In this video, Amarnath, from Bihar, India, talks about the difficulties of getting students to read and write about poetry.
In Bihar, learners don't need to pass an English exam and many do not attend lessons. What is more, the four books he has to work with are well above the learners' comprehension level. To aid understanding, he provides dictionaries and encourages his learners to write translations in pencil in the books. He also provides a very simple structure on the board consisting of a few lines for learners to follow.
With the aid of this simple structure and some dictionaries, Amarnath has succeeded in getting his learners to read poetry, write short interpretations and give brief information about the poets too.
Reflection and discussion
One of the purposes of these resources is to help you with your own teacher development in related contexts. If possible, discuss the following questions with colleagues.
- Would the strategies Amarnath uses work well with your classes.
- What else coud you do to help your learners read and write about poetry?
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The video was first published in 2016.