alisha Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 I'm looking for a study of famous poems. I guess kind of like a literature guide for a book, but for famous poems. Does this exist? I looked at Art of Poetry, but that has very few well-known poems (at least by me and my teacher parents. I am planning to use Grammar of Poetry in a few years, but that seems to go more for the stanzas and patterns than thinking about the actual famous poems. Ideally something for late elementary, middle school. I've searched past posts, but they either focus on the writing of poems (which is great, but not what I want to cover), or anthologies of poetry (again, great, but they have no questions to think about the poems deeper and many are made up by modern kids or authors) Suggestions? Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) Hmmm... I think it is hard to think deeper about poems without first having a little bit of an understanding of literary and poetic devices (metaphor, repetition and sound elements), as well as the forms of poetry. So a good starting point might be to learn about the "tools" used by poets, to better understand how and *why* a poet wrote a poem in "that way". Two useful resources for that aspect of learning about poetry: - Walch Toolbox: Prose and Poetry (gr. 6-9), especially part 3 = poetry tools (part 1 = literary devices; part 2 = figures of speech) - Figuratively Speaking (gr. 5-8), esp. part 2 = poetic language (part 1 = figurative language; part 3 = literary techniques) Also, I think one can learn a lot from an extensive "guided tour" of a dozen or so poems, even if not familiar with some of the poems/poets, so I'd encourage you to reconsider going through the Art of Poetry and learning the process of *how* to think deeper about poetry, which will allow you to then dig deeper into *any* poem. Just a thought. 🙂 A few other resources that might help with learning that "process" of poetry appreciation, which in turn helps with "digging deeper". These are all written to adults, but could be read directly by a high school student, or adapted by a teaching parent and applied with younger students: - How to Analyze a Poem -- very brief overview guide to a 7-step process you can use on any poem - How to Read a Poem -- a slightly longer article/explanation of how to approach reading/appreciating/analyzing a poem, with great questions to ask to help you dig deeper into ANY poem - How To Read A Poem, Tanya Runyan's short and very accessible guide to help maintain appreciation for poetry, and help you think about what all is in the poem, without "killing" the poem or enjoyment of poetry through over-analysis. A final thought: poetry "speaks" to us indirectly, through imagery and metaphor, through oblique comparisons and asides, and as a result, readers will make different connections or have different insights from one other. So it is more difficult to write a literature guide with questions specific to a poem, as that tends to push a reader into just one direction or interpretation of the poem. All that said, the only other lit. guides on poetry that I can think of are:Wellspring: Poetry Selections and Activities (grades 5-8)Progeny Press guide, "Introduction to Poetry: Forms and Elements" (grades 8-12) -- see more sample pages here. The guide uses almost all 19th century classic poems, and is a workbook approach to analyzing the poems.Michael Clay Thompson Poetics series, by age range, starting with elementary ages; introduces poetic elements and poetry appreciation An online search turned up this guides as well; don't know if is is what you are looking for, but it looks quite good from a quick skim:Match FishTank: 6th Grade English Poetry Unit -- free; very detailed; guided questions; poetic elements; more Perhaps you could use one of these resources (or some other) that best fits your learning needs, and then add in poems your family is more familiar with and discuss one after each poetry lesson done with the other resource? Just an idea. 🙂 BEST of luck in finding what it is you are looking for! Warmly, Lori D. Edited March 29, 2019 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisha Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 10 hours ago, Lori D. said: I think it is hard to think deeper about poems without first having a little bit of an understanding of literary and poetic devices Hmm, I never thought of it that way. Maybe I'm going about things backwards?! Thanks for all your input and links, I'm off to research! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 We enjoyed dipping into Laura Berquist's The Harp and Laurel Wreath: Poetry and Dictation for the Classical Curriculum "Convinced that a critical part of education is to foster in our children a love of the beautiful and true, teacher and writer Laura Berquist presents this wide selection of poetry for every age level from grades one to twelve. Language development is significantly enriched by exposure to good poetry. This book is an important resource because it provides in one volume many poems that concern noble actions or ideas presented in beautiful patterns of sound. This book contains all the poems recommended in Berquist's best-selling Designing Your Classical Curriculum. The extensive selection includes poems by Robert Louis Stevenson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Robert Browning, William Shakespeare, G.K. Chesterton, William Butler Yeats, Robert Frost, and many others. There are three indices to help locate specific poems. This book also includes dictation selections that are useful tools in the development of the child's writing ability, as well as study questions and answers for each poem. " Regards, Kareni 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 I do not think it is backward to enjoy any of the arts without analyzing them through the lens of AP/College curricula. There are many lenses that we can use to look at something. And sometimes we don't want to use any lens at all, but just want to let beautiful things wash over us, and feel what we feel, as play not work. Dragging AP/College techniques and skills down to younger and younger ages is ONE way of schooling. Not all of HOMEschooling needs to be "school" in its most rigid and literal definition. At least not for ALL families. Think about what YOU do with poetry. Teach YOUR children with YOUR strengths, and with acceptance and attachment to where they come from. You do not need to change your LIFE to do "school" "right". HOMEschooling is not a one sized fits all approach. Homeschooling is an extension of the home, and each home is unique. You COULD postpone your poetry study until you feel self-educated enough to do it entirely differently than you have been living your life. If that fils you with excitement, go for it! But if you feel disappointed and overwhelmed, find a list of famous poems and dive in and HAVE FUN. Life is short. All we have for certain is today. Seize the day, YOUR day, and do it YOUR way. And make sure you ENJOY it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 (edited) Some alternative ways to teach poetry Simply Charlotte Mason Enjoy the Poems https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/enjoy-the-poems/ Ambleside Online Poetry https://www.amblesideonline.org/Poets.shtml Ella Francis Lynch was a huge advocate of teaching Longfellow, and used memorization of Hiawatha to teach a child how to read. https://charlottemasonmodern.com/category/ella-frances-lynch/ Edited March 31, 2019 by Hunter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kznelius Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 Moving Beyond the Page has a few unit studies that might be of interest. Not sure they are exactly what you are after. The first link is to the purchase page of the complete package, and the second link is to the summary of skills page that might give you an idea about what is in the unit study: Age 9-11 : Poetry (Looks like this one may focus a bit more on writing poetry)- https://www.movingbeyondthepage.com/purchase/sku-detail/455/language-arts-package-poetry/ https://www.movingbeyondthepage.com/summaryofskills.aspx?conceptID=41 Age 11-13: British Poetry - https://www.movingbeyondthepage.com/purchase/sku-detail/816/language-arts-package-british-poetry/ https://www.movingbeyondthepage.com/summaryofskills.aspx?conceptID=50 Age 12-14: Great American Poets - https://www.movingbeyondthepage.com/purchase/sku-detail/1884/language-arts-package-great-american-poets/ https://www.movingbeyondthepage.com/summaryofskills.aspx?conceptID=52 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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