STRATEGIES AND ASSESSMENT IN TEACHING POETRY

I. FOUR MAJOR GENRES IN THE LANDSCAPE OF LITERATURE

There are four major genres: POETRY, DRAMA, FICTION and CREATIVE NON-FICTION.
While there are certain key recognizable features of each genre, these are not so much rules as
they are tools, or conventions, the author uses.
Poetry
Emotion based
Emphasis on image or feeling
More emphasis on rhythm and meter than other genres
Sometimes rhymes, but not always
Organized through stanzas and lines
Does not require a plot or characters. Often focuses on single moment or feeling
or image.
Meant to be heard as well as read
Drama
Character List (often); Character names indicate who is speaking
Organized by Acts, Scenes and Line Numbers
May include stage directions, but may not
Plot-based
Character based
Types: Comedy, Tragedy, History, Romance
Fiction
Prose
Created from the imagination
May be based on real events or people, but not chained by the constraints of
reality
Plot based
Character based
Organized through paragraphs
Types: Short Story, Novella, Novel
Creative Non Fiction
Prose
True (not fabricated, not from the imagination). This is a very important
distinction from the other genres
Plot based
Character based
 Organized through paragraphs
Types: Narrative, Memore, Literary Criticism, Literary Journalism

II. STRATEGIES IN TEACHING POETRY

Create a Positive Learning Environment: Foster a safe and supportive classroom environment
where students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and interpretations of poetry. Encourage
open discussion and respect for diverse perspectives.
Start with Accessible Poems: Begin with poems that are relatively easy to understand and
accessible to students. Choose poems with clear themes, vivid imagery, and relatable subject
matter to engage students and build their confidence in analyzing poetry.
Model Reading and Analysis: Demonstrate how to read a poem closely by modeling your own
process of analysis. Point out literary devices, figurative language, and thematic elements, and
explain how they contribute to the poem's meaning and impact.
Encourage Active Engagement: Encourage students to actively engage with poetry by asking
open-ended questions, prompting discussions, and conducting close readings of poems together
as a class. Encourage students to share their interpretations and insights, and validate their
responses to foster a sense of ownership and appreciation for poetry.
Explore Various Forms and Styles: Introduce students to a variety of poetic forms, styles, and
traditions, including sonnets, haiku, free verse, and spoken word poetry. Expose them to poems
from diverse cultures, time periods, and perspectives to broaden their understanding of the
possibilities of poetry.
Integrate Multimodal Activities: Incorporate multimodal activities such as visual art, music,
drama, or technology to enhance students' understanding and appreciation of poetry. Encourage
them to create their own multimedia interpretations of poems through art projects, performances,
or digital presentations.
Provide Creative Writing Opportunities: Encourage students to express themselves creatively
through writing their own poetry. Provide prompts, writing exercises, and workshops to help
them explore their thoughts, emotions, and experiences through poetry.
Connect Poetry to Students' Lives: Help students make personal connections to poetry by
relating poems to their own experiences, interests, and cultural backgrounds. Encourage them to
reflect on how poetry can illuminate and enrich their understanding of themselves and the world
around them.

III. STRATEGIES IN ASSESSMENT OF POETRY

1. Understanding the Basics: Before diving into analysis, ensure you understand the basic
elements of poetry such as rhyme, meter, stanza structure, and figurative language (metaphor,
simile, imagery, etc.). This understanding provides a foundation for deeper analysis.
2. Close Reading: Read the poem multiple times, paying attention to both the literal and
figurative meanings of the words. Take note of any patterns, repetitions, or shifts in tone or
perspective.
3. Identify Themes: Determine the central themes or messages conveyed in the poem.
Consider how the poet explores these themes through imagery, symbolism, and narrative.
4. Analyze Language and Imagery: Examine the poet's choice of words and imagery.
Look for vivid descriptions, sensory details, and figurative language that evoke emotions or
create mental images.
5. Examine Structure and Form: Analyze the poem's structure, including its rhyme
scheme, meter, and stanza organization. Consider how the form contributes to the overall
meaning or mood of the poem
Approaches commonly utilized in teaching and assessing poetry:
Reader Response Approach: This approach focuses on students' personal responses to poetry.
It encourages students to interpret poems based on their own experiences, emotions, and
perspectives. Assessments may involve students writing reflective responses, journal entries, or
creative interpretations of poems.
Formalistic Approach: The formalistic approach emphasizes the formal elements of poetry,
such as rhyme, meter, structure, and imagery. Teachers may guide students in analyzing poems
through close reading and identifying literary devices. Assessments may involve analyzing the
technical aspects of poems and their contributions to meaning.
Historical and Cultural Approach: This approach examines poetry within its historical,
cultural, and social contexts. Teachers may provide background information on the poet's life,
the historical period, and relevant cultural influences. Assessments may involve analyzing poems
in relation to their historical and cultural contexts and discussing how these factors shape their
meaning.
Comparative Approach: The comparative approach involves comparing and contrasting
different poems, poets, or poetic traditions. Teachers may guide students in identifying
similarities and differences in themes, styles, or techniques across multiple poems. Assessments
may involve writing comparative essays or participating in group discussions about the
connections between poems.
Multimodal Approach: This approach integrates various modes of expression, such as visual
art, music, or performance, with the study of poetry. Teachers may engage students in creating
multimedia projects inspired by poems or performing poems aloud. Assessments may involve
evaluating students' creative interpretations and presentations of poems using multiple modes of
expression.
Reader's Theater Approach: In this approach, students engage in dramatic readings or
performances of poems. Teachers may assign roles to students and encourage them to embody
the emotions and voices of the poem's characters. Assessments may involve evaluating students'
performances based on their expression, fluency, and understanding of the poem's meaning.
Socratic Seminar Approach: This approach involves facilitating student-led discussions about
poems. Teachers may pose open-ended questions to stimulate critical thinking and encourage
students to engage in collaborative dialogue about the themes, language, and interpretations of
poems. Assessments may involve participating in and leading Socratic seminars on poems.
Creative Writing Approach: This approach emphasizes students' own creative expression
through writing poetry. Teachers may provide writing prompts, workshops, and peer feedback to
support students in composing their own poems. Assessments may involve evaluating students'
original poems based on creativity, craftsmanship, and expression.

IV. SAMPLE HOLISTIC RUBRIC FOR ASSESSING POETRY

(Literary Appreciation and Valuing In/of Poetry)

Needs
Criteria Excellent (4) Good (3) Fair (2) Improvement (1)
Poem
demonstrates
exceptional
insight, Poem demonstrates
originality, and a clear Poem lacks clear
depth. Themes understanding of Poem demonstrates understanding of
are richly themes and ides. some understanding themes and ideas.
developed, and Content is engaging of themes and ideas Content is vague,
ideas are and well-developed, but lacks depth or unclear, or
expressed with though it may lack originality. Content superficial, and
clarity and some depth or may be simplistic or lacks depth or
Content sophistication. originality. underdeveloped. originality.
Imagery and Imagery is vivid, Imagery is vivid Imagery is somewhat Imagery is weak or
Language evocative, and and enhances the effective in absent, hindering
effectively reader's enhancing the the reader's
enhances the understanding and reader's understanding and
reader's emotional response. understanding and emotional response.
understanding Language is emotional response. Language is vague,
and emotional descriptive and Language is adequate awkward, or
response. effectively conveys but may be clichéd or ineffective in
Language is meaning, though it lack variety. conveying meaning.
 Needs
Criteria Excellent (4) Good (3) Fair (2) Improvement (1)
precise, powerful,
and skillfully
used to convey may lack some
meaning. precision or variety.
Poem
demonstrates
mastery of form
and structure,
effectively Poem demonstrates Poem lacks mastery
utilizing rhyme, proficiency in form of form and
meter, and stanza and structure, with structure, with little
organization to evident attention to Poem demonstrates evidence of
enhance meaning rhyme, meter, and some understanding attention to rhyme,
and impact. stanza organization. of form and structure meter, or stanza
Structure Structure but lacks consistency organization.
enhances the contributes to the or refinement. Structure detracts
overall coherence overall coherence Structure may be from the overall
Structure and and flow of the and flow of the somewhat disjointed coherence and flow
Form poem. poem. or distracting. of the poem.
Poem evokes
strong emotional
response and
resonates with the Poem evokes some
reader on a emotional response
personal or and connects with Poem elicits minimal
universal level. the reader on a emotional response Poem lacks
Emotions are meaningful level. and fails to fully emotional impact
conveyed Emotions are engage the reader. and fails to connect
authentically and conveyed with Emotions are with the reader.
effectively sincerity, though conveyed Emotions are
Emotional through language they may lack some superficially or poorly conveyed or
Impact and imagery. depth or resonance. inconsistently. absent.

V. READING ACTIVITIES IN POETRY

Choral Reading:
Have students read a poem aloud together as a class. Encourage them to pay attention to rhythm,
tone, and expression. Choral reading helps students experience the musicality and flow of poetry
as they synchronize their voices.

Partner Reading:
Pair students up and have them take turns reading stanzas or lines of a poem to each other. After
each reading, partners can discuss their interpretations, identify literary devices, and share their
favorite lines or images.

Echo Reading:
Read a line or stanza of a poem aloud, and then have students echo it back in unison or
individually. This activity helps students focus on the rhythm and phrasing of the poem while
also improving fluency and pronunciation.

Annotation:
Provide students with copies of a poem and ask them to annotate the text as they read. Encourage
them to mark literary devices, imagery, themes, and any questions or reactions they have.
Annotation helps students engage deeply with the poem and facilitates discussion and analysis.

Graphic Organizers:
Give students graphic organizers, such as a T-chart or Venn diagram, and ask them to compare
and contrast different poems or elements within a single poem (e.g., themes, imagery, structure).
Graphic organizers help students organize their thoughts and identify patterns and connections in
the poetry.

Close Reading:
Guide students through a close reading of a poem, focusing on specific literary elements or
techniques. Break the poem down into smaller sections and discuss the nuances of language,
imagery, symbolism, and thematic development. Encourage students to ask questions and make
connections as they analyze the poem.

Reader's Theater:
Divide the class into groups and assign each group a different poem to perform as a reader's
theater. Students can dramatize the poem by assigning roles, adding gestures and movement, and
interpreting the poem's meaning through performance.

Poetry Circles:
Organize students into small groups and provide each group with a selection of poems to read
and discuss. Encourage students to take turns reading aloud and leading discussions about the
poems' themes, imagery, and emotional impact. Poetry circles foster collaboration, critical
thinking, and peer-to-peer learning.

Listening to Poetry:
Play recordings of poets reading their own work or recitations of famous poems. After listening,
lead a discussion about the poet's interpretation, tone, and pacing. Listening to poetry performed
aloud helps students appreciate the oral tradition of poetry and the nuances of delivery.

Poetry Journals:
Have students keep poetry journals where they can write reflections, responses, and analyses of
the poems they read. Encourage them to record their favorite poems, notable quotes, and
personal connections to the poetry. Poetry journals provide an opportunity for students to engage
with poetry on a personal level and develop their own poetic voices.

The Cellphone Charger

Gently, I opened the bedroom door,

the smell of perfume danced around my nose
She left again the bottle uncovered, that I can’t ignore,
why be bothered that is not why I am here for
What the heck?
I must be looking for something, gazing at everything that is on the bed, dresser and floor
Alzheimer’s played a game once more
Turning back to where I was before,
at the kitchen cutting meats and onions
Aha, now I know my cell’s battery was low
Back again to my bedside table, that I know
… is where I left the charger some time ago
But it isn’t there, where did it go?
Ahhh.. charging can wait, the food can’t spoil
As I open the cooler’s door, the charger says HELLO!