8th Graders' "Blackout poetry"

8th greaders from Turengin Yhteiskoulu wrote their "blackout poems" on Thursday, week 46. For the very first time I think*. It was my real time of being a teacher, who presents totally new subject, mentors and facilitate the class. Funny, but No black markers had been used at all because we didn't have any in the classroom for some strange reason.
(What an irony. Life is full of irony sometimes.)

Now, I think it is more correctly to say: here are the pictures of students' literature and art works. At first we all wonder what? how? to start, but once you do it, you can't stop getting papers with new textts from teacher's desk. I was kind of strange and very unusual practice for the students. 

Indeed, we found out some really deep statements and some totally surprising (very personal maybe) facts from 8th grade students of age 13-15 after "blackout poetry" class. I haven't expect that from 14-years old. It just showed me how less I know about the secret life of teenagers. After the class they had a chance to upload their "poems" on the official world wide website http://newspaperblackout.com/submit where people from all around the world take pics and upload their works. Please look at the
Turenki students' art works here:

"PEOPLE NEVER LEARNED TO UNDRESTAND HIM THE WAY I DO" from "To Kill A Mocking Bird" by Harper Lee

"WE HAVE TO ACCEPT IT, HE SAID, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD  REMEMBER A WHOLE NIGHT. "DO YOU REMEMBER, OH YOU WERE SENDING RINGS TO A GOD"

Peonies and Forget-Me-Nots by Georgi Gospodinov

Translated from Bulgarian by Magdalena Levy and Alexis Levitin

“And Other Stories”, translated by Alexis Levitin and Magdalena Levy, Northwestern University Press, 2007

YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MANY STARS CAN SEE TIRED PEOPLE WE CAN BE WINNERS IN OUR PLACE /from "Love is a dog from hell" by Bukowski

DEEP LAUGH CAN SAVE BAD MORNING / from "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien

CAT'S TALK ABOUT BOXES WHO WORK IN EARTH GOD SEE ALL PURPOSE CERTAINLY IN WORLD; YOU'RE MEAN ON A PARK WITH THE GODS, NIGHTS WITH FIRE FIGHT /from "Cat's cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut

                                 

"I'M HAPPY BROKEN OUT OF WIZARD PRISON AND I WISH THE BOY COULDN'T KNOW THAT AT THIS VERY MOEMENT HIS TIME WAS WOKEN NOT KNOWING SMALL THINGS THAT HAPPEN UNDER THE INKY SKY" /from "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling

The students indeed acted like artists who write and writers who draw, sketch, or paint. They made their "poems" pictures and created pictures, which can still be read. I'd like to THANK YOU so much for the great work you've done for me!!! for your entire attention on me, dear students. I'm very greatful to the teacher Anu-Maria, who trusted me and agreed that we should try Austin Kleon's way. 

Here, I'll briefly try to sum up the benefits of using "blackout poems" for teaching language or literature in mother tongue or second language:

1. grammar check-up

2. word order practice

3. improving vocabulary

4. reading comprehention

5. developing writting skills

6. better collaboration with teacher

7. will to practice more/start again. If you think you've made a mistake, you can always start with another piece of text.

8. increases curiosity. New ideas and Questions come up more often. What to do? How to do? This way or another?

9. usefully spent time in class

10. soft skills development - when present the work on a stage or in front of the class

11. critical reading (?)

12. getting new ideas out of "scribling"

13. works for first or second/foreign language classes and art classes

14. teacher and students get to know more about each others' personality, interests, views in life in general.

15............................................. 16............................................. 17. more.................................?

I think we should definitely try it with other students! I cannot wait!

*I'm somewhat surprised they haven't tried before or that the teachers are not aquainted much (or not at all). So, I'm actually very lucky and feel great that I had the chance to show them something new, modern, very alternative independent, quite open-minded way of reading and writing at once, very popular from USA, something educational, thought-provoking, non-traditional, and interesting. (I know no semi-colons anywhere, but check what Kurt Vonnegut said about it. So, I follow his view)

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AUSTIN KLEON
BE CREATIVE !
IDEAS ! ! !