In addition to nurturing students’ language and literacy
development, poetry can be used as a tool for interdisciplinary learning. When
students are invited to write poetry across the content areas, they build vocabulary
and conceptual understanding (Bintz, 2016; Kane & Rule, 2004; Holtz, 1982).
In a recent article published in The Reading Teacher, Bintz
(2016) argued specifically for the reading and writing of etheree poems across subjects in elementary school and beyond. Bintz (2016) described etheree
poetry as “one of the most interesting, but relatively unknown forms” of poetry
(p.605).
Etheree poems generally consist of 10 lines, the first of which is
comprised of a single syllable word. Line two is made up of two syllables. Line
three consists of three of three syllables and so on and so on until the final
ten-syllable line.
Within the article Bintz provides many examples of discipline-specific
etheree poems. The below poem, represents a single example of a mathematics
poem composed by a third grade teacher and referenced by Bintz (see the actual
article for the original form in which each line also visually represented the geometric shape(s) depicted).
“Square
Circle
Triangle
Rhombus, ellipse…
What will be up next?
Could it be an arc, line
Angel, parallelogram,
Cone, rectangle? What, a pattern?
See it? What’s next? What is the
reason?
Let your brain think of the next
shape “season”.” (p.606).
What do you think? Are etheree poems a practical way of
integrating literacy and content in your classroom? Had you heard
of them before? We would love to hear your thoughts and experiences specific to
etheree and other forms of poetry.
Bintz, W. P. (2016). Writing etheree poems across the curriculum. The Reading Teacher, 70(5), 605-609.
Holtz, J. (1982). Get your children buzzing about school. Science and Children, 20(2), 6-8.
Kane, S. & Rule, A.C. (2004). Poetry connections can enhance content area learning. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 47(8), 658-669.
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