Using Poetry to Teach about Minerals in Earth Science Class

This article describes how a high school earth science teacher and a college education professor team-taught a lesson to ninth graders on using poetry to learn about minerals. The professor, a geologist, shared an electronic slide show of poems she had composed about gem minerals that incorporated physical properties, formation, uses, and other information. After instruction, students researched a mineral of choice and wrote poems that contained facts and a personal reaction to the mineral. Some students reported difficulties in finding words to express their ideas in rhyme, but expressed satifaction in the sense of accomplishment in producing a scientific poem. Educational levels: Graduate or professional