Poetry for Teachers For my own bibliography for teaching poetry click here . A quick argument for teachers. Poetry, I've discovered, can be a stunningly important writing destination in the curriculum, even if it isn't mandated. Kids love sharing their own poems, and those of others, orally. Poetry reading is a fabulous way to teach presentation skills and build confidence.
Kids often write from their heart with poems, more than in their prose.
In my opinion, poetry's greatest gifts to writers of all ages is its ability to foster the creation of wonderfully new images and music, and to explore feelings. Getting kids to realize that they have the power and gifts to bring these three jewels shimmering to life in their writing is one of my goals in my school program visits. I stress most is getting kids to look at the images of our lives through a different lens. Seeing things in new ways is the essence of poetry. Using some fun exercises, I try to work with children to paint new mental pictures in unusual ways.