Response to Readings: Poetry

I really like poetry. I actually find it quite fascinating. I am not necessarily good at writing poetry or even good at analyzing great poets’ poetry but I find it very beautiful. I was introduced to poetry in 2nd grade where everyone in the class had to memorize poems of our choice every week and recite them to the class. We would get reward points based on the length of the poems we chose. I thought Chapter 4 was pretty interesting. I agree with Cullinan and Galda in which good poetry helps students listen and pay attention to sounds and words and can increase one’s vocabulary and creativity. I thought the Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman was so cool. I have never heard of this kind of poetry in which two readers read at once, one reading the right side and one reading the left side at the same time. I loved the examples shown in this format. I also liked how Cullinan and Galda discussed how people may have developed rhythm in the mother’s womb hearing her heartbeat. On page 112, I loved the concrete poem titled, “Popsicle.” It was very creative and very cute. The article by Apol and Harris was intriguing as well. The 5th grade students’ two voice poems were beautifully written and very creative. I was amazed how Apol and Harris transformed the students’ feelings and beliefs about poetry after the whole poetry project. I believe poetry is important for all students to explore at a young age and open their minds to creative ways of writing.