About the Project
This website is the collaborative English classroom project of students at Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, California and students at Apaczai Csere Janos High School in Budapest, Hungary.
I bought a bilingual collection of Attila József poems with the Hungarian on the left and English on the right. I immediately loved it and began planning a poetry project. I hoped to experiment with the many different types of language learning that the bilingual edition would allow. I know students are familiar with József since he is one of the nation's most loved poets and writes accessible poems that work in the classroom. I do hope the familiar subject will engage the students and give them confidence to study the poems in English. American know nothing of József and little about Hungary; I love the idea of introducing California kids to József Hungarian language, what life would be like in inescapable poverty, and what central Europe was like around the two World Wars. Together, students at each school can reflect on how each other's outer/physical worlds and interior lives are similar and different.
Poetry Portfolio Assignments
In a project portfolio, collect all of the below assignments.
Write original poems that imitate Attila József poems. Each poem should show evidence of thoughtful revision. In the first draft, write what first comes to mind and then consider what can be cut, added, or changed to improve it. Near the end, I will announce exactly how many poems must be included.
Translate a few of József poems from Hungarian to English.
Make a video about József and his poems. Each student must make a three minute video. If you work with a partner or two, make it longer. It must be posted on YouTube (or a similar online video site) and added to the project website. Take video with a good camera or just your phone. Make it one shot from start to end which requires no editing or take many videos and edit them together with some video editing software. Don’t use “I don’t know how” as an excuse; learn how. Find someone who can teach you and help. Be creative, collaborate with others, and have fun. Below are some video ideas:
- Attila József’s life
Ideas: Make a photograph slide show with a voiced-over history.
Interview a literature teacher about József.
Perform a skit about a moment in József’s life.
Research and explain some of the József monuments in Budapest.
Script and perform an interview between a reporter and József.
__________________________________________________________
- The world József lived in
Ideas: Find some pictures of Budapest in 1920s and 30s and compare it with pictures or video.
A photo slideshow and history of Budapest in the 1920s and 30s.
____________________________________________________________
- One or two of your favorite poems
Ideas: Read or recite, summarize, and discuss your favorite.
Compare your translation of a poem with the professional one.
Interview a person about their favorite József poem.
____________________________________________________________
- An original poem inspired by a József poem
Ideas: Share your poem and discuss the inspiration, the process, and the meaning.
____________________________________________________________
Write original poems that imitate Attila József poems. Each poem should show evidence of thoughtful revision. In the first draft, write what first comes to mind and then consider what can be cut, added, or changed to improve it. Near the end, I will announce exactly how many poems must be included.
Translate a few of József poems from Hungarian to English.
Make a video about József and his poems. Each student must make a three minute video. If you work with a partner or two, make it longer. It must be posted on YouTube (or a similar online video site) and added to the project website. Take video with a good camera or just your phone. Make it one shot from start to end which requires no editing or take many videos and edit them together with some video editing software. Don’t use “I don’t know how” as an excuse; learn how. Find someone who can teach you and help. Be creative, collaborate with others, and have fun. Below are some video ideas:
- Attila József’s life
Ideas: Make a photograph slide show with a voiced-over history.
Interview a literature teacher about József.
Perform a skit about a moment in József’s life.
Research and explain some of the József monuments in Budapest.
Script and perform an interview between a reporter and József.
__________________________________________________________
- The world József lived in
Ideas: Find some pictures of Budapest in 1920s and 30s and compare it with pictures or video.
A photo slideshow and history of Budapest in the 1920s and 30s.
____________________________________________________________
- One or two of your favorite poems
Ideas: Read or recite, summarize, and discuss your favorite.
Compare your translation of a poem with the professional one.
Interview a person about their favorite József poem.
____________________________________________________________
- An original poem inspired by a József poem
Ideas: Share your poem and discuss the inspiration, the process, and the meaning.
____________________________________________________________
Iatefl conference presentation in liverpool
Conference abstract (50-60 words)
How can student-generated Weebly.com websites and the poetry of Hungarian Attila József be used to promote language learning and cultural understanding? This poster examines the objectives and outcomes of a cross-cultural Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange project between classes in California and Budapest. The analysis of data gathered in questionnaires and online usage statistics allow us to make practical, useful suggestions.
Conference program summary (200-250)
Social media and blogs have proven to be useful additions to the EFL classroom. Far less common, but maybe more useful, teacher and student generated websites, made possible by sites like Weebly, are another exciting digital tool. Like many teachers, we asked how can websites be used to deepen learning in the EFL classroom? In a cross-cultural project between my Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange partner, Katalin Hubai of Budapest, and I, we experimented with Weebly websites to see how they would improve student engagement, aid language learning, create an enticing space for meaningful cross-cultural communication, and deepen students’ understanding of Hungarian and American culture. We used Weebly to share the poems of Hungarian Attila József with students in Budapest and California, post student translations, share student imitations of his poems about identity and home and the relationship between the two, post videos of students reciting favorite poems, and collect reflections on insights gained about Hungarian and American culture. This poster presents our objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. Data gathered from student evaluation questionnaires and website usage statistics allow us to make some practical suggestions to other teachers looking to create online class communities to support the work done in class, help students develop digital literacies, teach essential language skills and bring distant students together to improve cultural understanding.
How can student-generated Weebly.com websites and the poetry of Hungarian Attila József be used to promote language learning and cultural understanding? This poster examines the objectives and outcomes of a cross-cultural Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange project between classes in California and Budapest. The analysis of data gathered in questionnaires and online usage statistics allow us to make practical, useful suggestions.
Conference program summary (200-250)
Social media and blogs have proven to be useful additions to the EFL classroom. Far less common, but maybe more useful, teacher and student generated websites, made possible by sites like Weebly, are another exciting digital tool. Like many teachers, we asked how can websites be used to deepen learning in the EFL classroom? In a cross-cultural project between my Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange partner, Katalin Hubai of Budapest, and I, we experimented with Weebly websites to see how they would improve student engagement, aid language learning, create an enticing space for meaningful cross-cultural communication, and deepen students’ understanding of Hungarian and American culture. We used Weebly to share the poems of Hungarian Attila József with students in Budapest and California, post student translations, share student imitations of his poems about identity and home and the relationship between the two, post videos of students reciting favorite poems, and collect reflections on insights gained about Hungarian and American culture. This poster presents our objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. Data gathered from student evaluation questionnaires and website usage statistics allow us to make some practical suggestions to other teachers looking to create online class communities to support the work done in class, help students develop digital literacies, teach essential language skills and bring distant students together to improve cultural understanding.
Why read and write poetry?
Research and the experiences of many English as a foreign language teacher have shown that reading and writing poetry is a rewarding activity for students. In the August 2012 newsletter of the Literature, Media, and Cultural Studies Special Interest Group of the IATEFL, Salma Ainy outlines some of the many reasons poetry deserves to be included in the EFL classroom in her essay “Reading and Writing Poetry in the English Classroom” (19-23). I strongly agree with her and summarize her main arguments below.
1. Poetry “can transcend both time and place to speak directly to the reader in another country, or belonging to a different cultural period of history.”
2. Poetry writing allows a person to “communicate genuine and personal ideas and emotions, something that happens too rarely in the language classroom.”
3. The writing of a good poetry can empower the author to present or even publish their work and have their voice be heard and validated.
4. Students can work on reading and writing poems that are “of value or importance to him/her”, improving student engagement and determination to do well.
5. “Poetry writing gives the students an outlet which they can use while dealing with the world around them and all of their personal experiences.”
6. Poetry writing “involves the student in a process of serious language study, in order to express the desired message.”
7. Poetry helps students develop their critical thinking skills and “powers of analysis.”
1. Poetry “can transcend both time and place to speak directly to the reader in another country, or belonging to a different cultural period of history.”
2. Poetry writing allows a person to “communicate genuine and personal ideas and emotions, something that happens too rarely in the language classroom.”
3. The writing of a good poetry can empower the author to present or even publish their work and have their voice be heard and validated.
4. Students can work on reading and writing poems that are “of value or importance to him/her”, improving student engagement and determination to do well.
5. “Poetry writing gives the students an outlet which they can use while dealing with the world around them and all of their personal experiences.”
6. Poetry writing “involves the student in a process of serious language study, in order to express the desired message.”
7. Poetry helps students develop their critical thinking skills and “powers of analysis.”