Poetry: A Needed Creative Outlet

The section on writing poetry caught my eye when I was reading through Chapter 7.  Often times poetry is seen as this elegant art of expressing oneself that only adults who have a lot of spare time do.  Contrary to this belief, poetry can be enjoyed by and written by anyone.  In a time when creativity in the classroom is being pushed aside for test prep, writing and reading poetry can serve as that creative outlet that children crave.  We as teachers are asked to engage our students’ high order thinking skills.  Interpreting poetry requires analysis.  Interpreting poetry requires a student to evaluate what he or she thinks the message of the poem means.  It requires students to draw on support to back up their responses.  On the other hand, writing poetry allows for the most creative expression among students.  The use of word-play, rhyme scheme, subject matter, and sentence structure all are blended together in a creative process that requires the student to use higher-order thinking skills.

The only problem is, poetry is seen as boring and hard by many elementary students.  Poetry is seen as bunch of sentences that are jammed together with a message hidden within them.   As teachers, it becomes our job to foster a curiosity and appreciation towards poetry.  I found an amazing video that does just that!  The video is only six minutes in length but does an awesome job giving an example of how to encourage reading and writing poetry within the classroom.  The teacher basically creates a stage setting in the corner of her classroom with an open mic and a makeshift spotlight (picture a poetry slam or stand up comic).  Children then take turns reading their favorite poems or poems that they have written.  Creating a special event for poetry, like an open mic night, attaches feelings of excitement and exploration with it.  As the teacher, be the MC of the event.  Own that mic and really hype up the event!  Children are more likely to become engaged and look forward to these special occurrences.  The more they become engaged with poetry, the higher the chances they will use their higher order thinking skills.

If the Youtube video does not load or does not show up then click here.