Burnet Middle School students in Mr. Erik Gabriel’s classes began work on a survey of classical forms of poetry with a concentration in contemporary lyric poetry. The unit began by immersing students in the art form of figurative language to foster mastery and identification of these useful tools of poetic writing. They then moved through the unit surveying classical poets but also the poets that our students can identify with in the contemporary world. Classic and new age hip-hop are the vehicles used for students to identify their poetic style and voice. Students then draft a series of seven poems of various length using classic figurative language as well as forms of it used in hip-hop vernacular as tools to describe and relate to the listener. They also learn to analyze it in Lyric, Sonnet, and couplet forms.
In order to put the lessons students learned in the classroom to more practical use, Mr. Gabriel decided to hold a seminar with recording artists from the New Jersey area to expose them to the talent that lives among them. William Eliot Williams, also known as EL Da Sensei, is a hip hop virtuoso who has been involved with the hip hop community for 25 years. He has recorded multiple albums with his group, The Artifacts, and has toured the world working with musicians from around the world. Dupree “Dotiall” Kelly is a legend of hip-hop and was a founding member of the group, Lords of the Underground. Ryan Werner, also known as Ren Thomas, is a local rising star in the hip hop community and has been rhyming since he was 11 years old. Mr. Gabriel stated “The experience these men brought to our students’ lives is priceless and it was written all over their faces when listening to these men talk and teach.”
Mr. Gabriel also added “I hope this unit has inspired children to not only enjoy the art and therapy poetry can bring to their lives, but also show them that poetry is relative and we are all poets in life in some way, shape, or form. Watching my students, from emergent learners to Honors level students find a voice and most importantly talk about what they are interested in is the greatest gift I hope to receive from this unit. I like to tell my students that they should be a poet in life, not just on paper. Life is scary beautiful and if we don’t tackle its radiance and its rawness, we will pass through life with a limited, not limitless, experience.”
Burnet Middle School Hosts Poetry Workshop for 8th Grade Students