This document discusses how writing can help students learn by exploring, clarifying, and deeply thinking about concepts from reading. It provides examples of writing activities that can be used for this, including bio poems. A bio poem is a short poem that summarizes a person, place, thing, or event using a specific structure. It gives an example bio poem about Sir Wilfrid Laurier and encourages the reader to write a bio poem about someone from the historical period they are studying to help synthesize the information in a concise way.

1. To see the Summer Sky
Is Poetry, though never in a Book it lie –
True Poems flee.
–Emily Dickinson

2. Writing to Learn
Bio Poems
Writing facilitates learning by helping students
explore, clarify, and think deeply about the ideas
and concepts they encounter in reading, viewing,
and listening (Vacca et al, 2002, p. 217).

4. WRITING TO LEARN
Reading and Writing Together
Exploratory Journal Essay
Writing Writing Writing
Unsent Exit Response Learning RAFT Rubrics
Letters Slips Journals Logs
Bio Poems Admit Double-Entry
Slips Journals
Dialogues

5. WRITING TO LEARN
Reading and Writing Together
Exploratory Journal Essay
Writing Writing Writing
Unsent Exit Response Learning RAFT Rubrics
Letters Slips Journals Logs
Bio Poems Admit Double-Entry
Slips Journals
Dialogues

6. Bio Poems

7. Bio Poems

8. A Bio Poem allows one to reflect on large amounts of material
within a poetic form. The Bio Poem follows a pattern that
enables one to write a short poem about a person, place,
thing, concept, or event under study as a more succinct and
abbreviated account (Vacca et al, 2002, pp. 222-223).

9. Structure of the Bio Poem
Line 1. First name
Line 2. Four traits that describe the character
Line 3. Relative (brother, sister, uncle, aunt, etc.) of ________
Line 4. Lover of ________ (list three things or people)
Line 5. Who feels ________ (three items)
Line 6. Who needs ________ (three items)
Line 7. Who fears ________ (three things)
Line 8. Who gives ________ (three items)
Line 9. Who would like to see ________ (three things)
Line 10. Resident of ________
Line 11. Last name

10. Here is an example of a Bio Poem

11. Sir Wilfrid Laurier
1877 - 1919

12. Sir Wilfrid
Optimistic, charismatic, distinguished, eloquent.
Husband of Zoe Lafontaine.
Lover of Victoriaville, Quebec and Canada.
Who felt the need for reciprocity, a navy, volunteerism;
Who needed a nation strong and free;
Who feared conscription, assimilation and aid to Great Britain;
Who gave his life to politics; and,
Who wanted to see a nation united.
Resident of Ottawa.
Laurier.

13. Bio Poems are used when studying large amounts of material.
Though the amount of material may seem daunting, one can
very quickly and easily synthesize the material in order to
capture the salient points.

14. For example, the period in history we are currently studying
may seem rather lengthy, however, one can easily draw from
many important political figures and military commanders of
the period as subjects of a Bio Poem.

15. You should consider:

16. You should consider:
•including an artifact, such as a letter or photograph

17. You should consider:
•including an artifact, such as a letter or photograph
•using internet sources together with your text

18. You should consider:
•including an artifact, such as a letter or photograph
•using internet sources together with your text
•asking for suggestions, or

19. You should consider:
•including an artifact, such as a letter or photograph
•using internet sources together with your text
•asking for suggestions, or
•recommendations

20. The next step is to complete the Task. You are provided with
a choice of people from which you must choose one as the
subject of your Bio Poem. The readings may not be specific
insofar as some of the choices; therefore, you may wish to
discuss with the teacher how you could approach writing a
poem about these people.

21. The person you choose might very well be included as an
exam question, or may be the subject of a term paper.