Poetry

The sometimes most difficult but most expressive genre is poetry. It has such a beautiful aspect to it that draws a reader into its form that could be symbolic yet literal simultaneously. This genre holds critical issues such as the following: poetry creates a kinship with the reader where it speaks directly to the child, to the senses, imaginations, emotions, feelings, and childhood experiences; and  poetry helps students to: nurture a love and appreciation for the sound and power of language; engage children in a new or heightened understanding of the world, themselves, and others; broaden experiences with and connections to new concepts in all content areas; validate our human experience; and provide opportunities for children all linguistic and cultural backgrounds to develop important oral language skills through reading and performing poetry.

The connection of this genre into the classroom has its many difficulties but there are always its possibilities that it leaves for the teacher. Some of the connections that have been found are the following: listening to poetry can help children know and understand the different emotions in the poems, use imagery to assist students have mental images about what the poetry is describing, and writing poetry is available for students to express their feelings and could help them deal with problems and possibly find solutions through this.

Examples for poetry are the following:

 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (grades 9-12)

             Two families are at war but when one boy crashes the party of the warring family, little did he know he was going to fall in love with the daughter. This tale of Romeo and Juliet is a classic and the poetry is so full it requires analysis. To understand the love that flamed between the two that they should die for each other, the ultimate sacrifice.

       

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss (grades K-3)

  Dr. Seuss continues the tale of two children who are invited into a magical world where there are fish everywhere. The poetry fulfills this book with all the rhyming to help the children learn about basic concepts such as counting and colors.

 Where the Sidewalk Ends By Shel Silverstein (grades 3-5)

                     In this book filled with poems, Silverstein fills the pages with humor. Each poem has its own unique characteristics and yet all of the poems are silly framed with humor to attract the attention of children.