Poetry Lesson Week 5

Student Lead Classes:

Both M and J's lessons today were focused on pieces of poem's to illustrate their theme of the day. Interestingly enough, neither lead a discussion on a single poem, but instead resorted to student created pieces. I enjoyed M's lesson in particular because I felt like it set the tone for future classes to come. It's a wonderful idea to work on community like that before you expect your class to open up to one another, share their ideas and opinions, and work with each other - especially when it comes to their own writing. I can remember my own experience in high school when I was forced to share a poem I created with my peers, it was like putting my innards on display, a truly horrifying experience. I think these type of lessons also let students see what they're really capable of creating. I think students are too often intimidated when it comes to creating something of their own, particularly poetry. Society has placed poetry on this pedestal, and creating it almost seems unattainable and absolutely discouraging. I liked the use of these activities, that didn't reveal students too much, to illustrate the creativity and mastery of language and image within each of us. I would love to see this taking place in a high school class - I bet teachers would be amazed of what's within their students!