Astronomy Poetry: Combining Poetry With the Content Areas

Overview

Featured Resources

From Theory to Practice

 

OVERVIEW

In this lesson, students listen to and discuss poetry that pertains to the study of astronomy and write their own poems to enhance their learning of the subject. As a final project, students use the ReadWriteThink Printing Press to compose original poetry books about astronomy. Although this lesson uses astronomy as a model, it can be modified for any content area topic.

 

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FEATURED RESOURCES

ReadWriteThink Printing Press: Using this tool, students can easily compile poems to create their own poetry books.

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FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Kane, S., & Rule, A.C. (2004). Poetry connections can enhance content area learning. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 47(8), 658–669.

• Poetry has been used for years in many content areas to enhance curricula and assist in the learning of concepts.
  
  
• Poetry allows students to clarify concepts that direct instructional methods cannot. Metaphorical language is prevalent not only in poetry, but also in many content areas, and can be used by students to make connections among ideas.
  
  
• Poetry and science can work together to enable learners to grow in familiarity with the concepts, facts, principles, and processes with which they are working (Watts, 2001).


• Abisdris and Casuga (2001) showed that students can enhance their understanding of science through analyzing poetry.

 

Watts, M. (2001). Science and poetry: Passion v. prescription in school science? International Journal of Science Education, 23, 197–208.

 

Abisdris, G., & Casuga, A. (2001). Atomic poetry: Using poetry to teach Rutherford's discovery of the nucleus. The Science Teacher, 68, 58–62.

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