Fri vers och ordlekar

Poesiskolan

Inlärning via ordlekar, rim och ramsor är välkända grepp inom pedagogiken. Det finns flera användbara svenska bokexempel. Lennart Hellsing och Lotta Olsson har förekommit i den här bloggen. I kväll låter jag britternas mästare briljera. John Foster har gett ut över 150 antologier för barn och ungdomar.

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I boken "The land of the Flibbertigibbets" finns det lärorika ordlekar i mängd.

What do you call ..., by John Foster
(From The land of the Flibbertigibbets. Salt Pub., 2011.)

an angry father		a mad dad
a stupid idler		a lazy crazy
a stinking boot		a smelly wellie
a gleaming car		a clean machine
an odd rabbit		a funny bunny
an escaped elk		a loose moose
a nightmare		a scream-dream

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Med följande dikt/ramsa kan man lära ut vad några yrken heter på engelska.

The itinerant worker, by John Foster

I started work in Workington, but it didn't work out.
So I travelled the country seeking a suitable job.
I worked in a snack bar in Sandwich,
And in a laundry in Washington.
I worked as a plumber in Waterlooville
And as a dog-handler in Kenilworth.
I worked as a locksmith in Keighley
And as a florist in Bloomsbury.
I worked in a boot factory in Wellington
And as a refuse collector in Skipton.
I worked as a haulage contractor in Carterton
And as a tree surgeon in Poplar.
I worked as a ploughman in Harrow
And as a stableboy in Saddleworth.
Finally, I worked as an undertaker in Gravesend
And as a gravedigger in Bury.

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Det går också bra att leka med slutledet av ett ord. En myra på engelska heter som bekant ant. Det föranleder John Foster att förklara följande engelska ord.

Classified ants, by John Foster

important - an ant brought in from another country
flamboyant - a young male ant who likes showing off
flippant - a gymnastic ant
cant - an ant who keeps on repeating meaningless statements
elegant -  a fashionably-dressed ant
discordant - an ant that sings out of tune

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En annan variant på samma tema.

Things that sound old (första versen), by John Foster

A frozen pond with cold in it.
A treasure chest with gold in it.
A paper with a fold in it.
A phone call with a hold in it.
A brave deed with a bold in it.
A telling-off with scold in it.
A wonder with "Behold!" in it.
A storybook with told in it.

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Avslutningsvis låter jag John förklara vad fri vers är för någonting, så att barn förstår.

I am a free verse poem, by John Foster

I am a free verse poem.
I am not shackled
by the constraints of form.
My words can wander across the page
without having to worry
about the number of syllables per line
or the need to rhyme.
If I feel like it,
                                            up
                           I can go             and
                                           down,
sdrawkcab and forwards.
There are no boundaries confining me,
no set of rules that I must follow.
I am happier than a haiku.
The song I sing is my own.
I can pattern the page
however I like.
I am a free verse poem.