Demonstration

How can poetry engage and inspire you and your geoscience students? Find out in this interactive workshop co-designed by a scientist/educator and an artist/poet. We believe that arts and sciences are mutually beneficial, and that using scientific work to inspire poetry can reconnect us with our universe, our planet, and ourselves. However, teaching poetry activities can be intimidating for a STEM instructor. Fear not! In this science- and poetry-friendly workshop, you will:

1. Discover why and how adding poetry to your pedagogy can engage and inspire you and your STEM learners.
2. Contribute to a poetry myth-busting activity you can use with your learners.
3. Test out three easy-access poetry prompts, share the rich results, and adapt the prompts for your learners.
4. Receive well-tested resources for customized lesson plannning.

These prompts are carefully crafted to reduce real or imagined poetry barriers. They are tailored with geoscience source texts that allow participants to unearth lyrical, poignant, funny, tragic, clever, and creative poems. This activity not only teaches close reading, but also provides an outlet for anxiety and frustration, and a fun way to reconnect with beauty and joy in the natural world.