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Sometimes a lesson is magic.

Daily, I start A.P. Lit with a poem on the digital display. We read it out loud. Sometimes they identify lit terms in action, or we'll talk about interpretations. Sometimes we just read without discussion.

So, it wasn't unusual for them to see the lyrics to "The Whole Wide World" by Wreckless Eric displayed. I didn't play the song, though, and no one recognized it from the movie.  I asked them to read it and chat about its major themes. They were eager to watch the film, so discussion was short. I started the DVD.

When Will Ferrell sang the song a while later, though, a ripple of recognition ran through the room. It was very distinct--almost electric.  One of the kids said, "Oh, Mr. Van Pelt!" They knew what the song was about searching for one love.  If I hadn't done the poem at first, maybe a couple kids would have listened to the lyrics and realized they paralleled the film's concerns, but most would have missed it. Instead, everyone knew the song as if it was their favorite piece. It surprised them, but it also deepened the experience in that moment because the literature reached a spot they were familiar with, a place where they already had knowledge and feelings and associations. In other words, they experienced as a group, a full blown allusion that worked.

Here's the YouTube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jS7AD-lqwA

What have you done that was magic?

My magic was borrowed from the late Sandy Lynne who devised a strategy called poem sketching. This remarkable man comprised hundreds of word four word groups to be used as inspiration for poetry. These were the "bait". Three of the words would fit one would not. For example: winter, homeless, cold, and garden. First, the students would pick their topic and then their word group (or their words and then their topic). After that they use each of the four words in three or more sentences about their topic. When they  have finished writing and revising their sentences, they put line breaks into the sentences to create the poetic flow they want.

This had my kids who "don't do poetry" writing remarkable things, and even more than that, 88% of my students completed the work and turned it in on time.   

That is a cool sounding lesson.  What age group?

I envy wherever it is you teach. I once taught at a middle school whose principal was a former math teacher. I was told in no uncertain terms that poetry was "a waste of time" since it wasn't addressed on Florida's FCAT test. Thankfully, I no longer teacher there, and the sorry excuse for a principal is now retired and no longer hindering the teaching of language arts.

I managed not to mention in my post that the movie was Stranger That Fiction.  This is what happens when you trim like crazy to stay under 1,500 characters.