What Is Poetry?

An excellent way to gauge student attitudes towards and experiences with poetry is to begin your poetry unit by asking students to define what poetry is to them in their own words. Invite students to express their own views on poetry by asking them to complete the sentence: “Poetry is …” or “Poetry is like…” Not only does this get students thinking about their relationship with poetry, it also gives them an unintimidating opportunity to create metaphors and similes.

For example:

Poetry is like putting an IKEA bed together. (Carl Leggo)

Poetry is my grandmother’s collection of recipes stained with the ingredients that smudge her handwritten notes.

Poetry is a DJ spinning, grooving, and synchronizing beats on his turntables.

Poetry is like riding horseback in the rain, without reins, for the first time.

Display their lines on the classroom walls for the duration of the unit, surrounding the class with poetic statements written by students in their own voices. These statements will form the basis for an initial classroom discussion on how students feel about poetry as readers, writers, and reciters. Students may also use this pool of statements as writing prompts or reference points when discussing other poems.