KEEP READING AND
WRITING PERSONAL
AND POWERFUL
Bring Poetry Writing and
Bookmaking Together
Learning and Teaching are Personal
• Teachers can instill in their students a love or a fear of language
when they are first learning to read and write.
• Reflecting ones first time one was engaged in the process of
writing can reveal a personal part of ones educational history
• It can be a powerful and not always a positive experience that can
influence ones educational practices.
• Using poetry, accompanying illustrations, and bookmaking can
make learning more meaningful.
Literary Arts and Language Arts
• Literary arts, specifically poetry are not thought of or included in
the visual or performing arts.
• Part of the reason is that the literary arts are or are not valued in
schools.
• They are crammed within the language Arts block which is centered
around teaching the mechanics of reading.
• Not all teachers feel comfortable teaching poetry.
• The pressure of TEST scores is pronounced!
• Poets should be looked at as Artist both culturally and historically.
• Poetry unleashes one to the past, future, and to ones emotions.
• Allowing the experience to become personal is a must while
reading aloud poems and teaching poetic devises.
How Making Books Transforms The Written
Word
• Bookmaking offers a beautiful frame work which can showcase
students’ writings or poetry.
• Having students created poems visible in a book is a powerful and
gratifying experience.
• Teachers need to discover how powerful bookmaking can be to all
areas of the curriculum.
Asking Questions, Making Discoveries
• The process of writing poetry needs to be addressed.
• Use poems that ask questions to promote interest.
• Use different colored index cards with a question and then the
answer.
• Collect the questions in one box and the answers in another.
• Read one randomly selected from each box or place all the cards
writing side up. Pick up one of the question colored cards. Students
write a poetic reply.
• Juxtaposition or the act or an instance of placing two or more
things side by side, such as a mismatched question and answer, is
an important element in poetry.
• Read poetry aloud.
• Use a Slat book to instill interest.
Bringing Poetry Writing and Bookmaking
Together-Ode to Ode
• The writing of Odes, inspired by Pablo Neruda, using common place
objects such as fruits and vegetables, is a poetic art.
• Students are first introduced to a Model book. –Pop-Up Book.
• An example such as “Ode to the Watermelon” can be read and
discussed.
• A fruit is chosen. Odes are first written in pencil then rewritten by
using felt tip pens in the fruit’s color and are then placed on paper
divided into sections.
• An accordion flag book is used and decorated.
• Bookmaking invites students to revisit basic art and math concepts.
• Fruit can be brought in to taste and research.
• Sharing is a positive experience.
Reclaiming the Acrostic
• Acrostic poems offer opportunities for students to learn line
lengths and breaks.
• They have spines, the acrostic words.
• They encourage inventive word choice.
• The most common acrostic is a poem in which the initial letters of
each line have a meaning when read downward.
The End!! So-------• Make a place for poetry and bookmaking in YOUR classroom!!