9 Reasons to add poetry to your home school rhythms
and resources to get you started
April is National Poetry Month…
and if you are on the fence about adding poetry to your homeschool rhythms I am here as your Poetry Evangelist with Nine Reasons (points? facets? features?) to encourage you to make friends with poetry.
It is no secret in my conversations with Home School parents there are three, well actually four things, they find most challenging about including poetry in their homeschool curriculum:
- Finding the time
- Finding the content
- Making it fun
- Feeling intimidated–poetry is for people who Know Stuff
When it comes to schedules, as a retired classroom teacher, I know how difficult it can be to squeeze in all the creative content we think we should be covering in a day. Constraints and schedules are real. And interruptions. Oy, the interruptions. Most often my carefully crafted (the Sunday night before) lesson plans were but a misty memory by 10:18 am the following Monday morning.
So I get it….Homeschool schedules can be crammed, too, especially with a large family. And well, the ahem, interruptions even with one child (thinking of a particular grandgirl pictured above) can make you tear your hair out. How can I add one more thing to what I’m supposed to be covering?!
15 Minutes Can Make a Difference!
But you would be surprised what a difference even 15 minutes a week can make by introducing your children (and you!) to poetry. And if you adopt seem of these practices you, too, will Know Stuff about poetry. Win-Win.
WHY INCLUDE POETRY IN YOUR HOMESCHOOL RHYTHMS?
I’m so glad you asked. Kids who read poetry—
- Learn to attend & listen better
- Are more engaged readers
- Have the foundation needed to write poems of their own
So where to begin? Start small—
Take Five: Find 5 minutes each day to read a poem out loud at breakfast or during family Bible Time. 5 Minutes Plus?–Challenge your kids to recite a weekly poem while riding in the car. ‘Cause goodness knows you’re definitely spending time in the car, right? Especially the Nanas & Grandpas–throw in some poetry!
Take 15: A fifteen minute reading and listening lesson even once a week can whet your child’s appetite and help them make friends with poetry. I have free Resources to help with that, so be sure to read to the end of this post!
Besides the learning benefits for children who read poetry, here are THREE REASONS to include poetry in your Homeschool Rhythms:
Reading (and listening to) poems….
- Hones our ears for language and new vocabulary
- Helps us learn to read and think metaphorically (like in Jesus’ Parables)
- Requires careful attention, inviting us to slow down, look and listen
But not reading just any poems.
As a poetry reader, my choices are informed by two things–the work of Christian or faith-focused poets and what I consider good poems. (Please note, my assessment of what makes a poem good is entirely subjective. More on that in a bit.)
So what do I mean by ‘Christian’ poets? I do not necessarily mean people who write only poems that feature biblically-centered, gospel-oriented content. A poem doesn’t have to use the name of Jesus or a Bible story verse to be Christian poetry.
Christian poets are writers whose work brings glory to God through their ingenuity and creativity and point people in the direction of our Creator, even if, and often without, mentioning the name of God.
“Most men glorify God by doing to his glory things which, though not per se acts of glorification, become so by being offered to him.” -C.S. Lewis
And what makes a poem “Good” ?
1. A good poem points to God in some way, offering a window to see Him through the writer’s vivid, descriptive language. A good poem also invites the reader to look up in gratitude, hope or wonder.
2. A good poem provides a connection between poet and reader through evocative images or by eliciting strong emotions. Images and ideas resonate with us and we are moved, causing us to respond with, “Wow, I see that/feel that/think that too.” Or, “those words perfectly describe the feel of autumn or the look of a sunset or___________” (fill in the blank), and we are inspired.
3. Besides offering inspiration or a connection, a good poem often provides ways to generate a poem of our own, becoming a springboard for original work.
For instance, you might read these familiar lines of Emily Dickinson’s,
“There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away….” **
And be inspired to write your own phrases….
”There is no ______________ like a _________ /
to take us _________________ ____________.”
and a poem will unfold from your pen.
THREE MORE REASONS to include teaching poetry in your homeschool rhythms:
1. To learn new vocabulary. The best poems are those that send you to the dictionary on a word hunt, adding richness to our conversations and our writing.
2. To learn form and sound
- FORM—There are two basic forms of poetry–Free verse and Rhyme or Meter
When reading free verse, consider how the poem appears on the page.
- What do you notice? Are the line endings even-ish and pleasing to the eyes?
- What about the end words? Are they strong verbs or adjectives?
- Where does the writer place the turn that moves the reader along to the next line, the words that pull you along to the next verse?
Note: The word ‘verse’ is from the Latin word ‘vertere’ meaning ‘to turn.’
Reading poems in rhyme and meter offer the discovery of not just end rhymes but cadence.
- Notice the pattern of your voice as you read, the ups and downs, the syllables and sound
- Rhyming poems are the absolute best for memorizing.
- SOUND—A poem comes alive when it is read! Hearing a poem read (or reading out loud to yourself) is the best way to experience it.
Notice as you read
- How do the words feel in your mouth when you read them?
- What sound do they make as they trip over your tongue, Words like, marcescent’, alterity’ or ‘mellifluous’?
- Where do you hear the rhymes?
3. Learn Poetic Devices: Reading poetry helps discover features like musicality, onomatopoeia and metaphors.
- Musicality has to do with sound, syllable, rhythm and rhyme in a poem
- Onomatopoeia is the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named, i.e. ‘sizzle’ and ‘cuckoo.’
- Metaphors are words that act as a bridge from a physical object to an abstract idea or emotion. Words like shell or bead or boat or branch become containers to hold images and ideas. Jesus used metaphors all the time in His teachings, both in the way He described Himself—the Bread of Life, the Door—and so on, but also in the Parables.
Now you have 9 REASONS to use Poetry in your Home School rhythms:
- 3 Things Poetry Does
- 3 Things that make a poem ‘Good’
- 3 Poetic Devices you can learn
Below you’ll find three poems as simple illustrations of the poetic devices just mentioned: Musicality, Onomatopoeia and Metaphor. The first two are short rhyming poems, the last one is free verse. (Two of the poems are mine.)
- Musicality—As you read ‘Happiness,’ (out loud!) listen for the cadence, rhythm and rhyme.
Happiness –Alan Alexander Milne
John had
Great Big
Waterproof
Boots on;
John had a
Great Big
Waterproof
Hat;
John had a
Great Big
Waterproof
Mackintosh –
And that
(Said John)
Is
That.
Did you hear the sound of a child jumping into puddles as you read this? The up and down and “splash!” of his boots? No? Read it again.
- Onomatopoeia is the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named. There are two or three such words in “Liquid Jewels” below; what rain sound words would you add?
Liquid Jewels -Jody Collins
The day is dripping diamonds
After early morning rain,
The plop of silver falls from leaf to tree.
Percussive sounds are muffled,
Sharing space with blinks of silence
While sunlight facets nudge me,
Pause and see.
- Metaphor—A metaphor is a word acting as a bridge from a physical object to an abstract idea or emotion. Read “Pressed into Joy” below inspired by my concentration on a cruet of olive oil which became something else altogether. What image or idea comes to mind as you read it?
Pressed into Joy -Jody Collins
Golden oil in
a bottle
liquid light
refracting sun in shimmers
a mirrored shape
reflects on the surface
and I wonder at the
drop, drop, drops
of light as they
drip, drip, drip
down.
All this tasting
joyfulness because
something was crushed
and pressed,
leaving light.
Well, there you have it….you’ve just made friends with poetry (if you weren’t already introduced.) Want more ideas, lessons and how-to’s? You can access my FREE poetry RESOURCE LIBRARY HERE where you will find the above 9 Reasons lesson as a downloadable PDF with room for reflection & writing to help your kids make friends with poetry.
In the Library you’ll find:
- A 13-page resource-my Poetry 101 Starter Kit, which includes lessons for kids from ages 5-8 all the way up to Middle School and High School
- How to Write a Poem with Pictures
- How to use ‘Jabberwocky’ for reading, grammar & vocabulary
- How to use ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ to write a rhyming poem
- A list of the 10 best poetry collections for children
AND MORE TO COME FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL & HIGH SCHOOL KIDDOS, including How to Write a Free Verse Poem
All Resources are organized using the following rubric for home or classroom. Please note: Age does not always equal grade level & vice-versa.
I do hope you’ll come by the website and visit the Resource Library!
**The entire 8 lines of this Emily Dickinson poem and an analysis for classroom or homeschool use are available HERE in this 12 minute video from Carrie Hoover at “Homework Help.” Sooooo good!
The thing you write (or talk) about should point to God in some way.
-Junius Johnson, C.S. Lewis Writer’s Conference, 2024
God bless those of you who read all the way to the end…. This post was written with my brand new Portable Earth Thinking Machine and any typos are mine alone. IYKYK
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