Description of activities
Briefing session on the activity Students were informed about the “Gift a poem” campaign in class. Important details were shared (the organisers and the fact that it was an international initiative, the goal of the activity that required students to showcase their creativity by searching for a poem, writing it on paper and then gifting it to someone, the choice students had regarding the selection of the poem which could be one written by Zbigniew Herbert, the Polish poet or it could be from any other poet). Awareness was raised on World Poetry Day which is celebrated on March 21st. Poetry Class Before the activity, students were given exposure to poetry in the literature class. Class discussion was carried out and students were asked about the definition of a poem and what constituted a poem. An introductory class was held whereby key elements of poetry were explained notably the poetic devices, themes, rhyme scheme and narrative voice. Analysis of poems “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost and “The Mountain and the Squirrel” by Ralph Waldo Emerson were done. Students showed appreciation for the poems and interpreted the message that was conveyed. Preparation for the activity Ten students volunteered to participate and they were asked to think of the theme of the poem they wanted to gift. In class, they shared their ideas with the teacher- most of them selected poems that reflected their interests and hobbies. Examples of the themes selected were: football, music, animal rights, nature, history and perseverance. The Activity After the selection of the theme, students were advised to write the poems on paper in the presence of the Educator in the school library. Students were keen to add their own touch to the handwritten poem by drawing images that suited the message or content of the poem. They were encouraged to be creative and work on the presentation of the poem. To show evidence, photographs of the students along with their works were taken after seeking parental consent by issuing consent forms for the parents to sign and agree to the sending and publishing of the photos online. Gifting the poem Students were satisfied and happy to hand over the written poem to someone they have chosen. The recipients were: myself (Educator), their best friend, their parents, their siblings, the security guard at school and the caretaker.
Schools involved
- Adolphe De Plevitz State Secondary School
