Poetry

Poetry is not a genre, but a form literature can take!

Criteria for Poetry for Children (& YA Readers)

1. Prefer narrative poetry

2. Dislike free verse and haiku

3. Rhyme & rhythm and sound devices preferred

4. Funny poems, poems about familiar experiences, and books about animals were popular 

5. Prefer contemporary poems

6. Lively poems w/ rhythm and meter

7. Emphasize sounds & play on words

8. Visual images and words

9. Simple stories and stirring scenes of action

10. Poems shouldn't be brought down to child's supposed level

11. Allow children to interact with poem

Awards for poems: 

• NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children
• Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award

Great authors to choose from:
Lee Bennett Hopkins, Valerie Worth, Nikki Grimes, X.J. Kennedy, John Ciardi, Marilyn Singer, Judith Viorst, Jack Prelutsky

Other resources for teaching poetry:
Sylvia Vardell & Janet Wong

I would like to start checking out the recommended author's books from the libraries and become familiar with the poems. I hope to be able to even memorize a few of the short ones to recite to my students. I will also follow the NCTE Awards to discover new authors for Young Adults. Three things I can easily do to share poetry with young adults:

1. Expose students to at least one poem a day
2. Book talks on poetry collections
3. Put books out for children to discover on their own