Teaching English through Poetry Lecturer: Lauren Harrington EF Boston Teaching English through poetry The aim of this lecture is to provide: • Inspiration • Approaches and techniques • Practical ideas First of all… • Teach English through poetry, not to teach the poetry itself • You don't need to be a literature expert to teach English through poetry • Just have a love for the poem you are introducing. • Enthusiasm is the key. Some pros and cons • Time-consuming • Copyright rules • The wrong poem is worse than none at all. • The right poem can foster a love of English. Things to do: • Explain the reason you are teaching • Some students may need extra motivation • Reassure students that their needs are being met. Why? • So why teach poetry? • Poems are versatile • Poetry can be a catalyst • Students find a poem a welcome change • Poems can be – involving – motivating – memorable Why teach poetry? • Challenge • Daily interactions with native speakers • Poems are authentic texts • Poems are often rich in cultural references Language enrichment • Discover new vocabulary in an authentic text • Search for clues to the meaning of the word • Focus on stress, rhythm and similarities of sound • Improve pronunciation • Promote freer verbal expression. What should you teach? • Take into account: • interests • language level • maturity level How …? … will you use the poem? … can you introduce it? … can you make it more accessible to your students? … can you make sure they understand it? Pre-reading activities • worksheets, quiz, a questionnaire • sentence stems • statements to be ranked and discussed • predict endings to verses • events occurring after the end of the poem. Warm-up activities • background music • show pictures • get students to think Reading the poem • • • • • rehearse and perform read the poem play a recording identify the stresses and pauses. clap out the rhythm Communicative speaking activities • • • • • • • talk with a partner, in small groups and as a class. share ideas. monitor and feed in ideas and vocabulary give feedback personal response discuss the characters and theme debate the moral issues. Beyond the poem • Role plays • Interviewing a partner • Dramatizing the poem • Compare poems on related topics • Encourage students to develop their own responses Responding in Writing • • • • Add more lines or stanzas Parallel writing Write a letter to a character Write what happened before or after the poem • Switch between formal and informal language • Fifty word summary Writing activities • • • • • • Letters Diary entries Radio plays Newspaper articles Newspaper advice columns Synonyms or antonyms Conclusion “ Poetry is a search for ways of communication; it must be conducted with openness, flexibility, and a constant readiness to listen.” Fleur Adcock One more thing… • You can't fake enthusiasm. – If you enjoy the poem you are teaching, your students will most likely enjoy it as well. Further reading • Literature in the Language Classroom Collie & Slater 1987 • Using poems to develop productive skills by Christina Smart, British Council, Hungary 2002