Celebrating National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month and what a fun opportunity to play with language.  Poetry is one of those subjects that can seem to get lost if we don't make an intentional effort to incorporate it into our homeschool.  But the language is so rich and it's really very easy to place into our homeschool plans.  Good poetry is like good books.  It plays into the family culture, building vocabulary and creating a shared experience.  It expands our world and forces us to look at life differently.  Poetry takes big universal truths and distills them down into simple lines with layers of meaning and importance.  And there are so many resources to draw from.

Additionally, poetry is great for teaching metaphorical thinking in the older grades.  Subtlety of language, layers of inference, critical thinking are all part of having poetry in your homeschool.  Playing with poetry in a fun and engaging way can create life-long poetry lovers and thinkers in your home.   Avoid the urge to dissect everything you read. Read silly poems, thoughtful poems, poems about nature and poems about life.  And just enjoy!

Pick only a few to look at deeply.  Talk about how the poet uses letter sounds, line breaks, rhyme, etc to convey his meaning.  And don't be afraid to disagree with a poet's style.  That level of deep thinking is valuable too.

Start with reading.  Share some of your favorite poems with your kids.  I personally love Robert Frost's poetry.  The library is a great resource for finding new poems to read.  Hearing the language spoken adds beautiful depth and nuance.  There are also a variety of resources online of finding new poetry.  Try Ambleside Online, Youtube or 21 Must Read Poems for Kids.  Looking for something different?  What about The BreakBeat Poets or Echo Echo. And listen to beautiful orators recite their favorite poems.  One I particularly love is Sr. Michael Caine sharing Rudyard Kipling's IF.

Watch a mini biography about a favorite poet.  Try: Edgar Allen Poe,  Walt Whitman,    William Blake, Phyllis Wheatley,   Robert Frost, or  Christina Rossetti. Talk about what may have influenced their writing and the themes they presented.

Memoize rich poetry together. Practice one of the poems you've been reading or pick from 12 Poems to Memorize. Check out silly kids' poetry books from the library and find one that you can great hand motions for.  Laugh, be silly, memorize tongue twisters or The Jabberwocky from Lewis Carroll.

Do SOME Analysis work.  Don't overdo it, but when you get comfortable, some analysis can be fun.  Look for things like this Easter Poetry Analysis Pack, or Learning through Literature's Poem of the Month.

And don't forget to Create!  Let your students become poets too.  Have a special poetry tea time to share what they're writing themselves and celebrate their hard work.

Write a blackout poem 

Create a poem with this poem generator

Or maybe this one

Spring Acrostic Poetry

Write an "I Am" poem

Create a partner poem like the Echo Echo book

Discover National Haiku Day

AND HAVE FUN!

Don't forget that poetry is all about playing with language.  Pushing the boundaries of creativity and conveying meaning as concisely as possible.  Read deep poetry, read nature poetry, read silly poetry... read with voices... read slow... read poets you disagree with ... and especially read poets you love!

How Do You Celebrate National Poetry Month?