Poem 1

Genre: Acrostic

Mothers

Mothers are really sweet and kind,

Only the sweetest thing on earth,

They love you like anything,

Have to work all day cleaning,

Easy to make them happy,

Really easy to give them,

Poem 2

Genre/type: Haiku

You use computers

IPods, mobiles, cameras

Why not write letters?

Poem 3

Genre/type: Limericks

There was an Old Man with a beard,

Who said, 'It is just as I feared!

Two Owls and a Hen,

Four Larks and a Wren,

Have all built their nests in my beard!'

Edward Lear

Poem 4

Genre/type: Sonnet

Tree

I think I'll write a sonnet of a tree.

Sun dappled to a multi-colored green.

The leaves all rustling slowly in a breeze.

The most amazing sight I think I've seen.

The bark was brown and brittle as dry dirt.

The branches reached out slowly to the sky.

So rooted to the ground, for all it's worth,

Still reaching for the heavens, by and by.

If you can't see the heaven in a tree,

Just find it common, really no big deal,

Then you are tied in knots and are not free.

Instead of thinking always: try to feel.

It was a sight unique in what I've seen.

The sight of sunlight dappled leaves of green.

by Denise Rodgers

Justification based on:

Pedagogical Principles

Purpose with reference to the primary English language curriculum.

Using poetry in teaching young learners is not an easy thing to do yet it is still

applicable and relevant in nowadays education stream. In order to produce the best

outcome from the learning, teachers have to prepare good teaching material and

aids. In this context of learning using poetry, teachers have to choose the most

suitable poems and rhyme from various sources to make it parallel with the

pedagogical principles and primary English language curriculum.

Before that, poetry is actually writing which gives children the opportunity to

explore the power of words and to play with the rhythms and patterns of language.

Children need a stimulus, model or framework to support their writing. It often works

well to create a poem collaboratively with the whole class first before children work

on their own poems individually, or in pairs or groups

There are a few of pedagogical principles that correlated to the learning of poetry

for young learners. However, to relate it on the poems chosen above, fewer

principles can be related. The first principle that can be linked to the poems above is

the content. Content is about the vocabulary status of the lessons. Teachers have to

make sure that the content is clear and easy for students to understand. They need

to encourage children to notice the form as well as provide them a variety of

opportunities for recognising, practising and using the poems.

For example, based on the Poem 1; which is taken from the genre or type

Acrostic, the poem is actually representing a vocabulary. It can be seen on the first

letter of every line; the letters representing the word ‘MOTHER’. So, what can

children actually learn is that they can create an acrostic poem based on a single

vocabulary. This learning technique is related to the KSSR in the Learning Standards

for Year Three, 4.3.1 where students are able to produce simple creative works with

guidance based on poems.

Next, by referring to the pedagogical principle of interest, the poems chosen are

able to create such interest in children learning context. Interest here means that

teachers need to create opportunities for children to extend and develop their skills

according to their personal interests and abilities. The songs and poems need to

have the motivation, develop imagination, stimulate curiosity, draw on personal

experience, encourage participation and create a desire to continue learning. For

example, Poem 2 which is a haiku, the content is about technologies. Children

nowadays are more into technology stuff and gadgets. They are interested in this

kind of topic because it is in their range of knowledge. So, based on KSSR, Learning

Standard for Year Three, 4.1.2 where students should be able to recite jazz chants

and poems with correct pronunciation, rhythm and intonation. In this context, by

using the haiku, children will able to pronounce the words correctly and it will be

much easier because it is within their interest.

Furthermore, the pedagogical principles that can be related to the chosen poems

are the principle of values. Values are related learning to personal experiences.

Whenever possible, teachers should provide opportunities for children to make

connections between their understanding of lesson themes and their own personal

experiences. This consolidates understanding and promotes ‘ownership’ of learning.

For example, the Poem 4, it is a sonnet. The sonnet is all about nature and

environment. By choosing this kind of poem, teachers are able to create the mental

pictures for children to relate to their personal experiences. The following lines taken

from the sonnet;

The leaves all rustling slowly in a breeze,

The most amazing sight I think I've seen.

These lines can be pictured by children as they may see the real event in their life.

Based on KSSR, Content Standard 4.2 where primary schooling pupils able to

express personal response to literary texts, the uses of the sonnet is really

applicable.