This week I set out on my own assignment to gather poems. At first, I thought I was going to just find poems from books that I liked and create a folder containing them. Then, I had an idea! Reading and sharing poetry is a wonderful gift and can connect us in many ways. I set out on a mission to gather poetry, but not from books, from friends and family. I sent out a message to some of my friends and family that went something like this:
Hello insert name,
I am reaching out to you to ask if you would be willing to send me a video of yourself reading your favorite poem. You can send me your video via text message and I will just need it by March 23rd. Thank you so much!
Kelsey Combs
I did not set any guidelines for the poem, video, or presentation of the video. I let them have all the choice in selecting the poem and how they wanted to share the poem. Most people read the poem in their normal voice, some emphasized words, changed voice, even incorporated a guitar! I loved seeing the many ways my friends and family shared their favorite poems with me. It was a great way to see the kind of poetry that stuck out to them growing up.
Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School has a chapter about reading poetry. “Certain poems come alive when read out loud. They may wait quietly on the printed page, dressed neatly in rhymes and stanzas… But when read aloud they explode with life and color and fervor” (Heard, 27). My friend Seqouya did a reading of Ego’s review from the movie Ratatouille which I absolutely loved. The use of a scene in a children's movie shows how poetry can be found anywhere! The way Seqouya used his guitar and emphasized his words created an intense feeling to the dialogue he was creating. Honestly, it took me a second to realize it was from Ratatouille due to the way he made the words come alive.
My friend Eva sent me an amazing reading of Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. She dressed up to portray the creepiness of the poem, had eerie music playing in the background, and even set the scene by saying “Are you sure you want to read this one?”, to show the reader this poem is scary. She did an amazing job emphasizing specific words, pausing to create suspense, and getting into performing the poem. She made the poem come to life in a theatrical performance.
My mom and my friend Han read poems by Shel Silverstein, who is very popular among most generations. My mom introduces the poem, Sick, by stating how she loved the way it rhymed and how it was very funny. This was one of her favorite poems as a kid and she recalls trying to read it as fast as she could when she was little. As my mom was reading the poem, she emphasizes certain words and the flow of her words, making the poem sound like a song or a nursery rhyme. I love the enthusiasm behind the words she said, it makes the poem very engaging and captures the humor she loves so much. After sending me this video she texted me and said:
Which I thought was so sweet. Books and poetry can be so impactful, that people will reread the same book for years! The gift of poetry and reading is beautiful because it connects people. Reading poetry can help us understand one another and look at life with a whole new perspective.
My friend Han read I am Making a List by Shel Silverstein and when I asked them if they would be interested in sending me a video of them reading a poem, they said “It will be by Shel Silverstein. I love him.” I loved seeing what poems and poets people selected from, it was almost an insight into what makes a good poem for them as the reader. I love the way Han paused at the end of their reading of the poem, it made me ponder what the last line of I am Making a List means.
My grandma sent me two poems to choose from, but I am going to share them both! My grandma first sent me a video of her reading a poem called Slow Me Down Lord. I looked for an author, but could not find one. The second poem she read was called As I was Going to St. Ives and I also could not find the original author of this poem. The contrast of these two poems, really ties together who my grandma is. She is religious, polite, sweet, caring, and empathetic. Watching and listening to her read the first poem, I immediately knew the connection she had to this poem. The second poem also displays my grandma in another light, she is silly and loves riddles. I love that she sent both readings because this showed her personality quite clearly.
The enjoyment I got from watching my friends and family read poems that they loved growing up was significant. It got me thinking how I would enact this activity in the classroom. I thought about how Book Creator allows videos on each page along with words. By having a class book of students reading their favorite poems with the poems on the page next to them, will create a poetry environment. There is no guideline for how long the poem has to be, what kind of poem, or how you read the poem. It is all up to the person taking on the challenge. This allows for any student to participate in reading a poem because it does not require lots of materials, they can read a poem at their reading level, and have the choice to make the poem come to life! This is a great way for students to see their classmates sharing poetry and learn new poems from each other.
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