Week Two: Children's Lit, Briefly

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

When it comes to poetry, I'm on the fence. I don't hate it but, at the same time, I don't get excited about it. I attribute this to two things. One, I can't recall one instance during elementary school in which poetry was discussed or even read. I'm sure we did, but I don't remember it. Two, The poetry that I do remember studying in high school was so serious. After reading all this insightful and meaningful poetry, I was then told that I had to create a book of poetry. My thinking was, "You expect me to write poems like this?!" I stressed myself out trying to write poems with some deep meaning. As a kid, I was never really exposed to the fact that poetry can be fun.
I loved the idea of one teacher in the textbook that said she would write a different poem on the board everyday. They wouldn't necessarily discuss it, she just displayed it for the students to read and enjoy. I think this is a great way to expose poetry to children without forcing it on them.
I wonder if having a poetry read-aloud would be beneficial. Maybe for ten minutes a day, the students could sit together on the floor and take turns reading poems that they enjoy or even poems that they have written. No analyzing, just reading and listening. A couple of days ago, my sister said that she does not like reading poetry to herself. When she does, she ends up skimming. She prefers to hear poems read aloud. Whether a student is a visual or an auditory learner, teachers need to take this take into account and give every student the opportunity to benefit from the material he/she is presenting.