Poetry - ten reasons why we need it in the classroom

I love teaching poetry - read on to find out why?

I have included some video links and a Pinterest page link at the end of this post. 

(please note the poems by my students are first draft and haven't been edited at all)

A big hello this week from Paula's Place

 

These are my ten reasons why I use poetry in my learning space

Poetry is enjoyable

Children need to develop a love of poetry, they need to enjoy reading the whimsical nature that most poetry has.  Reading needs to consist of all types of texts and poetry is one of them. 

Poetry increases Vocabulary 

Choosing each word carefully is a skill that develops over time. 

It is a great way to explore alliteration, personification, onomatopoeia, metaphors and similes.

Poetry impacts on other writing

Other text types become richer, as we work on the play of words, meanings and how to manipulate what the reader build as a picture. 

Poetry gives children the freedom to explore

Children don't often choose poetry to read and the more we share and explore the more they want to explore. As teachers we need to build up a selection of poetry to share and just for enjoyment. They make great read alouds.

Poetry helps to show the writing cycle in a shorter space of time

Writing a poem allows for planning - drafting - revising - buddy edit - conferencing - publishing all to occur in relatively short space of time. 

Poetry supports struggling and beginning writers

As the finished product is usually only a few lines - it supports success for beginning or struggling writers. 

Poetry allows for differentiation and point of need

No matter what type f poetry or skill level all children can write or recite some form of poetry. 

Poetry allows us to have fun with words

Poetry doesn't have to rhyme, it doesn't have to be punctuated like a narrative, it can be long and it can be short. 

Poetry needs to spoken with intonation 

Poetry is a great way to practise fluency, voices and to be able to experiment with different presentation styles. it is a great way to help assess speaking and listening. 

Poetry helps us track how language has changed over time

Ye olde poetry is fun to share and compare with what we read today. We don't need to over analyse poetry, but we need to be able to understand it - what better way to get across the importance of understanding your audience. 

Here are some great youtube clips to use in your class

These have always been great books and they now have updated covers....

 

Here are some books to motivate you - links from Pinterest

 

Take the plunge and start exploring and having fun with our crazy language.