It's the five paragraph essay Chalie Brown!

The five paragraph essay is dull, but we shouldn't do away with it. It is a form of communication that has its place in this world, and to do away with it would be a shame and a loss for the world of Language Arts. I do, however, agree with Wesley in that if students are taught the five paragraph essay, they should also be taught to critique it. This serves two purposes: it teaches critical analysis, and it shows students that there is a time and place for certain styles of writing. My one major concern with the five paragraph essay it how easy it is. It is basically an equation: Intro + Transition and Body Paragraph + Transition and Body Paragraph + Transition and Body Paragraph + Conclusion restating each supporting argument = Baa baaaa ba ba baaaaa ("What a good student, in sheep speak). Being that it is so formulaic, it is so tempting to resort to the formula when writing an essay. I mean, it does, however dryly, pose an argument with supporting evidence, and that is a pretty good thing. It is so important to impress upon students that the five paragraph essay is NOT the only way to write an essay and is actually a weak way to write an essay. Now it is just a matter of either coming up with a formula for a quality essay, which would take away so much of its excitement, or just help students to foster a creative and analytical mind capable of striking out on their own with confidence and the necessary skills to produce strong and original essays. That is where our jobs will challenge us the most, not to mention the students.

Poetry. YES. I am very excited to teach poetry but was thinking yesterday that I am not sure what my purpose would be for teaching some of poems that I yearn to teach. Curse you UBD. In my experience, and the experiences of many poetry lovers, a poem hits you like bird poop. You start walking, sometimes against your will, and then SPLAT. "What is that! Oh my God!" Now, at this point, the reader is either disgusted--they get to a point in the poem where they realize they are completely lost and annoyed--or, the read stops, twitches, and then realizes the sheer hilarity, chance, and madness of the situation. The latter readers are then hooked. Now, enough analogies. People can be taught to appreciate poetry for a number of reasons. In that way, the purpose is an appreciation of a form of literature and the content therein. As with the analogy I explained, these readers find in a poem something that is related to what others appreciate, but is also unique, empowering, and secretive. It is their moment and they want to replicate that moment again and again. In those moments, so much more is learned, and directions towards other ideas, disciplines, and experiences-to-come are made clear. Getting students to appreciate poetry in this way, the "bird poop is magnificent" way, is a gamble. It won't always work, but every once in a while it does, and it relies more on the student and the piece of poetry than it does the teacher. Here is once instance where I put faith in my students' inquisitive minds, the power of poetry, and maybe just a dash of fate.