This article was originally written for my masters degree in children’s literature. I thought it would be a great fit for Poetry Month.
In any assignment or topic of study, students are greatly influenced by the presentation of the topic. This is especially true for poetry. As teachers, we need to excite them about poetry, not bore them to tears. Poetry needs to be used every day so that the study of poetry is subtle. Poetry can be used across the curriculum so that students see its relevance. Students needs opportunities to respond to poetry but analyzing poetry really isn’t that important, especially at the elementary level.
Links in this post may be affiliate links. Purchases made using these links will not cost you more but may pay me an affiliate fee.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and related sites. Thank you for using my links.
Poetry can be Inviting
An aspect of poetry that entices many time-pressed teachers is that “reading poetry consumes less time than reading trade books and frequently is more engaging and offers more insight than reading a textbook” (McCall, 173). Poems can be put in the sixty-second time slot when you are waiting for the bell to ring. You can’t read a book chapter in that amount of time.
Poetry is also an excellent way to improve your students’ listening skills. Start with shorter poems and as listening improves, move on to longer ones. Student responses to the poems should give the teacher an indication of whether or not they are really listening.
“Poetry is more inviting to some reluctant readers and writers” (DeMille, 16). Students who struggle with reading and writing or with short attention spans like the shortness or poetry. These students may find reading a chapter book or writing a story too daunting a task. Reading a poem or even writing free verse can be accomplished in a much shorter time frame.
“Before we can expect our students to explore poems, we need to make sure we select with care the poems we share with them” (Janeczko, 2003, 13). In order to use inviting poetry with students, teachers must be well-read in poetry so that they have the right poem for the right situation. “The more poetry we read, the more comfortable we will be with it, and the more confident we will feel bringing poems for students to share” (Janeczko, 2003, 16). Teachers who want to use poetry with their students and have their students read poetry must be teachers who read poetry themselves.
Use Poetry Everyday
Students need to be exposed to poetry on a daily basis. “If we want children to really know and love poetry, we must surround them with the voices of many poets — everyday” (Bridges, 127). While the theme of some poems may indicate a special event, “poems are not just for special occasions, but for everyday” (Sweeney, 12). Teachers with a poetry file or poetry anthology in their classroom will always have a poem at hand to share with their students. A poetry moment could be scheduled for a brief time period during those times when you need a little something between subjects or just before or after recess or a special. The important thing is to make poetry a daily event.
Poetry Conveys Feelings
“The study of literature should give the student the form of emotional release that all art offers” (Rosenblatt, 71). Poetry can provide this for students as most poetry conveys feelings. “Poems show us that feelings or experiences belong together” (Sweeney, 115). If the students can connect with or relate to the feelings or experiences in a poem, poetry reading will be enjoyable pastime for them. And if they relate to the poem, their response to it will be more personal. Teachers need to keep in mind that “each response from each student is as valid and acceptable as the next” (Janeczko, 2003, 17). By accepting all responses, teachers affirm students’ thoughts and feelings as valid. The connection to the poetry and enjoyment of it will convince the students that poetry is worthwhile.
Share a Variety of Poetry
Not every poem will connect with every child. Teachers need to consciously provide a variety of poetry experiences for their students. Some students may connect with the silly poem about siblings while another may connect with a thoughtful poem on being an only child. If teachers are well-versed in poetry, they will be able to connect a child to a poem that fits his/her situation. The classroom library should contain poetry books for students to look at on their own. If we want our students to read poetry critically, they “must experience quantities [and variety…] of poems” (Sloan, 117).
Poems Can be Cross-curricular
Another way to interest students in poetry is to use poems to introduce units of study. “Sharing poetry related to other subject areas provides a different perspective form the usual textbook approach” (Tiedt, 161). Teachers can’t use poetry across the curriculum unless they know poetry. “The best way to create a verse-rich learning environment is to become a poetry reader” (Janeczko, 1998, 7). Using poems to introduce units of study helps link poetry to the real world.
Presentation is Everything
“Children will never learn to love poetry unless [the teacher conveys] a love for poetry and [takes] time to share a variety of poems with them” (Tiedt, 18). Teachers need to make poetry exciting and fun. If you present poetry as something that must be analyzed, students may view it as work. It is better to read poems that are fun or that the students can relate to. After students are enjoying poetry themselves, having them present it to others can encourage others to enjoy poetry as well.
Oral Response to Poetry
You shouldn’t just read poetry and move on to other things. Students need to talk about the poetry and share the enjoyment. There is a “need to be able to talk about a poem in a way that can make it come alive, unlocking some of its insights beyond simply illuminating what we think the poet was trying to say” (Flynn and McPhillips, 7). While teachers may be tempted to create a worksheet, the oral response is preferable. With an oral response, students share their thoughts and ideas with others. Also “children for whom extensive writing can be physically taxing are likely to regard lengthy written answers […] as punishment” (Sloan, 151). Part of making poetry fun is allowing the students time to talk about it.
Analysis is Not Important
While talking about poetry and responding to it orally is essential, analysis is not especially important with elementary students. Save the analysis for high school and college after the enjoyment has been learned. “Children who experience an early, pleasurable exposure to quantities of fine poetry and verse are less likely as students in high school and college, to experience difficulties with poetic conventions” (Sloan, 102). Expressing ideas about poetry is part of literary study. “A major goal of [literature study] is to develop the ability to articulate the ideas and feelings literature elicits” (Sloan, 151). Analysis may stifle students ideas and feelings because they become so concerned about the conventions. Keep discussions light focusing on the response, not on analysis.
It is up to teachers to convey a love of poetry to their students. The love and enjoyment can be shared through poetry choice and by discussion of the chosen poems. By their choices teachers can show students that poetry can be enjoyable and relevant to their lives.
Read more Poetry Month posts
Works Cited
Bridges, Lois. “Journals, Poetry, and other Reasons to Write.” Writing as a Way of Knowing. Los Angeles: The Galef Institute, 1997. pp 119-132.
DeMille, Ted. “Seven Reasons to Teach Poetry.” The NERA Journal 40 (2004):16-17.
Flynn, Nick and Shirley McPhillips. A Note Slipped Under the Door: Teaching from poems we love. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers, 2000.
Janeczko, Paul B. Favorite Poetry Lessons. New York: Scholastic Professional Books, 1998.
—. Opening a Door: Reading Poetry in the Middle School Classroom. Jefferson City, MO: Scholastic Professional Books, 2003.
McCall, Ava L. “Using Poetry in Social Studies Classes to Teach about Cultural Diversity and Social Justice.” Social Studies July/August 2004: 172-176.
Rosenblatt, Louise M. Literature as Exploration. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1995.
Sloan, Glenna. The Child as Critic: Developing Literacy Through Literature, K-8 4th edition. New York: Teacher College Press, 2003.
Sweeney, Jacqueline. Teaching Poetry: Yes You Can! New York: Scholastic, 1993
Tiedt, Iris McClellan. Tiger Lilies, Toadstools, and Thunderbolts: Engaging K-8 students with poetry. Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 2002.
Sign up for my newsletter and receive a copy of my Creepy Crawly Poetry Lessons.
