I turned up to work the other day and what did I see; a range of strange messages designed to intrigue me!
Well it soon became clear that something was afoot - something mischievous - dangerous even, was happenening. It was clear that somehting special was going on. Below Paul Waite explains all ... Poetry by stealth!
“Ok class, today we’re going to write some poetry…”
Such an announcement may well elicit groans from some of the students in a standard mixed ability English class. Yes, some students enjoy poetry, but unfortunately many others are at best ambivalent, and at worst claim that they detest poetry - or that the mere thought of poetry bores them rigid! The irony of the latter is that most students, given the opportunity to explore a variety of interesting poetry, and particularly if invited to express themselves by writing their own poems, will enjoy the experience.
A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness.
Robert Frost
Poetry is all about emotion – and students, being human (!), will want to express their emotions. Quite simply, once students realise that they can use poetry to do this, most enjoy writing it.
“Poetry is a scream whispered onto paper “
© Y9 Creative Writing Enrichment Class, 2012-2013
Do the above words seem familiar? Not only is this a fantastic line of poetry, but it recently appeared, quite suddenly, along the top windows of W block. In the same week, Jolie arrived to find poetic lines brimming with teenage angst pinned to her door. Unsuspecting teachers chanced upon a washing line of stanzas fluttering near B block, and some discovered fragments of poetic lines written on cloth hung from benches: words were escaping from students’ imaginations and popping up all over the school…
Poetry by Stealth!
Think a little bit Banksy, a little bit Guerilla Gardeners (google them)…we are intrigued by mystery and also by the thought of doing something that appears slightly risky, slightly against the rules. So, if you can set students a task that generates that feeling then you are on to a sure-fire winner. Running it by Jolie first, I set my Y9 Creative Writing Enrichment class a Poetry by Stealth homework. The task was as follows:
· Surreptitiously ‘plant’, somewhere in the school, a poem that you have written.
· You might, for example, pin a poem on a notice board in a corridor, blue tac a poem to a classroom door, tape a poem to the side of a litter bin, etc.
· You can write a new poem, or use a poem that you’ve already written. You may work alone or in groups.
· There will be small prize for the most audacious and successfully completed mission – you might, for example, write your poem on a flag/banner and drape it somewhere noticeable.
· The only restrictions are that you must be safe when you put your poem up, and poem content must not be offensive.
· To win the prize, you must take a photo of you/your group next to you poem, in its location, as evidence.
Hey presto: a class of motivated and engaged students, all wanting to write and share poetry!
Paul Waite.
