Poems are excellent inspirations for writing . When we share poems with students and invite them to respond with their own ideas and reflections while imitating the form or style of the writer, we empower them to develop a voice and to work on something that will become their own, a careful and valuable creation. .
That is why poetry is a good idea with which to start a class every day, whether or not you are a literature teacher, since there are many benefits that this type of writing brings at different levels . Whenever a daily routine is acquired, it may be that the teacher is reluctant, but well focused, surely said routine will become so common for students that they will end up throwing it out in the absence of being suspended.
Poems, through their language and resources (such as metaphors and symbols) invite us to know and discover the world through words, to find the refuge that our feelings often need and, therefore, to develop imagination, creativity and relax, which always comes in handy at the beginning of a school day.
3 reasons to start class with a poem
- Poems hardly consume time
Time is the most valuable currency of a teacher, and although it sounds cliché, the truth is that it is never enough in a class. In fact, the first reaction of a teacher to the idea of starting each class with a poem could be: “where will I find that spare moment needed to carry it out?”
In order to achieve this, first remember that poems are usually short, so introducing this dynamic should not take too long. In addition, even the shortest poems can lead the person who reads and / or listens to powerful internal discoveries and to find that breath of fresh air that will allow us to start the day with a smile or a good feeling .
After reading a short poem for a few days or a week, you can invite students to participate in a kind of microanalysis through a framework of interpretive sentences. For example, you can write a sentence on the board and have them fill in the spaces that you have left blank: “when the poem says _______, it suggests that _______”. With this practice you will see that students can find abundant interpretations with just a few lines of verse, and the different results that come out will encourage students and allow them to be more active during the rest of the class. And is that a short poem can be read, dissected and discussed in just a few minutes, which will provide an excellent warm-up for any more complex lesson.
With this routine, you can identify and discuss the general mood created by the poem, and then challenge the action and that mood by changing just five words and the title, for example. The results will be very fun and fast.
- The poems are intense regardless of the number of verses
Reading a novel can take a long time due to its high number of chapters, which would also take hours to establish an emotional connection through the characters and the plot. Poetry, however, can do it in seconds. Even reluctant readers can be quickly captured by the right combination of well-organized words through powerful pacing.
Even the funniest poems can be intense, so don’t be afraid to select lighter and more entertaining poems.
- The poems connect with myriad themes
Poetry can open a mysterious door to other topics, such as works of fiction and non-fiction, which can often be present in the curriculum itself. This means that, well structured, this daily routine could also be related to certain mandatory topics of annual planning . Remember that it is possible to find poems of almost any subject!
Poems inspire us, and that will always be good to have a good working environment in the classroom. So, if you are not entirely satisfied with the environment that prevails in yours every day, do not hesitate to introduce this dynamic every day in your classroom. Select the poems around your subject or what is going to be talked about during the day and make these contents accessible at the age of your students.
We are looking forward to your experience!
