In many poetry classrooms, students are taught to “analyze” a poem: often a synonym for decoding, extracting, or dissecting. What if, instead, we taught students to relate to a poem?
That’s the premise behind an assignment I use early in the semester called Engaging Reading, where students write two kinds of summaries for each poem: a narrative summary, and an expressive summary. The first is literal: what’s happening in the world of the poem? Who’s speaking? What’s going on? Think of it like poetic GPS. The second is intentionally subjective: What does the poem make you think about?
To guide this, I give five prompts:
- “This poem made me think about…” (an idea)
- The first image, line, or memory that came to mind.
- A personal experience this reminded you of.
- Another piece of media, literature, or music this evoked.
- Favorite line, and why.
Here’s the trick: expressive summaries must begin with the phrase: “This poem made me think about…” which shifts the gaze from the poem-as-object to the poem-as-experience. It’s not about “interpreting” the poem correctly, it’s about letting it do something to you.
Students start to associate poems with their lives, their playlists, their fears. One student, after reading a sonnet about distance and disorientation, wrote about scrolling through old text messages. Another linked a surreal image of a mouse in a lab to a childhood memory of watching her father clean out a garage.
In this method, understanding becomes encounter. Poems become less about what they mean and more about where they take you.
Assignment #1: Poetry – Engaging Reading
This exercise helps students connect to poetry both literally and emotionally.
Narrative Summary
A narrative summary is the literal “what’s happening” in a story or poem. Think of this like a road map or CliffsNotes. This section should describe the events or images in the poem—what’s taking place in the world of the poem.
Write 2–3 sentences.
Expressive Summary
This is your personal and associative response. It asks not “what does the poem mean,” but what does it make you think about?
Use these four prompts to build your expressive summary:
- “This poem made me think about…”
(Always start with this phrase.)- First thing that came to mind:
(A word, image, mood, or thought.)- A personal experience this reminded you of:
(What memory or moment surfaced?)- Another piece of literature or media this made you think of:
(Book, film, song, artwork, etc.)- Favorite line and why:
(Pick a line and explain its effect.)
–
Sean Cho A. is a writer and educator from the Midwest.