Welcome to April! This month is National Poetry Month. While teachers are preparing students for high-stakes testing nationwide and determining how much or how little exposure our students need to poetry based on blueprints and released tests, I encourage you to consider this assessment preparation season as a golden opportunity to provide both aesthetic and standards-based exposure to this literary form.
Many of us grew up with some form of poetry in our lives long before we could read ourselves. Whether it was a nursery rhyme, the ubiquitous “roses are red, violets are blue” or a Shakespearean sonnet, we learned the power that grouped lines on a page had to comfort us, make us laugh or challenge us. Given that students have many more things vying for their attention than we may have had growing up, literature/texts in their various forms are often not at the top of their priority lists, yet remain a critical part of how students are expected to navigate through a literate society and function as educated citizens. Many of the ideas and activities touted by the Academy of American Poets for National Poetry Month serve to bring together both the fun and the educational function of poetry for our students.
Visit Poets.org for more information on ways to acknowledge the value of poetry in your classrooms or at home with your children. Such activities include the Dear Poet project, where students write letters in response to award-winning poets, signing up for a Poem-A-Day or Teach This Poem, a weekly series for teachers that includes lesson plans and materials and 30 Ways to Celebrate, a list of activities related to the appreciation of poetry such as memorizing a poem or attending a poetry reading. In honor of National Poetry Month, Read Works has also posted poems and question sets for students at different reading levels. Many options are available.
While it’s hard to argue with descriptions of poetry as both educational and beautiful. I challenge you to use this month as an opportunity to make it unforgettable. Looking forward to hearing any ideas you implement with your students. Enjoy!