From Words to Poetry

"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom."
-Robert Frost-

Words spoken or written on a page can be used to convey thoughts, ideas or some other narration but when words are giving special intensity to express feelings and ideas through a distinctive style and rhythm, it is pure poetry.

Pointless, too scholarly or just plain boring is what has been said by some about reading poetry but perhaps they just haven’t been introduced to poetry that speaks to them. Poetry can be narrative, dramatic or lyrical. It can be serious or it can be humorous. There are many types of poetry and so many poets, both classic and modern that in honor of April being Poetry Month, we are asking you to afford poetry a bit of time in your daily life. Explore and share some poetry, for reading poetry truly does enhance one’s life.

A novel can be read silently but poetry was made to be read or told out loud, even if only to an audience of one: you. An essential element of poetry is its rhythm, which when read aloud forces the reader to become more aware of prosody, the defining feature of expressive reading. Poetry is expressing an emotion that the reader needs to make the listener believe, not only through the words, but through intonation, expressions and body language. Therefore, reading and writing poetry is an excellent way to build strong readers. Consider that:

• Poetry can be a quick read when time is short or listeners have short attention spans. Ideas and emotions can be conveyed within a few lines and when children wish to express their own emotions in writing, they can do so in a few lines of poetry.
  
• Young children are instinctively drawn to rhymes and the rhythmic pattern of language in poetry and when children learn and recite poems, they are learning vocabulary, spelling, grammar and phonemic awareness.
  
• Vocabulary improves with reading and writing poetry. Words need to fit into the rhythm and flow of the poem and those words may not always be the ones that are generally used in everyday conversation, so new words are learned from reading or sought out in writing poetry.
  
• Memorization skills are developed naturally through listening to and reciting poetry and rhymes. As nursery rhymes, poems and verses are repeated to a child they will learn them by heart or commit them to memory and be able to recall them with ease. Memorization strengthens the power of the mind and exercises the brain. It will help an individual to build up and store a wealth of knowledge that can be called upon later in life.
  

Mem Fox, Australian author and educationalist specializing in literacy, stated in her book, Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever, that “experts in literacy and child development have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they’re four years old, they’re usually among the best readers by the time they’re eight.” So check out the Back to Basics Literacy website for a list of poetry books or ask for recommendations from your local library or bookstore and make a vow this month to read aloud a poem a day.

“Every day we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture
and if possible, speak a few sensible words.”
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe-

Happy reading!

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