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Using
Poetry and Lyrics in a Writing Class
Presented
by:
Randall Weaver
Project
Read
San Francisco Library
Participants:
Adult literacy tutors in a continuing education workshop within
a one-on-one tutoring program.
Objectives:
1)
to enable tutors to use lyrics and poetry to teach writing
2)
to enable tutors to help adult learners experience language and
express themselves in new ways
3) to provide tutors with new and exciting ways to make the task
of writing more enjoyable and less stressful for their learners.
Materials:
SIBL Chapter One CD � the songs and the lyrics
CD player
Lyrics or poems printed out. (Randy used EINSTEIN'S
BRAIN from the SIBL CD, and Woody Guthrie's THIS LAND
IS YOUR LAND.)
Tutor
preparation:
Discuss
why you would use poetry to teach basic literacy skills, and what
makes something poetic. Is there a reason why people remember poetry
and song lyrics more easily that other forms of writing? What aspects
of poetry and song lyrics cause them to resonate so fully? Do you
think some aspects of poetry and lyrics can be useful in teaching
an adult to read and write better?
- Rhythm
- Rhyme
- Form/Pattern
- Imagery
You
might want to identify the learner's favorite poems or songs during
the previous session.
Form
poetry
Alphabet
poems:
Build
a poem by using the first letters of names, objects, whatever �
This works well with your and the learner's own names
Young...Newcomer
On the go ...Always searching
Urban
dweller...Mother of two
Reader of books...Eater of Mexican food
List
poems:
These
can be about almost anything. Start by naming a subject, then brainstorm
words that describe that subject, much like a mind-map exercise.
Coyotes
Hounded, trapped, tortured, and killed
Desert dwellers and scavengers
Surviving across the land
Cinquains:
Follow
this basic model:
Line 1: one word � a title, or the name of something
Line 2: two words describing the subject
Line 3: three words describing the action of the subject
Line 4: a sentence expressing the feeling you have about the subject
Line 5: one word repeating or re-naming the subject
Cicada
ugly, noisy thrumming, sawing, praying
easily frightened and always lonely singer
Description
Lyric
poetry: write your own
- Start
by discussing a song, poem, or story that elicited a strong response
from your learner.
- Discuss
the theme and why it is powerful.
- With
beginning learners, use a mind map to generate a list of words
that s/he associates with the topic.
- Then
the learner can practice getting the poem on paper using some
of those words.
- Reread
the poem to see if the words contribute to the emotion that s/he
is trying to express.
- Remember
that spelling is secondary to writing�encourage your learner to
concentrate on recording her/his feelings, and worry about spelling
later.
Music
as Narrative Poetry: writing based on existing material
- Use
a recording and lyric sheet of a song that interests your learner.
- Listen
to the song and discuss why the composer might have written it�what
feelings was s/he trying to share?
- Discuss
other ways of expressing these feelings using the existing patterns
found in the song, OR discuss a different subject of interest
to your learner.
- Generate
(brainstorm/ mind map) a list of words and rhymes, and fit them
into the song.
- Emphasize
that correct spelling is not essential in writing first drafts.
Follow-up:
- Ask
the learner to re-read their new lyrics to themselves.
- Read
out loud or sing the creation.
- Review
what the learner has written and determine, as a team, what basic
skill-building needs to be addressed.
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