National Poetry Month is the perfect time to encourage students to read and write poetry.
Poetry is perhaps the oldest literary tradition. It is a literary form that is common to every major civilization that has ever made a footprint on the world. It celebrates history, heritage, and human emotion in a way that no other writing can. Why, then, does the word "poetry" so often invoke so much fear in our students?
Too often, students have the impression that there is some sort of "hidden meaning" in poetry. Students seem to believe that, within each poem, there is a definitive idea that is open only to a special chosen few. This sort of thinking can only be the result of bad teaching because, when poetics are introduced without intimidation, students almost always fall in love with the form.
Since April is National Poetry Month, I have felt inspired to write curriculum that will make poetry come alive for teachers and students alike. In doing so, I hope to provide creative lessons that will excite students and teachers to new poetic possibilities.
While a nursery rhyme inspired lesson is intended to help students of all ages gain confidence in their knowledge of figurative language and poetic devices, the garden poetry lesson encourages students to visualize images and to make thematic connections across the curriculum. Any of these activities could be modified for a bulletin board or class presentation (for parents or other classes), and original poems can be published and shared in newsletters or classroom newspapers. Sharing is, after all, what poetry is all about.
Speaking of sharing, let me take this opportunity to share with you some of my favorite books of poetry for children.
- Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
- Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book by Dr. Seuss
- Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose: One Hundred Best-Loved Verses by Mary Engelbreit
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.
- Holiday Stew: A Kid's Portion of Holiday and Seasonal Poems by Jenny Whitehead
- Oddhopper Opera: A Bug's Garden of Verses by Kurt Cyrus
- Poetry for Young People: William Blake (Sterling Publishing)
- America the Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates
- Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
