Tuesday, October 24, 2017

20 Reasons to teach Poetry, at all ages




In the English language there is a difference between the word "song" to the word "poem", which does not necessarily exists in other languages, such as Hebrew for example. In elementary school, we give a lot of room to rhymes and recitations at the lower grades, and later on, we discuss poems or songs while discussing a certain holiday/season/poet. Later on in junior high and high school, we analyze specific literary works.

Personally, I teach a big variety of songs and poems throughout the school year, for various reasons:

1. Exposure to the material and expending the vocabulary
2. Exposure to different views and ideas
3. The connection between a poet/writer to their works
4. Word games
5. Developing the Imagination
6. Explaining and teaching grammar rules that apply only in poems and not in the daily language, Linguistic manipulation that exist only in poetry
7. Development of listening skills
8. Developing the ability for personal commentary
9. Discussing emotions
10. Developing a discussion
11. Discussing the connection between lyrics and music
12. Using art as a tool for expressing criticism - personal/expressional
13. Developing curiosity
14. Learning about a Historical period, general knowledge etc.
15. Creating logical connection to relevant issues – the cycle of a year, famous figures, personal events etc.
16. Developing a reflective, emotional and logical thinking
17. Enabling the children to express their inner-world in the class
18. Reading comprehension
19. Developing the skills for poem writing
20. Exposure to music tones, structures and mobility

I guess there are many more reasons to teach poetry and songs, and I want to present to you my way and to offer you a way to develop your own version. In my class the main goal of my teaching is to expose the children to a wide variety of songs and poems from different periods, different cultures and styles. The process is by reading-observations-understanding-discussing the poem/song. I sometimes add playing a related music from the same period/creator/subject/emotion before learning and discussing the relevant material.

I find the way in which the children draw the dots between the two works as very interesting, and I make it a point not to lead the discussion in the class, but to allow them to lead it on their own to the directions that seem relevant and important to them. I do sometimes try to add guiding questions or a summary of what was already said.

The sooner we will start to expose children to various poetry thus their abilities to discuss broader and deeper issues will grow.












Thursday, August 10, 2017

Using Movies for Learning





Children and people enjoy watching a movie or a series because it feels like entering a different visual world, which is understandable. All in all, movies/series enable us to identify with a character, identifying with values, with acts/actions, and also the reverse emotional range – disliking a character or it's values.
In addition, we all know that children watch a lot of series and movies on a daily basis – did you ever wonder what do they take from them? Do they detect the nonsense? The sarcasm? The subtext or the emotional depths?
We can teach the children to observe and deepen their understanding while using the movie as a platform for opening many issues, exercise and exposure.



Why?
Built and structured content
Focused
Interesting
Help as a supportive to knowledge
Dynamic
Producing emotions
The ability to form associations



How?
Using series/ documentary series and fiction movies - using guided viewing:
Topics:
Language tasks – character description, information miming
Learning about an historical period
Geography
Religion – learning about different religious, discussion about religious issues
Sports
Emotional and social analysis- discussing a character layers, social situations, conflicts (personal and inter-personal), puberty, break-ups etc.
Nature and the environment
Biology
Economics
Law, ethics and morals etc.

An example – watching the movie "Clash of the Titans" – 6th to 12th grade
Objectives:
1. Getting to know figures from the Greek Mythology (History and Mythology)
2. Improving viewing understanding and data mining (Language and viewing skills)
3. Writing a phrase about a beloved character (language)
4. A discussion about conflicts (emotional)

Viewing task:
1. Trace all the mythological/ruling/philosophical characters in the movie
2. Line down all the conflicts in the movie – personal and inter-personal
3. List all the myths described in the movie.
4. Sum-up the information about a beloved character.

I'll be happy to answer any question, and will love hearing from you, Sharon


All right reserve to Sharon Michaeli- Ramon ©