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Show . Student rioets'aescribeiEtliglBle ; the things you know. Learn ways to express intangibles by relating them to real things in the real world and then your readers won't be bored. Write about common topics in an uncommon way." i,. - - ' One class activity Ms. Buckley , said the students enjoyed was translating trans-lating a poem that was read in a language they didn't speak such as Chinese or Greek. The students based their translation on the way the words sounded and the expression expres-sion mat was carried through the poetry reading. Translation varied -. greatly and few hit on the real ' meaning of the poem. ' . y ; ' 'Another technique Ms. Buckley' used to get the students thinking . creatively is called "clustering." She started with a color and then asked the students to write four or five words they associated with the color. These words had to be used two or three times to create a poem. v The only additions to the original duster were connecting words and - " some verbs, .' - - The state Core curriculum states high school students will write narratives nar-ratives and poetry. The Layton ' High School Artist in Residence program fulfills mis requirement in ; a creative way. The students learn, their ideas are important and that they can express themselves in the free form poetry offers. By DONETA GATHERUM Editor's Note: This is the third ar-; tide in a series of four articles ex- plaining the English Core cunicu-" lum in the secondary schools and the innovative ways Davis District teachers are implementing it : LAYTON - It was a week before; Christmas vacation when the Lay- ton High English students and tea- ' chers met in the Little Theater to ' hear poetry read. Snow covered the ; ground. The students had many dis- tractions including shopping, sports activities and traveling home on slippery roads. In spite of these, more teen-appealing endeavors, over thirty students preferred to , listen to poetry. ... The poet doing the reading was B. J. Buckley. The poetry was stu-dent stu-dent created. For several years the Layton High English department in cooperation coop-eration with the Utah Endowment - for the Humanities has . sponsored a Poet in Residence that works for about one month assisting and motivating mo-tivating students to write. The poet ' spends about two weeks in the gen- eral English classes and three weeks "i in creative writing sessions. This 3 means she sees the students about -five times. Some students have only two opportunities to meet with they ooeL " ' Ms. Buckley commented, "It is'-amazing is'-amazing to see the.progress the stu- j dents make from the first session: until the final class period." - A published poet, B. J. Buckley from Arvada, Wyo., doesn't resem-, ble Emily Dickenson or Elizabeth Barrett Browning. For the poetry reading she came dressed in jeans with a flannel shirt and heavy win-.. ter ski-style boots. Her manner with the students was cordial, accepting and helpful. The students showed respect for Ms. Buckley as she read their original works and commented, commen-ted, usually kindly, but occasionally critically. - ' Mixed with the poetry were; statements of teaching techniques and writing philosophy. , Ms. Buckley prefaced the reading read-ing of a short poem called "Love Poem from a Worm to a Fish" by ; saying, "You've got to write about! |