R&D project proposal(e.g pull-out programme, talent pool, etc.) Programme Title: Unlocking the Creative Mind of the Linguistically Gifted Students Domains: English Language Target students: P4-6 Duration: No. of sessions: 8-12 Duration of each session: 90 minutes Objectives: 1. Students are more sensitive to the sounds of language, pay more careful attention to the vividness and aliveness of words and care more about how they interpret them when they learn to write poems. 2. Students become more attuned to syntax and grammar, not as something to be memorized but as something that is alive. 3. Students learn to greet each other's suggestions with enthusiasm and learn to make constructive suggestions that make them feel a valued member of a community. Expected/Measurable outcomes: 1. Learning to write poems gives students a chance to see grammar, syntax and vocabulary in flexible ways while encouraging precision, revision, appreciation and fresh perceptions throughout. 2. A curriculum package for gifted students in English to demonstrate how to think more creatively and experience the fun of writing. Suggested approach/pedagogy: The teaching of poetry is addressed as teaching a craft. A craft is series of practices and skills that can be learned, transferred and adapted. Students would realize that they are not asked to give answers, right or wrong, but instead are trained to see and observe differently. The new observations create new possibilities of thinking. Writing poems successfully gives an order and a new confidence about seeing and writing. Students are trained into sharper and more careful observers. They become attentive to any form of organization that leads to new ideas, rather than merely reiterating what is already there. Pull out programme outline Content Focus Different types, forms and shape of poems Students should be able to recognize Shape poem, Acrostic, Cinquain, 5W poem, Diamante, Five-line poem, Haiku Similes and Metaphors Students will be able to interpret and write simile(a comparison using like or as) and metaphors (a comparison that does not use like or as) write similes and metaphors that describe a person from your city, TV, or an era in history use their knowledge of similes and metaphors to promote their appreciation and understanding of poetry Alliteration Students will able to identify and use alliteration (repetition of initial consonant sound) Rhymes and rhythm Students will be able to recognize the rhyming words (when two words end with the same sound) and rhyme scheme discuss the importance of rhythm (the grouping or recording of words can make a certain beat, or, what poets call rhythm) in a poem Funny poems There several different ways that to make poems funny. These include: using a "surprise ending" exaggerating using opposites putting your idea in an unusual place using funny words a special type of wordplay known as a "pun" Appreciation of the works of famous poets To allow students to read, explore, learn, and enjoy poetry so that their appreciation for the techniques of poetry and the poets of the present, past, and future might be fostered. Methods/Tools for evaluation: Pre-test and post-test Peer comment in class Reflective journal with teacher's comment Portfolio