Until recently, the responsibility of teaching poetry to middle and high school students had belonged to English language arts teachers. Many immigrant students studying English as a Second Language had limited exposure to this form of literature before transitioning to mainstream English classes. Now, with more English language learners in many states being mainstreamed earlier and required to participate in mandated testing, ESL teachers need to incorporate more instruction about literature into their lessons, in addition to their main mission of boosting their students’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills.
Although most ESL students may be years away from understanding a Shakespearean sonnet, there are many ways to introduce students to poetry and use it to boost their language skills.
Choose Appropriate Poems
Teachers need to consider their students’ language level when choosing poetry material. Langston Hughes, William Carlos Williams, Nikki Giovanni, and Gary Soto have written poems that are accessible to intermediate-level students; the vocabulary is simple and the themes, including racism, poverty, love, and work are relevant to many students’ lives. Some children’s poetry can also be used as long as it doesn’t seem too juvenile and students can relate to the themes.
Teach Poetic Devices
Comprehension and appreciation of a poem is often dependent on how well students can understand the use of figurative language. Examples of poetic devices such as simile, metaphor, personification, and alliteration can be introduced separately or in poems, and students can consider their meanings and why the poet used them. It is also important to make sure that students understand other vocabulary such as line and stanza in order to discuss the location of the devices as well a poem in general.
Students can later apply that knowledge by looking for examples in different poems or using poetic devices in writing exercises. When preparing for state-mandated literature tests, teachers can expose students to questions used in previous tests to familiarize their students with how they might have to demonstrate those concepts.
Use Poetry for Language Development
Students can practice listening comprehension by filling in the missing words of a poem that is read to them. A poem can introduce or reinforce target vocabulary around a theme; a pre-reading exercise can involve defining or using those words. Another strategy for teaching vocabulary is for students to read the poem and use the context to guess the meanings of unfamiliar words they encounter.
Write Poems
One of the most creative and satisfying ways to get students to apply their poetry knowledge is to have them write their own poems. Teachers who introduce their own work as models demonstrate to students that anyone can be a poet.
If students are not comfortable with free verse, different prompts such as using magnetic poetry and providing a first line can also be used. Two popular strategies with English language learners include the "I am" poem, which encourages students to explore a subject using senses and characteristics, and the list poem, which is a list of anything, such as a shopping list or a list of what bothers the student. Students with more advanced English skills and an understanding of poetic devices should be encouraged to incorporate those devices into their poems.
Complete Poetry Projects
As a final product for a class unit on poetry, an oral presentation is an opportunity for students to display both their language skills and their knowledge of the subject matter. Students can choose a poem, recite it to the class, identify how the poet uses metaphor, repetition, or other poetic devices, and share what the poem means to them. They can also present their own work in a similar fashion, or write a detailed response to their poem of choice.
Sally Bunch - Sally Bunch is a Boston-based writer whose areas of interest include parenting, gardening, education, writing, and health and wellness. ...
