Writing Poetry Through the Eyes of Science

Writing Poetry Through the Eyes of Science: A Teacher's Guide to Scientific Literacy and Poetic Response presents a unique and effective interdisciplinary approach to teaching science poems and science poetry writing in secondary English and science classrooms. A collaboration between two award-winning teachers, one in English, the other in science, this crossover work demonstrates how scientific literacy, knowledge, and methods can inform and inspire poetic response in the classroom and in the field. Writing Poetry Through the Eyes of Science illustrates how students can utilize field research, observations, sensory data gathering, poetic writing strategies, and model science poems by poets, scientists, students, and teachers to produce skillful and creative science poetry.The authors explore the commonalities shared by the domains of science and poetry as well as the potentials for intersections and interactions across those two domains. As the science teacher raises scientific questions and suggests technical vocabulary to further language specificity and precision, the poetry teacher demonstrates multiple poetic stances enabling imaginative poetic responses. The active, hands-on, collaborative nature of the classroom atmosphere motivates students to write inspired poems, and students who have never before written poetry can become excited, engaged, and productive. The descriptive techniques that are shared by science and poetry allow for creative, critical, and metaphoric thinking that are of value for teaching in both areas and that offer new ways of thinking and writing about the natural world. In addition, the use of poetry in the science classroom is a novel way to inform, engage, and enhance students' understanding of abstract and complex scientific concepts, as shown in research carried out by co-author Erin Colfax at Morristown (New Jersey) High School, sponsored by Montana State University, on the use of poetry in the biology curriculum and for summative testing of science knowledge.Writing Poetry Through the Eyes of Science is built on original field data gathered by Colfax from expeditions to Iceland and other locations around the world as well as the original poetry and poetry teaching techniques of Gorrell. This professional resource shows both English and science teachers how to cross-fertilize the knowledge, skills, and methods shared by their disciplines-in particular, the creative, critical, and metaphoric thinking skills used in both poetry writing and scientific research. Writing Poetry through the Eyes of Science provides the tool-science poetry-enabling English and science teachers alike to discover the value of their common ground, empowering them to envision, create, and experience an innovative pedagogy for the 21st century.

Offers an interdisciplinary approach to teaching science poems and science poetry writing in secondary English and science classrooms. This title demonstrates how scientific literacy, knowledge, and methods can inform and inspire poetic response in the classroom and in the field.

PROLEGOMENON: (What is Being Said First) Connections: Bridging the Cultural Divide PROLOGUE: Dances with StarsA": How I Wrote My First Science Poem INTRODUCTION: ENTERING COMMON GROUND: LET SCIENCE POETRY LEAD THE WAY SECTION ONE: FOUNDATION: PRINCIPLES, ISSUES, AND PEDAGOGY CHAPTER 1: HIDE AND SEEK: MULTIPLE WAYS OF SEEING TREESA" CHAPTER 2: WHAT IS POETRY?: DEVELOPING THE POETIC EYE CHAPTER 3: WHAT IS SCIENCE?: DEVELOPING THE SCIENTIFIC EYE CHAPTER 4: WHAT IS SCIENCE POETRY?: MAKING CONNECTIONS: A TSUNAMIA" OF POSSIBILITY CHAPTER 5: HOW TO TEACH SCIENCE POETRY WRITING: TEACHER AS CHEMICAL ARTISTA" SECTION TWO: FUNDAMENTALS: BASIC LESSONS FOR SCIENCE POETRY WRITING CHAPTER 6: IT'S A GEM!: ROCKS AND MINERALS CHAPTER 7: WHAT'S BUGGIN' YOU?: INSECTS AND OTHER LIVING THINGS CHAPTER 8: INTO THE FIELD: IT'S ONLY NATURAL SECTION THREE FUSION: ADVANCED LESSONS FOR SCIENCE POETRY WRITING CHAPTER 9: WRITING FROM AWE, WONDER, REVERENCE, AND EMPATHY CHAPTER 10: WRITING FROM OUTRAGE, PROTEST, PERPLEXITY, AND SPECULATION SECTION FOUR: FORGING COMMON GROUND: INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM CHAPTER 11: WALKING IN THIS WORLD WITH OUR STUDENTS AND COLLEAGUES CHAPTER 12: HOW TO ASSESS STUDENT SCIENCE POETRY: THE ART OF RESPONSE CONCLUSION: TOWARD A NEW INTERDISCIPLINARY LITERACY EPILOGUE: WHAT IS BEING SAID LAST APPENDIX A: RECOMMENDED TIMELYA" COURSE DESIGN APPENDIX B: RECOMMENDED COURSE DESIGN: A TWO-WEEK UNIT PLAN APPENDIX C: SCIENCE POETRY RESOURCES FOR THE TEACHER APPENDIX D: FURTHER READING FOR THE TEACHER