Discusses four poems by William Carlos Williams used to teach creative writing to college students. Uses "Portrait of a Woman in Red" and "The Last Words of My English Grandmother" because they contain speakers who are clearly not the poet, which gives undergraduate students opportunities to discuss details Williams uses to…

Argues that it is time to return figurative language to the classroom. Claims teachers should teach writers more figures, regardless of the approach to composition instruction. (MS)

This 30-minute videotape program is designed to show educators, librarians, and parents that teaching children how to write poetry will help them feel their worth, instill confidence in them, and create in them an enthusiasm for learning in general. The program is part of the "Poetry and Children Series," which is based on the idea that…

Relates how poetry in Spanish is used with bilingual students in elementary school and with Spanish classes in high school. States that basic ground is covered first: metaphor and simile, use of the five senses in description, and the idea of the "persona poem." Furnishes examples of poems written in English by students and translated…

Twenty-six poetic forms are discussed in this paper, with suggested activities for teaching these patterns to students in grades kindergarten through grade twelve. The forms that are discussed include the couplet, quatrain, triplet, limerick, free verse, haiku, cinquain, sijo, septolet, diamante, acrostic, sonnet, parody, dramatic monologue, and…

Shows how digging for details adds richness and new meanings to cliches. Provides student poems resulting from exercises with trite materials. (RL)

Provides a step-by-step approach to teaching students the elements of poetry, such as similes, acrostics, metaphors, and odes. Copies of handouts are included. (HTH)

Aims for students to explore spontaneous ways of finding material for their poems by suppressing control over their subject matter and letting their unconscious minds do the work. Uses a poem of William Carlos Williams, "Red Wheelbarrow," both with K-2 students and adults in a poetry workshop. Illustrates class procedures and activities…

Intended for people of all ages and with a history of successful use in schools, workshops, and prison, this book is a guide through a two-week plan of lessons to teach poetry writing. Each lesson builds on the one that came before, and all include poems. Following a preface, the 11 chapters are: (1) Basic Tools; (2) Extending the Metaphor; (3)…

This easy-to-use book addresses the needs of the teacher who has always wanted to do more with poetry in the classroom. It presents a sequence of activities that allows young children to listen to, learn, read, and write poetry--these activities have been used in dozens of classrooms and proven to be successful in a wide range of settings. Topics…

This booklet, building on the premise that humans have a natural affinity with poetry and from an early age associate rhyme and rhythms with the joys of learning language, develops activities that enhance appreciation, engagement, response, and discrimination. The ideas presented in the booklet have been tried by practicing teachers in their…

Beyond providing insights into evoking, evaluating, and encouraging children's poetry, this book may give other poets and writers insights for their own writing. The 17 chapters discuss the following topics: (1) teaching poetry in the schools; (2) relating personal memories in poetry; (3) writing poems about animals; (4) using the chant; (5)…

The principle of empathic learning (involving activities that help students feel what it is to be like someone else) can be used to teach poetry, a material about which students have strong prejudices, and an activity they cannot imagine themselves ever doing or being interested in. First, students are presented with the conception that people…

This 20-minute videotape program presents poet and Columbia University professor Kenneth Koch conducting a poetry workshop with a small group of fourth and fifth graders. The program's notes explain that Koch believes that students should be allowed to write poetry in the same way that they are allowed to dance and sing--with freedom,…

This book of fables from the animal kingdom contains: "The Frog Who Knew Too Much"; "Long Tail the Lizard"; "The Otter Who Went to the Bottom of the Sea"; "The Single-Wattled Cassowary and His Lethal Toe"; "The Rebel Gerbil"; "Why Hairless Monkeys Turn Out So Bad"; and "The Eagles'…