Teaching prose and poems

1. TEACHING PROSE
AND POEMS

2. TEACHING PROSE AND POEMS
 PROSE
Is a form or technique of language that exhibits a natural flow of speech and grammatical
structure. Novels, textbooks and newspaper articles are all examples of prose. The word prose
is frequently used in opposition to traditional poetry, which is language with a regular structure
with a common unit of verse based on metre or rhyme. However, as T. S. Eliot noted, whereas
"the distinction between verse and prose is clear, the distinction between poetry and prose is
obscure".
 Back ground:
Isaac Newton in The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms wrote "The Greek Antiquities are full of
Poetical Fictions, because the Greeks wrote nothing in Prose, before the Conquest of Asia by
Cyrus the Persian. Then Pherecydes Scyrius and Cadmus Milesius introduced the writing in
Prose."
 Etymology:
The word "prose" first appears in English in the 14th century. It is derived from the Old French
prose, which in turn originates in the Latin expression prosa oratio (literally, straightforward or
direct speech).

3. TYPES
Many types of prose exist, which include:
 Nonfictional prose
 Heroic prose
 Prose poem
 Polyphonic prose
 Alliterative prose
 Prose fiction
 Village prose

4. POEMS
 A piece of writing in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given
intensity by particular attention to diction (sometimes involving rhyme),
rhythm, and imagery.
 “Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your
temper or your self-confidence.” These poems and essays tackle the
pleasures and perils of rousing knowledge inside and outside of the
classroom. Students will recognize their schoolteachers and professors
among the incisive portraits, and teachers will find serious and funny
poems on the ups and downs of the trade that verges on vocation.
 Number of creative and inexpensive suggestions for bringing poetry
into the classroom during April's National Poetry Month and throughout
the year. These tips were developed with the help of the Dodge Poetry
Festival, the National Council of Teachers of English, and Teachers &
Writers Collaborative.

5.  Meet with other teachers and local poets to talk about how to
teach poetry to young people.
 Talk with your school librarian about ordering books and creating a
poetry book display. Consider incorporating the latest National
Poetry Month poster.
 Order a poetry anthology or other poetry books for your class.
 Attend poetry readings in your community.
 Contact your state arts council or your local literary center.
 Reread some favorite poems.
 Post favorite poems in faculty and staff lounges.
 Write at least one poem before beginning a unit on poetry
Reading

6. Reading
 Begin each class with a poem by a different poet.
 Read a poem over the public address system each morning.
 Ask students to memorize poems and then recite them from memory.
 Read poems aloud to your students.
 Organize a student poetry reading at your local library or bookstore.
 Organize a Skype poetry reading where your students can interact
with students from another part of the country or world.
 Organize a field trip to a local nursing home and have students read
poems to the elderly.
 Ask each student to create his or her own anthology of favorite
poems.
 Introduce a new poetic form each week and give examples of poems
that use—or reinvent—the form.

7.  Publish student poetry in your school newspaper or magazine, or on your website.
 Publish a special anthology of student poems.
 Create a school poem and ask each student to contribute one line.
 Give students a list of words and ask them to create a poem using those words.
 Invite students to write poems in response to their favorite poems (or to news stories, songs, TV
shows, or artworks).
 Encourage students to write in the voice of someone else—a parent, friend, or teacher.
 Have your students discuss several works by a specific poet by comparing and contrasting his/her
poems.
 Hold poetry workshops where students discuss one another‘s work.
 Have your students write short poems, put them in balloons, and set them free.
 Have students write a poem in the style of a particular poet.
 Create and send poetry greeting cards to celebrate National Poetry Month.
 Challenge students to create a poetry notebook and write one poem per day for every day in April.
Writing

8. Thank you