Pondering Poetry 1: Lesson Plan Support for Reading Poetry

Reading poetry can be a daunting task for young learners, especially when they are asked to interpret a poem to find the *correct* meaning, like many standardized tests require. I think it is essential to create as much exposure as possible to different styles of poems and different author’s voices, and support learners as they take their first steps into text analysis. The more learners read and interact with poetry, the more accessible this style of writing becomes.

When choosing a poem for my learners, I start with what they already enjoy reading. I ask about topics they are interested in, or favorite authors, and find pieces with similar themes. Personally, I often want to be cheered and inspired when I read poetry. I think choosing poems on the lighter side can help ease the transition into this type of writing for nervous readers.

I love Shel Silverstein. The way he gives himself creative license to manipulate and play with words to make something beautifully silly moves me. I was inspired by Shel, and Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky, to write my entry for the New Nonsense Writing Contest by @rycharde - there is still time to enter! Silverstein’s not a contemporary poet in terms of years, but he’s still so widely known today by children of all ages and adults of all tastes. I feel his work is timelessly useful as a way to introduce poetry, especially because poetry can be daunting when trying to select appropriate pieces for younger learners to read.

Allowing learners to dissect poems through natural conversation without a focus on correctness, can build familiarity and comfort in taking the risk of interpreting a poem. Minimal, although poignant, adult direction can be given in the form of encouraging learners to explain their interpretation with support from the text of the poem itself. No matter what the topic, learners will grow the most when they create a connection to, and find meaning in direct text.

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A way to encourage discussion centered around direct examples from the poem is to have learners complete a support sheet during their second or third reading of the poem. As they read, have them write text from the poem in the It Says column, then, put that part of the text into their own words in the I Say column, and complete the row for that portion of the text by explaining what their understanding is about the text in the And So column.

It Says	I Say	And So...
Quote	Restate	Explain

This support sheet can then be used to guide conversation about the poem with other learners. Having their thoughts already on paper can make it easier to connect and share ideas about what they read.

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Make poetry accessible by choosing interesting, silly and timely examples, and give students support as they begin the process of analyzing a text. Small steps and continued exposure can create a life-long love of poetry. For more support, check out this curated list of high-quality resources put together by The National Council for Teacher of English.