Teaching Poetry to Kids

We’re on the brink of National Poetry Month, an annual 30-day celebration of poetry in all forms and voices. I taught all levels in my teaching career, and poetry was always part of my classes. Why? A poem is accessible. It’s short enough that it doesn’t boggle the minds of insecure readers from the get-go. It is compact enough to be a great vehicle for teaching almost ANYTHING—from literary devices and word choice to punctuation and sentence structure. And a good poem invites a poem in return—it is an excellent place to get students doing their own writing, which is, after all, the only place that counts. So:

First, my apologies.

In the name of poetry, I apologize to everyone who had poetry spoiled for them by the way it was handled in school. When you meet the work of Fresno Poets, you will understand what you missed. Don’t punch a wall. Pick up a book. Then pick up your pen.

I apologize to teachers for the ways you were forced to teach/use poetry. If you had been offered actual methods--writing-training--you’d have known from the get-go how essential poems are, how versatile and time-efficient they are as teaching tools, and how motivating they can be for student writers.

The next post will cover ideas for teaching a poem, great for teachers or families.