English department chair Chuck Newell at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga has printed works in the newly released book “Sijo, Korea’s Poetry Form.”
Mr. Newell began teaching students how to write sijo poetry in 2013. At that time, Notre Dame hosted many international Korean students, and some had a difficult time adjusting to life in America and fitting in at school. The Sejong Cultural Society, located in Chicago, sponsors a sijo writing competition every year, and Mr. Newell thought that would be a great way to introduce Korean culture to the school.
Over the years, Mr. Newell has had quite a few students win prizes in this national competition, and he has been invited by the Sejong Cultural Society to teach other teachers about sijo both online and in person. The society has just published a book about sijo for classroom teachers.
The book includes some of Mr. Newell’s sijo and lesson plans about writing haiku and sijo. It can be purchased on Amazon.
