TEACHING POETRY IN THE CLASSROOM

Teaching Poetry in the Classroom

Steve Schneir
LBS 355 02 Spring 2015

Paper #3 Draft #3

TEACHING POETRY IN THE CLASSROOM

Teaching Poetry in the Classroom

To teach poetry in the classroom or not to teach poetry in the classroom, that is the
question. It is a good question to ask, considering students declining interest in poetry. I believe
the answer is yes, we should be teaching poetry in classrooms. The why is simple, as stated
by the great writer and poet Edgar Allen Poe, "Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in
words." But what about the how? How do we teach poetry in the classroom where the aim is
to make poetry fun, interesting, and allow students to be involved in the creation of beauty in
words? One possible way to teach poetry is to allow students to act out their poems in the form
of mock TV shows or puppet performances. Another way to teach poetry is with a technique
called repeated reading. This requires a student to read the same short poem daily or weekly
strengthening fluency. A third way to teach poetry is exploring verse and rhyme through New
Media which includes digital, interactive experiences on tablets or computers.
Performing poetry requires that a student choose a poem and create a performance
demonstrating the poem. According to Sizmur (2008), year 6 teacher Trevor White has his
students work on a particular poem and create a sketch or a play where the students can act out
the poem. There are several reasons why this is effective and fun for the students. Instead of
simply reading the poem aloud, students are able to flex their creative muscles when deciding
how to act out the play. The students are physically active and able to literally put themselves
into the poem. The students are challenged by working together on one cohesive project. And
finally, the students get to experience each others interpretations of the poem. The concept is
that students dont just read the poem aloud, but experience it with all their senses.
In addition to performing the poem, students can benefit from repeated reading of a
poem. According to Faver (2008), repeated reading involves students reading a particular

TEACHING POETRY IN THE CLASSROOM

passage daily as a way of practicing reading fluency. Given that poetry is meant to be read in a
very specific way to highlight a poems flow and rhythm, or lack thereof, practicing this kind of
reading can be fun and challenging. Even the most experienced reader must pay close attention
to how the poem is written on the page, in order to read it properly. By practicing reading a
poem, the student is solving a puzzle, where getting it just right unlocks the reward of
understanding the meaning behind the poem. This creates a desire for the student to want to read
poetry properly, which enhances the desire to want to learn poetry.
While students can perform their poems and practice reading their poems, they can also
explore poetry within a digital experience. Hughes (2007) talks about making the poem an
interactive experience. Perhaps a poem is written on a webpage with hyper links to pictures,
sound, or reader responses. A student could create words on moving pictures and integrate a
users ability to interact with those pictures. Using computers for teaching and creating poetry is
a logical progression in education given the increased use of technology both in learning and in
our personal lives.
I fear that as students become more involved with non-fiction informational writing as
well as opinion writing, and become less involved with literature and poetry, they will lose
something. To learn how to read poetry is to learn how to pay close attention to punctuation. To
learn how to analyze poetry is to learn how to open your mind and accept multiple possibilities.
Because while roses are red, and violets are blue, whats the color of my heart when it is alone,
and without you? Ask any kid that question and they will think about love and sadness. They
will associate color with emotion. And they will see literal statements juxtaposed against
figurative statements. In my opinion, using very casual speech, thats way cool.

TEACHING POETRY IN THE CLASSROOM

References
Sizmur, J. (2008). Attitudes to reading survey Rhyme or reason? Literacy Today, 57, 29-31.
Favar, S. (2008). Repeated reading of poetry can influence poetry. Reading Teacher, 64, 350
352.
Hughes, J. (2007). Poetry: A powerful medium for literacy and technology development. The
Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, 27 29.