Reading, Writing, and Teaching Poetry

    Reading poetry is one of my favorite things to do. I love the inspiration and comfort, whether big or small, I find in the poets I know and love. After reading poetry, I'm almost always inspired to write my own. When I do this, I typically model my writing after the work that I have just read. I like to write poetry after reading it because I find it frustration otherwise. For me, poems act as a mentor text that make me want to write poetry. As a teacher, I want to share this joy and love for poetry with my students in a way that is engaging and not frustrating. Fortunately, there is no shortage of quality poems for readers of all ages and interests. Listed below, you will find my criteria for how you know you have read a really good poem.

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• Depending on the tone, you smile as you read it OR you feel a pang in your heart.

• An interesting format or shape

• Descriptive words and vivid imagery that make the reader feel present in that moment

• The poem provokes thought and challenges the norm

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    As a teacher of writing, I want to promote literacy in all aspects of my classroom community. One way to achieve this is by creating a poetry environment. During my student teaching, the reading specialist at the school was constantly implementing exciting initiatives to boost the reading culture of the student body. One of those initiatives was Poetry March Madness, which was exactly like the basketball version minus the basketball, add the poetry. Each week, the reading specialist would send two poems to the teachers to read to their classes, and students and teachers voted on their favorite in hopes it would make it to the next round. Poetry March Madness concluded with two winners, one for K-2 and one for 3-5. The initiative was a huge success and a great was to implement a poetry environment within the greater school community. 

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    There are plenty of exciting ways to motivate students to read and write poetry at other times of the year, too. Start a Poet of the Month study introducing your class to a new poet each month. Incorporate unique mentor texts that catch student's interests and encourage them to try out new strategies for writing poems in their own writer's notebooks. Amy Ludwig VanDerwater is a writing teacher and the author of many quality children's books, and her website features an extensive variety of ideas related to teaching poetry across all elementary grade levels. Check out her resources page by clicking here!