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I have a confession. I like teaching poetry! I feel like oftentimes poetry gets a reputation for being difficult to teach, or not interesting to kids, or over kids’ heads, and I don’t think it has to be that way! Poetry is one of those areas of literature where the playing field can really be leveled for your learners, whether they have special needs/are receiving special education services, have language needs, or just haven’t had a lot of exposure to poetry. Any day can be the day that a student learns to love a poem!
With that said, effective instruction with poetry doesn’t just happen, so check out some tips below for how to support poetry instruction in your classroom.
Consider the background knowledge your students may have (or may not have.)
Understanding and appreciating poetry requires a good grounding in the vocabulary the poem is using, and in the concepts and themes that the poem is incorporating. So just like with anything else, students need to be oriented to what they need to know before they sit down to read! Otherwise the text just goes right over students’ heads and the meaning and appreciation is lost. Think of the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae (and check out the FREE activities for teaching it from the Special Ed Safari store). Imagine reading that poem and not knowing what poppies are, not knowing where Flanders is, and not knowing the poem is set in the past. You get the picture.
Teachers can increase students’ background knowledge while teaching poetry by:
Teaching directly about the vocabulary words the students will encounter and using those words in context.
Making connections with other concepts that students have already encountered.
Teaching the poem as a part of a bigger thematic unit (like teaching “In Flanders Fields” as a part of a unit on World War I.) Tie it all together!
Use a variety of poetry examples.
Even if there are certain poems that you are required to teach as a part of a given curriculum, look for other ways to integrate poetry into your instruction. What other poems are out there? How do they fit into other topics you’re covering? And just in case you think you can’t incorporate poetry into content instruction, I’m just going to leave this here:
Integrating poetry into content area instruction is a great way to ensure that there are variety of poets represented to speak to as wide an experience as possible. Poetry makes for a great read aloud experience as well, for students of any age.
Explore poets that are new to you.
In order to have poetry to incorporate into instruction, both for English/reading and beyond, you have to read and enjoy some poetry! One of my favorite forms of professional development is discovering and re-discovering texts to share with students who may not have encountered them before. Many students, particularly those receiving special education services, haven’t read a lot of poetry, so this is a great chance to expand everyone’s horizons! And don’t worry, if you’re teaching students with significant disabilities, Special Ed Safari has you covered, with a full bundle of differentiated work samples to support students in finding evidence to support inferences drawn from poetry.
The possibilities are truly endless when it comes to poetry and broadening students’ understanding and experiences. Once you get going, you won’t want to stop!
Do you have a favorite poem or poet to share with students, or a favorite poetry resource? Share in the comments below!