Craft Lesson 1

Craft Lesson 1:

Janet Wong

Wong, Janet S. Behind the Wheel: Poems About Driving.

 New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 1999. 

Discussion:

So many people in this world despise poetry, because we all despise what we don’t understand. People don’t see the point in making such a simple concept such a complex statement. If only everyone could see how they could relate and grow through poetry.

How to Teach It:

Have the students start out with Wong’s “Stuff” and then explain that home is a concept that everyone relates to. Although we all have our own idea of home, we all have one. Then I will assign them to either, write or draw their idea of what home means to them. Then we will all share our ideas of home. This classroom discussion will show how a poem can touch everyone differently. Then I will allow the students to choose their own poem out of the book to react to, and tell me and the classroom how they relate to it.

Supplies:

Paper

Markers

Janet Wong’s Behind the Wheel: Poems About Driving