Teacher Notes and Activities  by J.R.Poulter

The Seasons have been the inspiration for many poets over the years.

The earliest that I know of, is the beautiful passage of poetry  in the Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, verses 1 to 8, that begins –

“To everything there is a season,”

This passage, in its turn, inspired the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!”  sung by The Seekers in 1964, The Byrds in 1965, Mary Hopkin in 1968 and, most recently, by Bruce Springsteen in 2008. The song, which is poetry set to music, was written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s.

Activity: Find at least two other modern songs that speak about the seasons.

Spring and Summer generally evoke joyous poems that celebrate the coming of new life.

Autumn and Winter generally evoke feelings of loss, sorrow, longing…

Activity: Find a poem  for each season that reflects the more traditional feelings associated with that season.

Activity: Write a short poem, a quatrain or a haiku, that reflects the opposite of the traditional view of each season. For example, spring might be sneezin’ season, summer might be ‘all hot’n bother,’ autumn could be a celebration of its fiery colours, winter could be all about enjoying winter sports.

“Spring Thing” talks about the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring.

How do you know this?

Activity:  List at least two phrases or lines that suggest Winter and another two phrases or lines that suggest Spring.

Activity: Find examples of the following poetic devices in the poem, “Spring Thing.”