A Poetry Connection

by Amy Shultz

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Billy Collins, former U.S. Poet Laureate, editor of Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry published by Random House, selected the poems in this book with three guidelines in mind: accessibility, quality, and pleasurability. He also chose not to include poems that are standard fare of textbooks or anthologies. All the poems in the collection are meant to be read aloud and Billy offers the the following suggestions to ensure that oral readers of poetry will feel successful:

1. Practice, preferrably with an English teacher as a listening audience, to garner feedback on oral reading skills.
2. Recite poems slowly, since every word in a poem can be important.
3. Use a normal voice, rather than attempting a theatrical performance.
4. Unless there is punctuation at the end of a line, continue without pause to the next line.
5. Look up the meaning and pronunciation of unfamiliar words in the poetry.

Reading poetry can also support writing practice. Try a “Silent Discussion” by creating several poetry stations around the classroom. Use large sheets of paper, taping a copy of a poem from this book in the center with room all around it for students to write. Provide colored pens, pencils or markers. As students move from station to station, individually or in small groups, they read the poem then write a personal response that could be an agree/disagree, personal connection, or other opinion tied to the poem’s theme or message. The next visitors to the station read the poem, the responses of others and then add their own responses.

Extracted from the Random House High School teacher’s guide .

Amy Shultz

Amy Shultz, former fourth grade teacher, works as a facilitator for the Buddy Teaching and Learning Center. She also writes for The Write Connection newsletter and The Writing Site, under the Buddy System Project.

This featured article appeared in Volume 1, Number 3 issue of the Write Connections quarterly newsletter. View other archived newsletters , a topical organization of all newsletters, or sign-up to receive notification when the next newsletters are ready to download.