A study was conducted to elicit the responses of five college students to their involvement with a single poem over a period of three weeks to determine if such involvement led to a greater appreciation and understanding of the poem. Each student began with a silent reading of the poem, moved to a study of it based only on silent readings, then…

This unit will introduce secondary level students to Chinese literature. The first part of the unit discusses poetry which has always been the most highly prized form of Chinese literature. The discussion examines the "Complete Tang Poems," the "Book of Songs" compiled by Confucius, the "Songs of Chu," and the "Li Sao." Students learn about the…

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…

Many prospective language arts teachers are unsure of what poetry really is. While it is impossible to present them with a definitive statement about the nature of poetry, they can be given a workable outline of the attributes of poetry to help them teach poetry to children. Rhythmic patterns can be emphasized to enhance children's enjoyment of…

Choral reading can be used by teachers to enhance children's appreciation for poetry and to develop their personal, social, psychological, cognitive/affective, and language values. It is useful for teachers to begin by creating an awareness in children of the basic elements of choral reading: tempo, rhythm, pitch, stress, and juncture. Then an…

Transactional literary theory centers on the reader's contribution in the two-way relationship with the literary text, lifting the reader to a prominent, essential position along with the author and the text. It develops the premise that the reader evokes a literary work through selective attention to the details of the author's "paper and…

An assignment for high school or college students that requires them to interpret what a poem may have communicated to the poet's contemporaries can be valuable in that it teaches them that there is more than one way to interpret a poem and that the rules of interpretation are neither universal nor unchanging. Such an approach to poetry…

THESE THREE TESTS--"ORIENTATION,""TRADITIONAL BALLAD," AND "THE LITERARY BALLAD"--WERE DESIGNED BY THE OREGON CURRICULUM STUDY CENTER FOR A SEVENTH-GRADE LITERATURE CURRICULUM. THEY ARE INTENDED TO ACCOMPANY CURRICULUM UNITS AVAILABLE AS ED 010 135 AND ED 010 136. (MM)

THESE THREE TESTS--"REORIENTATION,""TRAVEL LITERATURE," AND "NARRATIVE POETRY"--WERE DESIGNED BY THE OREGON CURRICULUM STUDY CENTER FOR AN EIGHTH-GRADE LITERATURE CURRICULUM. THEY ARE INTENDED TO ACCOMPANY CURRICULUM UNITS AVAILABLE AS ED 010 141 AND ED 010 142. (MM)

ENRICHMENT SUGGESTIONS FOR USE IN THE THIRD AND FOURTH GRADES ARE PRESENTED. VARIOUS LEVELS OF POETRY APPRECIATION ARE--(1) ENJOYMENT OF RHYTHM, MELODY, AND STORY, (2) APPRECIATION OF SEEING ONE'S OWN EXPERIENCES MIRRORED IN POETRY, (3) PROJECTION INTO A WORLD OTHER THAN THAT IN WHICH ONE LIVES, (4) UNDERSTANDING OF SYMBOLISM AND HIDDEN MEANINGS,…

The social and literary representation of the unmarried woman of "a certain age"--the spinster--provides a convenient focus for observing the overall progress of all women in English life. As the single woman's stature increased in the esteem of her culture, English writers began to reflect the changing social attitudes by depicting her in ever…

This paper recommends that poetry rather than other literary forms be used to teach creative reading and writing to young children. The advantages of using poetry are described as follows: inhibitions are overcome quickly; opportunities for a wider range and more complex level of student achievement are created; high quality pieces of writing are…

Good writing is discussed in terms of absolute literary values--"what is good writing" rather than "what is considered good writing." Major emphasis is focused on judging the quality of a literary work by its artistic merit instead of its political, social, or philosophical relevance. Examples of good and bad writing styles are cited throughout…