Reflection on the Video, "Writing Poems" on readingrockets.org

When I first began watching this video, I was very surprised with the fact that these students were second graders.  They seemed to be advanced students as they knew how to develop very authentic poems with correct rhyme scheme.  I like the idea of having the students write poems.  When I was in elementary school I loved to write poems, this was because it was writing I could do that expressed myself and was unique to me.  I think this is very important in the classroom, because often times students are proctored to write about subjects that they have no interest.  To be able to have children excited about writing is something that is very important in order for them to stay engaged.  The video talked about the importance of writing and then reading their work out loud to their peers.  This helps students to get feedback on mistakes, or enables them to identify mistakes on their own.  When students have a positive attitude about writing they are likely to carry that attitude out for quite some time.  That is why it is so important for students to be able to enjoy the writing they are doing.  When students are writing poems they are being exposed to one of the importances of writing which is being able to express yourself.  Some students may not understand the reason for writing, but it is important to instill in students that writing is important and something that is used in every day life.  Giving students the free-range to write about what they like is a good way to engage as well, for if they are proctored one-hundred percent of the time the task of writing starts to become mundane.  I think the teacher did an amazing job engaging her students by having them express themselves, and therefore lead them to discover the importance of writing.