Summarizes how a group of five elementary and middle school teachers gathered during a summer reading workshop to discuss their views on teaching reading using literature. Concludes with one teacher leading the group to create a poem that captures the essence of the discussion. (SG)

Discusses many ideas the author has regarding the literature canon including what he thinks should be taught and for what reasons. Makes a case for the classroom contexts that allow students to develop into confident, enthusiastic, and responsible readers of canonical poetry. (SG)

Notes that the reading and writing of poetry in the composition classroom asks students to participate in metacognition. Examines how writing teachers may use poetry activities to foster metalinguistic awareness as well as to meet many of the demands of the composition classroom. Contends that poetry is a missing link in an incomplete chain of…

A teacher at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (District of Columbia) briefly describes the process of interpreting poetry and drama into American Sign Language (ASL) with his students. The process involves analysis and discussion, followed by mapping the subtext and adapting it to ASL. The process improves not only acting skills but also…

Describes a program for poetry and creative writing in the prison setting. Offers an inmate's poetry and other writing to illustrate the kinds of growth and change that can be engendered through poetic expression. Argues that poetry is an excellent therapeutic medium for use in prisons. (SR)

Describes using self-reflective synesthetic writing exercises (which prompt students to think metaphorically about crossed senses--taste of clouds, smell of anger, etc.) in creative writing with high school students. Notes how such writing allows a reader/teacher insights into students' lives and personalities. Includes student sample poems. (SR)

Encourages students to attempt to capture the voice of established poets in parodies. Notes that this close interaction with literature allows the students to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of literary styles. Presents two student parodies of William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." (RS)

Describes how a social work course requires students to reflect upon their own theories of human development. Reflects upon the author's experiences as a student and teacher of Human Behavior and the Social Environment. Discusses the role of self-disclosure and shares several of her own poems that illustrate her own view of lifespan development…

Contends that to mindfully appreciate the shape a poem carves onto a page is to view its words and lines in relief, to consider how the contours of a poem contribute to its meaning. Explains that the notion of blank space as a defining element of poetry is simple yet radical, and is a subtle challenge to students who define poetry as beautiful…

Describes an eight-step writing assignment that is a novel way to test students' writing skills in a way that is intriguing, interactive, and team-oriented, with built-in multiple deadlines requiring quick creativity and cognitive knowledge. Presents a poetry writing exercise in which the student is asked to write a short poem in the voice of…

Notes that the process of creating a poem not only demonstrates the inherent characteristics of the imaginative experience, but when it is written and shared in a supportive group, it validates diverse student voices and establishes the foundation for a classroom community. Presents three techniques that are important and valuable methods to…

Focuses on the way sexual excesses inscribed in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Oriental discourses served to open up "queer" spaces in Romantic literature, while analyzing the degree to which the master narrative of British colonial domination was in part dependent on narratives of the sexual degeneracy of the Other. Focuses on…

Eulogizes poet and teacher Kenneth Koch. Notes that Koch was a renowned poet, a pioneer of the poets-in-the-school movement, and mentor to generations of Columbia students. Describes his often caustic teaching style. (PM)

Suggests adding poetry instruction to the Children's Defense Fund, a fund created to ensure that poor children get the basic necessities of life--food, healthcare, and education. Talks about the influence that Langston Hughes, a poet who lived in Harlem, had on the first author. Encourages students to avoid living other people's answers and to…

Provides a manageable nine-step process for using poetry in the teaching of English as a Foreign language (EFL). (Author/VWL)