Feeling a bit “romantic” with Valentine’s Day nearing? This week the UK newspapers, The Guardian and The Observer, are highlighting one Romantic poet a day. On The Guardian’s website, you can read an introduction to each poet, listen to audio of some of their seminal works and download podcasts of discussions. Here is a snippet from the intro to Coleridge by Richard Holmes:
So it’s easy to forget how strange, how captivating, how haunted Coleridge’s actual poems are. Why is it, for example, that so many of them are set at night? Why do their outer landscapes always dissolve into inner dream worlds? Why are they so full of guilt? And yet why are they also so often suffused with beautiful, healing, glimmering moonlight?
So far this week they have covered Byron, Keats, Burns, Wordsworth and Coleridge, with Shelley and Blake to come in the next two days.
Posted by Justine Chiappetta on 01.27.10 | PERMALINK | NO COMMENTS
“The wind may blow the snow about,
For all I care, says Jack,
And I don’t mind how cold it grows,
For then the ice won’t crack.
Old folks may shiver all day long,
But I shall never freeze;
What cares a jolly boy like me
For winter days like these?”
–Sarah Orne Jewett, “A Country Boy in Winter”
Do you, as Wallace Stevens said, “have a mind of winter”? Do you get lost in thoughts of snow-laden tree branches and frost-covered windows? Or are you of another mind altogether; a mind that leans towards warmer climes and shuts down at the thought of putting on another layer of thermal clothing? Well, we have a list of seasonal poems to suit either mindset. Would you rather celebrate the winter weather in Baer’s “Snowflake” or wallow in the cold despair it can bring in Rexroth’s “The Bad Old Days”? Take a look at these other chilly POL poems: Continue reading »
Posted by Justine Chiappetta on 12.15.09 | PERMALINK | NO COMMENTS
Of all of the lesson plans that we have online and in the Teacher’s Guide, the one that garners the most praise from educators is the Tone Map.
This 1 -3 day lesson plan is designed to show students that many poems move through a series of moods and tones to tell a particular emotional story. It has a term list for use in the classroom with nearly 200 tones from “abashed” to “zealous” to spark students to learn to describe mixed emotions and distinguish subtle shifts in tone and mood. Not only will they build their emotional intelligence, they will perfect their recitation skills by knowing how to portray the shifting tones and moods of a poem.
Click here to download the Tone Map lesson plan and other great planning resources for teachers.
Posted by Justine Chiappetta on 12.03.09 | PERMALINK | NO COMMENTS
“I tell you it has taken me all my life
to arrive at the vision of gas lamps as angels,
to soften and blur and finally banish
the edges you regret I don’t see,”
-Lisel Mueller, “Monet Refuses the Operation”
Much of reading and reciting poetry lies in each individual performer’s interpretation of that poetry. Here is an animated interpretation of one of our POL poems, “Cartoon Physics, Part 1,” read by the author, Nick Flynn. This short video is part of a series of short poetry films on the Poetry Foundation website. After watching that poem, check out these other animated adaptations of POL poems: Continue reading »
Posted by Justine Chiappetta on 11.18.09 | PERMALINK | COMMENTS (1)
The Poetry Foundation has recently launched an amazing new teaching and learning resource. The Poetry Learning Lab was developed for teachers, students, and learners of every age, and encourages readers of all levels to immerse themselves in poetry. Visit this section of the Poetry Foundation website for all things educational: Continue reading »
Posted by Justine Chiappetta on 10.14.09 | PERMALINK | COMMENTS (2)
Days are getting cooler, leaves are changing, autumn is everywhere and a new Poetry Out Loud season is off to a strong start. If our site traffic is any indication, more and more students are beginning their searches for those perfect poems. While you can look through the comprehensive alphabetical listings of poems or poets, we thought we’d highlight some of the other ways to search that the site offers. Continue reading »
Posted by Justine Chiappetta on 10.01.09 | PERMALINK | NO COMMENTS
The new school year is upon us: a fresh start for students, teachers and parents alike. A new start for us here at POL too. One exciting development is this blog-a place for you to exchange tips and ideas, get questions answered and have discussions about teaching and learning poetry.
NEW LESSON PLANS–We have heard your requests for more lesson plans and we’ve added links to two plans by Chicago author and teacher Eileen Murphy. Continue reading »
Posted by Justine Chiappetta on 09.08.09 | PERMALINK | COMMENTS (2)
