Making Teaching Poetry Fun

Teaching poetry should be fun. I think we get in trouble when we read poets that we do not like or do not understand. Then we say that we do not like poetry.

Poetry is also important. Poetic rhymes can help children develop phonic awareness. Poetry also provides a different way to express language.

Teaching Poetry Should Not be Boring

Teaching poetry should not be boring. There are so many poets and poems that we should be able to find examples that we enjoy reading

Young children like to hear nursery rhymes. I read a lot of different nursery rhymes when my children were young. We also listened to nursery rhymes put to music. Besides the rhyme and rhythm nursery rhymes are usually easy to understand.

There are poems written for children. You can find books of poems in the children's section of the library. Some children's magazines such as Highlights have poems. You can also find poems in Childcraft.

Older children will like to read lyrics of their favorite songs. Tell them that the song is a poem set to music.

Most children also like poems that are a riddle. They like to solve the word puzzle.

When you are looking for poems to read, don't overlook the Bible. Besides the books of Psalms there are other passages that are written in poetic form.

Besides reading poetry, have your child use favorite poems for copy work. Have your child copy the poem in their best handwriting. Then they can illustrate the border around the poem.

Rhymes can also be used to help children memorize information. You probable remember the rhyme Columbus sailed the ocean blue, in 1492.

Formal Poetry Class

The study of poetry is usually included in high school language arts. It should not be boring for your child has been exposed to poetry in his younger years.

Remember when you are teaching poetry to older children that poems should be read out loud. Have your child read poems to you. Also read poems to your child so that he can hear the different types of rhythm.

Teaching poetry to older children should involve learning about the structure of poems. A lot of poems use figurative language. Your child should know what the terms simile, metaphor, hyperbole, idiom, and personification mean.

Your child should also learn about how poems sound. Teach your child about rhyme and rhythm.

Teach your child about the different types of poems. He should know about narrative poems, lyrics, free verse, and sonnets.

Older children should also be exposed to famous poets. Have them read Shakespeare, Eliot, Browning, Frost, etc. The World Book Encyclopedia has a timeline of great poets.

Have your child analyze the poems he reads. Help your child determine the type of poem. Ask about rhyme, rhythm, and figurative language used.

When your child is studying poetry he should make a notebook of poetry terms and examples of types of poems.

Your child should also try to write some poems

5 Easy Poems Children Can Write

Writing poems can help children learn grammar. Children need to keep track of syllables in words. Diamante poems teach children nouns, adjectives, and "ing" words.

Haiku is a Japanese poem usually about things in nature. Haiku poems usually do not rhyme. The poem consists of three lines. The first line has five syllables the second line has seven syllables and the last line has five syllables. Remind your child that a syllable can be a word or part of a word.

There are several ways to write cinquains. A cinquain has five lines. The first line has one syllable or word. The second line has four syllables or two words. The third line has six syllables or three words. The fourth line has eight syllables or four words. The last line has two syllables or one word. I was taught that the first line was the subject. On the next line write two “ing” words. On line three write three adjectives. On line four write a four word sentence or phase. The last line is the same word as the first.

Acrostic poem uses each letter in a word to describe the word. Favorite acrostic poems use the letter of a person's name, a holiday, or a season.

Diamante is a seven line poem. The first line is the subject. On the second line write two adjectives. On the third line write three "ing" words describing the subject. The first two words on line four describe the subject. The last two words on the fourth line describe the opposite of the subject. On line five write three "ing" words about the opposite. On the next line write two adjectives for the opposite. On the last line write the opposite of the subject.

A limerick consists of five lines. In the poem the last word of the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme. The last word of the third and fourth line also rhymes.

These poems are easy to write because they have a form that children can learn. I have seen worksheets for cinquains and Diamante poems. The worksheet showed what was to be written on each line.

Teaching poetry is a way that children can learn and have fun with language. Include some poems in your homeschool curriculum today.

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