This text will be beneficial to beginning language arts teachers who share the author's passion for poetry but may not possess the pedagogical knowledge to teach poetry to adolescents. Burkhardt, who was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame for his work as a middle school writing teacher, calls on over 30 years of personal experience in creating this ... Read morecookbook-style text that emphasizes the importance of memorization and recitation in the teaching of poetry. He cites the works of the National Writing Project, NCTE, and Poetry Alive and embraces Rosenblatt's theory of reader response to poetry interpretation. The book includes student examples and letters to the author from former students. Jean Little's poem, 'After English Class,' reproduced in this work, epitomizes the author's theory that students must have the freedom to bring their own understandings to the study of poetry. The section 'General Assertions about Teaching Poetry' sums up the book nicely. This is not a text for experienced poetry practitioners, but neophyte middle school language arts teachers would find it both beneficial and comforting. Recommended.
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Drawing upon decades of experience as a language arts teacher, Burkhardt describes a number of classroom-tested poetry lessons aimed at developing reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.
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