The Key is Poetry
By Susan Mandel Glazer

Poetry's great for reluctant readers. Why? Many poems are short, luring hesitant readers who often say, "This chapter is too long to read."

Beth Bedard, a teacher in our Center for Reading and Writing, was determined to find a way to spark Sam's interest in reading and writing any way she could. Her goal was to find a strategy that would help him want to read and write on his own. Here's how she did it.

Talking it out
Beth gave each child a copy of Langston Hughes' poem "Lincoln Monument: Washington," which was used in conjunction with a unit study of our nation's capital. "Because of his great contributions, our country's leaders believed that President Lincoln must be remembered by everyone forever. This meant that there needed to be something big representing his greatness. So, a large monument was built in his honor," Beth told the class.

A discussion on this topic continued with children making connections between readings and their experiences. As they talked, Beth distributed a copy of the poem to each child. This was a frequent practice in her classroom, so the children knew that they were expected to continue their discussion during this transition from one activity to the next.

"Oh, this is about the Lincoln Memorial," spouted a youngster who glanced at the poem. "I've been there. It's really huge."

"It is. And that's because…" Beth paused.

Several kids responded that the memorial was built because Lincoln freed the slaves, among other accomplishments. Beth wrote these responses on a chart. When they were finished, Beth projected the Langston Hughes poem onto a screen and read it to the children.

Follow along
After Beth read the poem once, she asked the children to follow along and say the last line with her. The final reading was done chorally with everyone reading together.

When the children had questions, they wrote them down on their sticky notes. For students who hesitated, Beth suggested they think about things like why Langston Hughes wrote the lines one under the other in an uneven way or why he used several words in one line and only few on the next.

Success for Sam!
Sam, who shied away from any sort of reflective writing, wrote a first draft. He read a line in the poem and responded to it. This line-by-line strategy facilitated Sam's capacity to compose. Sam was able to create a personal response and share how he believed the author convinced his audience to want to experience the monument.

"The meaning in this poem is very interesting because he took something from his heart and put it out there for the world to see," Sam's essay began. "But there were still some questions to this story that he wrote. What does the marble mean? Was the marble there around the building? And what voice? What voice 'forever against timeless walls?' But that's the whole point of the story. He wants you to feel that's what it's like to actually be there…."

Beth responded: "Wow! Great job of asking yourself questions about the poem and thinking about them. You also stated your opinion and justified – that means backed up or supported, what you said. When you read actively like this, you really make meaning about what you are reading."

A wrap up
Beth enticed Sam and other reluctant readers to respond by:

• Selecting a short piece of writing related to content area studies.
• Introducing the poem in a natural manner and then slipping it onto their desks during a discussion about the topic.
• Encouraging conversion by talking about the poem herself.
• Accepting all responses and questions without evaluating or editorializing about them.
• Seizing the moment and telling students to write down what they are saying and feeling.

Most importantly, Beth taught Sam the importance of stating his opinions and justifying his responses. Enticing hesitant writers is simple when the activity flows naturally from discussions and interests – and when children understand the process.

Susan Mandel Glazer is the Director of the Center for Reading and Writing at Rider University in Lawrence, NJ.

April, 2005, Vol.35, No.7