Sensory stimuli are collected - eg. each student brings in a 'smell' that reminds them of something (eg. bleach for hospitals, sunblock for summer)
Smells are passed around. Focus is on individual memories, associations, evocations.
A smell is chosen that has resonance for a lot of the class (sunblock is good in Hawke's Bay!). The class develop a sensory poem as follows:
Brainstorm other sensory impressions of association.
One poem developed as a class, then students work on their own poem, using the class one as a model and choosing another smell.
Students can, if they wish, develop these poems using more of their own ideas and creativity.
Students shape their poems into a form of their choice, to share the feelings and images associated with the poem. First drafts are discussed in pairs and groups, edited and re-worked.
Students can move from concrete sense impressions and images to more abstract ideas; associating the senses with ideas. This is a poem from a year 10 student using this extension:
I smell of greed,
and of the need to grab, snatch and take for myself,
You can hear me clink and rustle in your pocket.
I am all colours
But mostly green, pale and dark, black,
I taste like sand, dry with the flavour of sin.
I feel like the blade of a knife
slicing your tongue
burning a hole in your pocket,
Who rules the world,
I do
Money...
For a variety of other excellent approaches see Rite Poem (30 kB) from NZ performance poet keith_thorsen (RTF 8KB) .
Published on: 21 Apr 2009
