Schools

Science and Poetry Pair Up in New Book

"Writing Poetry Through the Eyes of Science" was written by Morristown High educators Nancy Gorrell and Erin Colfax.

Science and poetry ... oil and water?

Not exactly, say the authors of "Writing Poetry Through the Eyes of Science: A Teacher's Guide to Scientific Literacy and Poetic Response." In fact, this instruction manual brings two seemingly divergent topics together, in a way even those outside the classroom would be able to appreciate.

Nancy Gorrell, an English teacher with for 36 years before retiring in 2007, paired up with MHS Science Academy biology instructor Erin Colfax on the project, which was released in February.

Find out what's happening in Morristownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"There's a lot of interest across the board in the book for educators," Gorrell said. "It's really in the mainstream of some important educational movements, interdisciplinary education and writing across the curriculums."

Colfax, a teacher for 11 years, said the pair wanted to "take a concept some find foreign and make it accessible."

Find out what's happening in Morristownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

To do that, the writers collaborated on the book with 26 Morristown High School students, past and present, as well as four faculty members. Poems were imbedded into lessons being taught in the classroom about scientific concepts.

"This crossover work demonstrates how scientific literacy, knowledge and methods can inform and inspire poetic response in the classroom and in the field," the book's press release reads. "Writing Poetry Through the Eyes of Science illustrates how students can utilize field research, observations, sensory data gathering, poetic writing strategies, and model science poems by poets, scientists, students, and teachers to produce skillful and creative science poetry.

"The authors explore the commonalities shared by the domains of science and poetry as well as the potentials for intersections and interactions across those two domains," the release continues. "As the science teacher raises scientific questions and suggests technical vocabulary to further language specificity and precision, the poetry teacher demonstrates multiple poetic stances enabling imaginative poetic responses."

Gorrell who, since her retirement has kept far from docile by participating in conferences and talks nationwide, said she believes such interdisciplinary projects have the ability "to open students eyes to other ways of thinking."

Mainly written for the high school classroom, Gorrell said they have received interested from both middle schools as well as colleges.

So, teachers seem to be on-board with the merger of poetry and science. Is such a concept a hard sell for students? Hardly, Colfax said. 

"Those connections are solidified outside of science," she said. "It excites them in a way they weren't expecting in the first place."

With poems and personal anecdotes from the contributors, as well as Gorrell and Colfax, Writing Poetry Through the Eyes of Science isn't just about learning, but also about being entertained, the authors said.

"It's an easy read, it's not just an academic book," Gorrell said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here