Nathan Miller Demonstration
July 12, 2013
Easing Into Poetry
Thinking about Language Poetically Instead of Intellectually
Creating Poems from Other Sources
Background: This is an introductory lesson for use at the high school level.
Rosemount High School:
Average to large; suburban; very low ethnic diversity
7 period day, trimesters, English is required every trimester
Due to Common Core, number of electives in 12th. Grade has been
reduced to two: Literature & Composition or Fiction and Composition
Most students enroll in electives by choice. Some have a strong interest in creative
writing. Some are there because they assume since it’s a writing class they won’t
have to read! Some are placed there because they need an English credit and there’s
an opening.
How excited are the students for writing, particularly poetry? Some still get stuck in
limited mindsets! These activities would be in the beginning part of the unit, prior
to any students’ writing of their own poetry.
Activity 1
Look at a picture of two shapes. Do a quick sketch.
(Shapes are left visible for students on the screen.)
If each shape had a name, which would be Oona, which Kepick?
Label each shape with appropriate name.
Genders? Which is woman, man?
One is a brand of gasoline, other a type of oil. Which is which?
Listen to them! Which is a drum, a violin?
Listen more. Which is a saxophone, a trumpet?
One more time. Which is the wind, a dog barking?
Review results together:
Oona
Kepick
Female
Male
etc.
Book referenced:
Three Genres: Writing Fiction/Literary Nonfiction, Poetry, and Drama
by Stephen Minot
Author states: 19 of 20 people will come up with the same answers to those
questions. Why?
Expected responses perhaps due to:
*Vowel sound representations (K sounds are harder, OO more fluid to
match curvy or angular shapes.
Did the name drive the gender? (Kepick sounded more male, etc.)
This activity was intended to get us thinking poetically. These are just images, WE
attached the meaning to the scribbles.
Activity 2
Nathan modeling his thinking: “How do I now embrace poetry?
I tend to write in prose by choice, then use prose as entryway into poetry.”
Rita Dove quote:
“Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful.”
Definition of distillation modeled: Image of sea water in a bucket with lots of
floating bits; left in sun, water evaporating and leaving behind crystallized matter.
One Approach to Seeing in New Ways and Distilling
Quick video Austin Kleon, “Newspaper poetry” or “Blackout poetry”
Examples: “Mental hospital”; “salesmanship”
Nathan’s example using Muriel’s letter of acceptance to Institute!
First, scanned for interesting words and phrases,
gently underlined them with pencil;
Idea began to emerge, boxed in those words he wanted to use.
Some of original underlined words weren’t used.
Passed out newspapers, magazine, handouts. Try it.
One attempt by Nathan - Used two old texts/books (To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great
Gatsby) – lots of bleeding through paper, and already written in very poetic
phrasings – not as sterile as a newspaper.
Alternatives: visuals shown of using Sharpies to circle and connect without
blacking out rest of text, or creating a shape that fits the topic.
Discussion
Tips: This is “play” – don’t need to be profound. Students can take unfinished piece
with them if not done. Don’t get too hung up on finding just the right article.
Thought Question: Would this be best with non-fiction since fiction is already
somewhat poetic?
Examples from our group practice were shown on doc camera.
Next steps: How do you apply this to your own work?
Nathan shows a series of slides of his own work, following significant event,
then dreams, important occasion and vivid images. Then what? Shows process,
draft, what can I eliminate? Do I like it, want to condense it, rearrange it? (GET
THESE SLIDES for wiki.)
Questions:
Do you do this for one or two classes only? Do you revisit it?
A found poem can be part of their portfolio during poetry unit.
What about struggling readers?
Frustration level was high with struggling students. Look for words
that stand out, instead of focusing too strongly on what you’re trying to say, zero in
on some specifics, sometimes you end up with piece that doesn’t have obvious
meaning but just sounds good.
Extensions/Closing Comments:
*Use characters’ words from a text to create a poem.
*Also, when using mentor texts – students can learn that some texts are not
suitable for certain types of writing, due to different types of language used.
*At the Elementary level – visual honing in, very tangible way to see that
poetry is short, concise. Could have much less of a struggle, they would immediately
know the words they wanted; would enjoy the process of playing and crossing out
the words. Use accessible texts (Scholastic News, Time for Kids, etc.)
*Use crayons, colored pencils – if odor from Sharpies is too strong.
*Do the markers come back to you? Many students have their own Sharpies;
others will make do with a pencil/pen.
*Using discarded novels (secondary) – some students will keep with a theme.
Some create a template with holes to lay over a text, for more random word
experience.
Links:
Austin Kleon website: http://austinkleon.com/
TED Talk: Steal Like An Artist: Austin Kleon at TEDxKC
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oww7oB9rjgw