Some of my colleagues might really frown on this, but I've found that poetry is an obstacle for many students because they lack a basic technique for making sense of it. They've heard all about the sound and the rhythm and the imagery and all that good stuff. And yeah, yeah, that's important, but it has to come later. It has to come after you figure out what the darned thing means in the first place. Contrary to what you might think, you already have the skills to do that. Here are three quick tips that might take the mystery out of reading poetry.
This is a page dedicated to William Carlos Williams, a poet who had an immense influence on the course of 20th century poetry. He wrote in varying style and technique and was often radically experimental. His work is fresh and clear, rejecting sentimentality and vagueness. It also reflects emotional restraint and heightens the sensory experience with articulated common speech. Williams's work inspired many poets and many generations to follow. His work is both easy and enjoyable to read.
Exploring poetry through film
This activity is designed to enable students who have some understanding of film-technique to use this to develop and share interpretations of poetry.
In this lesson, students analyze a writer's use of sensory details and descriptive language in a New York Times article reviewing the Apple iPhone. Then, students are asked to write original product reviews which incorporate some of the descriptive writing techniques identified and evaluated in class.
Introduce the power and the purpose of persuasion; develop student
knowledge of strategies/techniques associated with persuasion; develop student ability to identify authors' purpose, arguments, and supporting evidence; develop students' abilities to conduct research in order to support a perspective with supporting
evidence.
The 'Grammar' of Television and Film
Television and film use certain common conventions often referred to as the 'grammar' of these audiovisual media. This list includes some of the most important conventions for conveying meaning through particular camera and editing techniques (as well as some of the specialised vocabulary of film production).
Conventions aren't rules: expert practitioners break them for deliberate effect, which is one of the rare occasions that we become aware of what the convention is.
This WebQuest challenges you to investigate techniques of persuasive writing and critical reading skills. It allows you to strengthen your technology skills, exercise your creativity, practice your research skills, and visit newspaper editorials to discriminate between fact from opinion.
This lesson encourages students to use skills and knowledge they may not realize they already have. A classroom game introduces students to the basic concepts of lobbying for something that is important to them (or that they want) and making persuasive arguments. Students then choose their own persuasive piece to analyze and learn some of the definitions associated with persuasive writing. Once students become aware of the techniques used in oral arguments, they then apply them to independent persuasive writing activities.
"30 Ideas for Teaching Writing
The National Writing Project's 30 Ideas for Teaching Writing offers successful strategies contributed by experienced writing project teachers. Since NWP does not promote a single approach to teaching writing, readers will benefit from a variety of eclectic, classroom-tested techniques."
"Supporting English language learners: A practical guide for Ontario educators Grades 1 to 8
Supporting English language learners: A practical guide for Ontario educators Grades 1 to 8, 2008, is designed to support and help teachers, principals, and other education professionals in elementary schools work effectively with English language learners. This resource guide provides a rich source of practical techniques, research findings, and strategies that can be put to immediate use in the classroom and in the school. It also contains valuable information on working with families and communities, and as a whole school, to enable English language learners achieve curriculum expectations while they learn English."
Camera Shots
A camera shot is the amount of space that is seen in one shot or frame. Camera shots are used to demonstrate different aspects of a film's setting, characters and themes. As a result, camera shots are very important in shaping meaning in a film. Reviewing the examples on the right hand side of this page should make the different camera shots clearer.
Writing a term paper can sometimes be frustrating. This is especially true when the student does not know what the certain guidelines are to make term...
After this unit, students will have:
Explored poetry as another medium of written and spoken expression. Students will appreciate poetry as another medium for authors to express commentary on the pressing social issues of the times
Learned the following literary techniques used by poets in their writing:
metaphor
simile
symbolism
point-of-view
Interpreted meaning
Identified and examined the significance of specific themes that manifest themselves in the writings of poets from around the world
Drawn parallels between the themes addressed in selected poems and the themes addressed in the literature read in class through out the year