Summer Reading Assignment Is Poetry to Their Ears

Like last summer, when all East Hampton Middle Schoolers were asked to read a particular poem to give them a unifying experience and prepare them for classroom discussions when school started up again, students have again been given a specific summertime reading assignment.

What's different this year, according to Charlie Soriano, the middle school principal, is that the students are being asked to read a set of three contemporary poems, rather than a single classic poem. They are "[Traveler, your footprints]" by Antonio Machado, "blessing the boats" by Lucille Clifton, and "Art & Craft" by Robin Coste Lewis.

The three poems are all available for free on the website poetryfoundation.org.

In an email, Dr. Soriano explained that the poems tie into the phrase "believe in yourself," which has been adopted as a school-wide theme for next year. He outlined several "focus questions" the students should think about as they read the poems. Those include:

- What does it mean to believe in yourself? How do you enact that? What can get in the way?

- Are there times that fear can be positive? Negative? How do you overcome your fears?

- What makes you effective as a learner? How can school best help you?

- How do the three poems relate to one another? How are the voices different? Similar?

- How do these poems compare to last year's Walt Whitman poem, "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer"? Or with Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"? Are Machado and Frost's travelers different? The same?

In comments directed to parents, Dr. Soriano said, "I am asking that you please join us: Read the poems, talk at home about them, and about what your child is learning at the middle school. Your involvement is welcome."