TEACHING POETRY

POETRY

Introduction :
According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary, a poem is a, “piece of creative writing
in verse, especially one expressing deep feelings
or noble thought in beautiful language written
with the intention of communicating an
experience”. S. T. Coleridge believes that ‘poetry
is the beat words in their best order’.
Poetry is for pleasure. To Robert Frost ,“Poetry
begins in Delight and ends in Wisdom”.

It is clear that we read poetry in order to get

some pleasure and enjoy the beauty of the
language. We not only appreciate the ideas and
thoughts but also the way in which the thoughts
and ideas have been presented
 Why the learners cannot understand
and enjoy poems in a second language (English)
OR Why the learners feel difficulties to understand

Because they
-Do not know the language very well,
- Are not familiar with the culture, the context and the
experience of the poem.
- Have not yet developed their linguistic and
communicative competence ,
- Find everything foreign to them: the language, the
ideas, the culture, the context, etc.
 The Importance of poetry

There are some advantages of poetry lessons which

are as follows:

(i) Develop in the pupils a favorable attitude

towards the language ,
(ii) Help in teaching some idiomatic and
grammatical constructions
(iii) Help in improving learner’s pronunciation.
 Objectives of Poetry Lessons

The objectives of teaching poetry at the

secondary level may be as follows:
i. To give listening practice to the students
ii. To give speaking practice to the learners
iii. To enable the students to recite the poem in
proper way so that they may enjoy its music
and rhythm.
iv. To enable them to understand the beauty of
thought.
v. To enable them to improve their power of imagination
vi. To enable them to appreciate the poem by awakening
in them the aesthetic qualities of appreciation.
vii. To make them familiar with the back ground of the
poem.
viii. To develop love for English language.
 Teaching Rhymes :

Hence the first and the strong link between

children and the English language can be only
through nursery rhymes. The term nursery is apt
because just as in a Nursery growing the saplings,
the rhymes take care of the language to be
developed later. We all know how children enjoy
saying a rhyme in lower classes with movement,
gestures and most important their expressions.
Every child becomes one with the rhymes when
taught properly with the teacher’s enthusiasm
 The Importance of saying (reciting) or singing
rhymes:
Rhymes –
- Strengthen and develop the memory power.
- Develop active power of imitation and imagination.
- Train the ears to the delicate varieties of sound and rhymes.
- Widen the knowledge of vocabulary.
- Develop a sense of achievement and confidence in the
young learners.
- Lay a strong foundation for speech work. - Are an excellent
aids to correct speech?
 Suggestions For teaching Nursery Rhymes:

1. Any rhymes are essentially music –Hence it is meant

to be said aloud to enjoy the music.
2. Explanation of words, phrases or grammatical forms
should not be given.
3. In every rhyme, the unfamiliar, tricky words should
be singled out and their correct pronunciation should
be drilled.
4. Pupil’s attention should be concentrated on the
words and phrases with their correct beats.
5. Beats are to be given only with the use of two fingers on the left
or right palm.
6. Children to be taught to feel the charm of music and rhymes.
7. Rhymes should be taught at first, moderately slowly until the
pupils are able to recite them correctly, clearly and confidently.
8. Once the children are confident in saying all the lines in the
rhymes you can give practice:
a. You say the first line; the children say the second line. This
alternative line practice can be continued changing roles also .i.e. –
first line children; second line-teacher.
b. Practice in groups-one group one line
c. Practice in pairs.
d. Whole class says the rhyme. All these practices will help even
the slow learner to gain confidence in saying the rhymes.
 Don’ts

1. Do not ask individuals to say the rhymes in the

beginning, in order to correct their pronunciation.
The child may feel difficult.
2. Do not try to teach any morals through the rhymes.
3. Do not sing the rhymes to being with.
Singing can be postponed till all the children are able
to say the rhymes correctly. This is because while
singing, the children’s attention is drawn towards the
tune and not on the pronunciation.
The Process of Teaching the Poem can be in three
Main Stages

1. Preparation
2. Presentation
3. Discussion
 1. Preparation:

a. Equipping the students for a quick grasp of the

main out of the poem.
b. Familiarizing (not through explanation) them
with the most important words and
expressions.
c. Ensuring that the ideas involved in the poem
are not beyond his reach.
 2. Presentation

The teacher recites / reads out the poem with the

proper pronunciation, intonation and facial
expression (a second reading/ recital can also be
done if necessary).
 3. Discussion-Books Open

The teacher need not explain every word or every

line. She can ask simple questions to ensure
whether the pupils have understood the poem.
Even if a few students ask the meaning of words
like catamarans, leaping wealth, she can show
pictures, or pose questions to the clan and elicit
the answer.
Thank you