by Phyllis Wezeman
This material was presented in the rotation.org email newsletter as the Teaching Tip of the month.
Tell the Bible story through poetry! Besides the rhyme and rhythm, the variety of styles of poetry make this a particularly attractive method to use with children, youth, and adults. Participants appreciate hearing the compositions of others, but especially enjoy writing their own work. Poetry can be incorporated into the Workshop Rotation Model in a number of learning situations. Creative Writing activities can enhance projects in Art, become songs in Music, and be used as responses in Cinema. Creative Writing can be the basis of a Computer lesson, the starting point for a script in Puppetry, or the conclusion of a Drama Workshop.
Here are creative writing ideas to help participants explore Biblical themes and concepts through poetry. Experiment, express, and educate by telling the story through poetry.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Celebrate God's creation using Haiku
From the rotation.org email newsletter - July 2007
MATERIALS
Bible(s)
Crayons, colored pencils or markers
Formula for Haiku Poetry
Paper
Pencils or pens
METHOD
A Haiku is an unrhymed Japanese poem of three lines. It is usually light and delicate in feeling and is concerned with something lovely in nature, especially the seasons of the year. The formula for Haiku is:
Write Haiku poems that express praise to God for various seasons of the year. An example involving summer is:
Warm temperatures
Bright sun; Beautiful flowers
Summertime is here.
If desired, use colored pencils, crayons or markers to draw illustrations that will enhance the theme.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lantern Poetry
From the rotation.org email newsletter - August 2007
MATERIALS
Bible(s)
Formula for Lantern Poetry
Paper
Pencils or Pens
METHOD
A Lantern poem is a light and airy Oriental style of creative writing that is printed in the shape of a Japanese lantern. The structure for a Lantern poem is:
Use Lantern poetry as a way to explore and express the meaning of a memory verse. For example, adapting the words of the familiar New Testament text John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life," the Lantern poem might read:
Love
Jesus
Salvation
For all people
Gift.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bio Poem
From the rotation.org email newsletter - September 2007
MATERIALS
Bible(s)
Bulletin Board
Duplicating equipment
Fabric or paper background material for bulletin board
Paper
Pattern for Bio Poetry
Pens
Polaroid camera and film
Stapler and Staples
Tacks
ADVANCE PREPARATION
METHOD
In First Timothy 4:12, Paul reminds his youthful co-worker that there is a place in God's Church for people of all ages. In keeping with this theme, create a "Growing Christians" bulletin board. Use it to share information about the children of the church with the adults of the congregation. Bio Poetry, a creative writing pattern that provides basic information about a person, is a great way to do this. Although the pattern may be modified to include different categories, one possible format would be:
Name One line
Three adjectives to describe the person Three lines
Child of One line
Sibling of One line
Student at One line
Likes Three to five lines
Dreams of One or two lines
Wants to One or two lines
Wonders what One line
Fears One line
Plans One line
Hopes One line
Believes One or two lines.
To begin the project, provide a pre-printed form and a pen for each student. Then help each child write one or two lines for each category, for example "likes" might include favorite foods and "wants to" may list ambitions in school or sports. If possible take an "instant" picture of the person and attach it to the paper. Once the information has been prepared, staple or tack each sheet to a bulletin board. Make the congregation aware of this new way to get acquainted with the "Growing Christians" of the church.
--
Exchange Volunteer added latest article from the email newsletter
