Lesson - Let's write a poem!

Gimnazjum
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Age of Students:15 years old

Numer of Students: 15

Level: Pre-Intermediate

Time: 45 minutes

Main aim:
to encourage students to write their own poems

Subsidiary aims:
to practise speaking – discussing about poetry
to make students familiar with different types of poems
to practise reading for general understanding
to do experiment with different words by writing their own poems
to use a poem as a stimulus for writing
to encourage students to brainstorm ideas concerning a given subject
to practise speaking – discussing students’ own poems
to practise writing a short composition about their own poems

Assumed knowledge:
students should be familiar with different types of poems and remember about other kinds of personal writing, they should know sentence structure, the tenses and grammatical forms of verbs;

Anticipated problems:
1. Students may not be willing to express their thoughts in a poem.
2. Students may not know types of poems.
3. Students may have problems with reading for general understanding.
4. It can be difficult for students to use vocabulary connected with the topic and to do experiments with words by writing a poem.
5. Students may have problems with collecting thoughts on the subject.
6. Students may be too shy to discuss poetry in front of class.
7. Students may be too shy to present their poems.

Solutions:
1.To encourage students to write poems the teacher asks some questions about the definition of poetry and the role of poetry in their lives.
2. Students may work in groups and then the leader of the group would present their opinion.
3. Students can use dictionaries and the teacher shows them different types of poems.
4. The teacher gives students different types of poems
5. Students gather ideas in relation to the topic (See App 1e) and use dictionaries.
7. Students may discuss the poetry in groups.
6. Students may share their works with each other.

Materials:
activities and poems (see Appendix 1a-1f) all adopted from Littlejohn, A. (1994) Writing. Cambridge University Press; dictionaries,

Stage
Procedure Aims Time Interaction
Pattern

Warm – up T asks Ss: What is ‘poetry’? Did\do you ever have to read it at school? Did/do you like it? Why?
Ss discuss their ideas with the rest of the class.
T gives Ss three short poems (See App. 1a). Ss read through each one.
T compares Ss’reactions to each poem with those of their neighbours and other people in the class. He/she asks Ss questions (See App.1b). to practise speaking – discussing about poetry

to make Ss familiar with different types of poems

to practise reading for generel understanding 10 minutes T-ss;
ss-ss

Pre - writing T gives Ss another poem by the English poet Philip Larkin. He /she asks Ss what the main massage in this poem is. (See App. 1c). Then Ss choose one of the topics given by T or any other topics that interest them (See App. 1d). Ss think for a few moments and gather their ideas in relation to the topic (See App. 1e). To do experiments with different words by writing a poem

To use a poem as a stimulus for writing

To encourage Ss to brainstorm ideas concerning a given subject 10 minutes T-ss;
ss

Writing Then Ss use their notes to build up different verses in their poem. Ss keep rereading their poems as they write and make changes as they wish to encourage Ss to write poems 10 minutes ss

Post -writing When ss finish, they show their poems and read them out to the class. The cless is to discuss the content of the poems. To encourage Ss to read their poems

To practise speaking- discussing Ss’ own poems 10 minutes ss-ss

Homework Ss write a short composition concerning th content of their own poems. To practise writing 5 minutes ss

Evaluation:

The overall aim of the lesson was to enable students to write poetry. In my opinion I managed to achieve this aim as students were able to use thier thoughts on the subject properly. Writing poetry is something that few of people ever do. Yet, poetry writing gave students an opportunity to experiment with the impact of different words and to collect their thoughts on a subject.
I started a discussion about the role of poetry in students’ lives and they tried to give the definition of poetry. Moreover I introduced some different types of poems and showed how students could develop their own poems.
Poetry is regarded as the most personal and expressive kind of writing so students were interested in the work (cf. 2.1). Furthermore students were capable of writing interesting poetry because they were free from worry whether their English is good (cf. 2.1).
As far as disadvantages of the activity are concerned, I think the biggest problems were collecting ideas and the presentation of students’ poems. In the first case I showed students the model how to collect thoughts on the subject and students could use dictionaries. As far as the second problem some of students were too shy and felt discomfort while reading the poems in front of the class so students share their poems with each other, they read and commented them.

Variation:

As far as variation of the activity is concerned, I think the writing stage may include reading poems giving by the teacher (see App. 1a). Then students may choose one poem as a basis for a new one. First, students collect their ideas together and they develop poems into verses. They may reread what they have written and make changes. Moreover the teacher may give students some ideas how to develop poems (see App. 1f).
Lastly, during post-writing stage students should read aloud their works to check unclear ideas and mistakes. The goal is to strenghten the language, grammar used and students’ reaction to something they write about (cf. 1.1).


Appendix 1a

Here are three short poems. Take a few moments to read through each one.

There was a young man of Bengal
Who went to a fancy-dress ball,
He went, just for fun,
Dressed up as a bun,
And a dog ate him up in the hall.
Anon.

Activity adapted from Littlejohn, A. (1994). Writing. Cambridge University Press

1a

Here are three short poems. Take a few moments to read through each one.

I walked through a year

I walked through a year and saw only frost.
I trudged alone through
Places I know
And saw only snow.

In my hunger I plucked at a bough,
A rotten apple I found in my fist.
I might have feasted on a stone,
And again, trudged on alone.

In the distance I saw birds fly
And from afar I heard them sing.
I hurried along to find comfort there,
But when I arrived the sky was bare.

I searched for your home,
And at last when I found it
There was no greeting for me within.
It was with little hope that came,
Though I’d rather my love
Did remember my name.

Activity adapted from Littlejohn, A. (1994). Writing. Cambridge University Press

1a

Here are three short poems. Take a few moments to read through each one.

A boy’s head
In it there is a space-ship
And a project
For doing away with piano lessons.

And there is
Noah’s ark,
Which shall be first.

And there is an entirely new bird,
An entirely new hare,
An entirely new bumble-bee.

There is a river
That flows upwards.
There is a multiplication table.
There is anti-matter.
And it just cannot be trimmed.

I belive
That only what cannot be trimmed is a head.
There is much promise in the circumstance
That so many people have heads.

Activity adapted from Littlejohn, A. (1994). Writing. Cambridge University Press

Appendix 1b

Compare your reactions to each poem with those of your neighbour and other people in the class. What answers do you each have to the following questions?

How would you describe the general atmosphere of each poem?
What message (if any) do you think the poet is trying to convey in each poem?
What things do you notice about the way each poem is written?
Which poem do you like best? Why?

Activity adapted from Littlejohn, A. (1994). Writing. Cambridge University Press

Appendix 1c

Here is another poem, this time by the English poet Philip Larkin. What would you say is the main message in this poem?

Days

What are days for?
Days are where we live.
They come, they wake us
Time and time over.
They are to be happy in:
Where can we live but days?

Ah, solving that question
Brings the priest and the doctor
In their long coats
Running over the fields.

Philip Larkin

Activity adapted from Littlejohn, A. (1994). Writing. Cambridge University Press

Appendix 1d

Choose one of the topics below or any other topic that interests you.
What are/is .............. for?
People children men women study work sleep poetry love war questions flies spiders flowers the sun the wind books food English

Activity adapted from Littlejohn, A. (1994). Writing. Cambridge University Press

Appendix 1e

First, think for a few moments and gather your ideas in relation to the topic, as in the example concerning food.

enjoying company over a meal affects mood and the way you think

wealth What is food for? Meat-eating, vegetarianism

The natural cycle health

Activity adapted from Littlejohn, A. (1994). Writing. Cambridge University Press
Appendix 1f

Read through the poems in Exercise 1 again and choose one as a basis for a new poem. First collect your ideas together and try to develop them into verses. Keep rereading what you have written and make changes as you go.

Activity adapted from Littlejohn, A. (1994). Writing. Cambridge University Press