Poetry
does not receive the same attention in our elementary schools as do other
forms of literature.Many preservice
teachers continue to affirm that a large number of them are also ambivalent
toward, or dislike poetry.These
attitudes alienate children from poetry or make them absent in the curriculum.
Children
themselves have a natural affinity for poetry.We
see it in their love for rhymes, jingles and songs.Sometime
during the school years, children change their minds about the appeal of
poetry.Are some of our practices
responsible?What are the effects
of memorizing, reciting and writing poetry.Might
the heavy-duty analyzing of a poem’s structure and meaning be problematic?Do
teachers who also do not like poetry tend to ignore it in the curriculum?Is
it only included in a one week unit?Are
only a few forms introduced?
Haiku,
a Japanese poetry form is seemingly quick and simple.It
is rather abstract, short, but not simple.It
may not be the best introduction for children, but is frequently used.
On
the other hand, poetry might be overused and too sophisticated for children.Complex
and intense images and structures are also not suitable.The
results of the best-known studies indicate:
1.
The narrative form of poetry (and limericks) was popular with readers of
all ages, while free verse and haiku were the most disliked forms.
2.
Students preferred poems that contain rhyme, rhythm and sound.
3.
Children most enjoyed poetry that contained humor, familiar experiences
and animals.(Dislike poems about
nature.)
4.
Younger students preferred contemporary poems.
5.
Students disliked poems that contained visual imagery or figurative language.
Bernard
Lonsdale best expresses how we should approach poetry in the elementary
schools:
Experiences
with poetry should be pleasurable and should never be associated with work.Teachers
defeat their own purpose if they attempt to analyze the structure or form
of the poem other than to show whether it rhymes; what the verse pattern
is; and whether it is a ballad, a limerick, a lyric poem, or perhaps haiku.Children
in elementary schools should be asked questions of preference and of feeling
rather than of knowing. (1973, p. 213)
Building
an Appreciation for Poetry
Children
who have learned a dislike for poetry can be lured back by teachers who
capitalize on the winning power of light, humorous verse.No
collections of light verse have done more to attract children to poetry
than Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky.Young
readers hungrily latch onto their lighthearted, sometimes irreverent poems
about contemporary childhood.(Prelutsky’s
collection sometimes edges our Shel’‘s work as the most circulated poetry
book in the libraries of schools.)
As
poetry really is meant to be heard more than read silently, the
avenue to poetry appreciation for many students is the ORAL highway.For
hard-core poetry haters, music is often the road to recovery.Students
tend not to associate the lyrics of songs and the love of poetry.Barriers
often tumble when teachers duplicate the lyrics of popular tunes and distribute
them as poetry.
Choral
speaking is another oral method for sharing poetry.Children
get the opportunity to play with words and their sounds.
Poetry
Award - NCTE
The
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) established an award to
recognize a poet for their body of work for children.The
poet must be living and the award was presented annually from 1977 until
1982.It is now awarded every three
years.This award provides teachers
with fine poetry that is very accessible to children and is of high artistic
quality.Most of the poetrymoves
beyond light verse.Some of the
award winners include:
1.
David McCord, 1977
2.
Aileen Fisher, 1978
3.
Karla Kuskin, 1979
4.
Myra Cohn Livingston, 1980
5.
Eve Merriam, 1981
6.
John Ciardi (Chard-dee), 1982
7.
Lilian Moore, 1985
8.
Arnold Adoff, 1988
9.
Valerie Worth, 1991
10.
Barbara Esbensen, 1994
11.