Any ideas for Poetry..

[Lux Et Veritas Academy]

Any ideas for poetry with children who do not have the gift of rote memorization?

[Trivium Academy]

Please explain more, I didn't realize rote memorization was a gift and I don't understand if you want suggestions for curricula, poems or encouragement one way or the other.

[abbeyej]

Any ideas for poetry with children who do not have the gift of rote memorization?

 

I'm not really sure what you mean here either, since, while I believe that some children memorize more quickly than others, I don't think one requires a "gift" in order to do it and nearly anyone can memorize poetry with some effort. (And I firmly believe that that effort is worthwhile.)

 

You might like Andrew Pudewa's program as a starting point: http://writing-edu.com/poetry/ He gives excellent arguments for the importance of poetry memorization and specific "how to"s... My only qualm is that it's unfortunately over-priced. The book is useable on its own -- you don't need to have the CD -- but some people feel this is a more painless way to help their children memorize and/or they feel uncomfortable reading poetry aloud for themselves, and the CDs can be helpful. Again, I think the content is excellent, but the price gives me pause.

 

A Child's Introduction to Poetry: http://www.amazon.com/Childs-Introduction-Poetry-Mountains-Battles/dp/1579122825 is another excellent text. There are simple explanations for a variety of styles of poetry along with examples. It's not meant to be exhaustive, it's meant to be illustrative. It's clearly and charmingly written -- a real gem. It also comes with a CD that I can't stand listening to. sigh.

 

Poetry Speaks to Children http://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Speaks-Children-Book-Read/dp/1402203292 on the other hand doesn't include any explanations, but the CD of a number of 20th century poets reading their own work is worth the price of the book all alone. "Okay, Brown Girl, Okay" makes me weep every time -- so far I've been lucky enough not to crash the car while listening.

 

If you just want an excellent anthology, Favorite Poems Old and New http://www.amazon.com/Favorite-Poems-Helen-Ferris-Tibbets/dp/0385076967 is wonderful. It only goes through the mid 20th century, so at some point you might want to supplement with a couple of more contemporary works, but it's an indispensable resource.

 

Poems to Read to the Very Young http://www.amazon.com/Poems-Read-Very-Young-Pictureback/dp/0394897684 is another of my favorites. It's a tiny little book, but if you have children about 6 or 7 and under, it's just delightful. Sweet and old-fashioned, lots of fun, a nice balance between silly and profound (often in the same poem). It used to be part of Sonlight's K program, though it's now sadly out-of-print (though still readily available used).

[Beth in Central TX]

If you mean your kids don't memorize easily, then I would just incorporate poetry into your copywork & dictation exercises. If you want them to memorize a selection, use it as copywork until they have it memorized.

[ELaurie]

When I tell my dc it is now time to memorize poetry, and then find myself treating our poetry time as an oh-so-very-serious-subject-to-be-mastered, they groan, I groan, and we all lose our natural enjoyment of poetry and memorization.

 

When I pull out a book of favorite poems, and sincerely say,

"Oh, do you remember this one? It's one of my favorites!" we enjoy the experience and I'm amazed by how much they remember.:)

 

I've struggled a bit to find the right "tone" for the way I want to approach poetry and memorization at our house. What I find works best for us is to keep it light-hearted and fun, simply reading our favorites over and over again until they are readily remembered.

 

If I focus too directly on memorization, it begins to feel like a chore for them (and for me : ).

 

Particularly if your dc are young, I'd say they will more naturally remember poems they love and enjoy. My dc especially like nursery rhymes, and silly rhymes.

[abbeyej]

...What I find works best for us is to keep it light-hearted and fun, simply reading our favorites over and over again until they are readily remembered. ...

 

I heartily agree with Laurie on this! Before you start "memorizing" poetry, develop a love for it by reading together regularly. Tell them when something is your favorite. Comment on lines that are funny or clever or moving. "Perform" them as appropriate -- don't just sing-song. (If you're not comfortable reading poetry aloud, do get the "Poetry Speaks to Children" book/cd, so you can hear what it should sound like...)

 

Our best times for poetry memorization are when we start our day reading and reciting poems and singing a song or two (hymns and folk songs seem best) before we start the rest of our work. It sets the tone for the day as joyful, beautiful and together.

 

Absolutely make poetry memorization a joyful family time -- not a chore.

[Alana in Canada]

Repetition, repetition, repetition.

 

That's all it takes to memorize anything: vocabulary, poetry, Bible verses.

 

Ambelside Online has some great resources for poetry.

[Karen in CO]

Kids seem to have a natural love of rhyme. If you want them to learn poetry, then I would suggest the IEW poetry program. It is good and it works. All three of my kids are learning these.

 

If you want them to learn to enjoy poetry, hit the library and get everything from the juvenile poetry shelf, especially Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein. See what they enjoy.

 

If you want them to learn about different types of poetry, try something like Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme or Poetry speaks to children.

 

If you just want them to develop an ear for poetry, AO has lists of poems that they do weekly. You could also just start a poetry tea time. Put a fancy table cloth on the table, make tea, serve cookies, and pull out a book of poetry. When we do this, we pass the book around and let everyone that can read, read a poem. The kids think it is silly but special.

[Sweetest]

We are following the poetry progression as outlined on Ambleside Online. We are currently reading A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson. We read one new poem, and some that we have read previously, every morning. When a particular poem strikes my dd's fancy she will tell me she wants to memorize it, and then she just reads it and practices it several times a day until she gets it. I don't push the memorization and if she didn't ask to memorize I wouldn't force it. I think it is so much more important to develop a love for the art of written words so I don't make it a chore.