Tech+Tool+3

**Technology Investigation #3: The Poetry Archive**

**What is The Poetry Archive?** The Poetry Archive is an online collection of poems and the recordings of poets reading their work. You can listen to and enjoy poetry of contemporary English Language poets and poets from the past. The archive was inspired and created by Andrew Motion, U.K. Poet Laureate, and recording producer, Richard Carrington. It was created so everyone could hear major poets read their work. Carrington and Motion strongly believe that hearing a poet read their own work is a precious gift and illuminates a poet's work in a unique way. The main goal is to demonstrate the range and richness of poetry in all its forms and to continue to add more and more recordings to the archive.

**How can The Poetry Archive be used in the classroom?** I really want to share poetry with my studnets and bring it to life in my classroom. I want poetry to be something that students can relate to and feel comfortable with. The Poetry Archive is a wonderful resource to help me do this. The sound of a poem (how the poem is read), is just as important as its written meaning. I hope to inspire students to have the desire to read their own work learn the value and skill of poetry reading by listening to professional poets read their own poems. The Poetry Archive includes a section specifically for students and teachers. I could see myself using the website to teach students background information on the poets to help them understand the context of their work. I could also use the website if I ever do a poetry unit because it offers some great classroom lessons and activities built around Poetry Archive recordings.

Back to homepage.