Robert Fisher

Teaching thinking and creativity

Developing creative minds and creative futures

First poems for thinking

© Robert Fisher

The following are excerpts from the Introduction to the book ‘First Stories for Thinking’ (Fisher 1999) together with a sample story and discussion plans

Introduction

All poetry is magic. It is a spell against insensitivity, failure of imagination, ignorance and barbarism. The way that a good poem ‘works’ on a reader is as mysterious and hard to explain, as the possible working of a charm or spell. A poem is much more than a mere arrangement of words on paper, or the tongue. Its hints, suggestions, the echoes it sets off in the mind ... all join up with the reader’s thoughts and feelings and make a kind of magical union - Charles Causley

A poem is alive, because it says things when you read it - Tom, aged six

The first principle for sharing poems with young children is to use poems that you and they enjoy. First Poems for Thinking contains more than thirty poems that I have enjoyed sharing with young children. These poems, both traditional and contemporary, are drawn from a variety of cultures and traditions.

The poems chosen are written to communicate something of importance, and are therefore poems for thinking. They are for children to enjoy, but also to be challenged by. Each of the poems is followed by a discussion plan of questions to extend children's thinking about the poem. There is also a discussion plan that raises questions about one theme or key concept explored in the poem. Follow-up activities and further poems are suggested to encourage students to extend their thinking and their response to poems. The book also contains a glossary of terms used in discussing poetry.

The poems and discussion plans can be used in a variety of ways, for example as a stimulus for thinking with:

• individual children

• children working in pairs

• small groups within a class

• the whole class as a community of enquiry

• larger groups of children, such as a school assembly

This book focuses on ways of fostering a love of poetry through a range of poems, and ways to enable children to become thoughtful readers able to pose questions, to discuss and to evaluate critically the texts they read through questions, discussion, reflective writing, art, drama and other activities that help develop thinking and the use of poetry across the curriculum. The belief that underlies this book is that both enjoyment and understanding are essential if children are to gain most from their experience of poetry. Or as Katie, aged seven said, ‘When you hear a poem you don't always get it, but when you talk about it, it helps.’

Why?

Why is grass always green?

What holds up the sky?

Why is hair upon my head?

Why, oh why, oh why?

Why does rain go down, not up?

Why is salt in every sea?

Why is there a sun and moon?

Why is there only one me?

Why do bees buzz and birds sing?

Why do nails grow on my toes?

How long is a piece of string?

Why is it no-one knows?

Why is night so full of dreams?

Why do we have one nose, two eyes?

Why do questions never end?

Why are there so many whys?

                              Robert Fisher

Thinking about the poem

Key question: What does the poem mean?

1    What is the title of this poem?

2    Why does the poem have that title?

3    How many verses does the poem have?

4    How many questions are there in the poem?

5    Can you answer any of the questions in the poem?

6    What question in the poem do you think is hardest to answer?

7    Why is the question 'How long is a piece of string?' hard to answer?

8    Can you see any words that rhyme?

9   Why is this called a poem?

10   Do you like this poem? Why, or why not?

Thinking about questions

Key question: What is a question?

1    What is a question?

2    Why do people ask questions?

3    Who asks you questions? Can you remember a question you have been asked?

4    Do you ask yourself questions? Can you remember a question you have asked yourself?

5    Do you ask other people questions? Give an example.

6    Do people always know the answer to your questions? Why, or why not?

7    Do you always know the answer? Does anyone know all the answers? (If so, who?)

8    Is it good to ask questions? Why, or why not?

9    Is it ever wrong to ask a question? If so, when or why?

10  If you want to find out something what can you do? How else can you find out?

Further activities

• Ask the children if there is anything they do not understand about the poem.
• Write on board children's questions or comments on the poem to discuss.
• Make a class list of words that rhyme with words in the poem eg why/my.
• Ask children to make up a list, or poem, of their own questions to share with others.
• Have a Question Hunt. Children look in books to see how many questions they can find, or how many question marks there are in a piece of text.

About this book

© Robert Fisher