Workshop 1: Listening and Speaking with Poetry: An Introduction

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of Exploring Our Values Through Poetry, High School

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Introduction
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

Breathe-in experience, breathe-out poetry. — Muriel Rukeyser The primary activities of this first workshop provide the orientation and vocabulary that will engage and support participants as they move into the program curriculum and deeper into poetry. Activity 2, The Poet’s Tools, contains a…
Workshop-at-a-Glance
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

ACTIVITY MINUTES Opening 5 Activity 1: What Is a Poem? 10 Activity 2: The Poet’s Tools 15 Activity 3: Building a Poem 25 Faith in Action: Creative Engagement with Tough Issues 15 Closing 5 Alternate Activity 1: Five Questions 10 Alternate Activity 2: Covenant Building 10…
Spiritual Preparation
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

During today’s introductory workshop, participants will share their feelings about poetry. Chances are you enjoy poetry and that is one reason why you volunteered to lead this program. However, it is possible that not all participants enjoy poetry. How will you feel if some youth bring negative…
Opening
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice and matches Preparation for Activity During Workshop 2, Alternate Activity 2, Designing an Opening, the group will have the opportunity to create a unique workshop opening….
Activity 1: What Is A Poem?
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, Introduction to Poetry Newsprint and markers Preparation for Activity Photocopy Handout 1, “Introduction to Poetry,” one copy for each participant. Write Is It a Poem? at the top of a sheet of newsprint. Prepare two columns, one with a +…
Activity 2: The Poet's Tools
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Singing the Living Tradition, one per participant Newsprint and markers Optional: Dry erase board and markers Preparation for Activity On newsprint or a dry erase board, write these two questions: What do we have here? What is the big idea?…
Activity 3: Building A Poem
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint and markers Current newspaper article or excerpt Preparation for Activity Find several short newspaper articles that have an emotional/human dimension. You will need one article for each small group of three to five youth. Decide how you…
Closing
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice Singing the Living Tradition, one for every other participant Preparation for Activity If hymnals are not always available, print the words below on newsprint and post in the meeting room. Description of Activity Use the Closing designed by…
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

Use the experience of this first workshop to evaluate how well the given time for activities matched the time you actually used (this can vary greatly, depending on the size of your group); whether the discussions were fruitful and everyone participated; whether you and your co-leader felt…
Faith In Action: Creative Engagement With Tough Issues
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Journals and pens or pencils Description of Activity Participants will think of creative ways to engage with difficult issues in their lives….
Alternate Activity 1: Five Questions
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Journals and pens or pencils Preparation for Activity Make sure the list of poet’s tools is posted where all participants can see it. Description of Activity Ask participants to write on their page, “A poem is… ” and then close their eyes….
Alternate Activity 2: Covenant Building
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint and markers Description of Activity Invite participants to create a group covenant to guide them in their work. Use the following discussion prompts as needed: What is a covenant? Has anyone in the group ever created a covenant?…
Taking It Home: Listening and Speaking with Poetry: An Introduction
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

Breathe-in experience, breathe-out poetry. — Muriel Rukeyser DURING TODAY’S WORKSHOP… We discussed our previous experiences with poetry and feelings about it in general. We shared what we hope this experience will be like, read a poem, and composed a poem from a newspaper article. We examined…
Handout 1: Introduction to Poetry
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

Billy Collins, “Introduction to Poetry” from The Apple That Astonished Paris. Copyright 1988, 1996 by Billy Collins. Used by permission of the University of Arkansas Press, www.uapress.com.I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide or press an ear against its hive. I…
Find Out More
From Exploring Our Values Through Poetry

The publisher McGraw-Hill has an Online Learning Center, which offers a http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072405228/student_view0/poetic_g… of poetic terms that you might find useful. eNotesstudy guide to “Wild Geese.” The site also has biographical information on both Mary Oliver and Billy…

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The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Workshop 1: Listening and Speaking with Poetry: An Introduction

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