Content Area Specific Found Poetry

By Natalie Elschlager

Found Poetry is one of my favorite, go-to formats whenever the occasion strikes me. Like the time our school had a pep rally and the normal schedule was totally thrown off-- found poetry to the rescue! That afternoon, we printed two sets of lyrics from our favorite songs and created original pieces.

Also, FP is extremely flexible. It can be done independently, with partners, in teams, etc. in any content area. In the past, I have had my students create found poetry from famous speeches, such as King's "I Have a Dream". We have designed found poems from pages in novels or scenes from plays. It's an excellent distributive summarizing tool, as well.

In this lesson, I wanted to challenge my Creative Writing students while also promoting 'writing to learn' in ALL content areas. The idea being students can further study/review a content-specific concept all while honing and increasing their writing practice. It can be done! We even managed to write a poem about Trig....TRIG! Yes, MATH! Insanity, right?;-) The lesson is detailed in the video below. Feel free to steal, tweek, and implement found poetry into your lessons ASAP. 

Writing Skills	Academics Skills	Social Skills
form; structure; design	annotating;  marking the text	collaboration
language; word choice	pulling; citing text	peer review; feedback
poetic techniques	composition	publication

Write to Be Heard

Teaching Reflection by Annmarie Ferry

After an emotionally draining week, I sat down at my work station, talking myself into doing something productive when all I really wanted to do was log a sick day and go home.  As I perused my emails--some spam from former students' parents, a fairly regular occurrence in the past month or so--a subject line grabbed my attention. Instead of the telltale spam lines, it actually had the student's name. This particular student's parents advocated for him like nobody's business, and we quickly formed an alliance, one that aimed to boost *Tim's confidence.

I wanted to share with you because you believed in him...it began. I truly did believe in this kid, even when he tried his hardest to convince me he couldn't meet my expectations. 

Tim signed a very good music publishing deal with a music company in LA. He is writing music and lyrics for famous artists and also still pursuing his own music. Every hair on my arms was standing on end as tears welled up. Like I said, it had been an emotional week, but who am I kidding? I get choked up anytime I hear something awesome about a former student. 

He always did well in writing, and he proudly remembers the award you nominated him for.  Wait. What? I think back. I did nominate him for a school-wide English III subject area award that he ended up winning, but I can't believe he actually remembers that. 

You changed his life! Thank you. 

I read that last line 100 times, tears now streaming down my cheeks. I would have never fathomed a small gesture like that could have such a lasting impact. 

It's not often in life we get to see or hear about the influence we have had on people. But, when we do, it's so affirming. 

That affirmation could not have come at a better time.

I started reflecting upon that English III class. All of the students assigned to me had Individual Education Plans (IEPs), and many of their deficits had to do with written language skills.  They came to me convinced they were not good writers because of past standardized writing tests on which they did not score proficient. Ditto the state reading assessments. Trying to convince this group of jaded 16-17 year olds that they could write was no easy feat. 

I knew the best way to do that was to have them write. Every single day.They wrote short responses to thought questions. They wrote dialectic journals. They wrote personal responses to literature. They wrote poems, including my favorite, the found poem. They wrote letters. They wrote speeches. They wrote mini-memoirs. They wrote short stories. They wrote RAFT responses. They wrote some essays, but not formulaic 5-paragraph essays. In fact, I banned 5-paragraph essays. 

"Give me 4 or 6 paragraphs," I told them as they all stared at me in shock.

"We don't know how to write any other way," they whined.

I assured them I'd help them through the process of breaking the mold. "Plus, I don't like odd numbers," I responded with a wink.

What I got that year was some fantastic 4-paragraph essays with well-developed body paragraphs, not the requisite 5 sentences they were used to. It wasn't easy, but the learning process never is--if you're truly learning and growing. 

More than that, I was treated to some really deep and insightful writing.  First, we had to establish a safe space, a supportive community of writers. We did that through writing and sharing that writing. I had to be the one to start that, to make myself vulnerable right off the bat. I sat amongst them and wrote while they wrote. Then, I plopped my writing under the document camera and let them critique it. At first they were hesitant to give me feedback, but they began to open up to the idea. 

Some of them jumped at the chance to share their writing while others needed more time to put their words out there. Some of them never did read their words out loud, and I didn't forced it. They shared their thoughts in writing, and for them, that was an act of bravery in and of itself. 

These kids just wanted to--needed to--be heard, to have a voice in a world that didn't seem to value what they had to say. I don't think any one person told them they didn't count. I believe it was years of being labeled as "learning disabled" and falling short on state tests that made them feel less than. 

The writing they produced that year was all the empirical evidence I needed that I was on the right track. I watched as they blossomed and became more confident in sharing their thoughts and ideas. 

That is the real power in writing. Not everyone is a natural-born writer, just as I'm not a talented painter or singer. But, by applying a growth mindset and providing ample opportunities to just write, writers will be born. Their craft will be honed. 

Above all, writing gives everyone a voice. A voice that begs to be heard. A voice that deserves to be heard. 

*name changed to protect student's identity

Community in 360 Degrees

360 Degree Writing

Strategy presented by Helen Sadler 

Observation is one of the key principles of being a writer. In order to teach my writers how to observe, we do the 360 Degree poem.

This is best done outdoors, if possible, but can be done in the classroom.

Recently, I took my Creative Writing class outside on a gorgeous Florida morning, and asked them to have their notebooks in hand, to stand facing a direction, and think of a clock.  We started at 12:00, writing down a list of everything in front of us we could see. I also asked them to include anything they hear or smell. Then we moved to 1:00, 2:00, etc., moving like the hands on a clock, until we reached 12:00 again. This provides a list to work with.

We then sat down at the picnic tables, and worked on circling the images we liked the best. The goal was to form these images into a poem. The entire exercise, including reading a few poems aloud, only takes about 30 minutes. It gets us out of the usual environment, and that alone adds to the feeling of community. It also teaches a lesson in observation -- without a doubt, we are all basically looking at the same things. But what one person ignores, someone else writes down. It shows us that not everyone sees things the same way, or places the same importance on what they observe.

Here is an poem example from a girl named Sophia. She read her poem right away, saying that this activity had given her new appreciation for Florida.

Do you hear the singing birds,

the swishing grass,

the rattling branches?

Do you see the calm little bird,

the lush green grass,

the purple wildflowers?

Do the dandelions soar to you like 

a lone eagle in the sky?

Does the battered palm tell you

stories of revenge on the wind?

Do you smell the new grass or 

the small pine tree?

This is Florida; there are thistles,

they don't scratch you.

I am like the small bug skittering

at my feet, tiny in this great

state of beauty.

I created this process based on the idea "Outdoor Poems" found on page 115 of Poetry Everywhere by Jack Collom and Sheryl Noethe (1994).

Write Around

By Natalie Elschlager

Strategy presented by Natalie Elschlager

Write Around, a version of the Surrealist-inspired Exquisite Corpse, is a community-building writing activity in which all participants contribute their own unique lines of a story or poem. This can be accomplished once around a group circle or even multiple times, depending on your learners’ level of comfort and skill. The first student (Student One) designs the opening line, then passes the paper to the person next to them. Student Two reads the line to themselves and continues the story with their personal, related line.

This time before passing, though, Student Two folds the paper concealing ONLY Student One’s line. This means Student Three has to work off of the written words of Student Two. Then, let the fold-pass-write method continue on. With this, each new participant can only view the immediate line before their’s— creating a fun & entertaining element of surprise once the game ends. The teams unfold the paper and read their story. In my classroom, we like to have a little competition of who, indeed, has crafted the most “exquisite” tale.

Write Around is flexible depending on academic level. For example, beginner or younger players can work word by word instead of line by line. Advanced players can go as far as mapping out a defined sequence (Example: Noun-Action Verb- Image from Nature). Actually, I am considering taking Write Around to the next level in the near future. A co-author of this blog, Dr. Laurie Kemp, recommended each student have a paper, so there would be a flow of steady passing, continual participation/engagement, and multiple stories developing at one time. We are up for the challenge!

Students are able to develop their writing skills while also collaborating with their peers, enhancing their experience with both the technical and social aspects of the classroom. While contributing, my students are often laughing, appear contemplative, and excitedly volunteer to read the final product (Today for instance, I had volunteer readers legitimately run to the front of the room to share their team's piece.) 

We narrowed our focus for the first time this week. First, I asked the students for topics to write about, and then they took a vote. A cheesy love letter was the premise for our first go-about; a poem dedicated to food was the second subject. The next time we met, students composed a reflective poem. For a personal favorite, I provided students the title & format as a way for them think about their growth and development this quarter. I selected one of each to publish below.

Cheesy Love Letter

I don't have anything to run from,  I love you.
Your dark hair reflects in the moonlight, it's beautiful.
The way your eyes shine when we talk, it's lovely.
It's blinding me from ever seeing your flaws.
That hair, g-d that hair, it's intoxicating to look at in the light.
Just looking at you makes my heart burst with joy.
Your eyes remind me of the blue sea.
I love your face. Now, shhhh.
Please, for my sanity.
Jump into the water and give me my space.
I'm just joking, I love you.
I hope that you also love me too.
With your love, I would cease to have a purpose on Earth.
But that smile made it all worth it.
Seeing your smile was the prize for burning that boat with people on it.
To my dearly beloved fish, Benny.

Food Poem

Steam rises from the hot bowl,

my nose fills with scent.

The fragrance of carrots--

swarms the kitchen.

My mother moves gracefully

pots and pans clanging familiarly

water splashing across the floor.

The pools disturbed, when landing inside.

Yet the disruption could never stop me from savoring your love.

Sweet, but spicy,

sour with a bite in my throat,

only the most plentiful flavors.

The smell is home to me.

Freshly baked pumpkin pie.

That we baked on Thanksgiving morning.

So I ate you up, my little steamed broccoli. 

What We Learned

I learned that beauty and talent surrounds us; it hides in every individual.

I learned of poets-- their language and style and life.

I learned that you can talk about your feelings through writing.

I learned that we were willing to pour our emotions into our writing.

I learned that writing is more fun when it is shared with those you love.

I learned the importance of being open to judgement and suggestions, because my peers wanted me to blossom.

I learned to wish nothing but the best for my peers-- despite our differences.

I learned to write with purpose.

I learned how to love myself, more than I did before.

I learned that through writing, anything is possible.

References

Exquisite Corpse 2.0: Collaborative Story Writing with FoldingStory. (2011, February 21). Retrieved from https://readwrite.com/2011/02/21/exquisite_corpse_20_collaborative_story_writing_wi/