MODULE 2

Poetry for Children

Poetry
Poetry is the expression of ideas and feelings through a rhythmical composition of imaginative and
beautiful words selected for their sonorous effects. In its origin, poetry was oral, and as various minstrels
traversed the countryside, they recited poetry and sang songs to groups of listeners of all ages. The
musicality of poetry makes it an especially suitable literary form for teachers to read aloud and, at times,
to put to music.

Children often believe that rhyme is an essential ingredient of poetry; yet some types of poetry do not
rhyme. What, then, distinguishes poetry from prose? The concentration of thought and feeling expressed
in succinct, exact, and beautiful language, as well as an underlying pulse or rhythm are the traits that most
strongly set poetry apart from prose.

Not all rhyming, rhythmical language merits the label of poetry. Verse is a language form in which simple
thoughts or stories are told in rhyme with a distinct beat or meter. Nursery rhymes are good examples of
well-known, simple verses for children. And, of course, we are all too aware of the jingle, a catchy
repetition of sounds heard so often in commercials. The most important feature of verses and jingles is
their strong rhyme and rhythm. Content is light or even silly. Although verses and jingles can be enjoyable
and have a place in the classroom, poetry can enrich children's lives by giving them new insights and
fresh views on life's experiences and by bringing forth strong emotional responses.

Types of Poetry Books

Poetry touches our minds and hearts through drawing on our five senses. Children, too, are reached by
poetry, even though the subjects that move them may differ from those that move adults. A wide variety
of poetry books is available today for use by students and teachers. Selecting books of poetry for use in
the classroom as bridges between classroom activities, as materials for reading, and as literature for
enjoyment will require teachers to review and evaluate the many types of poetry books: anthologies, and
nursery rhyme books, nursery and folk songbooks, books of poems on special topics and by favorite poets,
and single illustrated poems in picture book formats.

Mother Goose and Nursery Rhyme Books

Mother Goose and nursery rhyme books are heavily illustrated collections of traditional verse. Tomie de
Paola's Mother Goose, collected and illustrated by Tomie de Paola, is a good example. Often, a familiar
illustration is all a child needs to get her or him to recite one of these well-loved verses. Collected nursery
rhymes first appeared in editions of Charles Perrault's Tales of Mother Goose in France in the early
eighteenth century. These verses are now part of our children's literary heritage. Also, they have proven
to be a wonderful introduction to the world of literature for young children. In societies in which countless
allusions are made every day to the characters and situations found in nursery rhymes, knowledge of this
literature is a mark of being culturally literate.

Because so many of these verses exist, the better collections include large numbers of them thoughtfully
organized around themes or topics; they are indexed by titles or first lines. A favorite book of this kind is
The Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes, collected and illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli. Some
lesser-known traditional verses were collected and illustrated by Arnold Lobel in The Random House Book
of Mother Goose.

Nursery and Folk Songbooks

Nursery and folk songbooks are heavily illustrated collections of both traditional and modern verses and
their musical notation. Songs from Mother Goose, compiled by Nancy Larrick and illustrated by Robin
Spowart, is a good example. Melody further emphasizes the innate musicality of these verses and turns
some verses into games ("Ring around the Roses") and others into lullabies ("Rock-a-bye Baby"). In
choosing a songbook, teachers, librarians, and parents should ascertain that there is a good selection of
songs and that the music is well arranged for young voices and playable. Those who plan to work with
preschoolers and first- and second-graders will be wise to make these songs part of their repertoire.

Anthologies of Poetry
A large, comprehensive anthology of poetry for children is a must in every classroom. Anthologies should
be organized by subjects for easy retrieval of poems appropriate for almost any occasion. In addition,
indices of poets and titles, or first lines, are usually provided in these texts. Works by contemporary and
traditional poets can be found in most of these anthologies; they appeal to a wide age range, providing
nursery rhymes for toddlers as well as longer, narrative poems for the middle-grade student. An example
is A New Treasury of Children's Poetry: Old Favorites and New Discoveries, selected by Joanna Cole.

Specialized Poetry Books

Specialized poetry books are also readily available in which the poems are all by one poet, on one topic,
for one age group, or of one poetic form. These specialized collections become necessary adjuncts for a
teacher and class who come to love certain kinds of poetry or specific poets. Beautifully illustrated
collections are also available and seem to be especially enjoyed by children for independent reading of
poetry. Examples include Words with Wrinkled Knees: Animal Poems by Barbara Juster Esbensen and
Doodle Soup by John Ciardi.

Single Illustrated Poems

Single narrative poems of medium length are presented more frequently in picture book formats. These
editions make poetry more appealing and accessible to many children, but in some cases the illustrations
may remove the opportunity for children to form their own mental images from the language created by
poets. The poetry section of your school library is worth perusing for interesting poetry books to use in
the classroom.

ELEMENTS OF POETRY
Just as with a work of fiction, the elements of a poem should be considered if the reader is to understand
and evaluate the poem. Each of these parts-meaning, rhythm, sound patterns, figurative language, and
sense imagery is discussed below.

Meaning.
Meaning is the underlying idea, feeling, or mood expressed through the poem. As with other literary
forms; poetry is a form of communication; it is the way a poet chooses to express emotions and thoughts.
Thus, the meaning of the poem is the expressed or implied message the poet conveys.
Rhythm
Rhythm is the beat or regular cadence of the poem. Poetry, usually an oral form of literature, relies on
rhythm to help communicate meaning. A fast rhythm is effected through short lines, clipped syllables,
sharp, high vowel sounds, such as the sounds represented by the letters a, e, and i, and abrupt consonant
sounds, such as the sounds represented by the letters k, t, w, and p. A fast rhythm can provide the listener
with a feeling of happiness, excitement, drama, and even tension and suspense. A slow rhythm is effected
by longer lines, multisyllabic words, full or low vowel sounds such as the sounds represented by the
letters o and u, and resonating consonant sounds such as the sounds represented by the letters m, n, and
r. A slow rhythm can evoke languor, tranquility, inevitability, and harmony, among other feelings. A
change in rhythm during a poem signals the listener to a change in meaning.

In the poems that follow, "Song of the Train" exhibits a fast rhythm that evokes the rapid speed of a
train; "Slowly" proceeds more slowly in communicating the calm and quiet of summer.

Song of the Train

Clickety-clack,
Wheels on the track,
This is the way
They begin the attack:
Click-ety-clack,
Clickety-clack,
Click-ety-clack-ety,
Click-ety
Clack.
Clickety-clack,
Over the crack,
Faster and faster
The song of the track:
Clickety-clack,
Clickety-clack,
Ciickety, clacket:y,
Clackety
Clack.
Riding in front,
Riding in back,
Everyone hears
The song of the track:
Clickety-clack,
Clickety, clack,
Clicket:y, clicket
Clackety
Clack.

-DAVID McCoRo (1952)

Slowly
Slowly the tide creeps up the sand,
Slowly the shadows cross the land.
Slowly the cart-horse pulls his mile,
Slowly the old man mounts the stile.

Slowly the hands move round the clock,

Slowly the dew dries on the dock.
Slow is the snail-but slowest of all
The green moss spreads on the old brick wall.

-JAMES REEVES (1963)

Sound Patterns
Sound patterns are made by repeated sounds and combinations of sounds in the words. Words, phrases,
or lines are sometimes repeated in their entirety. Also, parts of words maybe repeated, as with rhyme,
the sound device that children most recognize and enjoy. Rhyme occurs when the ends of words (the last
vowel sound and any consonant sound that may follow it) have the same sounds. Examples of rhyming
words are vat, rat, that, brat, and flat, as well as hay, they, flay, stray, and obey. Assonance is another
pattern poets use for effects. In this case, the same vowel sound is heard repeatedly within a line or a few
lines of poetry. Assonance is exemplified in these words: hoop, gloom, moon, moot, and boots.
Alliteration is a pattern in which initial consonant sounds are heard frequently within a few lines of poetry.
Examples are ship, shy, and shape. Consonance is similar to alliteration but usually refers to a close
juxtaposition of similar final consonant sounds, as in flake, chuck, and stroke. Onomatopoeia is the device
in which the sound of the word imitates the real-world sound. Examples are buzz for the sound of a bee
and hiss for the sound a snake makes.

Figurative Language
Figurative language takes many different forms, but it involves comparing or contrasting one object idea
or feeling. A simile is a direct comparison, typically using like or as to point out the similarities. Metaphor
is an implied comparison without a signal word to evoke the similarities. Personification is the attribution
of human qualities to animate, non- human beings or to inanimate objects for the purpose of drawing a
comparison between the animal or object and human beings. Hyperbole is an exaggeration to highlight
reality or to point out ridiculousness. Children often delight in hyperbole because it appeals to their strong
sense of the absurd.

Sense Imagery
A poet will play on one or more of the five senses in descriptive and narrative language. Sight may be
awakened through the depiction of beauty; hearing may be evoked by the sounds of a city street; smell
and taste may be recalled through the description of a fish left too long in the sun; and finally, touch can
be sensitized through describing the gritty discomfort of a wet swimsuit caked with sand from the beach.
After listening to a poem, children can be asked to think about which of the senses the poet is appealing
to.

These elements of poetry may be considered to select varied types of poems and to group them for
presentation. However, little is gained by teaching each of these elements as a separate item to be
memorized and/or analyzed. Poetic analysis has caused many students to dislike poetry. On the other
hand, students whose teachers love poetry, select it wisely, read it aloud well, and provide students with
many opportunities to enjoy it will come to appreciate poetry.

Evaluation and Selection of Poetry

The criteria to keep in mind in evaluating a poem for use with children are as follows:

 The ideas and feelings expressed are worthy, fresh, and imaginative.
 The expression of the ideas and feelings is unique, often causing the reader to perceive ordinary
things in new ways.
 The poem is appropriate to the experiences of children and does not preach to them.
 The poem presents the world through a child's perspective and focuses on children's lives and
activities as well as on activities to which people of all ages can relate.
 A poem that panders to children's base instincts is probably best avoided and replaced by other
enjoyable, worthy choices.
 Poetry collections should be judged on the quality of the poetry choices. If you decide that the
poetry is well selected, consider the illustrations and the appearance of the book. Beautiful
illustrations do not ensure a good collection of poems within the covers.
 Children report a preference for narrative poems. You will want to include some narrative poems
along with other types of poetry.

Although certain poets may be favored by your students, they will also enjoy the poetry of many other
writers thus, be sure to share with your students poems by a variety of authors.

Although more poetry for children is being written and published and many teachers and their students
are enjoying this genre of literature, some teachers report that they do not share poetry because of their
uncertainty about selecting poems for their students. By learning about students' preferences in poetry
and some of the best-loved poems and most respected poets, a teacher can become more skillful at
selecting good and enjoyable poems for students.

Children's Poetry Preferences

The findings from two surveys of children's poetry preferences can be helpful to teachers in selecting
poems for a new group of students. Fisher and Natarella (1982) surveyed primary-grade children and
their teachers, and Terry (1974) studied intermediate-grade children. The two age groups were similar,
although not identical, in their preferences.

• Both age groups preferred narrative poems over lyric poems.

• Limericks were the favored poetic form of both age groups.
• Free verse and haiku were not well liked by either age group.
• Children of both age groups preferred poems that had pronounced sound patterns of all kinds,
but especially enjoyed poems that rhymed.
• Rhythm was also an important element to students of both age groups; they preferred poems
with regular, distinctive beats.
 • Imagery and figurative language were not as well received by students of both age groups;
students reported that they did not always understand poems with considerable figurative
language.
• Children of both age groups liked humorous poems, poems about animals, and poems about
enjoyable familiar experiences.
• The subjects most preferred by primary-grade children were strange and fantastic events,
animals, and other children; the older children preferred the realistic contents of humor,
enjoyable familiar experiences and animals

A study by Kutiper and Wilson (1993) was conducted to determine whether an examination of school
library circulation records would confirm the findings of the earlier poetry preference studies. The findings
of this library circulation study indicated that the humorous contemporary poetry of Shel Silverstein and
Jack Prelutsky dominated the students' choices. The collections of poetry written by the NCTE award
winners did not circulate widely; nor were they widely available in the school libraries studied, even
though these poets reflect a higher quality of language and usage than is found in the light verse so
popular with students. Kutiper and Wilson stated that real interest in poetry must go beyond Prelutsky
and Silverstein. This interest needs to be developed by teachers who provide an array of poetry that
builds on students' natural interests.

Children's appreciation of poetry can be broadened and deepened by a good teacher, but you may be
wise to proceed with caution on less-liked aspects of poetry until your students become fans of poetry.
Thus, a good selection of rhyming, narrative poems with distinct rhythms about humorous events, well-
liked familiar experiences, and animals is a good starting point for students who have little experience
with poetry.

Historical Overview of Poetry

Poetry for children began centuries ago in the form of nursery rhymes that were recited to babies and
toddlers by caregivers. These verses were passed along via the oral tradition. The earliest published
collection of nursery rhymes that survives today is Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book. (1744), which is
housed in the British Museum (Gillespie, 1970). This songbook contains familiar rhymes such as "Hickory
Dickory Dock" and "Mary Mary Quite Contrary" These rhymes and others like them came to be called
Mother Goose rhymes, but the term Mother Goose was first used in France by Charles Perrault in his
Stories and Tales of Past Times with Morals; or, Tales of Mother Goose (1697) to refer to his collection of
fairy tales. Later editions contained nursery rhymes, which became so popular that Mother Goose be-
came a general name for nursery rhymes. The rhymes are light, rhythmical, and often nonsensical verses
shared with young children. The rhymes are recited by parents, and children soon become familiar with
them and join in the fun. For many, nursery rhymes and other poems were the first forms of literature
experienced; these poems symbolize the reassuring sounds of childhood.

Another early type of poetry was quite different from nursery rhymes and was intended for a somewhat
older audience of children. Poems of a moral and religious bent were shared with obvious didactic intent,
reflecting the strict attitude toward the rearing of children that held sway in the Western world from the
Middle Ages to the late nineteenth century Fear of death and punishment was instilled as a means of
gaining obedience to authority. Ann and Jane Taylor's Original Poems, for lnfant Minds, by Several Young
Persons (1804) provided verse of this kind. Some titles of poems from this early collection are "The Idle
Boy," "Greedy Richard," "Meddlesome Matty," and "The Church-Yard." A few purely descriptive,
nondidactic poems from this same collection are still remembered today, especially '"Twinkle, Twinkle
Little Star." Clement Moore's "Visit from St. Nicholas" (1823), another nondidactic, narrative poem, is still
enjoyed and known today as “Twas the Night Before Christmas."

Poetry for children flourished from the middle of the nineteenth century through the 1920s, a period that
can be considered the Golden Age of Poetry for Children. The Golden Age of Poetry moved away from
moralistic poetry and instead provided children with poems describing the beauty of life and nature, with
poems of humor, nonsense, and word fun, and with imaginative poems that interpreted life from the
child's perspective. Much of the Golden Age poetry retains its appeal for today's children; for example, A
Child's Garden of Verses (1885) by Robert Louis Stevenson remains a favorite collection of poems among
parents and children. This positive shift in poetry for children set the standard for poetry for the remainder
of the twentieth century.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the general trend toward realism in children's literature was also reflected in
poetry. More topics considered suitable for the child audience resulted in protest poetry, poems about
girls in nontraditional roles, and irreverent poems. For example, parents, teachers, and other adults
became fair game for ridicule and mockery. Minority poets were more frequently published, and their
poetry gained in popularity. Most of the early poetry for children before the 1950s was by English poets,
but during the last half of the century, many U.S., Canadian, and Australian poets have gained favor with
children. Poems by John Ciardi, Myra Cohn Livingston, Jack PreIutsky, Shel Silverstein, Dennis Lee, and
Max Fatchen have engendered popular interest in this genre.

Popularity of poetry in the classroom began in 1980s continues into this decade. Developments in the
publishing industry attest to this popularity. For example, Boyds Mills Press has a division devoted to
children's poetry, called Windsong. Publishers continue to present both single poems and collections of
poems in beautifully illustrated book formats. In the 1980s, Nancy Willard's A Visit to William BlakeInn:
Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers and Paul Fleischman's Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices
received Newbery Medals, indicating greater recognition of poetry for young people in the United States.
In 1994, the Japanese poet Michie Mado was awarded the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal,
an honor seldom bestowed on a poet. An increase in the publication of anthologies of poems by and about
minorities, such as Pass It On, edited by Wade Hudson, has also been noted in the 1990s. This increased
publication has also resulted in greater attention to earlier African American poets, such as Paul Laurence
Dunbar, Countee Cullen, and Langston Hughes.

POETRY TYPES AND FORMS

Poetry can be classified in many ways; one way to consider two main types that generally differ in purpose:
lyric and narrative poetry. Lyric poetry captures a moment, a feeling, or a scene, and is descriptive in
nature, whereas narrative poetry tells a story or includes a sequence of events. From this definition, you
will recognize the following selection to be a lyric poem:

Giraffes
Stilted creatures,
Features fashioned as a joke,
Boned and buckled,
Finger painted,
They stand in the field
On long-pronged legs
As if thrust there.
They airily feed,
Slightly swaying,
Like hammer-headed flowers.

Bizarre they are,

Built silent and high,
Ornaments against the sky.
Ears like leaves
To hear the silken
Brushing of the clouds.
- SY KAHN (1967)

The next selection is an example of a narrative poem:

The Broken-Legg'd Man

I saw the other day when I went shopping in the store

A man I hadn't ever ever seen in there before,
A man whose leg was broken and who leaned upon a crutch –
I asked him very kindly if it hurt him very much,
"Not at all!" said the broken-legg'd man.

I ran around behind him for I thought that I would see

The broken leg all bandaged up and bent back at the knee;
But I didn't see the leg at all, there wasn't any there,
So I asked him very kindly if he had it hid somewhere.
"Not at all!" said the broken-legg'd man.

“Then where," I asked him, “is it? Did a tiger bite it off?
Or did you get your foot wet when you had a nasty cough?
Did someone jump down on your leg when it was very new?
Or did you simply cut it off because you wanted to?"
''Not at all!" said the broken-legg'd man.

"What was it then?" I asked the man, and this is what he said:"
I crossed a busy crossing when the traffic light was red;
A big black car came whizzing by and knocked me off my feet."
"Of course you looked both way" I said, "before you crossed the street."
"Not at all!" said the broken-legg'd man.

"They rushed me to a hospital right quickly," he went on,

"And when I woke in nice white sheets I saw my leg was gone;
That's why you see me walking now on nothing but a crutch."
''I'm glad," said I, ''you told me, and I thank you very much!"
''Not at all!" said the broken-legg'd man

-JOHN MACKEY SHAW (1967)

Poetry can also be categorized by its poetic form, which refers to the way the poem is structured or put
-together. Couplets, tercets, quatrains, and cinquains refer to the number (two, three, four, and five) of
lines of poetry in a stanza-a set of lines of poetry grouped together. Couplets, tercets, quatrains, and
cinquains usually rhyme, though the rhyme scheme may vary; these poetic forms may constitute an entire
poem, or a poem may be comprised of a few stanzas of couplets, tercets, and so on.

Other specific poetic forms frequently found in children's poetry are limericks, ballads, haiku, free verse,
and concrete poetry.
A limerick is a humorous, one-stanza, five-line verse form (usually a narrative), in which lines 1, 2, and 5
rhyme and are of the same length and lines 3 and 4 rhyme and are of the same length but shorter than
the other lines. The following is an example of a limerick by Edward Lear, the poet who popularized this
poetic form in the nineteenth century.

There was a young lady of Firle,

Whose hair was addicted to curl;
It curled up a tree,
And all over the sea,
That expansive young lady of Firle.

-EDWARD LEAR

A ballad is a fairly long narrative poem of popular origin, usually adapted to singing. These traditional story
poems are often romantic or heroic. "The Outlandish Knight,” thirteen-stanza ballad, tells the tale of the
clever young woman who tricks the man who deceived her.

THE OUTLANDISH KNIGHT

An outlandish knight came out of the North,

To woo a maiden fair,
He promised to take her to the North lands,
Her father's only heir.

"Come, fetch me some of your father's gold,

And some of your mother's fee;
And two of the best nags out of the stable,
Where they stand thirty and three."

She fetched him some of her father's gold

And some of her mother's fee;
And two of the best nags out of the stable,
Where they stood thirty and three.

He mounted her on her milk-white steed,

He on the dapple grey;
They rode till they came unto the sea-side,
Three hours before it was day

''Light off, light off thy milk-white steed,

And deliver it unto me;
Six pretty maids have I drowned here,
And thou the seventh shall be."

"Pull off, pull off thy silken gown,

And deliver it unto me;
Methinks it looks too rich and too gay
To rot in the salt sea."

"Pull off, pull off thy silken stays,

And deliver them unto me;
Methinks they are too fine and gay
To rot in the salt sea."

"Pull off, pull off the Holland smock

And deliver it unto me;
Methinks it looks too rich and gay
To rot in the salt sea."

"If I must pull off my Holland smock,

Pray turn thy back unto me,
For it is not fitting that such a ruffian
A woman unclad should see."

He turned his back towards her,

And viewed the leaves so green;
She catch'd him round the middle so small,
And tumbled him into the stream.

He dropped high, and he dropped low,

Until he came to the tide-
"Catch hold of my hand, my pretty maiden, And I will make you my bride."
"Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man, Lie there instead of me;
Six pretty maidens have you drowned here,
And the seventh has drowned thee."

She mounted on her milk-white steed,

And led the dapple grey
She rode til she came to her father's hall,
Three hours before it was day

-TRADITIONAL
Haiku is a lyric, unrhymed poem of Japanese origin with seventeen syllables, arranged on three lines with
a syllable count of five, seven, and five. Haiku is highly evocative poetry that frequently espouses harmony
with and appreciation of nature. Here is an example.

Small bird, forgive me.

I'll hear the end of your song
in some other world.

-ANONYMOUS (TRANSLATED by HARRY BEHN)

Free verse is unrhymed poetry with little or light rhythm. Sometimes words within a line will rhyme. The
subjects of free verse are often abstract and philosophical; they are always reflective.

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

Look out!
If you aren’t careful
it will happen like this: Someone
will say the word
and that
word
will catapult you down
the halls out
the doors and into
a serious collision
with
SUMMER!

-BARBARA JUSTER ESBENSEN (1984)

Concrete poetry is written and printed in a shape that signifies the subject of the poem. Concrete poems
are a form of poetry that must be seen as well as heard to be fully appreciated. These poems do not
usually have rhyme or definite rhythm; they rely mostly on the words, their meanings and shapes, and
the way the words are arranged on the page to evoke images. In "Concrete Cat" you will note through the
position of the word that the mouse appears to have met with an accident.

CONCRETE CAT
Poetry in the Classroom
Poetry is enjoyable for students of all ages. It enhances students' development of literacy. Teachers and
librarians can entice students into a lifelong love for poetry through making available a well-balanced
collection of poetry books and through providing many experiences with poetry.

Students’ Listening to and Saying Poems

Teachers and librarians can begin by providing even very young students with many opportunities to hear
and say poems. Later, when students have developed a love of poetry and an affinity for the language
play in poems, students can read poetry by fine poets and poems by their classmates and can begin to
write poems themselves. In other words, poetry needs to be shared in both oral and written forms.

Poetry should be introduced first and often to children in an oral form. As discussed earlier, poetry was in
its origins an oral form of literature; it still relies heavily on the auditory perceptions of listeners.
Moreover, children's oral language is the basis for their later acquisition of literacy. These two facts
combine nicely to make listening to poems and saying poems a natural early introduction to literature for
children. Some teachers report that they do not share poetry with their students because of their
uncertainty about how to read it aloud. By practicing the poems ahead of time and by reading poetry
frequently, a teacher can overcome this reluctance. The rewards to both students and teachers are worth
the effort.

Reading Poetry Aloud to Children

Poetry should be read aloud to students on a daily basis. Brief, positive encounters with one to three
poems at a time are best. Too many poems in one sitting may overwhelm students or make the reading
tedious. Introduce the poem to the class before reading either by tying the poem in with something else
or by briefly telling why you chose to read this poem aloud. Then state the title of the poem and begin to
read. After reading the poem, be sure to announce the name of the poet so that students discover the
writers they especially enjoy. In addition, the following points will help you to read poetry well.

• The most important rule to keep in mind is that poetry should be read for its meaning. Stress the
meaning elements of the poem just as you do when reading prose. Often, the words in poetry are
phrased in such a way that you must continue past the end of the line to the next line before
pausing. In other words, the breaks must be determined by the meaning units of the poem, not
by the lines.
• A corollary of the first rule is that a reader should not overemphasize the beat of the poem. Doing
so results in an annoying singsong effect. The natural rhythm of the poem will be felt in a more
interesting way if you avoid an unnatural, meaningless reading and let the poetic language provide
the rhythm.
• Poetry should be enunciated clearly. Each sound and each syllable of a poem are important and
must be heard to be appreciated. This often means that you will need to slow down your normal
reading pace to give full value to each sound.
• Poetry needs to be performed and dramatized. Take some chances and try out different effects
using different voices, elongating words, and singing, shouting, whispering, and pausing
dramatically, and so on as you read poems aloud. Your voice is a powerful tool: You may change
it from louder to softer to only a whisper; you may start at a deep, low pitch and rise to a medium
 and eventually high pitch; you may speak very quickly in a clipped fashion and then slow down
and drawl out the words.
• Poems may need to be read aloud a number of times because their meanings may be perceived
only after the literal sense is known. Also, favorite poems can be enjoyed again and again, as
teachers and students savor one more reading. Another way to provide students with
opportunities to listen to poems is by recording audiotapes of poems for the listening center and
making them available along with the poem in print, on a chart or in a book, for the student to
listen to and read. Commercially made tapes with popular poets reading their works,
accompanied by music, are available and are quite popular with children. Some teachers have
asked parents to peruse a poetry anthology, select a favorite poem, and then read the poem on
tape for use in the listening center.
• After reading a poem aloud, some form of response is usually enjoyed. Sometimes the response
students have to a poem is simply the desire to hear it again. Other times, students need just a
few moments to reflect silently on the poem. Some poems warrant discussion, and students can
take the opportunity to tell how the poem made them feel or what it made them think about.

Choral Poetry
A time-honored technique for providing opportunities to say and hear poems over and over again is given
by choral poetry. Choral poetry consists of interpreting and saying a poem together as a group activity.
These poems may either be practiced and recited aloud or rehearsed and read aloud. Students enjoy this
way of experiencing poetry because they have a participatory role in the activity. Most poetry, intended
to be listened to, is suitable for choral presentation. The following sections explain how to select choral
poems and teach them to students.

• Selection
At first, select a short poem (from one to four stanzas) until your students develop some skill in
memorizing, reciting, and performing poems. Humorous narrative poems are good first choices.
Later, you will want to experiment with longer poems.

• Memorization
For most choral presentations, the first step is for the teacher to select and read aloud a poem
that is well liked by the students. Then each line or pair of lines is said by the teacher and repeated
by the students until they know them. It is preferable for the students to repeat the lines after
the teacher and for the teacher to avoid reciting with the class, so that the students will commit
the poem to memory instead of waiting for the teacher's voice. Once the entire poem is learned
in this way, variations can be added for performing the poem. Although students need to rehearse
a poem to intone it similarly, some longer poems with older students who read well will not be
memorized but will be practiced and read together as a group.

• Arrangements
Options for reading a poem chorally include unison, two or three-part, solo voices, cumulative
buildup, and simultaneous voices, as explained:
- In unison choral speaking, the students learn the poem and recite it together as a
group. Two-part or three-part choral poetry is usually based on arranging students
into voice types (for example, high, medium, and low) to achieve different effects and
by selecting lines of the poem for each group to recite or read.
-
 - Solo voices can be added to either of these presentations and are sometimes used for
asking a question or making an exclamation.
- Some poems lend themselves to cumulative buildup presentations. A cumulative
buildup is effected by having, for example, only two voices say the first line, then two
more join in on the second, and then two more, gradually building to a crescendo until
the entire class says the last line or stanza.
- Poems can be presented by simultaneous recitation, which forms a presentation
similar to a musical round. In this case, group one begins the poem and recites it all
the way through. When group one begins the third line, for example, then group two
starts the first line, and the two groups recite simultaneously until the end. Other
groups can, of course, be added.
- Poetry selected and arranged for dramatic choral readings on a particular theme
infuses an interesting variation into choral poetry.

Many other variations can be developed for use in choral presentations. Let imagination be your
guide. Words and lines can be spun into ghostly moans, or barked, or sung, or repeated.
Choreography adds visual impact, as do simple props. As soon as children learn that poems do
not have to be read sedately through exactly as written, they will begin to find excitement and
deeper meaning in poetry.

• Performance.
Incorporating action, gestures, body movements, and finger plays can produce more interesting
and enjoyable presentations. Occasionally performing a well-honed choral poem for an audience
can bring pride to young performers. Remember, the best audiences are close by-the class next
door, the principal, the librarian, the custodian, or a visiting parent. Students truly enjoy this
nonthreatening way of sharing poetry. Stimulate creativity by reading different poems and
allowing various interpretations to reveal the imagination and insight of your students.

In addition to the group activity of performing choral poetry, teachers can encourage an individual
student to learn a poem by heart, voluntarily, and then to recite the poem in a small group or as
part of a group performance, perhaps around a theme.

Students Reading and Writing Poems

• Learning to Read Poetry
Children enjoy reading poetry silently and aloud to others. The classroom library corner should
have one or two comprehensive poetry anthologies for students to browse through for general
purposes. In addition, two or three specialized collections by a single poet, and another two or
three books of poems on a single topic, are needed as well. Students can be encouraged to make
copies of their favorite poems from these various collections to develop personal, individual
anthologies. Many students choose to illustrate these and arrange the poems in new and
inventive ways. Rotating the poetry books occasionally over the course of the school year will
spark renewed interest in reading poetry.
Other activities to encourage the reading of poetry by students follow:
- Place students in pairs to take turns reading favorite poems to one another. Make videotapes or
audiotapes of these readings and permit students to listen to or watch their own and other
students' readings of poetry. Teachers have found that when students listen to their own reading
of poetry they begin to note singsong readings and learn to avoid them.
- Ask each student to select three poems by one poet and find something out about the poet; then
place students in small groups of five or six to tell briefly about the poet and read the three poems
aloud. Comments on the work of more than forty poets and examples of their poetry can assist
students in this activity.
- Have students find three poems on the same topic, such as trees, mice, or friendship; then read
them aloud in small groups.
- Students may also find poems that are of the same poetic form- cinquains, limericks, and so forth;
or that exhibit similar poetic elements-rhyme, alliteration, or onomatopoeia; or that have fast or
slow rhythms. These poems can then comprise the poems for reading aloud that day or week.

• Learning to Write Poetry

A rich poetry environment stimulates children's interest in writing their own poems. Children
need to be very familiar with poetry of many kinds and by many poets before they should be
expected to compose poems.

Teachers often start the writing of poetry as a collaborative effort. The class brainstorms for ideas,
then composes the poem orally as the teacher writes it on the board or on chart paper. As
students become comfortable with writing group poetry, they can branch off and begin
composing poems in pairs or their own individual poems.

Children should be reminded that poetry is a form of communication and that they should think
of an idea, feeling, or event to write about in their poems. They should be reminded that poetry
does not have to rhyme and that they may write about something of interest to them. Children's
poetry follows no absolute rules; perfection of form should not be a goal. Other suggestions to
foster poetry writing include the following:

- Have students compile personal and class anthologies of their own poems or their favorite
poems.
- Design bulletin boards with poetry displays of students' own poems as well as copies of
poems by favorite poets.
- Let students rework a narrative poem into a different genre, such as a newspaper article or
a letter. In turn, students may attempt the reverse-taking a newspaper article and putting
it to verse.
- Suggest to students that they design posters, individually or in groups, to illustrate a favorite
poem.
- Posters are then displayed around the school for a few weeks.
- Encourage students to model the works of professional poets by attempting imitation of a
whole poem or of specific techniques.
- Read aloud many poems of one poetic form; then analyze the form with the students to
reveal the characteristics of its structure. Quatrains, cinquains, haiku, concrete poems, and
limericks can all be used as models with students once they have an appreciation for poetry
and for the specific poetic form.
Finally, there is a list of Do's and Don'ts for teaching poetry:
Do’s Don’ts
• Read poetry aloud every day • Limit poetry choices to one or two poets or
types of poems

• Practice reading a poem before reading it • Choose all poems from one anthology
aloud for the first time to students

• Choose poetry that the students will like • Have poetry marathon days or weeks to
make up for not sharing poetry regularly

• Intersperse classic poems/poets with more • Read poems in singsong style

popular poems and poets

• Make a variety of excellent poetry • Make the analysis of poetry the focus of
anthologies and specialized poetry books poetry study
available in the classroom

• Inspire students to enjoy poetry by reciting • Force students to memorize and recite
poems from memory and by sharing poems poems
that you have written

• Encourage students to recite and write • Forget to display students’ original poems
poems

• Direct choral poetry presentations • Have students copy poems for handwriting
practice

• Feature a notable poet each month • Make the main emphasis of poetry be
writing of formula poems

• Begin and end each day with a poem • Forget poetry