Book Review

Teeth, Wiggly as Earthquakes by Judith Tannenbaum, 2000.

The introduction of Teeth, Wiggly as Earthquakes describes the author’s background in teaching poetry in the primary grades. Judith Tannenbaum, an itinerant teacher, has taught poetry in a variety of classrooms for over twenty-five years. Tannenbaum offers her book as a guide for encouraging young students to write poems; it is filled with lessons, advice and inspiration to give teachers the courage to try poetry writing in the primary grades.

On page 5 there is a list of some general principles to follow when teaching poetry such as:

Give suggestions, not assignments.
When you read a sample poem ask, “What did you notice about the poem?”
Make sure everybody has an idea before they leave the rug.
Help kids who are stuck by asking questions that ask for more detail about their poem.
Don’t be concerned with spelling.
Don’t be afraid of the dark; not all poetry is happy.
Poetry is an oral art; make sure to read each child’s poem out loud.

Before children write their own poetry, it is helpful to do some exploration and preparation with the children. An effective beginning question is, “What do you already know about poetry?” A teacher may show the children a page in a story book and a page of poetry so the students can compare the structure of the two writing forms. Read some sample poetry to emphasize that poetry is about using your imagination and creating images.

In the primary grades it is a good idea to begin with a group poem so that the process can be modeled. A suggested procedure is to read some examples, introduce a theme, and ask the children to close their eyes and brainstorm some words. Let all of the children contribute a line to the poem and then the teacher can read the lines back to them. The teacher takes the poem home to edit, grouping and rearranging the lines into a finished product.

When the children are ready to move on to individual poetry writing, there are many lessons and suggestions presented in the book. Examples of some lessons are writing from sensory experience, walking excursions to develop poetry and poems about friends and family. Some of the lessons develop poetry elements such as alliteration and onomatopoeia.

At the end of the book are some ideas for kindergarten adaptations (extending a lesson over several days), publishing and performing poetry (combine art with poetry, read at a senior center, etc.), and suggestions about reading poems out loud in the classroom. The final chapter is written by teacher, Pam Marquardt: Why we Hesitate to Teach Poetry . . . and Why We Should Do It Anyway. Ultimately, Marquardt says, “When we read the poems we love to children, we teach them that the world of imagination and creation is important. When we help them write poems, we affirm our belief that they are important, creative people.”

As the author intended, I did find within the pages of the book the inspiration and the courage to try writing poetry in my classroom.