Naming the World: A Year of Poems and Lessons

by Nancie Atwell

Harnessing the power of poetry, Nancie Atwell's "Naming the A Year of Poems and Lessons" empowers adolescents to make sense of their personal place in the world while honing their critical reading and writing skills. "Naming the World"'s 200+ poems and accompanying five-to-ten-minute lessons are used by Nancie every day to jumpstart her reading and writing workshops. Poetry is the foundation upon which her students build excellences as writers in every genre. This is your chance to make the first few minutes of your Language Arts class really count! The 200+ are compiled from contemporary poets were nominated by Nancie's students as their favorites speak to adolescent interests and issues include poems by Nancie's kids to teach and inspire yours. The 150 are used daily by Nancie to jumpstart her reading-writing workshop apply a range of interactive and independent learning strategies present the language Nancie uses with her students.

Genres: Teaching, Poetry, Education, Professional Development, Writing, Nonfiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published December 19, 2005

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancie Atwell has this uncanny ability to make people want to get up in front of middle school students and teach. Her books and writings are so inspirational because they empower the teacher and the student. I certainly didn't love every poem she included in this collection, but what I DO love is the way she approaches poetry with her students and how she has managed to make it so accessible. If I had known how accessible poetry really was before this, I would've done more with it in my own classroom.

I used to hate poetry, but thanks to Sharon Creech's Love That Dog and now Atwell's Naming the World, I can say that I am an official lover of poetry.

I just hope I can manifest that love onto my students.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love the idea of reading and discussing poetry to teach reading concepts. It's a quick way to reinforce many different standards and gives kids extra practice in figuring out the author's message, which is practice very much needed. This book has plenty of poems to choose from and has lesson starters ready to go. Not all of the poems are works that I would feel comfortable to give to kids, but there are enough available that skipping a few won't matter.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of poems to share with middle-school students. This book will be the basis for my poetry exploration next year; it is the most comprehensive and well-rounded collection for teachers to share with their students that I've encountered. I appreciate the inclusion of many, many student-authored poems.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book my first year of teaching. It was invigorating to watch Atwell teach on the DVD, and her lessons inspired me and showed me the way to better teaching. I like most of the poems in this collection.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started putting post-its on the pages of poems I wanted to try with my students and when I finished, I laughed. Nearly every page. I love how she includes student responses to her lessons, and how she emphasizes the experience of a poem and not the intellectualizing of it (at least not at first). I started using this approach and immediately I was having more fun.

I am envious that she has a class that meets daily.

I found myself a little restless with her beginning-days poems, the ones when she was trying to show how accessible the form was. I get it, but the poems were simply too flat and flabby on the whole. (That said, I shared "Maybe Dats Youwr Pwoblem Too" and yes, it was a great opener for persona poems.) Perhaps the fact is that I find a poem's compression one of its most magical elements and that is one thing I would not leave out, if I were to introduce new writers to the form.

But basically: I want to memorize this book and Nancie's way in to poetry.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, I had a pretty lukewarm relationship with poetry until I got my head around Attwell's teaching methods. Poems are the very best way to teach very tricky concepts in literature. I teach grades 4-6 at my school, and we start the class with one of her selected poems. I can honestly say that every kid in my class knows what a metaphor, simile, assonance, alliteration and refrain is, among many others. I was intimidated by such terms myself well into adulthood, only to find that exposure to accessible, tender, funny, sad, meaningful poems would forever alter my appreciation of good literature.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mostly professional poets' work, but some of Nancie's students' works as well. Each poem comes with a brief introduction, list of what's notable about the poem, and "benediction," or way to wrap it up and encourage your young poets to go out and write something along the same vein. Should be in every English teacher's arsenal. Great for middle as well as high school.

[Adley Maddox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly useful.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for teachers.

[BookChampions · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has taught me so much about teaching poetry. A gem that continues to enrich and renew.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abandoned, but I will return to it as this is a great model for my classes and chocked full of good poems.

[Robert Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource for English teachers. Will be going back to this book often.

[Maria Dudley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite collection of poetry for kids grades 3-12. Some of it is written by students, and some of the poems are written by famous poets.

[Debbie Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The guide that goes along with it is just as valuable as the main book, so don't miss it.