Growing up, one of my least favorite units in English class was poetry. To me it sounded like a bunch of nonsense and I could never get the meaning that the teacher was expecting. I definitely would not have ever had confidence or desire to write my own. I truly dreaded when my teacher announced this unit. Little did I know, I was not alone.
So, what can be done to help students develop a love for poetry instead of both the students and the teacher getting through the poetry unit as quickly and painlessly as possible?
Step one: Picking good poems. Make sure the poems help the children see a subject in a different way, but not so complex that the students do not "get it." The poetry should be well written and something that children will enjoy hearing, subjects of interest to them (animals, sports, modern things, humor, crisis), and some rhyming but not overly much.
Poetry can also be used to teach many different aspects of literature such as rhyme, assonance, alliteration, consonance, onomatopoeia, metaphors, similes, and hyperboles. Most importantly, however, poetry should be introduced early and visited regularly to make students and teachers comfortable with it before it is used to teach any of these other concepts.
When sharing poetry, I want to be sure to include many different types of poetry. to read it aloud and to have the class read with me. The rhythm of poetry will Help my students with fluency and make it more interesting for them. Making poetry available to them will help them in their understanding and hopefully bring them a level of confidence and comfort that I never had.
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