Writing to Learn: Poetry and Literacy Across the Primary Curriculum

233 Pages·2001·2.05 MB·English

by  Fred Sedgwick

Writing to Learn
WritingtoLearnlooksathowpoetrycanbeusedasanenjoyablewaytoteach
literacyacrosstheprimarycurriculum.Itincludesexamplesofpoemsandstoriesby
childrenandcleardescriptionsofhowtoteachcreativelywithintheframeworkof
the National Literacy Strategy.
This book includes:
• cross-curricular approaches with sections on poetry and science; poetry and
personal, social and moral education; poetry and art and music; poetry and
religious education
• advice on different ways children can compose their writing and how com-
puters can be a valuable aid to children’s writing
• examplesofpublishedpoetryandhowitcanbeusedtostimulategoodwriting
• advice on bringing writers into schools and publishing school anthologies
Thisbookwillproveinvaluabletoteachersandparentskeentoteachwritingwho
seechildrenasactiveandcriticallearners.Itshowsthatifweexpectgreatthingsin
writing from children, we get them.
FredSedgwickhasmanyyearsofexperienceasateacherandisnowafreelance
lecturerandwriter.Heistheauthorofanumberofbooksonprimaryeducation,
includingReadmyMind(1997),ThinkingaboutLiteracy(1999)andShakespeareand
the Young Writer (1999), all published by Routledge. His poetry for children has
been widely anthologized.

Writing to Learn
Poetry and literacy across the
primary curriculum
Fred Sedgwick
L E DGE/F
T A
U L
M
O
E
R R
Taylor&Francis Group
London and New York
First published 2000 by RoutledgeFalmer
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by RoutledgeFalmer
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2001.
RoutledgeFalmer is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
© 2000 Fred Sedgwick
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sedgwick, Fred.
Writing to learn: poetry and literacy across the primary curriculum /
Fred Sedgwick.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0–415–22413–6 (alk. paper) – ISBN 0–415–22414–4 (pbk.:
alk. paper)
1. Poetry – Study and teaching (Elementary) 2. Poetry – Authorship
– Study and teaching (Elementary) 3. Language experience approach
in education. I. Title.
LB 1576 S343413 2000
372.64–dc21 00–030828
ISBN 0–415–22414–4 (pbk)
ISBN 0–415–22413–6 (hbk)
ISBN 0-203-18629-X Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-18752-0 (Glassbook Format)
Dedicatory poem (for ER)
There’s a place
that, lucky,
I get to
sometimes. It
separates
ignorance
and a partial
understanding.
Loneliness
waits there, of
course; an austere
music; and
a path of words
printed
without hope
across a
cold field.
‘Towriteistolearn.Writingwithoutlearningismereornament,andcollectsdust’
Emily Roeves
‘…poetictruthismetaphysicaltruth,andphysicaltruthwhichisnotinconformity
to it should be considered false’
Giambattista VicoThe New Science(1725)
Contents
Listofillustrations ix
Acknowledgements xi
Theprinciples xiii
Introduction xv
PART I
Poetryandscience 1
1 Observingthehumanbody 3
2 Fruit,vegetablesandothernaturalthings 20
3 Bicyclesandothermachines 28
4 Catsandotheranimals 39
Proseinterlude:Childrenandtheirnames 59
PART II
PoetryandPersonal,SocialandMoralEducation 73
5 Meandtherestoftheworld 75
6 Lists 90
PART III
Puttingartinprisontosetitfree 109
7 Pattern 111
8 Usingvisualimages 119
9 Artandmulticulturaleducation 129
10 Poetryforitsownsake 139
Proseinterlude:Shortstories,andbeginninganovel 158
11 ‘SohelpmeGod’:Poetryandreligiouseducation 163
viii Writing to learn
Appendices 179
1 Bringinglivingpoetsintotheclassroom 181
2 Awordaboutlearningbyheart 186
3 Aselectiveglossaryoftermsusefulinteachingwriting 191
Alistofpoemsusedinthisbooktohelpchildrentowrite 199
References 201
Index 205
Illustrations
1 Eye–children’sdrawingandwriting 13
2 I’llfollowyou–children’sdrawingandwriting 18
3 Childrenandbikes(1) 29
4 Childrenandbikes(2) 29
5 Child’sscribbles 30
6 Child’sdrawingofabike(1) 31
7 Child’sdrawingofabike(2) 31
8 Child’sdrawingofabike(3) 32
9 Child’sdrawingofacat(1) 43
10 Child’sdrawingofacat(2) 43
11 Child’sdrawingofacat(3) 44
12 Child’sdrawingofacat(4) 44
13 Myname–child’swriting 69
14 Child’sangryface 82
15 Atotem-likefigure 131
16 Astorychair 133
17 Afemalehead 134
18 Janusheads 136
19 Child’sdrawingofJanusheads 136
20 Beninbronzes 137
21 Child’sdrawingofBeninbronzes 137