Skip to main content

Favorite Poems

What are your favorite poems to use in class? The ones that you can either sell really well or always connect with kids? Here are some of mine -

Freeway 280 by Lorna Dee Cervantes – this poem has some great images, but also quite a bit spanish. It gives the hispanic students in the class a chance to explain the meaning of the words and the images created with much more authority.

September 12, 2001 by X.J. Kennedy – I don’t know if the images are so stark or if I’m able to sell it really well having been there, but kids really get into the theme of the poem. It’s also a great example of enjambment and how it affects the tone and theme of the poem.

Slam, Dunk, & Hook by Yuself Komunyakaa – my students always ask me why we can’t read more poems like this…  I guess it does seem a little more approachable than say, Dickinson.

Saturday at the Canal by Gary Soto – given that I teach in an area where every single students is dying to graduate and get out, this one hits home quite a bit.

Labels:

Comments

Jennifer @ Our Family Forest said…
Poetry is so refreshing! Thanks for visiting my blog! I am enjoying following yours!
7:41 PM
Nacho Lover said…
Those are beautiful.

I taught much younger kids than you do (sixth grade), and I made much less sophisticated choices in my poetry selections.
The kids and I always loved doing Shel Silverstein (Sick and Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout--actually, that could be an awesome project to write a new version!); and Casey at the Bat (somehow the kids never peeked at the end and were appropriately surprised at the ending); and The Cremation of Sam McGee for ballads.
3:34 PM
Jenna said…
The Cremation of Sam McGee is one of my favorites too!

That one and "To A Louse" or "Rose, Thou Art Sick" are good examples of poems that aren't about love or 'stupid stuff', for high school boys!
4:43 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“They Don’t Get It”

I hear that a lot these days. It used to be mostly from various teens trying to negotiate the drama unfolding in their lives as they wandered into that no-man’s land between adult and child. These days it’s from adults trying to navigate the education scene these days. So many people talking and no one listening. The other day I was reading a post by a blogger I’ve been following for several years. Before there was such a thing as “blogging.” We all know spring is IEP review season. This blogger wrote about his daughter’s. Among the various elements, there was the discussion about the state assessment tests. She did not pass. There was discussion about what this means… and why said student needed to pass this test. Would she be taking a modified test? While reading, all I could think about was what would happen to that child as she entered middle school and high school. A history of not passing the assessment test vs. teachers who will now be evaluated on how many students pass t...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Cruelest Month

I know T.S. Eliot favored April as the most cruel, but we teachers know that May is… even more so these days. Most importantly, it is the final testing month. National ‘assessments, state ‘assessments’, district ‘assessments’, school ‘assessments’… on and on. It’s impossible to actually get anything done. Toss in graduation activities, planning for the upcoming year and the 2011 bonus, lay-offs and transfers, and you have to wonder if it wouldn’t be better to save money by simply shutting down school entirely except for a few test proctors. Meanwhile, there seems an air of hopelessness permeating the education world. Plans to lay-off thousands are coming to fruition. Schools are being closed, despite protests. Charters are increasing where they can whether they should not. Unions have lost a lot ground and teachers are trying to decide if it’s even worth it any more to continue talking about education . ( not that I blame anyone for that, we all have lives to live ) For myself, I...
Post a Comment
Read more

Campaign Promises

While purusing the Sunday paper, I came across an article describing some local candidate forum held over the weekend. Apprently they either weren't able to say a lot or what they said was pretty boring because the article was skimpy on specifics. What caught my eye was a position of Randy Dutton. He wants "higher standards for teachers." My interest was piqued... what kind of standards? In looking at his website, apparently those standards will be raised by carrying a gun to school, finally; "full days of school"-whatever that means - personally I'd love to put in business hours. No more 5 am wake ups; increasing the number of k-8 schools - because those kindergartners don't swear enough; sending disruptive students to placed like Habit for Humanity - babysitting is what people volunteer for; and teaching more American History- too bad that with all the testing, no one ever gets past the Civil War... I'm not sure how any of these apply to teachers, ...
Post a Comment
Read more