Poetry

Why Children May Learn to Dislike Poetry

• They don't like playing the "I know the true meaning of this poem, but you have to discover it" game
• They have teachers that dislike poetry and don't spend time on it.
• They have a teacher who likes poetry "Too Much."
• They're overwhelmed with the complicated structures, imagery, and figurative language
• They're pushed at an early age to discover and analyze poetry

Children's Poetry Preferences

• Narrative and Limericks
• Rhyme, Rhythm, Sound
• Humor, Familiar Experiences, Animals
• Contemporary

Building Appreciation for Poetry

Forms of Poetry

Narrative Poems

• Tell Stories
• Easy to Understand
• "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere"

Lyric Poems

• Melodic or Songlike
• Descriptive
• Focuses on Personal Moments or Feelings
• "How to Tell the Top of a Hill"

Limericks

• Humorous
• Rhyming Scheme
• Verse Patterns
• Book of Nonsense

Haiku

• 17 Syllables
• 5, 7, 5

Free Verse

• Relies on Rhythm and Cadence
• Mostly Unrhymed
• Lacks Consistant Rhythm
• Philosophical or Abstract

Reversos

• 2 Poems Created Using Same Exact Words
• Read from Top to Bottom and Bottom to Top
• "Mirror Mirror"

Concrete Poems

• Written or Printed in Shape of Poem's Subject
• Seen More Than Heard
• Doesn't Rhyme
• Doesn't Have a Rhythm

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