"What do you mean, the rules of baseball are just like the rules of writing poetry? That can't be- baseball is fun, and writing is not!" "Shakespeare Bats Cleanup" will show students that writing poetry is fun and rewarding, giving them a chance to express themselves in personal and meaningful ways.
My students are wonderful young men and women!
They are 10th grade students who are required to read and analyze poetry (state standards) but many say they hate poetry, even though we talk about how songs are poetry put to music. They aren't especially fond of reading in the first place, and then to have to read and analyze Shakespeare's poetry, among others- they would say "No way!" Many of my students do not read well, and many come from struggling families that cannot afford the luxury of buying books. They need to read books that will grab their attention and make them want to read more. "Shakespeare Bats Cleanup" is one such book, written in poetry form (using many different formats), about a high school boy who develops mononucleosis and has to complete schoolwork assignments at home. My students will relate to this boy, and as they read his story, written in poetry, they will gain an appreciation for both reading and poetry.
My Project
Reading is an essential skill for success in life. Adults have to read all kinds of materials: operation manuals, job applications, IRS instructions, workplace communication, etc. In a perfect world, everyone would also love to curl up with a good book and live vicariously through the experiences of the characters! I want my students to have a passion for reading, but it is sometimes hard to motivate teenagers to read. These resources will give my students opportunities to see that reading can be fun as well as educational, plus students will create and publish a classroom poetry book to share with other classes. Sometimes it just takes the right book to spark an interest in reading; this novel is so high-interest that students will not want to put it down, all the while learning the various formats of writing poetry. I am hopeful that they will also want to read more novels from this author, and just say, "Hey, I liked reading this story. What else do you have for me to read?"
Once students decide that they enjoy reading, or at least see the value in it, they will want to read more, which will make them better readers.
Reading this novel will show them that reading is fun, and writing poetry is a cool way to express themselves and explore their thoughts about different topics. When students understand themselves better, they can understand others better, which is a good quality for everyone to have! Plus, who knows: we may have the next poet laureate in my class! :)
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