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Aesthetics in Geography: Ideas for Teaching GeographyUsing PoetryJoseph M. Kirman Ph.D. aa Department of Elementary Education , University of Alberta ,Published online: 03 Jan 2008.

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Aesthetics in Geography: Ideas for Teaching Geography Using PoetryJoseph M. Kirman, Ph.D.

ABSTRACTThis article discusses how poetry canbe used for teaching geography. Therational for using and writing poetry, itsrelationship to the National Standardsfor Geography, grade levels, pedagogicalconcerns associated with poetry writing,and subject integration are discussed.There are also classroom activities,sample discussion questions, lessonplans and both print and Internetresources.

Key Words: geography and writing, poetry,subject integration, elementary education,secondary education

Dr. Joseph M. Kirman is professor emeri-tus, social studies subject area, at the De-partment of Elementary Education, Uni-versity of Alberta, where he continues hisresearch and writing. He is Webmaster ofthe Canadian Social Studies Super Sitefor teachers (www.ualberta.ca/∼jkirman) andhis textbook Elementary Social Studies –Creative Classroom Ideas (Pearson Publi-cations, Prentice-Hall Canada) is now in itsfourth edition.

RATIONALE FOR USING POETRY WRITING TO TEACH GEOGRAPHYWeber (2005, np) argues that it is time to use poetry and drama to teach

geography, noting:

I find that the stuff of geography is the stuff of poetry and drama.The geographer, the poet and the dramatist write of the samething: people, and their lives in certain times and places. Thegeographer marshalls [sic] facts and presents them in systematicfashion; the poet offers images in unique language, frequently ofpersonal and localized experience; the dramatist takes a time, aplace, some people, and brews a conflict. I might even say thatthe first geographers were those long-ago storytellers who sangin poetic and dramatic cadences of the hunt, or the battle, or thesights of a wondrous, distant place.

An eloquent and persuasive rationale for using poetry to teach geographywas published by Donaldson (2001). He mustered the existing professionalliterature that speaks to using literature for geography teaching includingMachetti (1993), Chamberlain (1995), Kong and Tay (1998), and Marra (1996),and he concluded that poetry, save for the writings of Wang (1990) and Parsons(1996), has not received its due from professional geographers for classroomuse. Donaldson dealt mainly with using existing poetry and provided manyexcellent examples. Significantly, at the end of his article he noted that studentsshould be encouraged to write poetry and that the students’ poetry will reflecttheir views of the world and the influence of their environment. Donaldson(2001, 30) notes that his article “is intended as a spring board, a beginning ratherthan an end.” This article attempts to rise to the challenge with classroom ideasand procedures to integrate poetry writing with geography.

CLASSROOM VALUEWriting poetry allows you to integrate language arts with geography, examine

a topic from a different perspective for alternate views, tap the creative ideas ofstudents for original ideas, provide an interesting way to present the topicfor motivation, and create a thing of beauty for an aesthetic experience. Itshould help students learn geographic content or look at it in a new way.Poetry also can be used to provide geographic vocabulary, to present geographicdescriptions, including those of past and present, to show various positionsregarding geographic concerns, to speculate by presenting new possibilitiesregarding geographic concerns for the present and future, and to revisit pastsituations. Poetry can be used for review and reinforcement, for focusing onspecific geographic content, and for motivating the search for new geographicinformation. It can be used to complete a geography unit using poetrywriting as a culminating activity. Poetry writing about a geographic topiccan be an informal evaluation of knowledge of the material as well as thestudents’ personal perception and creative use of the material. Using poetrywriting to teach geography also provides an opportunity for some students todemonstrate and excel in those areas that they have an aptitude for as noted inGardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. In particular, students with linguistic,intrapersonal, and naturalistic aptitudes would benefit from melding poetrywith geographic exploration (Kirman 2002, 39–41). Finally, reading and writingpoetry lubricates the wheels of life and adds an element of pleasure to everydayactivities. So why not bring it into classrooms and incorporate it into the varioussubjects—in this case geography? Geography is an obvious subject for poetrysince everything has to happen someplace.

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VALUE OF LANGUAGE ARTS INTEGRATIONThe enhancement of geography instruction with

language arts is especially of value since social studies (andits geographic content) is often given second place to bothlanguage arts and math. By engaging students in languagearts activities such as poetry writing in geography socialstudies lessons, there is leverage for more time for socialstudies instruction.

Logistics, Poetry Context, and Subject IntegrationThe teaching of geography with poetry can occur mainly

in two subject areas: geography and language arts. Thereis also potential for poetry and geography to be used inscience lessons. Joint planning and teaching with languagearts and science instructors can occur on the junior andsenior high school level. Students need to have somebackground for writing poetry, and there is the needto identify poems related to the particular topic beingstudied.

For geography instruction, tailor the poetry directly tothe curriculum topics. When geography is integrated withlanguage arts instruction, you compare the geographycurriculum, or social studies curriculum, with thelanguage arts curriculum and see where geography topicscan be used to demonstrate language arts instruction. Anobvious language arts example is actually teaching aboutpoetry; geography makes an ideal source for poetry topics.

This is a two-way street. Language arts instruction alsocan be reviewed and reinforced in geography lessons.Again, a comparison of both curriculums is required. Forexample, current language arts instruction about writingprocedures can be used in geography projects and reportsand can be used for review and reinforcement of thelanguage art instruction.

Geography integration with science instruction canoccur with topics such as weather and environment studiesin general. As with language arts, compare the curriculumsto decide where to integrate relevant topics. Once theintegration points are identified, poetry can be used toreinforce the geography topics and language arts skills.For example, a science unit on weather can be integratedwith a human geography lesson about a farming orfishing community and related issues. In both subject areaspoetry can be used for review and reinforcement of theinstruction.

Grade LevelGrade level is a major concern. First, what is the

youngest age for teaching children with poems? Thereis really no limit to this since children are exposed topoetry from the nursery and up, from Mother Goose toDr. Seuss. The selection of appropriate poems is a functionof instructional planning, which also can include the use ofpoetic lyrics put to music such as Woody Guthrie’s “ThisLand is Your Land.” Second, what is the youngest agefor children to write poetry? Because poetry is a form

of playing and sculpting with words to express ideas,some familiarity with word use and writing as well as theability to learn specific poetry writing skills is necessary.However, first grade children are capable of learning towrite poetry (Routman 2005), and Warner (2003) notes thatkindergarten children also are able to write poetry. This isobviously subject to and limited by a child’s ability to write,but young children also can be encouraged to create brieforal poems that can be recited to the class.

Geography StandardsUsing poetry and poetry writing to teach geography can

meet all Essential Elements and thirteen of the NationalStandards for Geography. Virtually everything geographicis capable of being the subject of a poem including suchthings as learning a new geographic concept or evendealing with how a teacher presents an exciting geographictopic. The National Standards for Geography containssix major elements essential to geography: the worldin spatial terms, places and regions, physical systems,human systems, environment and society, and the usesof geography for which there are eighteen standards(Geography Education Standards Project 1994) (Table 1).

BACKGROUND PREPARATIONDiscuss poetry. Try to avoid a definition of poetry

since there does not seem to be a universal definitionacceptable to everyone.1 Explain the basic elements ofpoetry. Read poetry to the class, especially poems relatingto geography—lots of it. Sloan (2003, 33) notes “everysuccessful writer of poetry was first a reader of quantities ofit.” Existing poems can be used in lessons specifically forintroduction, motivation, and instruction while teachingabout a specific topic. Analyze and discuss poems aboutvarious topics, in particular what students see in theirmind’s eye when they read poetry and how poems affecttheir geographic perceptions of the location being studied.

Discuss how to write poetry, specifically: rhyme, rhythm,onomatopoeia, free verse, couplets, haiku, sonnets,acrostics, limericks, and poems whose words form shapes,for example, maps, cliffs, mountains, and continents. Tailorthe discussion to the students’ background knowledge,abilities, and the extent to which poetry will be usedin the classroom. Provide geographic content as a focusfor the poetry writing and also provide a guide forstudents’ poetry writing: what they are writing about, thesubject, what the completed poem might look like, length,concepts, and ideas that could be included (Firek 2006,185 ). Consider using these student created poems as aninformal assessment of the geography instruction.

A Note About StructureProvide some structure for young students to follow

for writing their poems rather than overemphasizingthe technicalities of writing poetry. Free verse andsimple rhyming are sufficient for poetry structure. Some

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Table 1. Examples of how poetry and poetry writing meet the National Standards for Geography.

Standard Poetry Application Example2 and 3 Poetry of The World in Spatial Terms

Poems about maps describing the spatial relations of peopleand places and also encourage the verbal poetic expression ofmental maps.

1. Woody Guthrie’s This Land isYour Land

4 and 6 Poetry of Places and RegionsThe identities and lives of the people studied rooted in aparticular place lend themselves to poetic description, of theirperceptions of culture, experiences, and the physical andhuman characteristics of their place.

2. Longfellow’s Evangeline, Part 1

7 and 8 Poetry of Physical SystemsThe physical processes of climate such as precipitation andtemperature, the proximity to geographic features such as theocean or a desert, and how people make a living such asmanufacturing, farming, and animal husbandry are all subjectsfor poetry. As well, how people in various occupations sustainand modify the cultural and natural environment can providemotivation for poems.

3. Bernard Howe’s The SonoranDesert

11, 12, and 13 Poetry of Human SystemsThe spatial organization of a location; for example, a fishingcommunity and how it relates to transportation, economicactivity, settlement patterns, and interdependence provideideas for poems.

4. Barbara Anna Marjanovic’s TheFisherman

14 and 15 Poetry of Environment and SocietyThe modification of the physical environment and how thepeople are affected; for example, preparation of farmland, soiltypes, local crops, and how the change caused in theenvironment by farming affect the people can be expressed aspoems.

5. Edward L. Crain’s Starving toDeath on My Government Claim

17 and 18 Poetry of The Uses of GeographyPoems can be written about the geography of the locationbeing studied to help understand how the people lived thereover time. This also can involve maps, GIS, aerial photographs,and satellite images showing how geography can be used forproblem solving in modern life as well as seeing how suchtechniques may have career potentials, all of which can be thesubject of poems.

6. Robert Harrison’s Letter FromDownunder

Source location of poetry examples:1. www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/This Land.htm (accessed April 16, 2007).2. http://etext.Virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/LonEvan.html (accessed April 16, 2007).3. http://members.cox.net/berniehpoetry/type/desert.html (accessed April 16, 2007).4. www.authorsden.com/visit/viewpoetry.asp?AuthorID=15950&id=82815 (accessed April 16, 2007).5. www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/song-midis/Starving to Death on My Government Claim (Lane County Bachelor).htm (accessed April 16, 2007).6. www.authorsden.com/visit/viewPoetry.asp?id=173659&AuthorD=44171 (accessed April 16, 2007).

information on similies, metaphors, and abstractionsshould be given to children who can understand theseelements, but at all grade levels the teacher should neverdetract from the fun and enjoyment of poetry writing byoveremphasizing structure. Provide scaffolding to guidethe students based on their age and ability levels andjust let the creativity flow. It is here that the languagearts curriculum should be consulted to see what elementscan be included regarding scaffolding for poetry and thepossibility of reviewing and reinforcing language artsinstruction in geography activities.

EVALUATIONPoetry writing can be used for evaluation. Firek (2006,

185) suggests the following reflective student creativewriting self-evaluation for an informal poetry writingevaluation:

My writing was about . . . ; The kind ofwriting I did was . . . ; One thing I learnedabout my subject was . . . ; What I enjoyedmost about this activity; What I enjoyedleast about this activity; I feel that writing

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helps me to . . . ; I feel that writing hindersme in . . . ; If I do this again I will . . . .

This type of evaluation also can involve class discussionof the relationship of the poetry to geography and howthe poetry helped the students learn about geography.You can be more structured in your evaluation regardingspelling, punctuation, and grammar but be gentle: “Feelfree to suggest improvements, but resist deducting pointsfor errors when you first begin integrating creative writinginto the classroom. Nothing squelches creativity faster thanan over-emphasis on rules” (Firek 2006, 185 ).

RecognitionRecognize students’ poetry with postings in the

classroom and halls as well as class Web sites andschool publications. Poems of very high quality might besubmitted for publication to local newspapers, magazines,and poetry anthologies.

Pulling It All TogetherPoetry can be used with social studies lesson planning

and elements of the language arts curriculum can beintegrated to accomplish such planning. It involves:

(1) Curriculum comparisons

(2) Selecting what is to be taught from each curriculum

(3) Determining the order of instruction for eachsubject

(4) Preparing the lesson plans with the integratedelements

CURRICULUM COMPARISONSThe social studies and the language arts curriculum of

Alberta, Canada, are used here since they are the ones mostfamiliar to the author and favorably compare with similarcurricula across North America. Grade 5 has been selectedbecause its geography component in social studies andlanguage arts curricula best demonstrate integration forpurposes of this article.

The Grade 5 social studies curriculum is Canada:The Land, Histories and Stories. Students are to “explorethe geographic vastness of Canada” and “relationshipsbetween the land, places and people” to “develop a senseof place” (Alberta Learning 2003, 57). A major part of thiscurriculum focuses on Canada’s physical geography. TheAlberta English Language Arts curriculum from K to 12has five major outcomes (Alberta Learning 2000, 3):

Students will listen, speak, read, write,view and represent to explore thoughts,ideas, feelings, and experiences . . .comprehend and respond personallyand critically to oral, print and othermedia texts . . . manage ideas andinformation . . . enhance clarity andartistry of communication . . . respect,support and collaborate with others.

Selecting What Is to Be TaughtSocial Studies: To deal with all geography aspects of

the social studies curriculum would be too extensive fordemonstration purposes. Consequently, an example of afive-lesson introduction to the Rocky Mountains based onthe curriculum issue “What are the major geographicalregions, landforms and bodies of water in Canada?” couldtypically cover:

Lesson 1: What can we learn about mountains?Lesson 2: Where are the Canadian Rockies?Lesson 3: What do the Canadian Rockies look like?Lesson 4: What have we learned about the Rocky

Mountains?Lesson 5: How can we learn more about the Rocky

Mountains?

Lesson 3 is a representative example of an inquiry activityof a social studies class (Appendix I).

Language Arts: Among the Grade 5 language artscurriculum components that can be integrated with thesocial studies curriculum are:

� To “search for further ideas and informationfrom oral, print and other media texts to extendunderstanding” (Alberta Learning 2000, 14)

� Note taking, discussion, “monitor understandingby comparing personal knowledge andexpressions with information on the sametopic from a variety of sources”(ibid, 20)

� Use maps and diagrams to enhance under-standing (ibid, 24)

� Apply phonics to new vocabulary “to readunfamiliar words in context” (ibid, 28)

� Write or represent the meaning of texts in differentforms (ibid, 32)

� “Identify words and imagery for effect” and“experiment with words and sentence patternsto create word pictures”; “identify how imageryand figurative language, such as simile . . . conveymeaning” (ibid, 40)

� “Experiment with modeled forms of oral, printand other media texts to suit particular audiencesand purposes“ (ibid, 44)

� “Summarize important ideas in oral, print,and other media texts . . . ” (ibid, 50); “recordinformation in own words . . . ” (ibid, 58)

� “Connect gathered information. . . to priorknowledge to reach new conclusions” (ibid, 58)

� “Experiment with words, phrases, sentences andmultimedia effects to enhance meaning andemphasis” (ibid, 72)

� Maintain audience attention with “effectiveopenings and closings” and use of appropriategestures, voice, volume, and tone (ibid, 84)

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� Question formulation for investigation orresearch, develop ideas for problem solving,and provide “constructive feedback” to others(ibid,94)

Determining the Order of Instruction for Each SubjectSince elementary education teachers usually teach both

language arts and social studies, some elements from thelanguage arts curriculum about poetry to be included inthe social studies unit would probably be taught first andthen reinforced in the social studies unit. An example ofthis would be imagery and figurative language. Items suchas the use of maps, note taking, searching for further ideas,providing constructive feedback and other such elementscan be concurrently taught in the social studies unit.During the language arts periods, instruction examplesand activities could deal with the topic of the social studiesunit; for example, if the students are learning to write haikuthe subject of the poems could deal with mountains.

Preparing the Lesson PlansAppendix I demonstrates a developmental lesson plan;

however, any plan can be used as long as the language artselements are clearly demarcated. In this case the class hadprevious instruction on the use of political and topographicmaps, poetry writing, and using Internet search engines.This sample lesson plan shows how aspects of the languagearts curriculum can be integrated into a social studiesunit focusing on geography. Students are encouraged towork with geographic concepts in creating poetry, andin the process blend the ideas related to place into anesthetic experience that reviews and reinforces what theyhave learned. Appendix II is a short list of quality itemsfor teachers unfamiliar with teaching poetry. Additionalsuggestions for using poetry in geography lessonsinclude:

(1) Use poetry for class presentations such as researchreports or committee presentations by creating apoetry atlas or poetry map of a location or regionor assuming the identity of a person living on theland and poetically express his or her views ofliving there, such as farmer whose crop has beendestroyed by locusts or drought.

(2) Analyze a poem for what it appears to expressgeographically. An example is Robert Service’s“The Cremation of Sam McGee” where studentscan use the poem as a humorous introductionto winter weather extremes in far northernlatitudes. You can encourage students to writeabout the weather in the region they are studying.The class also can listen to a poem that hasgeographic descriptions and try to determine thelocation described. An example of this would bethe opening stanzas of Longfellow’s Evangeline.Students can write a poem with geographic

descriptors of a location and create a similarlocation activity with these poems.

(3) Inquiry can be motivated by providing studentswith a poem having geographic elements forthem to research. For example, John McCrea’s“In Flanders Fields′′ might lead to researchingthe effects of war on the physical landscape,in particular the destruction of the complexhydrology system of a farming area. This poemlends itself to motivation for poetry aboutenvironmental awareness.“In Flanders Fields, ′′

along with Evangeline, is also excellent forintegrating geography with history.

(4) Poems can be written on paper in a specificgeographic shape, for example clouds, mountains,as an outline map, or within an outline map,of the area being studied. Onomatopoeia can beused for geographic sounds related to the areabeing studied, for example volcanic explosions,waves breaking on a shore, the wind, a storm.Students can also write poems using a metaphorfor geographic elements (Dils 2005), for exampledescribing rain as a healer and drought as a disease,or an erupting volcano as an awakening demon, atsunami as a stalking killer.

(5) Directions to a location and the features viewedalong the route can be discussed and a map poemwritten on how to get to that location. Music canalso be added to poem turning it into a singingmap.

FINAL COMMENTSThe geography teacher can develop a new dimension

in instruction with poetry. The benefits of poetry are thatstudents are introduced to an esthetic element not usuallyassociated with geography. Poetry allows for creative andperceptive applications of geography, motivations thatartistically lead into topic discussions, and is applicable toclassroom instruction and inquiry units. Student poetrycan be used for project assignments, class presentations,culminating activities, informal assessment, and as anoptional activity for any student moved to create a poemjust for the enjoyment of the topic. These suggestionsand resources can help add poetry and poetry writingto geography instruction. Blending the writing of poetrywith geography can provide yet another enjoyableand creative dimension to geography instruction andexpression by students.

NOTE1. For a definition of poetry refer to “Approaching

Poetry” by Stacy Tartar Esch http://brainstorm-services.com/wcu-2002/poetry-definitions.html

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APPENDIX I

SAMPLE UNIT PLAN: THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

Lesson #3: What Do the Canadian Rockies Look Like?Aim: To recognize that the Rockies are the largest mountain range in Canada and the extent of the area they cover.Motivation:

To Be in the MountainsJoe Kirman

I like to see the mountains,And climb up on their slopes,

Or just to walk upon their trails,And think about my hopes.In winter it’s time for skiing,

And tobogganing without fail,But not when avalanches threaten,

To pound these very slopes.There’s fun and joy and danger too,In these mountains towering above,

But taken altogether,It’s the environment I love.

Activities:

1. Read poem and discuss why the author is so enthusiastic about mountains.

2. Show a large photo or projection image of mountains in the Banff National Park area near the town of Banff.Discuss what is seen with the class. Examine a topographic map of the area to determine the heights of someof the mountains. Discuss why the mountains make Banff a popular tourist location. Record the data about thetown of Banff’s location and mountain heights in personal journals.

Curriculum Component: Language arts: “summarize important ideas in oral, print, and other mediatexts” (Alberta Learning 2000, 50); "record information in own words” (ibid, 58); "connect gatheredinformation... to prior knowledge to reach new conclusions." (ibid, 58)

3. Examine a small scale topographic map of Canada to compare the Rockies with other mountainous areas.Determine how other areas compare with the Rockies. Discuss the continental geographic implications of theRockies for hydrology

4. In the computer lab, open Google Earth. Guide class to locate town of Banff. Ask if any of the class has visitedBanff and what they can tell us about it. View some of the items in the town of Banff that might be raised bythe class members. Center some of the mountains seen on the topographic map and move to 3-D oblique view.Discuss what is seen. Refer to motivation poem and the author’s attitude toward the mountains—ask class if theyagree with what is expressed in the poem.

Curriculum Component: Language arts: connect gathered information... to prior knowledge to reach newconclusions." (Alberta Learning 2000, 58)

Summary: Class discussion: What have we learned about the Rockies so far? What items that we haveexamined can be the subject of a poem?

New Vocabulary: avalanche, slope, environment, toboggan, threaten, towering, hydrology

Homework: Write a poem using any style about what we have learned about the Rockies. Consider makingword pictures and shapes as part or all of your poem and using what you have learned in ourlanguage arts period about poetry and figurative language.

CurriculumComponent: Language arts: “identify words and imagery for effect” and “experiment withwords and sentence patterns to create word pictures”; “identify how imagery and figurative language,such as simile. . . convey meaning.” (Alberta Learning 2000, 40)

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APPENDIX II

POETRY TEACHING RESOURCES

PrintAmbrosini, M., and T. M. Morretta. 2003. Poetry Workshop for Middle School: Activities that inspire meaningful language learning.Newark: International Reading Association.

The central element of this book is a set of seventeen workshops with lesson plans, activities, and examples guided bythe authors’ comments. The workshops are developmentally structured over eighty-nine pages with an additionalsixteen-page appendix that is worth reading.

Barton, B., and D. Booth. 2004. Poetry Goes to School: From Mother Goose to Shel Silverstein. Markham, Ontario: PembrookPublishers Limited.

This book contains ideas of how to teach about writing, interpreting, and presenting poetry. The authors also deal withvarious forms of poetry such as acrostics, haiku, and limericks and also include lesson plans in a series of appendices.

Booth, D., and B. Moore. 2003. Poems Please: Sharing Poetry With Children. 2nd edition. Markham, Ontario: Pembrook PublishersLimited.

This is a more scholarly publication, though interestingly and entertainingly written. It contains chapters that aredescriptive essays about how to teach, and not teach, poetry. The authors provide examples and lots good poetry to keepyou reading.

Ruurs, M. 2001. The Power of Poems: Teaching the Joy of Writing Poetry. Gainesville: Maupin House.Another fine book of ideas for teachers that is brief, to the point, and very comprehensive, including introducing poetry,structure, and activities to publishing. It even deals with fitting poetry into other subject areas. If you have time to onlyread only one book on teaching to write poetry this 113 page book should be the one.

Internet(There are extensive on-line resources for “Teaching Poetry.”)

Figurative Languagehttp://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson view printer friendly.asp?id=51This Web site contains a list of on-line resources for teaching about figurative language.

Geographical Poetry Moments—Poems from maps, Staffordshire Learning Net http://www.sln.org.uk/geography/poem.htmThis site is on target with suggestions for using poetry for geography. The site has an extensive set of examples in thegeography poetry corner in the side bar and student poems.

Sample Unit Framework: Poetry Studyhttp://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/mla/poetunit.html

Saskatchewan Education site that contains information for ideas for teaching poetry to Grades 6–9.

Seeing with the Heart: Poetry in the Classroom by Lorna Dilshttp://www.cis.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1991/4/91.04.07.x.html

The Yale New Haven Teachers Institute presents Dils’ unit for teaching about poetry to her 7th grade gifted class. Thereare excellent ideas for activities that can be adapted to geography including a section on teaching about metaphors, andprovides some guidance to teachers not familiar with instructing children about poetry.

Teaching Poetry in New Formats To Intermediary Grade Students by Maria DiPalma Laudanohttp://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1981/4/81.04.08.x.html

A Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute site that provides poetry teaching resources and ideas for the intermediate grades,including student skills for writing poetry and teacher skills for creative writing.

The Poetry Zonehttp://www.poetryzone.ndirect.co.uk/teacher.htm

An extensive site of poetry teaching material for teachers including downloadable e-books and suggested commercialresources.

Web English Teacher, General Poetry Resourceshttp://www.webenglishteacher.com/poetrygeneral.html

This Web site has lesson plans and activities for teaching specific types of poetry or poetry in general, includingfigurative language.

Writing Poetry Like Pros, EDSITEMENThttp://edsitement.neh.gov/view lesson plan.asp?id=261

This National Endowment for the Humanities site contains a detailed set of lesson plans to teach poetry to Grades 3–5.

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REFERENCESAlberta Learning. 2003. Social Studies Kindergarten to Grade

12. Edmonton: Alberta Learning.

———2000. English Language Arts. Edmonton: AlbertaLearning.

Chamberlain, P. 1995. Metaphorical vision in theliteracy landscape of William Shakespeare. CanadianGeographer 39(4):306–322.

Dils, Lorna. 2005. Seeing with the heart: Poetry in theclassroom. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1991/4/91.04.07.x.html (accessed March 29, 2005).

Donaldson, D. P. 2001. Teaching geography’s fourtraditions with poetry. Journal of Geography 100(1):24–31.

Geography Education Standards Project. 1994. Geographyfor Life: National Geography Standards 1994. Washington,D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1994. ERIC numberED 375 073. http://www.ncge.net/publications/tutorial/standards/ (accessed April 28, 2005).

Firek, H. 2006. Creative writing in the social studiesclassroom: Promoting literacy and content learning.Social Education 70(4):183–186.

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