Adele Brown

About the Artist

Adele is a poet/teacher living in Silver Spring, MD. She received her BA & MFA in English Literature/Creative Writing at the University of Maryland. She's a professor at Montgomery College, Teaching evening classes for UMGC, and is a poet in at the Arts in Education Program with the Maryland State Arts Council. She's been published in Gargoyle, So to Speak, The Maryland Poetry Review, Smartish Pace, The Lucid Stone, Scribble, and more. Books: Refracted Love, Freshwater Pearls, The Moon Lighting, & Look Ma, "Hands" on Poetry (collection of creative writing workshops for students). Essential Learner Outcomes: Incorporation of a content standard (i.e., learning outcome) from one content area to enhance that in another; Identification of universal themes and commonalities between and among content areas to enhance knowledge and skills in each; Application of skills, materials, and processes from one content area to create a product that will have meaningful application in another; and Use of knowledge about something in one content area (declarative knowledge) to shape a creative product or process in another.

Artist's Statement

Because poetry has been defined as experience captured in language, students are taught to write in a "hands-on" manner in my workshops: They examine how language in various styles of poetry is used to create imagery, rhythm, sound, and emotion, and discuss how elements of poetry, i.e., onomatopoeia, alliteration, metaphor, simile, rhyme, etc., further this process so that students thoroughly understand how poetry works. Students also learn techniques to engage the imagination so they know how to approach writing their own poems; and finally, they receive backgrounds on poets they read in class. Sample state curriculum standards that Adele's residencies meet for grades 9-12: STANDARD 1: The student will comprehend and interpret a variety of print, non-print and electronic texts, and other media. INDICATOR 1.2: The student will comprehend and interpret a variety of texts, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and informational texts (e.g., articles, editorials, essays, speeches, literary criticism STANDARD 2: The student will analyze and evaluate a variety of print, non-print and electronic texts, and other media. INDICATOR 2.1: The student will analyze and evaluate a variety of texts, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and informational texts. STANDARD 3: The student will compose in a variety of modes by developing content, employing specific forms, and selecting language appropriate for a particular audience and purpose. INDICATOR 3.2: The student will compose texts using the prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing strategies of effective writers and speakers. Teacher Training or Workshops Provided "Revising Children's Poems" is a series of workshops that occur at the conclusion of the residency. Teachers put theory into practice as they learn to discern the difference between using language to create versus using language to describe. Participants receive guidelines to help them understand the process of creative, i.e., how they can use langauge in a manner that is precise enough to create an image, rhythm and music, or stir emotions. Teachers are given poems to edit, rewrite, and read with time set aside for them to discuss the reasons for revisions. The goal is to help teachers be better guides for their student poets.