Entice Readers to Poetry
by Carole D. Fiore
(Originally published in CBC Features, Vol. 52, No. 1, Spring 1999.)
I am from one of the last generations that was forced to memorize poems without having any understanding of their meaning or beauty. For me and many others in my elementary school class, the meaningless words, though pleasant sounding, did little to convey what the author had intended. For me, even the most lovely or inspiring poems became fearful and formidable. It was not easy for me to memorize these strange words arranged in a manner so different from that of ordinary, everyday speech. I truly needed to grasp the meaning, gain an understanding of the concepts and experience what the poem meant or tried to communicate before I could learn it word for word. Once I gained that understanding, the task of memorization became easier, though for me it was still a task that I dreaded. Till this day, I still have difficulty with rote memorization. Those early school experiences left me with lasting memories, memories that made me tremulous regarding poetry and other situations such as drama clubs where memorization was important and of some consequence.
Yet, over the years, I have learned that poetry is not to be feared. Poetry is to be embraced and cherished. Over the years, I have also come to realize that the love of language is fanned by the love of poetry. And that love of language is what sparks literacy development. If we are to develop a literate society, we must promote poetry and the love of language from the very day children are born. What made me change my mind and inclination about this literary form that is so easily embraced by the very youngest children, lovers, and people of many ages can be attributed more to several people rather than just a matter of learning to live with it.
Early in my career, while I was a school librarian in Philadelphia, I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet the Pied Piper of Poetry, Lee Bennett Hopkins. My training was as an elementary school teacher and a librarian and I, unfortunately, was falling into the same pattern as many of my early elementary teachers. I was asking children to learn poetry without enjoying it. But Lee showed me that children of all ages—as well as adults—need to enjoy the language and the rhythms that poetry offers.
I learned that memorization comes automatically, as you read and reread your favorite poems time and time again. I learned through experience that the "strange words arranged in a manner so different from that of ordinary, everyday speech" should and can be enjoyed and relished as a way to escape the ordinary. And for many of the children we work with, providing them a way to escape through words is a significant and priceless gift.
I started reading poetry to my students as part of our daily routine. I added poems from Mary O'Neill's Hailstones and Halibut Bones to science units and encouraged art teachers to read these same poems when discussing the color wheel. While classes were studying westward expansion in Social Studies, I added Vachel Lindsay's "Johnny Appleseed."
To nurture children's language development and critical thinking skills, I read selections from John Ciardi's The Man Who Sang the Sillies. Although I had read many of the poets of the Harlem Renaissance while I was in college and graduate school, it wasn't until I met Ashley Bryan and heard his oral interpretations of these writers that I began to understand what they were writing about. His introduction to the authentic sound of Paul Laurence Dunbar and Langston Hughes made me understand the genuine beauty of the language and the meaning behind the words. I became a poetry lover through being exposed to good poetry!
As a school media specialist and a librarian in various sized public libraries, someone who worked with children and teens, and someone who now trains others to work with youth, I have tried to bring my new understanding and enthusiasm for this literary form to all of them. Rather than forcing people to memorize poems, I use a variety of techniques to help them understand the elegant and graceful language, the beauty; and the emotion that poetry contains.
Starting with the very youngest, I introduce children, their parents, and their caregivers to Mother Goose rhymes. These rhymes that have been around for more than one hundred years serve to introduce infants to language patterns. The rhyme and the rhythms serve to comfort young children and lead them naturally to other forms of poetry and language. While a knowledge of Mother Goose rhymes forms a common cultural heritage—how could we understand the "Mother Goose and Grimm" comic strip without an understanding of nursery rhymes and fairy tales?—nursery rhymes in other languages and from other cultures also need to be part of what a young child hears. Simple rhymes in Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, Haitian Creole, or Swahili allow children to become familiar with the sounds of various languages. The latest brain research is telling us that children have the ability to hear and imitate multiple languages when they are exposed to these languages when they are infants.
Make sure that poetry relates to the everyday lives of the children. As children become older, they all have favorite toys and objects. Encourage parents to find a poem that they can read to their children centering on that object. If they are taking a trip to the zoo, gather together poems about the animals that will be seen there. If there is a holiday, event, or a special day in the life of that child, find a poem that expands that event. Regardless of the age of the children, there are poems that are appropriate for all kinds of special times throughout the year.
Reading poetry should be and needs to be an essential element of every library program. The right poem can capture the mood and feeling you are trying to capture and convey to your audience-regardless of the type of program. In story time programs for older children, read or recite poems between the stories you tell or read. Introduce a game or art activity with a poem. Have children act out a poem as you read it aloud. Or, for those children who like to read aloud, let them participate in choral reading. Poems will enrich the language experience you are providing while providing a change of pace in the program. Most youth service librarians think it necessary and fundamental to include finger plays and songs in every story time program for young children; but many do not think to introduce a book talk program with a poem. Do it! It works! Teens are captivated by poetry. They listen to it all the time-on the radio-without even realizing it is poetry. Use song lyrics and make the connection to other poems.
Display poetry books and individual poems in a prominent manner and location in the library, school, bookstore, and at home. Have a spotlight poetry book or poem of the day. Have a table top display with a prop that is featured in a poem. Use the calendar to identify those special days and find a poem to go with it. Make sure that people coming to your library, classroom, or bookstore cannot miss running into a poem or two.
A sure fire way to introduce poetry to people of all ages is to have a "Poetry Break." Originated by Caroline Feller Bauer, this idea has a poetry reader or teller break into a class or office or other area with a sign reading "Poetry Break," and saying, "Poetry break! Poetry break!" This interruption is sure to get everyone's attention. The reader or teller reads or tells the poem and leaves just as abruptly as he or she entered. Poems can range from short haiku or limericks to longer narratives or sonnets. Gauge the content and length of the poem by your audience's age and attention span. The first few times you do this, people will look at you and wonder what is going on, but very soon many come to expect these impromptu and spontaneous visits that do more to sell poetry than forcing people to memorize a poem ever could.
As much fun as these poetry breaks are, people gain a better understanding of poetry by hearing the poets themselves read their poetry aloud. Provide tapes of poets reading their own work or tapes of others doing it for them. When possible and practical, invite poets to read their work in person. My own love of poetry was sparked by hearing poetry read aloud by its creators.
Once children and teens are hooked on poetry, provide them with the opportunity to write their own. Sponsor a literary magazine and publish the best ones. Since poetry is meant to be heard, provide the teens the opportunity to read their poems to other people. Their enthusiasm, their own love of language and poetry will be infectious. And their passion for poetry will be transformed and transferred to others-other poetry lovers in the making. •
Carole D. Fiore holds a B.S. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Temple University and an M.S. in Library Science from Drexel University. She has worked in both school and public libraries in Philadelphia and in various locations in Florida. She is currently a management analyst/youth services consultant with the State Library and Archives of Florida, where she directs the award-winning Florida Library Youth Program (FLYP) and also is an independent library consultant. Under her direction, the FLYP program was awarded a John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award and a Davis Productivity Award for "increased performance and added value which enhance the productivity of Florida government and improve the lives of Florida's taxpaying citizens." Her consuming advocacy and leadership has made Florida's library program for children and young adults the envy of the nation. She has left few stones unturned in her striving to ensure that all children are provided with every opportunity to develop into healthy readers and learners. Under her direction, Florida was the first state to implement a statewide Born to Read program. She has served as a visiting instructor at the School of Library and Information Studies, Florida State University, and has taught children's literature at the College of Education, University of Tampa (Florida). Fiore, active in local, state, and national library and youth-serving organizations, is a former member of the board of directors of the Association for Library Service to Children (a division of the American Library Association) and has served that organization as a member of numerous committees, including the 1986 Newbery Award Committee and the 1993 Caldecott Committee, and was president of ALSC 2001-2002. Carole has served on the Florida Starting Points Steering Committee and the Booklist Editorial Advisory Board and has contributed articles to professional journals such as School Library Journal, Journal of Youth Services in Libraries, and Wilson Library Bulletin. Other writings include ALSC Program Support Publications Programming for Young Children Birth through Age Five and Programming for Introducing Adults to Children's Literature. Her book Running Summer Library Reading Programs: A How-To-Do-It Manual was published by Neal-Schuman in 1998 and she is working on a revision. Carole is a trainer for the Young Adult Library Services Association and one of six nationally recognized trainers for the Public Library Association. Carole was a faculty member for the 1999 Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop at Chautauqua. She frequently facilitates and leads workshops and lectures throughout the United States and in England.