Article 1:
The “I” Poem article provides a look at how to use the “I” Poem to enhance students’ writing and reading comprehension. This article, by Linda Kucan, speaks of how students should have the opportunity to write about what they have read, to better their understanding. “Writing about what one has read is the opportunity to see the landscape of the text again, potentially in deeper and different ways.” One example in this article is the use of the “I” Poem in response to the novel Sarah, Plain and Tall . Students are shown the importance of the setting in this novel, and then are asked to write an “I” Poem relating to the setting. I love the idea of the “I” Poem, because it challenges students to dig deeper, beyond surface-level thinking. If a student writes a poem from the perspective of a desert, they have to think about how a desert would think, feel, and see the world. This type of poem helps students learn about perspective, while engaging them in deeper looks at character, plot and setting.
Three Questions:
1) In writing an “I” Poem about a particular character in a novel, could it possibly enhance the activity by also asking students to write an “I” Poem of themselves, and then asking them to compare the two?
2) Could this poem also be used effectively in Social Studies and Science classes?
3) How would a teacher grade this type of writing?
