Poetry ~ Unit Introduction

Writing poetry is challenging. So is teaching poetry writing. Often the teaching of poetry is deemed a task best left to a few inspirational masters in our schools, and to the innate talents of those students who are "destined" to be poets. I, for one, started with this attitude. However, under the mentoring of several inspirational teachers I have developed an entirely different perspective on the role of poetry in my classroom. Certainly there are those students who develop their poetic voice with greater agility and sincerity. However, I have often been surprised by who these writers turn out to be. I have had several students who struggle immensely with other genres of writing, but blossom as writers in our study of poetry. I have also been delighted to note that as we continue our study of poetry all students do indeed progress. Although writing poetry does rely heavily on an inner sense of the emotion of words, the genre also has a wide range of skills that can be developed in all students.

At times, it can feel frustrating to spend days on a poetry unit and only have a few short poems to show for it. This is the nature of poetr. A lot of time, effort, skill and inspiration are poured into writing one effective poem. Master poets can spend weeks, months or years crafting a single poem. We want our students to learn that poems are more than a few short lines arranged creatively on the page. As you head into your poetry unit it is helpful, then, to keep in mind that the process of writing a poem is a powerful learning experience within itself.

There are many entry points into the teaching of poetry. The following ideas are lessons that served my students well throughout our poetry study. We repeated several lessons multiple times throughout the year, as they remained powerful teaching tools each time we approached poetry from a different perspective or topic. Teaching poetry is a creative endeavor. If the teaching of poetry is new to you, I recommend that you start out with a few of the following lessons. Be creative - check out a few books on creative writing (aimed at children or adults) to get new ideas for writing exercises. I recommend PoemCrazy by Susan Wooldridge and any of Natalie Goldberg's books on writing.

Reading poetry with your students is an enriching, formative experience throughout the school year. In many other countries students are required, from an early age, to memorize and recite poems of cultural significance. Many educators around the world depend on the power of poetry to teach their children.