Teaching Poetry For Appreciation By M. Ediger - 1751 Words

1 Teaching Poetry for Appreciation According to M. Ediger (2007), the teaching of poetry doesn’t perceptibly differ from teaching other types of literature, as far as the methodology of teaching is concerned. Poetry is regarded as a more difficult kind of literature with special difficulties of language, grammatical construction and thought involvement. There are two broad aims of teaching poetry; (a) literary aim and (b) subject matter aim. For achieving these aims the teaching of poetry should be intensive for achieving the literary aim and extensive for achieving subject matter aim. Intensive study is mainly related to explanations, detailed information, appreciation and all those aspects that are considered essential for the†¦show more content†¦Grammar and vocabulary should never be touched in a poetry lesson. 2.8.2 Steps of Teaching Poetry for Appreciation Students are not the same toward understanding poetry. Individual differences should be kept in mind. They must be given sufficient time to go through the poem on their own so that they appreciate it fully. According to Dash (2007), a lesson in poetry should always be a pleasant activity. The student must have an interest in learning the particular poem. Interest in the poem will be ensured if the teacher is efficient; in teaching a poem so that the student may get pleasure from it and may learn to appreciate it. The following steps may be followed in the appreciating process: 2.8.2.1 Introductory Background of the Poem Before begin to teach the poem the teacher must try to create an atmosphere for the poem. This can be done alone by explaining the background of the poem, and the event or situations connected with the contents which will help the students to understand the setting. The introduction must give the student the key to the poem. In higher level, the teacher may give an introductory talk about the poet. Difficult words can be introduced during this stage so that when the students come to read the poem, these words will not prove a stumbling block to them. The setting and situation should be taken into consideration in reading a poem. Some poets establish the settings and circumstances of