The title of this post is
taken from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s definition of poetry—but it should hold
true for stylish prose as well. In this
era of sound bites and Instagram, though, how
might we help our students to better appreciate the power and beauty of
language?
A writing prompt that gets
people looking deeply at words and
thinking about how easily we take language for granted is the “How to, for
Aliens.”
1. Ask students to do this exercise: An alien is visiting from outer space and has
no knowledge of our world. Write down
the directions for him or her on how to make a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich. Or how to cheer for the
school’s football team. Or how to wash a
dish.
2. Share and discuss May Swenson’s poem “Southbound
on the Freeway.” How do you know that
the alien is talking about cars? What
specific words give you the clues? How
does the alien see people? What images
seem especially vivid and fresh?
3. Have students return to their initial writing
prompt and revise for clarity, word choice, and sound.
4. Share some pieces aloud,
asking students to try to figure out what the alien is being asked to do. Enjoy!
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