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Krista Sifers
Dr. Donaldson
READ 3355
8 February 2016
Journal Article: SUMMARY APPLICATION ASSIGNMENT
PART I: DETAILED SUMMARY OF ARTICLE

The article I discovered is entitled Using Poems for Multiple Voices to Teach Creative
Writing by William P. Bintz and Trisha Henning-Shannon. The writers of the article decided to
use poetry featuring more than one voice to get their students excited about constructing creative
pieces from multiple perspectives.
They conducted their project at an urban school with approximately 850 students to about
60 teachers; the average class size was about 20 students (Bintz & Henning-Shannon 33). The
poems, meant to be read by two different voices at the same time, were color-coded so the
students could easily follow along and speak at the appropriate moments. Over one week, they
introduced the poems to juniors by reading them in small groups, assigning partners for the
students to actually read them aloud, brainstorming topics for poems of their own, writing them,
and then sharing them with the entire class in a way that resembles a musical duet with a partner
(34). The results concluded that the voices that emerged within the students poems were strong
because they were each able to be interpreted from their own, unique perspectives (38). In the
case of one particularly quiet student, both the teacher and other students were able to understand
his hidden tragedies through the voices in his poetry (39). As a final thought when recounting the
lessons the teachers learned from this experience, the article reads, In the end, the most
important lesson we learned is that we cannot teach someone we dont know (39). So, in
summary, the teachers found that poetry featuring multiple voices was able to open the doors

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they needed to really get to know their students, and, by knowing their students, they were able
to teach them more efficiently.

PART II. APPLICATION OF CONTENT

o Teaching Voice in Writing

Voice is a difficult concept to teach. In the past when we talked with students
about the importance of voice in writing, most students, ironically, did not or
could not hear us (38).
First of all, I do not think that voice is a difficult concept to teach; I just
think that teachers have been going about teaching voice in the wrong ways. In
my opinion, voice is to very different ideas coming together; it is both the
authors voice and the individualized voices of the characters he/she is writing
about. They are inherently tied to one another, and if one is hard to understand,
the other concept will not come as easily either. This happens mostly when a
writer cannot seem to find their own voice in writing while attempting to give
voices to their characters. I think that if teachers would understand that they need
to explain both parts, then students will hear what their instructor is trying to tell
them. A good way to visualize this concept is through mentor texts. For example,
Charles Dickens has a very distinct voice (whether Pip is speaking from Great
Expectations or Oliver from Oliver Twist). I think that demonstrating how the two
components of voice are connected by reading them is the key to explaining the
concept.

Like authenticity, voice is critical to creative writing. It enables authors to be

heard, not just read. Voice helps readers understand what the author believes and
feels, and how the author perceives the world (38).
I think that, too often, readers identify voice as something to be read rather
than something to be heard and experienced. Voice in writing really does provide
the power for readers to step into the writers shoes and experience the world
differently than theyre used to. It almost reminds me of that feeling you get when
you realize that youre actually reading a book. You begin to wonder how reading
words on a page can produce such a sensory-rich production in your head where
you are hearing individual voices as the dialogue switches speakers. So, when I
return to a book I have been reading after a break, I often have to remind myself
that I was not watching a movie before, because voice in writing is that powerful.
I thought that quote was a really great depiction of that feeling. My strategy for
explaining this concept to the classroom would be to give this example and
discuss it.

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o Authenticity

In writing, authenticity involves the willingness of authors to make

themselves vulnerable, to put their emotional and intellectual thumbprint on
their work for all to see (35).
Every student has a unique, creative brilliance locked inside of them that
we, as their teachers, have to help them find. Writing really is like a
thumbprint. Each piece of writing is extremely distinctive because no two
individuals could ever experience the exact same events. Even if two people
have been through similar life experiences, emotional responses will always
be matchless. Therefore, it takes immense amounts of courage to be
comfortable with recording those expressions on a place where they can be
shared with others. However, that authenticity is what makes writing so
interesting and valuable. To teach the value of authenticity, I tend to lean
towards the practice of keeping writing journals that the students write in
every single class day (and I think that they should be permitted to write about
whatever they want).

Source:
Bintz, William P., and Trisha Henning-Shannon. "Using Poems for Multiple Voices to Teach
Creative Writing." The English Journal 94.4 (2005): 33-40. JSTOR. Web. 09
Sept. 2015.