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Poetry memorization the CM way (vs. a more classical approach)
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We have been doing poetry memory for several years now. I have been working off a list of poems that a particular book/author suggested for memorization (realizing now it is a “classical” approach). I am learning that this is different from the CM approach to poetry. I would like to change direction back to CM.
My 10yo son is currently memorizing Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The way we do it is this: I read the stanza several times until he thinks he can recite it. If he needs help, I fill in for him, or simply re-read the stanza. He learns fairly quickly so this is not a long process. Then he will go back to the beginning and recite what he knows through the new verse, and so forth. He loves learning this poem and has always enjoyed this aspect of his education. My 7yo son has been learning shorter poems but through a similar process. He is not enjoying it as much as my older son is.
We have always read poetry for enjoyment and they have, on occasion, insisted that the same poem be read multiple days in a row and they memorize it on their own. We have just begun poetry tea time once a week and we have all been taking turns reading poetry at random. Their current “favorite” memorized poem is a bit twaddly (the book itself has many wonderful poems but as with any anthology, they are not all equal).
I am, perhaps, making this more complicated than it needs to be, and bless you if you are still with me! I want to approach the poetry memory in a CM way. Simply put, how do I do that? Do I still choose poems for them, or do they choose them on their own? What if they pick out the twaddly poem among all the other great ones? Is it necessary to pre-plan any poetry memorization or is it to be initiated on their own?
Thank you!
Here is a post I started last year:
https://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/memorizing-poetry-and-more/
My 8 year old has taken off with it much better than 11 yo. I remind her to say beautiful words in a beautiful way. She picks the poems herself, and I help with words and meanings the first day. She has a journal memory book to copy it in day 2 and says it aloud each day. On day 5, she gives it to me and recites without looking. On this day, I have her recite a few others for review. If it was a longer poem, she works on it more the next week, saying it aloud each day until she can say it all without mistakes. It is supposed to help with speaking, writing and vocabulary.
There was an interesting podcast on Your Morning Basket about memorization with Andrew Pudewa. I’d say it felt like more of a classical approach than CM, but it was still very interesting to listen to.
We’re just starting poetry memorization this year (although we did some early on in our HS). I’ve been selecting their poems so far, but I would like for them to choose their own eventually. What we’ve been doing is having them read their poem aloud 2-3 times per week. I’ve found after a month of this, they pretty much have them memorized. My goal (more than memorization) is to get them comfortable reading their poems aloud, and by the end of the month, they are very comfortable reading their poem as well.
I don’t think all your DC will find memorization as fun as others. I love memorizing things, but only some of my DC do. Just like any other subject, some children will enjoy it more than others. Your DS is only 7, so he may learn to appreciate poetry, or it may never be a favorite subject of his. I wouldn’t let that stop you from continuing with the process, since there is great benefit from enjoying (and/or memorizing) poetry.
You’ve gotten great responses so far. Here are a few more thoughts.
I want to approach the poetry memory in a CM way. Simply put, how do I do that?
The main thing is to make sure the children understand the ideas in the poem. They should be memorizing as a response to their understanding, rather than a precursor or substitute of it. And the memorization is only half of the method; they should also be learning to recite it in a way that communicates what they think the poet intended.
Do I still choose poems for them, or do they choose them on their own?
You can do a mixture of both. You might select the first couple when it’s a new poet. Then after they have heard several of the poet’s poems, they might select a personal favorite for the next memorized one.
What if they pick out the twaddly poem among all the other great ones?
It’s not a huge problem. Let them have fun communicating it in recitation. Think of it like candy: you don’t want a steady diet of it, but a little now and then won’t kill you.
Is it necessary to pre-plan any poetry memorization or is it to be initiated on their own?
You definitely want to plan some memorization and recitation in your poetry schedule. Planning helps ensure that it doesn’t get forgotten in the shuffle. Many CM kids who enjoy poetry and have grown up with poem memorization and recitation do choose to memorize more on their own. But don’t leave it all up to chance or it might not happen. Just be sure the pace you choose is giving the children enough time to ponder and enjoy the words and develop their own relations with the poet. It’s not a race. It’s a tool to increase their enjoyment of poetry and practice their oral communication skills at the same time.
Hope this helps some.
Thank you for your wonderful feedback and sharing of ideas! You have all helped me in your own way and I am grateful for your time.
Sonya, I appreciate the specific answers you gave to my questions. Given that the CM approach studies/memorizes one poet at a time, I am thinking we could continue reading from anthologies during our tea times and then have one particular poet from whom they could choose which pieces to memorize during our daily lessons. And that would be as simple as discussing the ideas first, then reading the poem daily until they have it memorized? Is that correct?
Thank you!
We study one poet per year. We read one poem per week. After six weeks, we spend 3 weeks memorizing one of the poems that we read during the previous six weeks. So, that’s four poems per year. They each choose their own to memorize.
Usually during the week that we first study the poem, they have it mostly memorized. During the week, I read it aloud a few times at first, while they read along silently (each student has a printed book with all the poems, so they can follow along and study without sharing books.) Then, each kid reads it. So, on good days, the children will hear the poem 5 times, once from me, and once for each of my middle kids. This has meant that the poem is very familiar by the end of the week.
Dear poetry family, I’m not sure if our method falls into a category, but we celebrate recitations right after breakfast often times everyday. We started poetry 2 years ago with now 14 YO boy, 10yo girl and 7 yo boy. I recite the poem, I’ve chosen, and I read it loud for several weeks. We spend each recitation discussing the meaning of a line/stanza. When they have it memorized, as a family, we choose someone on our call list to recite it to. We put the phone on speaker and recite one poem to our caller. We’ve had amazing reactions. We keep adding to our list: shut-ins, parishioners from church, neighbors, and family. It’s a great way to start each day. Poetry has now inspired my children to write poetry on their own with no prompting. Also, I just found a poetry/illustration contest at a near-by library and our daughter wants to enter her poetry into it. Excitement in mom is a crucial component, because I’m looking at poetry differently than ever before.
We also recite poems to people in the nursing home, near where we live and at our Latin coop. It’s a great way to communicate and express emotions and we prefer dramatic readings of poetry, like Anne Shirley recites in Anne of Green Gables.
For Veteran’s Day 2015, our family recited “America” better known as “My country tis of Thee” at the podium. Many brave serviceman and women commented to us on the meaning of that poem turned hymn. It put a commonality between their group and ours and we were united in strength and sentiment, if only for the hour.
I believe poetry is as important in a school as Bible and morning devotions and that’s why I schedule them both after breakfast to insure they get done.!
Our 7 yo boy holds a swords and recites “the charge of the light brigade” by Alfred lord Tennyson, priceless!
Martha
Thank you for these additional ideas! I like the idea of sharing the recitations with others as an act of service to them!
More great ideas!
An easy way to make sure they are grasping the idea of the poem is to simply ask for a narration. Have them put it in their own words first. Be careful not to analyze it to death. Enjoy it together. Show enthusiasm, yourself. (Martha is so right about that!) And watch them grow in their appreciation for words well put.
So are they reading these poems themselves or memorizing from mom’s read-aloud?
Is this recitation? I’m getting confused. We do recitation but it’s Bible verses. I should probably look into the explanation but I’m asking here for a quicker response. Thanks.
We do poem memory about twice a week. My kids are 8, 6 and 4. I just read it aloud and they say the words they know along with me. We started one about a month ago and they just decided they knew it today. Then I add it to our Scripture memory box (which is really all of our memory work, including hymns, Greek alphabet, etc). I let them pick between two poems to decide which one to do next.
So are they reading these poems themselves or memorizing from mom’s read-aloud?
Either would work, depending on the child’s age. It’s good for them to hear someone else read the poem expressively at times, just as it’s good for them to hear someone else reading a story expressively at times.
You can do a mixture too: read aloud the poem once a week, but give each child a printed copy to read for himself on the other days.
Is this recitation?
Anything the child memorizes and recites from memory is recitation. Charlotte’s students memorized and recited both Scripture and poetry.
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