Quick Guide
- Keywords: Creative writing, critical thinking skills, poetry, vocabulary, grammar
- Learner English Level: Intermediate and above
- Learner Maturity: Junior high school and above
- Preparation time: 30 – 60mins
- Activity time: 50 minutes +
- Materials: Worksheet (see Appendix)
This activity develops ESL students’ creative writing skills and their confidence in writing by exposing them to new concepts, and discussing different perspectives, through poetry. Poetry is regarded as a difficult medium by many ESL learners and teachers. However, with the right types of poems and strong activities, it is a very powerful way to assist students in enhancing their confidence and proficiency.
Preparation
Step 1: Find (or write) a poem that is suitable for your class. For example, ‘Small Rainbows have Big Colors’, by Wang Xiaodan (see Appendix), which uses creative imagery and vocabulary that is accessible to Intermediate level students.
Step 2: Consider the poem’s themes, references, and any other details that might be of interest.
Step 3: Create 2-3 questions for students that will engage their critical thinking.
Step 4: Create handouts, including: a copy of the poem; associated images, the questions, and lines for the student’s poem (see Appendix).
Procedure
Step 1: Distribute handouts and remind students to not worry intensely about grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The primary focus of poetry class is critical analysis and generating personal ideas.
Step 2: Reveal the poem’s title and quickly discuss the meaning and any impressions it evokes.
Step 3: Read the poem aloud.
Step 4: Answer students’ questions related to the content and their general understanding of the poem.
Step 5: Have students take turns reading the poem one line at a time, attempting to match the teacher’s flow in step 3.
Step 6: Query students about the pattern of the poem such as the rhyming structure, sentence structure, unique form, vocabulary choice, etc. Then introduce and explain the pattern to the students. For example, in the poem “Small Rainbows Have Big Colors”, all the sentences follow the pattern of “Color is/means …”.
Step 7: Read the questions on the handout and give students time to ask any questions.
Step 8: Have students work on their own to write down their answers to the questions on the handout. Monitor and help, as necessary.
Step 9: Have some students share their answers
Step 10: Discuss unique concepts and differing student perspectives. Validate their observations while offering alternative understandings, playing devil’s advocate where necessary.
Step 11: Write potential topics related to today’s poem, and the style of today’s poem. For example, for the poem “Small Rainbows Have Big Colors”, the topics could be: 1. Your rainbow, 2. Your favorite color, 3. The color that you don’t like. The style is “Color is/means…”
Step 12: Have students choose a topic, style or both, and produce a poem. Assist them by providing alternative vocabulary (e.g., synonyms, expressive paraphrases), or some idea prompts if necessary.
Step 13: Have students share their poems with a partner, then ask for volunteers to share with the class.
Step 14: Collect students’ poems and correct mistakes that obstruct communication or expressive clarity—obvious errors—while giving feedback on stylistic choices.
Conclusion
By introducing students to new and compelling ideas in a compact form of literature, students are provided a unique experience in their English language development to further enhance their critical thinking, discussion, and critiquing skills. Finally, students will gain confidence in their writing and communicate with greater individuality as they create their own poetry in a non-native language.
Appendix
The appendix is available below.
