Young people can be so creative and expressive in their writing. The poems that are included in this book are proof of that. This book is meant to inspire even more. My own 8th grade English teacher was a kind woman that loved to use songs and photo's to get our creative juices flowing. Sometimes she included art in hopes that we would be inspired enough to write. This book reminds me of her and I think she probably would have loved using this book in her class. For use in grades 7 through 12. 300 Poems and Photographs to Inspire Writing includes a CD w/ photo's and poems from the book. This could be used in a classroom or a home school setting very well.
There are also internet resources listed that would be quite helpful for teachers and/or students.
There is section called "12 ways to inspire students' which is perfect. This book is wonderful and should be in every junior/senior high school. ( )

I found this book to be useful but thought it was geared more towards middle and lower high school than upper high school. The selected poems are often simplistic and the presentation does not seem well geared towards seniors. The CD was helpful but there was nothing spectacular about the book. If you need some sample for class it will work in a pinch and is good for ideas, but it's not the best go to I've seen. ( )

This book seems to be mostly about writing essays and perhaps poetry, but not stories. Which is fine, as far as that goes, but I did not find it got my creative juices flowing. It is a workbook, preferably for middle and high school students. I'd hoped that it would be applicable to writers of all ages, but these pages felt a lot more like homework than inspiration to me. ( )

These short poems offer examples from art/photos of specificity. Specificity, in writing, is contrasted with the generic or a universal. This is a nice basic book with this one aim: be concrete and particular in what your poem is trying to express. By using art and focusing on some (any) aspect to serve as a theme, this collection of sample ideas is great for grade or middle schoolers. I did not use this in a classroom setting but the idea is sound for any poem, poetry reading or public speaking task. The introductory page on possible themes is useful to identify that poetry can be categorized. The black and white photos are fine but I don't know why only black and white were used since so much color photography can be equally inspiriting. As educators, Guy and Kellner should be commended. ( )

Poetry can be a divisive genre, and many of the students and teachers I have encountered have admitted to disliking (if not outright hating) it. As a result, the poetry unit can be an uphill battle in the English classroom, with all parties involved seeing it as an ordeal to survive rather than as an experience to enjoy. Because of this, I am always on the lookout for resources to help the aspiring teachers I work with incorporate poetry into their classrooms, and I was very excited to receive a copy of “Reflect and Write” to review.

The book offers a considerable number of poems, photos, quotes, and prompts to engage students in thinking and writing about poetry. There is a nice variety in terms of poetic forms and topics, and the book includes keywords to go with the poems. The poems tend to vary in quality, which is a mixed blessing. On one hand, the poems tend to be direct and understandable, which can be very helpful for students who are new at reading poetry. I also appreciated the inclusion of some student work, which can make writing and sharing their own poems seem less daunting for students. However, as I was reading the different pieces, I found myself wishing for some more complex pieces as well as some strong models from established poets.

Although the book does provide some sound ideas for encouraging students to explore poetry, it also has some notable shortcomings. As other reviewers have mentioned, the fact that the photos are in black and white (even on the CD) limits their true potential. While black and white photography can be evocative, some of the pictures here would benefit greatly from being in color. The inconsistent quality of the poems also limits the usability of the book. Although the book is intended for grades 7-12, I see it as being more appropriate for middle school rather than high school. Finally, some biographical information on the different authors (especially the student contributors) would be very helpful.

That said, “Reflect and Write” is worth checking out if you are looking for ways of encouraging students to think about and write their own poetry. While it can’t replace textbooks like “Sound and Sense” or excellent poetry anthologies like the ones compiled by Billy Collins or Garrison Keillor, it might make a good supplemental text. ( )