New Video Poems

Since lockdowns have been imposed and classes are conducted online, I've seen fewer people and kids in bookstores. So I've made a couple of my poems into short videos (mp4). In my TeachersPayTeachers store Oliotopia, I recently posted two new products. The Kaya Ko Video Poem is 2:32 minutes long, featuring my short poem Kaya Ko. Background music plays in one version but there are no reading voices because it is meant to be read aloud by the teacher/parent or read silently by the learner. This short video can be used by teachers as an introductory or motivational activity for a lesson on verbs during an online class. It can also be used for practice reading in Filipino. The other product, Ang Bata sa Tula, is a mini-ebook and video of a collection of 10 silly four-line Filipino poems about children. The product features PDF file versions and an mp4…

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Tula: Ang mga Bulag at ang Elepante

The poem “The Blind Men and the Elephant” was written by 19th century American poet John Godfrey Saxe. The poem is based on a parable from India about six blind men who wanted to know what an elephant was like. As each blind man was holding a different part of the elephant, they all had different opinions. The parable is used to teach that one’s experience is subjective and limited, and that we sometimes fail to account for the complete truth. It encourages better communication and respect for a variety of perspectives. I thought it would be nice to translate this poem in Filipino. The poem “Ang mga Bulag at ang Elepante” is my adaptation of the poem in Filipino. (Please note that I excluded the last paragraph, the MORAL, in my adaptation). It may also be used as reading practice for young readers, as a poem to memorize for…

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