The program uses comparative examples that show how understanding and enjoying poetry relates to other activities students have experienced. How a poet uses all of his skills to condense experience, communicate feelings, capture the imagination, convey a sense of sound and rhythm, and at the same time challenge the reader is examined. The importance of reading poetry aloud is emphasized. Students are taught to help each other read, understand, and enjoy poems. How punctuation guides the reader is demonstrated.
Students use the dictionary to discover unfamiliar word meanings.
How word usage and definition can affect interpretation is illustrated. How poets use denotation and connotations, comparison and irony to form point ofview and tone is illustrated. The importance of investigating all aspects of a poem is demonstrated. The program examines imagery and how poets choose language that makes us see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. The importance of the reader taking the time to respond to the images is emphasized.