Tools of the Trade: Poetry

By Rita Sorrentino

“Poetry doesn’t belong to those who write it, but to those who need it.” These are the sentiments of Mario Ruoppolo in the film Il Postino. Mario, the temporarily employed peasant postman, is introduced to poetry late in his life through a developing friendship with his only client, the briefly exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Neruda’s passion and Mario’s urgency combine in this tender tale of friendship, love and the power of poetry. In a significant segment of the film, Mario enthusiastically tape-records the beautiful sounds of the Mediterranean island. Seagulls, church bells, waves and fishnets symbolize Mario’s life, love and loyalty, and initiate his desire to express his thoughts and feelings in poetry. 

In April, poetry is brought to the forefront in our schools, bookstores and online spaces. Although we don’t necessarily wait for April to appreciate sound and imagery, to find meaning through metaphor, and to play around with language, National Poetry Month invites us to take a more active role in promoting poetry through study, reading, writing and performing.  Fortunately, we have more tools at our disposal than Mario’s phonograph to gather resources, plan lessons, and help our students (and ourselves) create and share poetry.

Here are some free apps, web tools, and book previews worth considering.

Poets.org

Poets.org is The Academy of American Poets’ popular website offering links to poems, interviews with poets, and a trove of materials for teachers including lesson plans aligned to Common Core Standards. Of particular interest is this year’s Dear Poet 2015 project. Students in grades 5-12 are invited to write letters in response to poems written and read by award-winning poets who serve on the Academy of American Poets Board of Chancellors.  These activities that support engaging students in reading, writing, listening and speaking can be used sequentially or as a stand-alone to integrate in other areas of curriculum. Students may submit their work to be considered for publication on Poets.org in May 2015. For younger students, there are resources for celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day this year on April 30. Click here for their list of 30 ways to celebrate national poetry month.

Haiku Deck

Haiku Deck is a simple yet powerful presentation tool that lends itself to creating and sharing poetry. It is available as a mobile or web app with a variety of themes and templates. Haiku Deck limits the amount of text per slide and gives access to Creative Commons licensed images. With imagery and carefully chosen words, poetry comes to life! Check out these poetry projects ideas from Haiku Deck’s blog. From figurative language to remixing and performing, Haiku Deck takes poetry everywhere.

Poetry Mentor Texts: Making Reading and Writing Connections, K-8

Poetry Mentor Texts by Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli is a wonderful resource for using poetry across the grades and across the curriculum. This inspirational book offers teachers practical ways of using just-right poems and extends the teaching and learning of poetry to deeper thinking about reading and writing. The descriptions and examples of poetic forms in each chapter lead up to Your Turn activities. Studying a poet’s style and craft helps students discover their own voice and style of writing. The Treasure Chest offers a brief annotation of the poems discussed and suggestions for  companion pieces to enhance the work in classrooms. Can’t wait to get started? Preview the book online.

ReadWriteThink

ReadWriteThink, an online resource from the ILA (International Literacy Association) and NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English), provides materials for teachers, students, and parents. The site contains a wide range of lesson plans, interactive tools, and apps to support poetry across the curriculum. The student interactive tools guide students through the writing process of various styles of poetry. The Word Mover app offers students a fun way to create poems on mobile devices by dragging words onto one of the canvas backgrounds. Keep ReadWriteThink handy for appreciating poetry all year long.

Animoto

Animoto, an online video creation web tool, gives students an opportunity to publish multimedia poetry. Younger students can get inspired with the library of thematic images while older students type in their poem and insert or upload images or short video clips. Music selections help students add to the mood and message of their poetry. Creating these poems affords students an opportunity to use 21st Century tools for authentic purposes and share with a wider audience.

Write Rhymes

Yes, we know poetry does not have to rhyme, but we’ve all met those students who work eagerly at the task. Introduce them to Write Rhymes for a little rhyming fun. At the site, they type in their poem. As they write, they can option-click on a word to find a rhyme for it. Results are listed by syllables. Work can be saved, copied or printed directly.

Twitter Poem

A Twitter poem is a venue for taking a small moment and letting it explode into a bigger thought. On the Stenhouse Blog, author and poet Shirley McPhillips explains the process, offers examples, and invites you to submit entries to the 2015 twitter poem contest with #stenpoems. Even if you are not interested in the contest, the twitter poems have potential to move writers toward improving word choice with concentration on strong verbs and nouns. Click here to preview Poem Central, Shirley McPhillips’ newest book about the role poetry can play in our personal lives and in the life of our classrooms. Or submit your twitter poem, and you might be one of four winners to receive a signed copy of the book.

There are certainly more resources available for celebrating poetry in April and year round. As Janice Ewing mentioned in the previous blog, please share your thoughts, practices and resources to enrich the conversation. Passion plus urgency, the perfect formula for unlocking the inner poet in all of us.

Rita Sorrentino is a recently retired teacher from Overbrook Elementary School in Philadelphia. Rita is finding new pathways for working with teachers and students to use digital tools for reading writing, speaking and listening. She presented ‘Beyond Superheroes: Using Comics Across the Curriculum” at the PETE&C Conference in Hershey in February. Rita joined the Pennsylvania Writing Project in 2004 and the Philadelphia Writing Project in 1994.