Poetry

Poetry is divided into three main forms: lyric, narrative, and dramatic. Each form can then be divided into many subdivisions, each consisting of a rhyme scheme, rhythm, and/or style. With poetry, there can be an endless amount of styles using endless amounts of techniques. Lyric poetry focuses on thoughts and emotion and can consist of a song-like quality. It doesn't attempt to tell a story. The lyric poem has been around for centuries and has played a large role in literature history. Narratives are poems that tell stories. Many narrative poems are performance pieces. They hold oral traditions in which poetry was used as a way of memorization. Without narrative poetry, many of the stories we love may not exist today. History and much of what we know about ancient life, politics, and warfare would only be left to our imagination. Dramatic poetry is any drama written in verse which is meant to be spoken, usually to tell a story or portray a situation.

Students should have access to various styles of poetry so that they can see all of the many different forms. With poetry, there isn't necessarily a right or wrong way to write it, so it can give students more freedom to express themselves. Children need to be introduced to poetry at a young age so that they learn to understand it. Many times older kids don't like poetry because they weren't taught how to understand it when they were younger. It can also have many educational purposes in the classroom. Poetry can be a great way to teach students voice, and also that they should be picky about the words they choose to carry their ideas. It can help them be conscious of choosing one word over another. Using poems to help remember information is also very effective. Poetry is also an excellent method to teach rhyming and sentence fluency, because poetry generally has an easy flow to it.


Awards: 
Poetry Society of America Annual Awards 
Poetry Foundation Awards 

Author or Text Resources:
Robert Frost 
Slam Poems 

General Resources:
poem-a-day 
Can Poetry Matter? 

Quality Teaching Ideas:
Lesson Plans 
Tips for Teaching Poetry 
5 Poetry Teaching Tips for New Teachers 

Some of my favorite book choices:

Mirror Mirror
By: Marilyn Singer

This book of reflection poems when read in reverse tell a new story and make sense read both ways. There are two other books in the series: Follow Follow and Echo Echo.  These poetry books can help to teach fluency, but is also a cool concept to teach students and have them try to write their own poem doing the same.

Singer, Marilyn. (2010). Mirror mirror: A book of reverse poems. New York, New York: Dutton Books.  


Grade level span:  n.a., Lexile Level: n.a., Grade Level: 3.2
Grade level span for class read aloud: 1-4
Major themes addressed: various subject matter
Qualities of the writing: very unique format, mind-bending poetry
Connections to local, national, or global issues: various subject matter
Facets that might require support: understanding how poems can be read two different ways
Support that might be needed: show students how the poems are mirror images of themselves


You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together
By: Mary Ann Hoberman


This book is full of stories written in poem form. Each poem is designed for two readers to read together. They would work really well for two students to practice partner reading, or for a teacher and student to read together.

Hoberman, Mary Ann. (2006). You read to me, I'll read to you: Very short stories to read together. New York, New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Grade level span:  K-1, Lexile Level: 330L, Grade Level: 1.9
Grade level span for class read aloud: K-2
Major themes addressed: various subject matter
Qualities of the writing: work well for partner reading
Connections to local, national, or global issues: various subject matter
Facets that might require support: organization
Support that might be needed: model for students what the read aloud should look like