Reading Blog: Poetry Meets Reading Comprehension

The world of poetry has always fascinated me as a reader. The way information can be portrayed and how words can be brought to life on the page. Readers are able to develop different perspectives and build upon reading comprehension skills. I have a fond memory of my grade school days, where a teacher introduced me to a Robert Burns poem, ‘A Red, Red Rose.’

"O my Luve's like a red, red rose

That’s newly sprung in June;

O my Luve's like the melodie

That’s sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,

So deep in luve am I:

And I will luve thee still, my dear,

Till a’ the seas gang dry:

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi’ the sun:

I will luve thee still, my dear,

While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee well, my only Luve

And fare thee well, a while!

And I will come again, my Luve,

Tho’ it were ten thousand mile."

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                       ^Sourced from americanliterature.com

This poem truly expresses one’s love through symbolism and descriptive writing. In my experience, this poem involved the class to read and reflect on what they believed the writer was expressing. This brought many great reading traits which built upon vocabulary development and fluency. Poetry brings about a different meaning of text in a reader. Students think creatively and outside of the box, which all teachers love to see.

Another great poem which can build upon reading comprehension skills is Robert Browning’s, ‘Meet at Night.’

"The gray sea and the long black land;

And the yellow half-moon large and low;

And the startled little waves that leap

In fiery ringlets from their sleep,

As I gain the cove with pushing prow,

And quench its speed i' the slushy sand.

Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;

Three fields to cross till a farm appears;

A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch

And blue spurt of a lighted match,

And a voice less loud, thro' its joys and fears,

Than the two hearts beating each to each!"

    ^Sourced from americanliterature.com                                                          

                                                                         

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Reading the source, the reader is immersed in a world of symbolism and imagery. Students can reflect and draw upon the imagery in which they read. This creates a learning environment for creative thinking. In particular, this is personally one of my favourites to read from the flow of the text. Every time you read over the poem, your mind envisions something else. You want students to make those connections, and this is a great contributing factor towards reading comprehension. 

Thirdly, my last poem I have chosen to critique and showcase is Mother Goose's, 'Roses are Red.'

"The rose is red,

The violet's blue,

Sugar is sweet,

And so are you."

^Sourced from americanliterature.com

This is a great poem to use in the classroom, as many activities can stem from the reading. You can have students finish the last two lines for example, and produce multiple examples. This may only be a nursery rhyme but apart from younger readers, this can be used more critically for older students.

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In Ontario's Language Curriculum, specific expectations 1.1 and 1.3 in grade 4 reading; this truly exemplifies what poems can focus on in the classroom. 1.1 states, "read a variety of texts from diverse cultures, including literacy texts.." (page 83), this pertains to poetry. 1.3 states, "identify a variety of reading comprehension strategies and use them appropriately before, during, and after reading to understand texts.." (page 83), this brings in my idea of critical thinking and poetry.

There is so much one can incorporate with poetry and lesson planning. You can have students reflect, analyze, relate, compare, or express what they interpret from the text. One classic lesson is having students create a portrait of how they feel of the poem. Another is relating a personal experience to that of the poetry. This really engages students of any age to critically think even if that is referencing a day at the beach or Christmas Day.

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Poetry has evolved my reading and writing skills to no end, and my school education has been a great contributing factor. As a musician, I constantly need to read text within lyrics to better understand what I am performing to my audiences. Without building my reading comprehension skills and engaging a variety of reading styles, my musicianship and reading abilities would have never grown. The importance of reading poetry in the classroom, not only builds creative thinking but develops student reading overall.

I personally chose to blog about poetry, as this form of literature has given me the strength and ability to self-express. My reading comprehension has grown to no end, and I truly believe poetry has a big part to that. As an educator, I want to share the importance of poetry and how this form needs to be covered in every classroom one way or another. Through my personal experiences and witnessing of others, poetry can be that one last step a student needs to truly blossom. Poetry can serve as a place of creativity, and act as a comfortable or safe outlet to truly express oneself.

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Here is quick poetic idea I just thought of:

"You are the gold in my eyes, high above me in my mind. I will never ever go a day, where my heart won't stop beating for a day."

-Colin George Campbell

The beautiful thing about poetry is that everyone has a different perspective of what the text represents, that is truly inspiring to see and one I think is important to build on. What do you think my poetic idea represents? Could there be more than one meaning? How does this make you feel, and can you find an experience which you can relate to?

Here is a great Youtube link which showcases a lesson using poetry. I find this quite inspiring!! The opportunities are endless, constantly building on one's reading comprehension skills.

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