Z and I have been taking a break from our regular literature to venture into The Art of Poetry from Classical Academic Press.* I received these books right before we moved and we haven't been able to implement them until lately. The more I read from this book, the more impressed I am. While it has been a long time since I have formally studied poetry, I was the kid who wrote little poems in her free time. Sometimes in class when I was supposed to be doing other assignments. So I approach this subject with appreciation for poetry and not a lot of formal background to teach.
We dabbled with other poetry programs, but this one struck me as different right away. The ART of Poetry, the clue is in the name. Some programs have you working on meter and rhyme scheme in the first few lessons. The Art of Poetry leads you into appreciating poetry first, dissecting it later. The first chapter is on Images, appreciating the WORDS of the poem first. As a classical educator, I find that a breath of fresh air. Even Z, who kind of raised an eyebrow when I mentioned studying poetry again, has enjoyed the lessons. He's added one of the poems from chapter one to his memory work, which he aced yesterday.
We've also added a fun activity suggested in chapter one, word association. We've played several times and it is so interesting to see the direction it takes. We start off with one of us saying a word and then the other states a word associated with that. I wrote them down and we took turns trying to stump each other. Our first foray into the game took us from the word graph to Mom, filling a whole page of words in between including yak, Veggie Tales, and Gandalf. It's a great exercise to show how people will approach any writing from the own perspective.
The layout of the program is such that you can take several weeks or multiple years to finish. There are two sections, The Elements of Poetry and the Formal History of Poetry. There is also a section with short biographies on the poets, which has been most helpful. Because our school year has involved a long distance move (otherwise known as the year of chaos) we're opting to take two to three years to finish the program. We're completing two to three chapters this year and at least finishing section one next year.This is exactly the type of program I've been searching for. The scheduling can be flexible, but it is meaty enough to encompass multiple years, and fitting for middle school through high school.
The real joy of this book is the Teacher's Edition, which was freshly published when I received my copy. It's an exact copy of the student book with copious amounts of teaching notes. If you don't understand poetry or feel like you need help to wade through the works of Dickinson and Yeats, this is for you. The teacher's material answers all questions found in the student book. It's done in a way that you are drawn into the work, not reminded of what you don't know about poetry.
If you are looking for a comprehensive poetry program that will help you teach without being intimidated, this may be for you.
*standard disclaimer: I received a copy of the TE and the student book from CAP free to review and use. My review of the product is my own and was not determined by the fact I received the materials gratis.
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