Students Were So Engaged..with Poetry??!!

Yesterday, I came home with a warm, fuzzy feeling.  It was one of those days were my 9th grade students just GOT it.  They were engaged in meaningful conversations, they were respectfully questioning each other, and they were referring back to their text to prove their points. All the awesome things that as I teacher I WANT them to do!  As I walked around the classroom, I literally had goosebumps forming as I heard such bright and insightful questions and comments.

What I am even more proud of is that these amazing conversations came out as students were looking at poetry.  Now, I must admit, poetry is not my favorite thing to teach, largely in part because when students find out we are reading a poem, I am often met with groans and eye rolls. For some reason, most students (not all) have an aversion to poetry and it's sometimes hard to get them going with it because of it.

My job, as a teacher, is to talk them down off the metaphorical ledge that poetry forces them onto, and make them realize it's not as scary as they think. One of the first ways I do this is by giving them a song to analyze as I play the music.  I usually start with a popular song in the last couple years, and have them look for (1) what they think the main message of the song is and (2) what specific evidence (lines) makes them think this.  Last year, I used the song "Royals" by Lorde, and I continued with it this year as well because the students did such a great job with it.  It is amazing how much they are willing to analyze and pull out of a pop song but how much they shut down sometimes with poetry!

Then, after we discuss the song fully, we talk about how songs are actually similar to poetry.  I always praise them for their analysis and explain that all they need to do is transfer those skills over to a poem.  After that, we start a poem.  When I give them a poem, I have specific things that I want them to look for and mark up (ex: rhyme scheme, repetition, alliteration, to name a few) and then I have them also mark up the text, trying to figure out meaning.  Even though students sometimes resist this last step, it is SO crucial to aid them in their understanding!  I think my students this year are more adept at marking the text, which is why I think their conversations were perhaps so rich.

Then, once they struggle with the text individually, they work together as a group to figure out meaning and answer the questions that accompany it. And yesterday, that was where the magic happened.  I was so proud of my students for their engagement, their conversation, and above all, their commitment to the poem. 

I think it's important to remember that good teaching is not always about big projects and flashy props that take lots of time to set up.  Good teaching and a successful day can be something as simple as students reading, talking, and just getting it. It was one of those lovely moments where I, as the teacher, could truly sit back and watch them teach themselves...and about poetry of all things!