Chapter 13

As I was reading the poetry section of Atwell's book I was reminded of teaching my own poetry minilesson. Poetry is quite hard to teach but always seems fun . We must practice what we are going to present in class. Atwell suggests that we read our selection aloud so that students will be able to grasp the concept.

She also says that it is hard to know if students grasp the concept. Th+is is why she suggests that as teachers we break the poem down line by line. The ones who should practice and love the poems we teach should first be students and should next be the students. Pointing out our favorite lines seem to be a good idea because students may be likely to like many of these lines as well.

Atwell says that students will become good writers of poetry as they become good readers of poetry. So it is understandable that as students find genres that are good at expressing the points they are trying to get across. Students will be able to express their feelings and dreams within the realm of poetry. Poetry will help to reveal things about the kids that a teacher may never find out. For example, Jonathan's poetry reflects his love for going out to catch lobsters, which may have never been revealed through everyday conversations in class.

Poems can inspire dreamers and can show feelings of love. Atwell covers works of students who display all of these qualities. Students were able to capture memories that they weren't able to fully remember without the use of poetry. It seems that poetry can be a great tool to get to know your students.