Recently some of SJHS’ English students have had a very interesting assignment: reciting memorized poems in class. The students can choose a poem or write one of their own, and then they memorize it and recite it aloud to the class. They are graded on their presentation skills and memorization. The teachers hope that this assignment will help the students learn about and better appreciate poetry.
“I think that when students memorize something, it helps them internalize it and understand it better, and figuring out how to perform their poems helps them interpret it,” said Ms. Dunn, an English teacher at SJHS. Ms. McBride, another English teacher, agreed. “Taking the time to figure out how to express a poem means that you are also figuring out what the poem means and what is important about it,” she said.
Ms. McBride thinks that having a class Poetry Slam is great for the students because, “memorizing is a good brain exercise, and we don’t have to do it very much anymore because we are used to information being right there all the time.”
Ms. Maughan, a ninth grade English teacher, said that she thinks this is a great assignment because students are able to look through different poems and decide what they like. “They are able to choose for themselves what style and topics interest them,” she said. Ms. Maughan thinks that it is important for students to learn about poetry. “Poetry is still relevant to our life even though we don’t use it every day. The language, flow, and style of different poems can help convey meaning without saying something directly,” she said. “I think any exposure to different forms of writing and language is important.”
Ms. Dunn thinks that poetry is very important because you can express yourself in a way that is more difficult in other forms of writing. “I think it’s beautiful,” she said. “You are able to express yourself in a creative way.” Ms. Dunn hopes that from this assignment the students will learn to be less scared of performing in front of people. She also hopes that the students will find a poem that they can remember and carry with them through their lives.
Ms. Maughan said something very similar, “I hope the students found something that had meaning to them. It would be wonderful if they can alway remember the poem used for the Slam!”
The teachers all agree that this will be a beneficial assignment for the students, and hope that they can learn something from it. As Ms. McBride said, “There is power in having good words in the back of your head.”