WINTER 2024 EDITION | Page 32

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Special STEM Section

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Math is

when you measure food to cook

when you add numbers together to get the sum

when you use a clock to tell if it is time to go to bed

when you compare how tall you are to your friend

Definition poetry can be used as an whole class activity to review a content area or topic and serve as a source of discussion so that all students benefit from its use. For example, if an early childhood teacher were reviewing math, and a student said, “Math is money.” That can be a great statement to put in the poem. However, as the class chorally rereads the poem aloud, the teacher can ask about what the students learned about money. What type of coins did they talk about? Likewise, if a student states, “Math is when you add numbers together to get a bigger number.” discussion might focus on what we call the “bigger” number. Definition poetry can open the same types of conversations at the upper elementary levels. As the class shares their individual poems or a class poem, they might discuss the details of people or historic events.

I Used to Think, But Now I Know

This is a great type of poetry to show students how much they have learned. It can serve to build confidence and review information. Each set of lines begins with those two phrases.

I used to think that adding numbers was hard,

but Now I Know how to add and multiply them.

I used to think that small objects were measured in inches,

but Now I Know that you can measure with centimeters and millimeters.

I used to think that the Native Americans were lucky the pilgrims landed here,

but now I know that they were often killed, and land was taken from them.

This type of poetry can be used to show content area growth over time. Another idea is to have students take the learning they are most proud of and write the phrase on a thought bubble to display around the classroom. The poems might even be used to share with future students for that grade level to show the type of learning they can expect in that grade.

Final Thoughts

Student-created formula poetry is a great way to develop literacy skills while strengthening content area knowledge. Students find writing poetry engaging and motivating. Providing choice is important in the classroom, so consider allowing students to choose the type of poetry they want to write once they have learned about the various types of poems.

The focus of formula poetry lessons should be on quality rather than quantity. Often because formula poems are easy to write, students may want to see if they can write the longest poem. This can often occur with definition poetry or ABC poetry. When that occurs, consider redirecting students to see if any lines in their poem are redundant or perhaps ask them to select the five or ten best lines to display in a final draft. Talk about how lines can be strengthened with specific academic vocabulary or ask them to extend lines. For example, if a student wrote A tornado sounds like a train roaring, the line can be extended to A tornado sounds like a train roaring through a darkening sky.

Remember to focus on the process and not just on the final product. The reflection necessary to write the poetry, the oral sharing of the poems, and the discussion of student-written poetry are important aspects of the poetry writing experience. Student-written formula poetry is an excellent opportunity to strengthen literacy development and deepen content area understanding.

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