How might you encourage
students (of any age) to attend to language?
To begin to delight in and revise
for sound, rhythm and strong, active verbs, whether for poetry or prose?
Reading
aloud and pointing out these qualities certainly helps. One of my favorite books to explore is In
the Spin of Things by Rebecca Kai Dotlich (Wordsong 2003). Twenty-three poems about ordinary things like
lawn mowers, ice cubes, and wind chimes revolve around sound and motion. These
poems encourage writers to focus closely on the world around them, whether
it’s the “squish, squish, squeegee-squish” of windshield wipers, the “whittle
and whirrs” of a pencil sharpener, or the twang, rap, and snap of a rubber
band.
* Read aloud “Ode to a
Washing Machine,” “Scissors” and “Soda Can.”
* Have students jot down words or phrases that seem
especially vivid and interesting. Jot
down sounds (onomatopoeia), alliteration, verbs, patterns of sounds (several
words with long “o,” short “i,” etc.).
Share and discuss. With verbs,
substitute bland words for more active ones and ask students to describe the
difference.
* As a group, choose
something (fire truck, cake mixer) not in Dotlich’s book. Have each
child name a sound or action associated with that thing to create a group poem.
* Ask students to listen at home to their washing machine, a
pair of scissors cutting, or a kicked soda can.
What sounds did they hear? Ask them to listen to two or three other things (toaster,
shower, vacuum cleaner, etc.) and make a list
of sounds they hear, descriptive
words (color, shape, texture), and verbs and movements.
* Write a poem or short prose passage about this thing using some of the
words on their list. Do not try to
rhyme. Have the poem or passage begin
and end with a sound or movement.
* Read aloud.
