How-To Guide

Exploring the Passion and Power of Poetry

April is poetry month. There are some who love poetry – and others who have a hard time connecting or understanding. BT Member Patti Russo considers herself a poetry evangelist and agrees with the poet Roque Dalton who wrote, “Poetry, like bread, is for everyone.” She began her career as a certified poetry therapist. Over time, she developed a specialty in intergenerational work, and, for the past 12 years, Patti has facilitated her intergenerational poetry program, Partners in Rhyme, in schools. We are excited to collaborate with Patti on this How-To-Guide. We hope that you and those whom you serve will truly experience the passion and power of poetry. By the way – many schools have a spring break in April. You may consider offering a program like this for grandparents and grandchildren.

Convene your “IG Leadership Team” to plan your program

1A. Invite leaders to join you. This may be as simple as reaching out for a partner organization that serves people in a different age group. It is important to have representation for the different people who will be participating. You may always have more than one partner. As a team, you will make decisions about your event and with whom to partner. Potential partners include: • Youth-Based Organizations: Reach out to English teachers and guidance counselors at school who are helping students cultivate social skills. In addition to public schools, think about Montessori, private, charter, and vocational-technical schools - from preschool through colleges. Consider writing clubs or student groups. • Older Peoples’ Organizations: Reach out to alumni of the school, retired teachers (or cafeteria workers or staff), the director or activities coordinator of the senior center, council on aging, independent or assisted living communities. Many of these places offer memoir, poetry and/or writing programs. • Community Organizations: Collaborate with a local library, English Language Learners program, coffee shops or bookstores that offer poetry programs.

1B. Meet with your Leadership Team to Prepare

Use the Logistics Planning Sheet to help guide your conversation and help plan your intergenerational program. Some things to note:

• Determine your Goals and Learning Objectives:

One of the important decisions you will have to make is determining your goals and learning objectives for the pre-lesson and actual program. We recommend capping your goals or learning objectives to three.

Some suggestions are: • Bringing together people of different ages • Helping people understand and appreciate poetry • Providing a creative and expressive experience for participants

Participants will: • Nurture an appreciation for poetry • Recognize accessible, contemporary poetry • Discover that poetry is a resource that brings words to the highs and lows of life

• Will you do a Pre-Lesson for students or an informational gathering for older adults?

Teachers & Youth Activity Directors – you may want to do a Pre-Lesson with your students to help prepare them for their time with older people. Find a Pre-Lesson Plan online in the Membership Section.

Likewise, you may want to invite the older adults to gather, meet each other, find out what to expect. You may invite the teacher or youth activity director to come and share about the students, especially if there are any significant special needs. It’s also nice for the older adults to learn about how this program fits into the broader picture of the young person’s academic or social experience. 2

Patti’s Ideas For A Pre-Lesson

1. Invite them to talk openly about how they feel about both older adults and poetry. 2. Ask them, as a group, to call out some adjectives that come to mind when they think of older adults. Next, go around the room and have each person say a few words about their relationship with poetry. (99% dislike it!) 3. Say a few words about the adults participating in the program this year. For example, we have 1 social worker, 3 retired teachers, 2 lawyers, 2 dancers, 10 mothers, 4 dads, several grandparents, etc. 4. Watch the AARP video https://www.aarp.org/disrupt- aging/stories/ideas/info-2016/what-is-old-video.html or 100 Year Old BFFs video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipnGPeRIy2k and talk about stereotypes associated with older adults. 5. Read “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins, which can be found in the Poetry Supplement. Discuss how you are not going to analyze poems in these groups; instead you are going to respond on a personal level -- What does the poem bring up for you? Where do you find yourself in the poem?

Patti concludes: I tell them I’m realistic and don’t expect them to walk away loving poetry, but I do anticipate that they will hate it less. J

Plan Your Time Together

Below are the recommended components of a strong intergenerational event. We offer many choices from which you may select or perhaps some of these will inspire your team to come up with their own ideas.

Time: The following are suggestions for a 1 hour lesson but this may be adjusted for 45 minutes – full day workshop. NOTE: It is better to adjust the times than cut any components.

Activity: Choose from the suggestions in this How-To Guide or incorporate other ideas you have. NOTE: If you are running a program with multiple sessions, consider using this format each time, using different themes and mixing and matching components.

Components of IG Event Time Activity 1. Ice Breaker 10 minutes 2. Mini-Lesson 15 minutes 3. Life Review Questions in 10 minutes Small Groups 4. Activity in Small Groups 15 minutes 5. Summary & Conclusion 10 minutes 6. Sharing Food and/or Evaluations

2A. What icebreaker will you do to help people meet each other and feel more comfortable?

Print a copy of each poem for each participant so they may read along and provide something to write with so they can mark up their copy.

Before you read the poem to the group, encourage participants to read the poem silently, underline any words, phrases or images that resonate with them as you read the poem.

Read the poem yourself, as group facilitator, and invite someone else to read it. Put readers at ease by telling them that there is no one right way to read a poem. Encourage them to read the poem in whatever way feels natural to them.

Pause after reaching a poem for 5-10 seconds to let people absorb and experience the poem. Try to be comfortable with the quiet and not jump immediately into the discussion questions or hearing it a second time in a different voice.

Some general questions you can ask after reading any poem: • What is you overall reaction to this poem? • What did this poem bring up for you? • Where do you find yourself in this poem? • What resonated with you? • Please share a word/phrase/image that you underlined and why you did.

NOTE: Most poems that are mentioned are contained in the Poetry Supplement with accompanying discussion questions for use in small groups. Print the poem, fold up the paper on the bottom and seal it – so people will read the poem and then answer the questions.

TIPS about the writings: • Our goal is expressive writing, not impressive writing. We ask for honest and heartfelt pieces. • It is not our place to judge each other’s writing, or offer advice on writing techniques. • Sharing is always optional. If participants prefer, they can share, in general terms, what they wrote about instead of the actual piece of writing. • There is rarely time for everyone to share. Start by saying, “We have time for X people to share. Who wants to begin?” • Encourage participants to respond to each other and not just the group facilitator.

• Option 1: Acrostic Poem. Invite each person to create an acrostic poem where they write their name vertically and descriptors for themselves horizontally. For example,

Nice Always willing to listen Magical fingers play the piano Energetic

• Option 2: Alliteration exercise. Alliteration is a poetic device where the sound of the first letter is repeated in a series of words. Invite each person to share their name and an adjective that begins with the same letter as their first or last name and describes them in some way. For example, Hilarious Hal or Inquisitive Irving. Can’t think of an adjective? Ask others in the room who know you to help.

• Option 3: “I Am the One”… Read aloud this haiku by Basbo (which is also located in the Poetry Supplement):

I am the one who eats breakfast while gazing at morning glories.

Invite participants to spend 3-4 minutes completing several I am the One lines. Then, pair people off or break into small groups and invite them to read their poems aloud. For an extra twist, fill in and complete this line: My [name] knows me as the one who… For example, My father knows me as the one who likes many details when we talk. My grandfather knows me as the one who shares his name. My friends know me as the one who is trustworthy.

2B. How will you present the theme of the day and share information with the entire group?

Our goal is to have everyone learn something – and for older people to go home with new nuggets to ponder and/or skills to use.

• Explain that today, you’ll be focusing on poetry. Ask: What is Poetry? • Poetry, like love or art, can be difficult to define. Dictionary.com defines poetry as “a literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature.” Samuel Coleridge defines poetry as “the best words in the best order,” whereas Emily Dickinson says, “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” • Ask the group: How do you define poetry? Optional “What is poetry?” exercise: Provide each group with a slip of paper containing two poetry definitions. Ask them to read and discuss the definitions and to choose one to share with the group. You will find several definitions and discussion questions in the Poetry Supplement. • Unlike the poetry you often study in school, we are not going to analyze the meaning or mechanics of the poems we read today. Instead we are going to share our personal reactions to the overall poem or lines. • Consider reading “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins or “This Poem…” by Elma Mitchell. You will find these poems in the Poetry Supplement. • Poetry is meant to be heard. Poets take great care in selecting words not only for their meaning but also for their sound and rhythm. Always read a poem aloud – even if you are reading it alone. • We include more fun facts with the different types of poems. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqCMHcdYR_E

TIP: It’s great to have more than one person read each poem out loud. Choose different voices – young versus old, female versus male. For longer poems, go around the room and invite each person to read one line. Put readers at ease by telling them that there is no one right way to read a poem. Encourage them to read the poem in whatever way feels natural to them.

2C. What life review questions will be discussed in small groups? We encourage life review questions in small groups. Below are some general poetry questions. However, many of the poems contained at the back of this handout have accompanying questions.

• What is your relationship with poetry? Do you enjoy it? Does it scare you a little? Do you ever read poetry for pleasure or only if it’s assigned to you? • What is the first poem you remember loving? • Have you ever memorized a poem? If so, how did you do it? • Have you ever recited a poem for a group? If so, when? Why? How did you feel about it? Can you recite it now?

2D. What will you do as a main activity in small groups?

To reduce prejudice, including ageism, it is important for groups of people to work on a common project where everyone contributes as a peer. As such, we propose that you break your participants into small groups of mixed ages to complete one of the following projects.

While poetry is clearly word smart, there are many ways to experience poetry using the different intelligences. Below, we offer a variety of activities. Choose one that you would like to do with your group.

• Option 1: Poems with body movements. Many children’s poems can be seen with illustrated picture books and also feature easy body movements. Read the poem or book and then do the body movements with it. Possibilities include: Head and shoulders, knees and toes… or Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed or We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Try acting out the movements at different speeds – slow like a sloth, normal speed, and fast like a humming bird. What did you notice? Which speed was easiest? Hardest? Which did you enjoy most and why?

• Option 2: Performance poetry: We now know that all poems are meant to be heard. But some poems are meant to be heard and performed before an audience. Performance Poetry presents poems in a dramatic fashion on stage and uses the stage as a page. The performance transforms a poetry reading into a theatrical event.

Read Hands silently. Then have two different people read it out loud, one at a time. Then, watch Sarah Kay’s performance of “Hands” on YouTube. The text is provided in the Poetry Supplement, but try watching her performance

without reading along to experience it as it was intended -- as you would if you were watching her live.

What do you notice? How is this performance different from a traditional poetry reading? What does Sarah do with her body as she recites her poem? Next, find a partner and trace each other’s hands on a piece of paper. Cut the hands out and paste them on construction paper. On each finger, write one thing you would like to do with your hands in the near future. The sky’s the limit! Or write a wish for someone important to you on each finger.

• Option 1: Read “A Time to Talk” by Robert Frost which is in the Poetry Supplement.

Share a favorite story about one of your best friends. Who in your life do you almost always make time for? Whose phone calls will you almost always answer instead of screening? Who in your life is there for you no matter how busy they are? Write a gratitude note to one of these people about why you appreciate them and/or what you love about them. Consider including a copy of this poem and how it made you think of them. As a twist, make an acrostic poem about the person.

Fun fact: Although Robert Frost - considered the best-known and most beloved American poet - attended both Dartmouth College and Harvard University, he never earned a formal college degree. Over the years, though, he received over 40 honorary degrees!

• Option 2: Read “Treehouse” by Shel Silverstein which is in the Poetry Supplement. There are discussion questions on the sheet. Then, for an activity – design a treehouse or create a treehouse model out of …… Who would like to come and hang out in your treehouse? What rules would you have?

• Option 3: “I am the One Who”…. Is option 2 in the ice breakers. Adding in the second part, my [Name] knows me as the one who…. encourages participants to think about how people in their lives know them and appreciate them. Invite people to write their own “I am the one who…” poems. As a fun twist, if some of the participants know each other well, collect the poems, read them out loud and see if people can guess who wrote the poem.

• Option 1: Cinquains are five-line poems consisting of eleven words. Read some aloud and then have people work in small groups to create their own cinquains about this poetry experience. See samples in the Poetry Supplement.

Line 1: One word for the subject of your poem. Line 2: Two words – a pair of adjectives that describe the subject Line 3: Three verbs that end in “ing” further describing the subject Line 4: A four-word phrase about the subject of your poem Line 5: One word that is a synonym for the first line

TIP: Cinquains are another fun and effective icebreaker that group participants can write about themselves as an introduction.

• Option 2: Six Word Memoirs – The story goes that Ernest Hemingway was challenged to write a story in six words. His response: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” This has become a popular form of poetry. You may find many at SixWordMemoirs.com. Read some aloud. Then as an activity, invite people to describe someone, an object or life event in six words.

• Option 3: Write some poems on index cards and leave them around the building or mail them to someone – maybe anonymously.

• Option 1: Who or What Am I? Some poems describe common items and, when a poet has used rich descriptive language, we can often guess the subject of the poem without even seeing a title. Print out the “Who or What Am I?” poems in the Poetry Supplement, folding up the bottom part to hide the answer. Then, in small groups, have participants read the poem and try to identify the object. Some are easier than others. As an activity, choose items found in a specific location (kitchen, backpack, library, music rooms, science lab) – and invite each group to write one or two “Who or what am I poems”.

• Option 2: Odes were invented by Greek Poet Pindar around 400 BC and use elaborate praise and lush imagery, sometimes to the point of exaggeration. They were originally written to describe athletic glories or statesmen and were typically accompanied by an orchestra. Shiller’s “Ode to Joy” is part of Beethoven’s ninth symphony. In the 1800s, odes were no longer reserved for athletes and statesmen as Keats and Shelley started to celebrate Grecian urns, nightingales and the West Wind. In the 20th century, Pablo Neruda took it a step further and starting singing the praises of numerous everyday items from juicy tomatoes to a comfortable pair of socks.

Working in small groups, compare the 19th century poem, “Ode to the West Wind,” by Percy Bysshe Shelley, with an ode from the modern history. As mentioned above, Pablo Neruda has written many, and we include: “Ode to Fried Potatoes” in the Poetry Supplement.

Fun Facts: The famous line, “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” is the final line of “Ode to the West Wind.” Also – The song “You’re A Grand Old Flag” can be considered an ode, as well. It’s also in the Poetry Supplement.

Activity: Think of something common and every day that you adore and appreciate greatly. Then sing its praises using rich, descriptive language. It can be anything from your favorite pair of jeans to the brand of peanut butter you love most. Try to paint a vivid picture with words.

TIP: Speak directly to the object you are flattering. For example: Lemon squares, oh sweet lemon squares, your tartness never disappoints…”

• Option 3: Compare and Contrast Poems from Presidential History. Only three U.S. Presidents, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, have invited poets to speak at their inauguration. Read/listen to the five pieces listed below and compare the poems. Which poem do you relate to most? Which is most memorable? Do you think poetry has a place in the political arena? Why do you think so few presidents have included poetry at their inaugurations? If you had or will have an important celebration, did you/ would you invite someone to read a poem or other literary work? If so, what piece would you choose and whom would you want to read it? o Robert Frost recited "The Gift Outright" at John F. Kennedy's 1961 inauguration. You may watch it on Hulu website. Frost recited the poem from memory after he was unable to read the text of the poem he'd written for the inauguration, "Dedication" (PBS transcript), because of the

sun's glare upon the snow-covered ground. Both poems are in the Poetry Supplement. o Maya Angelou read "On the Pulse of Morning" at Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration. A video of the reading is available on YouTube. o Miller Williams read "Of History and Hope" at Bill Clinton's 1997 inauguration. You may listen to a RealAudio recording of Williams reading the inaugural poem on the America.gov website. o Elizabeth Alexander read "Praise Song for the Day" at Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration. A video of Alexander's reading is available on the Poetry Foundation's Harriet blog. o Richard Blanco read "One Today" at Barack Obama's 2013 inauguration. You may watch a video on ABC News’ website.

• Option 1: Select a favorite poem and create a diorama. • Option 2: Create a drawing or collage to go with one of the poems. Maybe cut words out of the newspaper or magazine to create a poem. It would be great to create art to go with the “Who or What Am I” poems from Logic Smart or the Six-Word Poems from Word Smart. • Option 3: Read “Paint Me Like I Am” by Vivian Chin and write your own “Paint Me Like I Am” poem using the prompts provided with the poem in the Poetry Supplement. Or consider sketching a facet of your personality that you’d like to capture.

Many poems are set to music. Read a poem. Have a second person read it or read it all together for a choral effect. Then, listen to the song and sing it together.

• Option 1: For young children - examples include “You’re a Grand Old Flag” (included in the Poetry Supplement) and Shake Your Sillies Out. You may choose to make maracas out of k-cup containers and dry beans to go along with the music. Use duct tape to seal them up. You can purchase duct tape in many wonderful patterns. Fun Fact: You’re A Grand Old Flag can actually be considered an ode. (See Logic Smart for information on Odes.) You may also change the words and make up your own song as a group. For example, You’re A Grand Old Turtle, you’re a slow moving turtle… Write the words on a board together and then sing it. 11

• Option 2: Read a poem and then listen to how it’s been set to music. Options include:

o A popular song from the 2000s is “100 Years” written by John Ondrasik and recorded by Five for Fighting.

o “Phenomenal Woman” performed by Ruthie Foster using the words from Maya Angelou’s legendary poem. Some people may want to change “woman” to a gender-neutral term like “person”. However, consider that for 2000+ years, we have used and listened to male-focused language; women have had to alter the wording to include themselves. This is a teachable moment to help men develop compassion and empathy about gender-focused language.

o If you want to do a song from the 1960s, consider “Turn, Turn, Turn” by The Byrds which came out in 1965 and is based on a passage from The Bible.

TIP: It’s great to use examples from different time periods – especially when your volunteers/ participants were young.

• Option 1: Five Senses Poems use these five senses to describe something. There are examples in the Poetry Supplement. If possible, take a walk outside. Regardless, create a five sense poem about a season. How does one experience the season through sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch?

• Option 2. Read aloud Robert Frost’s “Dust of Snow” and share with the group about a recent time when something in nature changed your mood.

Fun fact: Of the 34 words in “Dust of Snow” only 2 have more than one syllable. There are no adjectives in this poem, yet the images are vivid. Robert Frost makes it look easy, but he was a master with word selection and rhythm making this a particularly easy poem to memorize. As an activity, try to write your own poem about nature using only syllable words. Invite people to work in small groups to create their poems – rather than doing them individually.

• Option 3: Read the excerpt from “Sometimes” by Mary Oliver. What do you pay attention to outside? Whom do you tell? When have you felt astonished? Write a little poem about it with four sentences.

• Option 1: Warning- When I am Old, I shall Wear Purple by Jenny Joseph was published in 1992 when older people often wore dark colors and spent time at home. The poem helped affect change – providing people with a sense of freedom to break out of stereotypes. Also, “Red Hat” groups sprung up for older women to gather and celebrate their age; they had to wear read hats. Read the poem. Discuss the questions. Then, invite each person to write a poem: When I am old, I will…

• Option 2: Read “It Ain’t Heavy, It’s my Purse” by Marge Piercy or “Handbag” by Ruth Fainlight then write a list poem about what you carry in your purse/wallet/backpack. A dozen pens? 4 tubes of lipstick? A movie ticket stub from years ago? What do these items say about you? How do they reflect your personality?

Fun Fact: A list poem is another poetic form like a haiku or cinquain. It can be a list or inventory of items, people, places, or ideas. It can rhyme or not. American poet Walt Whitman was a fan of this form and his poems are known for including long lists.

• Option 3: “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. Watch Serena Williams recite it on YouTube while following along with poem in the Poetry Supplement. Next, read “Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry and/or “The Sacred” by Stephen Dunn and follow the writing prompts provided.

TIP: It’s important for young people to know that people before them went through tough periods and overcame – Resiliency!

2E. How you will summarize the group work?

• Invite one person from each group to read their poem or show their artwork. Ask someone from each group to report back to the entire group on their activity or one thing they learned from the day’s experience. • Consider reading “Hopi Prayer” by Nancy Wood in the Poetry Supplement and then discuss: What will you hold onto from today's meeting? What will you take away? • Have people write down one thing they want to remember from the experience or one thing they want to do because of the experience. NOTE: This helps with self-reflection.

2F. Will you share a healthy snack?

It’s great to end your program with a snack so that participants can socialize informally. Use this opportunity to share quick, nutritionally-packed snacks.

2G. How will you evaluate your program?

Refer back to your goals and make sure that you have a way to evaluate each one. Some methods might include: • 3-2-1: What are 3 things they learned? 2 things that surprised them? 1 thing they want to do because of the experience today? Feel free to change the questions. • Use the “Rose-Thorn-Bud” method: Have each person share what was their favorite part: The rose? A part that was difficult or thorny? Something they learned that they will develop, a hope moving forward, a bud?

Recruit participants

The most successful way to recruit people is to ask them directly, face-to-face. However, to reach a broader audience, you may use these paragraphs as a guide to help spread the message about your program through e-blasts, newsletters, newspapers. When your leadership team reconvenes after the program, discuss which recruitment models worked best.

• Option 1: Recruiting older people for a program at a school

Are you interested in spending time with young people? Do you enjoy poetry or want to learn more about poetry? [School Name/District] is looking for adult volunteers over 55 for a program in [Teacher’s Name] Class to participate in an Intergenerational program on poetry. The commitment from volunteers involves [ ] hour(s) on [Date]. The program will begin at [ ] and will be held at [location, with address]. Volunteers from [name of town] and surrounding towns are welcome. Adults who are interested in participating are invited to contact [name] at [email and phone] for more information or to register. This is an exciting opportunity to share your wisdom, experiences, stories with youngsters!

• Option 2: Recruiting grandparents or grand-friends of students

Do you want to foster a stronger connection with your grandchildren and their friends? Do you have an “honorary grandchild” in your life? (School Name) is looking for grandparents and grand- friends of our students to participate in an intergenerational program on poetry. The commitment from volunteers involves [ ] hour(s) on {Date}. The program will begin at [ ] and will be held at [location, with address]. Volunteers from [name of town] and surrounding towns are welcome. Adults who are interested in participating are invited to contact [name] at [email and phone] for more information or to register. This is an exciting opportunity to share your wisdom, experiences, and stories with your grandchildren and their friends!

• Option 3: Recruiting young people for a short program with elders

Do you want to learn from people who have wisdom to share? Do you want to be inspired by stories from a completely different time period? Do you want to explore historical events with people who have lived through recent ones? Look no further because {Senior Center / COA} is looking for young people (age group) to participate in an intergenerational program on poetry. The program will be held on (Date) from ( ) to ( ). Explore poetry and then create some of your own. Contact (name) for more information, and to sign up. (Email) (Phone) This is an exciting opportunity to spend time with someone from a different generation!

Run your program

You planned well. The day and time is here. Enjoy! Remember the process is far more important than any product. In other words, it does not matter if all goes perfectly as planned (it probably will not). It’s OK if the projects are not completed – did people have fun? Do they want to participate again? Will they say “hi” to a new friend whom they meet around town? These are things that matter!

TIP: Building it out – You may want to talk about how to memorize a poem. Also, some schools do a “poem in your pocket” week – where people are encouraged to keep a poem in their pocket. Administration or librarians stop students and if they have a poem in their pocket, they get a prize. What poem will you carry in your pocket?

Reconvene the leadership team

After the program, meet again to go over evaluations and plan for next time. Consider using the Rose Method – what was great, like a rose? What was prickly, like a thorn? What is a bud – a hope for next time? Remember to send Bridges Together ([email protected]) a few sentences about your event, a photo or two and any press releases so we may share your great work uniting generations. Thank you!