With my first box of 64 crayons I was absolutely thrilled. I remember pouring over the varied shades of green, deliberating over my choice with great intent as if it really (really!) mattered. As with colors, we learn to appreciate words when they prove themselves uniquely useful--the only word in the world that will do.
Help children get a feel for this. Teach them to appreciate shades of meaning and nuance. Offer up a splendid spectrum of synonyms and encourage them to be as particular as poets.
April is National Poetry Month. The Academy of American Poets offers standingout lessons and resources for teachers and librarians, including a fine collection of illustrated poems. Also, visit National Public Radio and browse their favorite poetry picks. Most are not for children, but it was there I first learned of the Kids Can Press who publish a series called Visions in Poetry, modern updates of old classics like Casey at the Bat. Check out their rendition of Jabberwocky. To see each illustrated page, click on "View a Lookybook" in the sidebar.
Use poetry to foster an interest in words and an awareness of their power. For research-driven information on how to do this, I again point to The Word Conscious Classroom (Scott, Skobel, & Wells, 2008).
As we teach adolescents to use words like a precision tool, we must also teach them the potential damage that can be wrought with words. We model a positive, uplifting use of words. Noted linguists Denning, Kessler, and Leben (2007) write of this issue in their text English Vocabulary Elements:
As we teach adolescents to use words like a precision tool, we must also teach them the potential damage that can be wrought with words. We model a positive, uplifting use of words. Noted linguists Denning, Kessler, and Leben (2007) write of this issue in their text English Vocabulary Elements:
Ultimately, an enhanced and enlarged vocabulary, like any part of the complex phenomenon called language, is a multipurpose tool. Like a hammer, it can be used either to build or to injure. The individual is responsible for the use to which it is put (p. 182)
I recently read a collection of poems written by inmates at the Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois, a penitentiary of the highest security. According to the book's forward the poems were written to facilitate the flow of healing. That is perhaps the highest purpose of poetry--to bring about growth, restoration, and inspiration.
References:
Denning, K., Kessler, B., & Leben, W. (2007). English Vocabulary Elements, Second Edition. Oxford University Press.
