Chapter 9: Poetry

Poetry is born; a sense of being that over powers the mere existence of creativity. It captures our every thought through a single soul purpose to be heard and be left unspoken. Poetry is the language of love, friendship, and forgiveness, all for the purpose of emotional exposure. It’s a feeling that takes words to a farther level, beyond thoughts and beyond perspectives. Poetry is magical, musical, and so precise in meaning and value and most importantly, memorable.

            As a child I remember hearing poetry through my mother’s lullabies, and of course, Mother Goose. Children learn that poetry introduces them to new vocabulary, word choice, and helps them broaden their knowledge, understanding and perspective. As a teacher, I want to read poems to my children with passion and delight. Having poems in my classroom library that I personally enjoy, not just for teaching purposes. Children enjoy poetry that contains humor, familiar experiences, and animals. Down below are some categories that might spark interest in future our poets.

CATEGORIES OF POEMS

·      Mother Goose and Nursery Rhymes – Contain nonsensical lyrics and strong rhyme.

·      Jump Rope Poems- Contain rhythm and rhyme.

·      Folk Poems- Folk songs that contain rhymes.

·      Lyrical- Emphasizes sound and picture imagery rather than narrative and dramatic movement.

·      Narrative- Tells a story often with rapid action and chronological order.

·      Free Verse- A poem with no specific form, rhyme, or pattern but evokes strong feeling.

·      Nonsense Verse- Entertaining poems that don’t make much sense.

·      Sonnets- A 14-line rhyming poem in iambic pentameter.

·      Ballads- Focuses on heroism and tragedy.

·      Limericks- A short five-line poem where the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme and have three pronounced beats, while the third and fourth line rhyme and have two pronounced beats each.

·      Concrete Poems- Emphasizes meaning by shaping the poem into a picture.

·      Haiku- Japanese story that consists of three lines.

·      Poetry Novels- An entire novel written in poetic form.

·      Other Forms/ Elements of Poetry- Check out R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet by Judy Young.

ELEMENTS OF POETRY

·      Rhythm- The beat or movement of words

·      Rhyme Sound Pattern- Affects the musical quality of poetry

·      Imagery- Involves one or more of the five sense- to see, feel, hear, taste, smell, and/or touch by the poem itself.

·      Shape- Words may be organized to add meaning and/or create a visual image of the poem.

As a teacher I know I will be evaluating and selecting poetry for children that are readable, that is correlated to the subject matter, that has diversity and language, as well as good form. By providing a fun, dynamic reading environment for them, I believe they will look forward to reading and participating to the best of their abilities. My students will be prepared and more willing to take part in the classroom, by providing them the opportunity to learn what they love to read most.