Poetry in the Post

[ABCDE] VOLUME 5, IssUE 5 Poetry in The Post Langston Hughes, the busboy, on his way to becoming a great poet. INSIDE Poet’s A Poetry in What Do Choice in Simile Motion, but NASCAR and 6 The Post 7 Is … 14 Punctuated 22 Poetry Share? April 18, 2006 © 2006 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY VOLUME 5, IssUE 5 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program Poetry in the Post Poetry Collections Lesson: Poetry, whether found Several articles from that issue and The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline or written hard-sought word by previous columns are gathered in Kennedy Onassis word, allows a multitude of voices, this guide for your convenience and Caroline Kennedy, editor expresses many emotions and inspiration. Suggestions are made provides insight into history and for their use, but are only a few of A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry contemporary life. the ways this material might be used for Children Level: Low to high in your classroom. Caroline Kennedy, editor; Jon J. Muth, Subjects: English, Language arts illustrator Related Activity: Art, History Talk About Poets and Poems Which poems do students like? For Laughing Out Loud: Poems to Whether preparing students to Do they know the names of any Tickle Your Funnybone enter the KidsPost poetry contest, poets? Mother Goose, Dr. Seuss, or Jack Prelutsky, Marjorie Priceman, to celebrate National Poetry Month ones written by a poet laureate? Do illustrator (April) or to study the works of students like poems that rhyme, that particular poets before writing their tell a story or paint a picture? Poetry Speaks to Children own poems, this guide provides Do any of your students write Editors Elise Paschen, Dominique teachers with activities and poetry? In “A Way with Words” Raccah , Nikki Giovanni, X.J. Kennedy, background articles from the pages (July 8, 2004), The Post reported Billy Collins, and illustrators Wendy of The Washington Post. results of a poetry contest at James Rasmussen, Judy Love, Paula Zinngrabe One doesn’t usually think of a F. Oyster Elementary School. All Wendland newspaper as a textbook or resource poems were written and recited in for poetry study, but they share Spanish. Jeneffer Lopez, the 11-year- The Random House Book of Poetry for many of the same characteristics: old recipient of first prize stated, “I Children brevity, conveyance of human read poetry and that inspires me to Jack Prelutsky, Arnold Lobel (Illustrator) experience and a framework for write. I like to write poetry because history as well as perspective on I can express my feelings. My uncle contemporary life. used to tell me that whenever I The Washington Post actually couldn’t talk to Mom about my offers many resources. Book World, feelings, I could write them down in found in the Sunday Post, might a poem.” first come to mind. Since 1996, Review “The Top Ten Poets” in “Poet’s Choice” has appeared in the sidebar of this guide. This list Book World, an innovative idea appeared in the April 16, 2006, Book for contemporary newspapers World. You might provide students but a reminder of the poetry with a representative poem of found in the very first American each poet that is listed or form ten newspapers. In the Style section groups, one per poet. What qualities works of non-fiction, fiction and make this poem appealing? What poetry are reviewed and authors idea is the poet presenting? Tone are interviewed. The Metro and used? Why would they want/not Weekend sections have featured want to read other poems by this poets and provided listings of poetry poet? If you have formed groups, readings. If one reads carefully you might also have students go enough, one can find the poetic online to www.poets.org to read devices, poetry in prose, throughout more about their poet and his or her the pages of the daily Post. works. Introduce their poet to the On April 16, 2006, Book World class through life, poems and critics’ featured poets and poetry in celebration of its tenth anniversary. CONTINUED ON paGE 3 2 April 18, 2006 VOLUME 5, IssUE 5 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program CONTINUED FROM paGE 2 Students should read or skim The Top Ten Poets articles in the day’s newspaper to evaluations. Select one poem to find an example of each. According to Percy Bysshe Shelley, represent the poet and explain why After cutting out the examples, “Poets are the unacknowledged it was selected. they should label each. Students legislators of the world.” For poetry With older students, you might might be asked to answer the lovers everywhere, a great stopping-off share the poets and their works following questions: place on the World Wide Web is the mentioned in this excerpt from • What is the comparison? official site of the Academy of American Susan Shapiro’s article. In her • When is a direct statement of Poets. Founded in 1934, the Academy August 30, 2000, book review of comparison most effective? supports “American poets at all stages of Ah, Poetry, How Do I Love, Shapiro • What quality is emphasized their careers” and works “to foster the gives readers a peak into the book’s through the simile/metaphor? appreciation of contemporary poetry.” content and which poems and poets • How does the metaphor/simile Its Web site, poets.org, is a trove of inspired other writers. How do your help readers to understand the information on famous and lesser-known students evaluate the choices? subject better? poets, offering essays, biographical “For those keeping score, [Wallace sketches, photos, interviews, audio clips Stevens] wins as top inspiration Explain Simile and Metaphor — a total poetry resource. More than a — three of his other poems were Edward Hirsch in the Poet’s million visitors sign on to the site each chosen by James Tate, Daniel Bin Choice weekly column, explains month, with the tally of hits resulting in Ramke and Star Black. (William simile and metaphor with examples. the following top ten list of most popular Butler Yeats gets second place.) Give students a copy of “A Simile Is poets (popularity in this case defined Many of the featured poets admit ....” Discuss the difference between purely by traffic data): to young flirtations with Mother the two devices as well as the works Goose, though nobody officially used to illustrate the power of using 1. Langston Hughes votes for her. Lawrence Raab and them. Wanda Coleman, however, salute You might put different topics, 2. Emily Dickinson Lewis Carroll’s ‘Jabberwocky.’ items or concepts on slips of paper Pulitzer Prize winner W.S. Merwin in a container. Have students draw 3. Robert Frost confesses to early adoration for and write their own similes. These Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Where might include “first day of vacation,” 4. Walt Whitman Go the Boats?’ (Full disclosure: I “spoonful of one’s favorite ice myself was quite partial in my youth cream,” “walking home” and “ride on 5. e.e. cummings to Stevenson’s ‘The Shadow.’) Two the Metro.” Share either in groups choose popular songs: E. Ethelbert or with the class. Do other students 6. Sylvia Plath Miller was moved by Leonard understand the comparison being Cohen’s ‘Suzanne,’ sung by Judy made? 7. Maya Angelou Collins, while Eleanor Wilner was You might also have students draw entranced by ‘The Lady Is a Tramp,’ from the container two slips of paper 8. Dylan Thomas by Rodgers and Hart — the sole or a slip with two ideas, objects, shared credit here.” concepts. Some of these may come 9. Shel Silverstein from poems that they will read later Thinking Metaphorically or Like a during a study of poetry. Challenge 10. William Carlos Williams Simile them to write a metaphor either in After defining and explaining prose or poetry form. simile and metaphor, give students a copy of “Comparable to What?” Use of simile and literary conceits Review the ways in which we in can also be approached with Robert our daily life and writers in their Pinsky’s March 2006 Poet’s Choice works make comparisons. Why are column, “A Stock Idea.” Through comparisons made? CONTINUED ON paGE 4 3 April 18, 2006 VOLUME 5, IssUE 5 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program CONTINUED FROM paGE 3 Review the resources mentioned Read It to Me in The Post feature. Students might David Rivard’s poem “A Real, Right also be interested in reading the Audio Archive Anthology, Volume III Thing,” students move from stock poems of the article’s author, Mary American Academy of Poets, $12, cars, to similes and speed to stock Quattlebaum, author of children’s www.poets.org ideas. poems. More than 20 poets reading from their own works in recordings made over Find a Poem Address a Poet the last 50 years. Includes Gwendolyn Give students “It’s a Poem. I Would just the mention of “poem” Brooks, Allen Ginsberg, Anthony Hecht Found It in The Post.” This handout or “poetry” cause many of your and Robert Pinsky. provides students with basic students to look for the nearest guidelines to write a found poem exit? Why not ease them into Poetry on Record: 98 Poets Read Their and a practice exercise. This exercise understanding the devices and Work, 1888-2006 suggests that students write a haiku. nature of poetry through automobile Shout! Factory, 5 hours, 4 CDs, $48.98, The form of the found poem is left to reviews. Warren Brown, Post cars www.shoutfactory.com the teacher to assign. columnist, writes a letter to e.e.

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