this year - i started by just searching the web for silly poems, and then silly holiday-related poems. then we read the books "love that dog" and "hate that cat" which were fun. we dont do memorization.

 

i did some MCT level 3 poetry w my older one, and he liked the first half but got stressed out later . .and we didnt bother memorizing the types, its just not a strong enough interest. at least your daughter WILL do the work alone

[Trillian]

I've just been getting a couple books from the library each week and testing them out. Some have been losers, but then we read one or two and move on. Some we really enjoy. This week we got "Technically it's not my fault," some were hysterical.

 

Ideally we would do a weekly tea to read them, but honestly, I'm happy when we read them, thrilled if I get it turned int a tea time.

[tinkbaby]

Thanks to all the replies... I guess I should have mentioned that DD is 8. I'll check out IEW & MCT and Jack Prelusky).

 

I -do- have Where the Sidewalk Ends... unfortunately my daughter finds it to be TOO silly, and loses focus & the "lesson" gets derailed (a quick 10 min poetry reading turns into 15 minutes of reading & giggling, then another 15-20 minutes of getting her back to task).

 

Bonnie- your tea time sounds wonderful.

[Hunter]

I'm slowly learning to like it.

 

Write it instead of reading it, especially when highly emotional.

Words Wit and Wonder

Scholastic Guides How to Write Poetry

 

Study songs

 

Seasonal poetry can sometimes be turned into a holiday craft or a card.

[krisandpaula]

We have LOVED this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Words-Wit-Wonder-Writing-Writers/dp/1404853456/ref=pd_sim_b_4

 

We first discovered it at our local library. It is part of a series of writing books that are wonderfully kid friendly. It is also part of a compilation that combines several of the individual books into one, fabulously priced volume:

http://www.amazon.com/Writers-Toolbox-WRITERS-TOOLBOX-Paperback/dp/B008LCR9US/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_title_0

[3lilreds in NC]

I didn't think I was a huge fan of poetry either, but I'm learning to like it more. I felt a need to do more this year. We're using Ambleside Online, and they have poetry recommendations for each year in the early years, and then each term in the upper years. Since we haven't done much previously, we're using their Year 6 anthology, and it's been great! We read a poem per day. I look up a short bio of each poet, and if I don't really get it, I try to look up the poem too in case the girls have questions about it. We also have a small CM co-op, and we're studying Tennyson this term. We did Emily Dickinson last term. You might take a look at AO. They've made some Kindle books of their poetry selections and it certainly makes it easy, to just follow their poets.

 

If you really just can't stand it, I agree with trying fun poetry like Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky. Edward Lear is another really fun one. Robert Louis Stevenson is also good for youngers. My sister in law sent me a great book called "Talking Like the Rain" that has great kid-friendly poetry in it, too. And, of course, don't forget Mother Goose!

 

My girls weren't thrilled at the idea, but they are learning to enjoy it. They get a kick out of reading that most of the Romantic poets seemed to have been a bit crazy, for example. :laugh: They're making connections, and that's all I wanted from it for them at this point. They are 6th and 7th grade, so we're also starting CAP's "The Art of Poetry." They are less thrilled with that, LOL, but I think it's going to be good.

[Kuovonne]

I -do- have Where the Sidewalk Ends... unfortunately my daughter finds it to be TOO silly, and loses focus & the "lesson" gets derailed (a quick 10 min poetry reading turns into 15 minutes of reading & giggling, then another 15-20 minutes of getting her back to task).

 

Fifteen minutes (or twenty, or thirty minutes) of reading and giggling over Shel Silverstein sounds like the perfect poetry "lesson" for an eight year old. Let her enjoy the poems, and after she feels how the words can work magic in her mind, you can explore how that magic works.

[Legomom]

Try listening to some on YouTube. Jabberwocky performed by the Muppets is great. Also, Daffodils by Jeremy Iron. Ozmandias by Ben Kingsley. I think you can also find some of Robert Frost reading his own poetry. It makes a big difference hearing it read by a professional, especially by the poet themselves.

[Mystie]

Reading aloud that I don't get or don't enjoy or don't express well, I delegate to audio books.

 

We listen to selections from A Child's Introduction to Poetry & Poetry Speaks to Children during our "listening time"/circle time.

[serendipitous journey]

I agree that it's okay if Shel Silverstein derails your poetry lesson; we aren't doing poetry lessons here, just reading Silverstein (and something for the tot -- right now Pocketful of Posies, before that Here's a Little Poem which is just.adorable.)

 

Also seconding the audio book comments.

 

But mainly, I think you ought to remember what poetry is, and find any poems at all that work the tiniest bit of that magic for you. Poetry = feelings/emotions/experiences. The best poems are sort of like novels, simmered down to potent cordials that can pop open Big Experiences in a little space. I myself dropped FLL2 when the first lesson on poems was that every line begins with a capital letter. You don't have to go that far; but be sure that you are just wallowing in the poems, as much as you can wallow, and rolling them around your in your head and relishing them.

 

If you want a grown-up laugh & a kick start to your poetry moments, try Asimov's limericks. Not with the children, though. If you like cool art more then poems any day, see if you can find a Douglas Florian book that suits. What do you like? Is there even one poem you get a kick out of?

 

and finally two excellent resources. I found them in the WTM board archives last year, and they are extraordinary.

for writing poems with children (grades 2/3 and up): Wishes, Lies and Dreams

for reading them (grades 3/4 and up): Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?

 

and by the same author, just for those of us who don't "get" poems or want to understand poetry better or write it better: Making Your Own Days: The Pleasures of Reading and Writing Poetry.

[delaney]

I printed this from a bundle special that LBC had and it is easy to do and the poems are fun.

http://www.amazon.com/Jabberwocky-Poetry-Studies-Junior-High/dp/193819215X

[rebereid]

 

 

But mainly, I think you ought to remember what poetry is, and find any poems at all that work the tiniest bit of that magic for you. Poetry = feelings/emotions/experiences. The best poems are sort of like novels, simmered down to potent cordials that can pop open Big Experiences in a little space. ...

 

I found them in the WTM board archives last year, and they are extraordinary.

for writing poems with children (grades 2/3 and up): Wishes, Lies and Dreams

for reading them (grades 3/4 and up): Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?

 

and by the same author, just for those of us who don't "get" poems or want to understand poetry better or write it better: Making Your Own Days: The Pleasures of Reading and Writing Poetry.

 

I LOVE poetry and I second what the PP says. I love those particular books too.

 

I second what others have said. Find songs you like and listen to them. Find silly kid poetry and read one a week. Maybe try this poem by Billy Collins "On Turning Ten." http://www.billy-collins.com/2005/06/on_turning_ten.html. Your eight year old may relate to that.

 

I think that people have this stiff notion of poetry, when really, as PP says, poetry is just a way of approaching the world with emotions. It doesn't have to be Shakespeare or Robert Browning. It can be a lot of fun.

 

Rebecca

[rebereid]

Ok, I promise I won't keep posting here, but here is another Billy Collins poem that tries to put things in perspective. Don't tie a poem to a chair and beat meaning out of it, but just read it.

 

http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/001.html

 

Introduction to Poetry

 

Billy Collins

 

I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light

like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem

and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room

and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski

across the surface of a poem

waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do

is tie the poem to a chair with rope

and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose

to find out what it really means.

[happyhappyjoyjoy]

IEW's Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization.

 

Book. CDs. Easy.

 

I also hated poetry. For us Classically CAtholic Memory was the answer. I'd suggest the above product to get you started. Now I love poetry, and my sons have no problem memorizing selections for MODG.

[tinkbaby]

This is great; thanks again for all the suggestions, and perspectives. I've actually never thought about poetry like this before. We'll try listening to poems for a few weeks, just listening, not "studying".

[MrsMe]

Try listening to some on YouTube. Jabberwocky performed by the Muppets is great. Also, Daffodils by Jeremy Iron. Ozmandias by Ben Kingsley. I think you can also find some of Robert Frost reading his own poetry. It makes a big difference hearing it read by a professional, especially by the poet themselves.

 

I actually love this one!

[delaney]

There is poetry on the libravox site as well that they can listen to.

[ladydusk]

Try listening to some on YouTube. Jabberwocky performed by the Muppets is great. Also, Daffodils by Jeremy Iron. Ozmandias by Ben Kingsley. I think you can also find some of Robert Frost reading his own poetry. It makes a big difference hearing it read by a professional, especially by the poet themselves.

 

 

Thanks for this. We've been learning Jabbrwocky and my kids thought the Muppets doing it was hilarious.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I -do- have Where the Sidewalk Ends... unfortunately my daughter finds it to be TOO silly, and loses focus & the "lesson" gets derailed (a quick 10 min poetry reading turns into 15 minutes of reading & giggling, then another 15-20 minutes of getting her back to task).

 

Totally agree with Kuovonne!

 

Fifteen minutes (or twenty, or thirty minutes) of reading and giggling over Shel Silverstein sounds like the perfect poetry "lesson" for an eight year old. Let her enjoy the poems, and after she feels how the words can work magic in her mind, you can explore how that magic works.

 

I would never start "teaching" poetry to someone who did not already enjoy it! The #1 lesson is that poetry is enjoyable. That may take years to learn. So be it! It may take experimenting with stacks of books and anthologies to find what speaks to your DD. But clearly Silverstein is speaking to her already. He is saying, "Poetry can be FUN!" She will finish with Silverstein and likely crave more if (and only if!) you don't turn it into a chore first. ;) :D Let her explore the library shelf and take baby steps through poetry styles to find her favorites. I wouldn't even think about teaching it until the love is strong. You could ask her, after she almost dies laughing over one poem in particular--a poem that she just has to read to you, Mom, because it is SOOOO funny--if she maybe wants to learn it by heart. I firmly believe that in the earliest stages of poetry memorization, all poems learned by heart should be chosen by the child doing the memorizing. They should be allowed to choose what speaks to their heart.

 

This is great; thanks again for all the suggestions, and perspectives. I've actually never thought about poetry like this before. We'll try listening to poems for a few weeks, just listening, not "studying".

 

:)

[TKDmom]

This is great; thanks again for all the suggestions, and perspectives. I've actually never thought about poetry like this before. We'll try listening to poems for a few weeks, just listening, not "studying".

 

 

Oh, I'm not sure I'd even start studying it for a looong time. I just read with my kids abd we giggle a little. With my 11yo, the poetry tends to be a little more serious, so we might spend a few minutes contemplating a poem. I ask if she understands it, and sometimes I explain some of the imagery and then read it again. But it's a very light touch.

 

My kids are currently memorizing "How Doth the Little Crocodile". They love it. Eventually, I am going to tell them that it's a parody of another poem and have them compare the two poems. I think it will give them a greater appreciation of this poem, but I'm not going to get into that until they already know and love it well.

 

I never liked poetry the way it was taught in school. But I have discovered that I enjoy certain types of poems that either have beautiful language and imagery or that have some tongue-in-cheek humor.

 

I *hated* English classes where we had to analyze what the author was saying. (For goodness sakes, maybe it was just a story!) Now that I am older I can recognize that there are times when the author does have a message, but a student won't be able to see that until she has some life experience under her belt. And trying to push too much analysis too soon will likely just lead to frustration and resentment.

[ladydusk]

TKDMom .. What is How doth the little crocodile a parody of?

 

I only know nothin bout poetry :-)

[alisoncooks]

TKDMom .. What is How doth the little crocodile a parody of?

 

I only know nothin bout poetry :-)

Not TKDMom, but it's a parody of "Against Idleness & Mischief" by Isaac Watts:

 

How doth the little busy Bee

Improve each shining Hour,

And gather Honey all the day

From every opening Flower!

 

(It continues on for 3 more stanzas.)

[ladydusk]

Thanks!

[misty.warden]

The only poetry I really like to read is Robert Frost and Psalms (which I think are actually songs and not really poetry in the modern sense). I remember dreading poetry writing sections in high school, full of acrostics, dissection of allegory I wasn't convinced existed, and iambic pentameter, but I think haiku are kinda neat to write, not so much to read though.

[TKDmom]

Not TKDMom, but it's a parody of "Against Idleness & Mischief" by Isaac Watts:

 

<snipped>

Thanks, I couldn't remember what it was, but I remember reading about it somewhere.

Edited September 11, 2014 by TKDmom

[jetted4]

Guess I gotta ask...do you actually NEED to study poetry? We've read a few here and there that struck my ds9s fancy, but I've never tried very hard to incorporate it into our learning experience. I've never been into it myself and my dh (a scientist) is of the mind that you can skip poetry altogether.

 

Any thoughts? Does a mathy/sciency sort of kid still need to spend time studying poetry? or is a combo of fiction and non-fiction reading/study w/o poetry plenty?

(we've played plenty of rhyming games, so he doesn't need poetry as a way of learning how to rhyme)

[rebereid]

Guess I gotta ask...do you actually NEED to study poetry? We've read a few here and there that struck my ds9s fancy, but I've never tried very hard to incorporate it into our learning experience. I've never been into it myself and my dh (a scientist) is of the mind that you can skip poetry altogether.

 

Any thoughts? Does a mathy/sciency sort of kid still need to spend time studying poetry? or is a combo of fiction and non-fiction reading/study w/o poetry plenty?

(we've played plenty of rhyming games, so he doesn't need poetry as a way of learning how to rhyme)

 

I'd say NO, there is no need for elementary students to STUDY poetry, just read it, listen to it, enjoy it.

 

POETRY SPEAKS TO CHILDREN is a nice anthology with audio CD.

[dbmamaz]

just because it got lost in the shuffle, i was to repeat that my mathy kid LOVED 'love that dog' and 'hate that cat'. these are short books about a 4th/5th grader who has to do poetry studies in school. it is cute and funny and introduces a few actual poems - totally painless way to help kids appreciate poetry. poetry can enrich life - and its a lot easier to dip your toe in to than literature!

[alisoncooks]

 

I'd say NO, there is no need for elementary students to STUDY poetry, just read it, listen to it, enjoy it.

 

POETRY SPEAKS TO CHILDREN is a nice anthology with audio CD.

 

Thanks mentioning audio cds.... I had a mental lightbulb moment! :D We listen to the Bible in the car, listen to books -- why did I never think of audio cds of poetry! Awesome! (I love poetry, but we don't do it as often as I'd like.)

[serendipitous journey]

okay, I am cleaning out my Amazon cart so DH can actually purchase things, and I ran across this:

 

A Child's Introduction to Poetry: Listen While You Learn About the Magic Words That Have Moved Mountains, Won Battles, and Made Us Laugh and Cry. It comes with a CD and might be a nice resource for the Poetry-Averse, the Reluctant, or the Very Busy.

[LucyStoner]

I am a mathy person who loves poetry and we read quite a lot of it. But we don't dissect it. Also, while it is something I enjoy no one has ever died because they didn't study much poetry. It's ok to skip it if you like. I dislike books entire genres of fiction and ignored them or minimized them as a student. I still got through college in one piece and am reasonably well educated.