The author has always had an appreciation of language--its rhythms, sounds, wordplay, dialects, usage variations, and powers to manipulate. Reflecting on how she came to this appreciation, she remembers her father reciting poems to her when she was a little girl. She was enthralled by the rhythm, the rhyme, and the sounds of the words--both…

A literary style intent on relating the written word to sound via word length, rhythm, stress, and intonation, has produced a new phonic literature related to the needs of the present. (MM)

Emphasizes attention to the sound of a poem in both teaching and writing poetry. Provides selected poems written by students and teachers. (JT)

Students can learn to write verse by (1) perceiving that poetic materials are inside and all around them and making lists of items that appeal to their senses, (2) organizing their material through the use of imagery, (3) experimenting with various meters, particularly the ballad stanza, until they can arrange words in rhythmic patterns (4)…

Observes that rhythm and synchrony are facets of language learning and use that are often overlooked in English instruction. Describes several ways to explore the rhythmic aspects of speaking, reading, and writing. (MM)

Involving students in an active study of dialect differences will enhance their own self awareness and their knowledge and understanding of cultural diversity. (JH)