Argues that writing parodies of poetry is a productive, nonthreatening introduction to the creative effort of poem making. Provides several suggestions that may help in the parody-writing process. (RS)

Makes observations about how professional poets compose. Argues for the use of primary trait scoring and an interactive teaching method to guide students through revision while treating each poem as a unique piece of writing. Demonstrates how primary trait scoring and individual conferences assisted a student in revising his poems. (RS)

Presents a simple writing assignment, composing an anthology, in which students have some control over their learning and gain confidence, enabling them to approach class discussions with more personal involvement and leading them to find more for themselves in poetry. (RAE)

Presents a series of three lessons based on found poems. Including a discussion on what poetry is; developing a poetic; and sharing poetry with others through peer analysis and small group discussion of each student's found poem. (RAE)

Discusses how to assess student poetry, focusing on the qualities of internal logic, tone, music words, figurative language, stanzas, line length, space, detail, voice, and "life." (MM)

Uses Theodore Roethke's poem "The Old Florist" to illustrate the model, or structural, approach to teaching poetry writing (where students discover the operating structure of a poem in order to write their own). Discusses the student poems it inspired to show the potential of this approach. (SR)

Illustrates how riddles can be used to teach poetry. Provides analysis of several riddles and resources for riddles. (MS)

A college faculty member describes how she used a "grammar poem" to sustain students' interest while tackling a difficult Spanish advanced grammar and stylistics course. The poem, which students discussed as they attempted to translate it, incorporated as many different forms of verbs as possible. (CB)

Presents activities and poems for children that can be integrated into the science curriculum. Discussion includes how poetry helps children heighten awareness of the environment, develop a close association with it, gain a respect for nature, and develop a sense of stewardship. A bibliography of 26 works of poetry is appended. (four references)…

Notes that the relationship between father and adolescent son is one of the most difficult of human associations. Argues that the poetic, specifically the use of popular music, humor, and poetry/creative writing, can facilitate communication between father and son. (SR)

Argues that Asian American literature is too narrowly defined to include the wide range of diversity it contains and calls for Asian writers to produce work from a more generous interpretive perspective. American poetry is extolled for its beauty of language and its effect on the emotions to both energize and sadden. (GR)

Describes an eighth-grade teacher's decision to heed innervoices and make time for poetry in her classroom. The class began by reading fun-filled, picture-book poetry; enlisted the help of school and town librarians in finding compelling single-author works and anthologies; and finally wrote "recipe poems" together. (Contains 27…

Describes a conversation with a versatile children's artist and writer during a visit to his home on an island off the coast of Maine. Shares his experiences on the power of using and integrating poetry and art in writing. (BAC)

Chronicles the author's beginnings on a Spokane Indian reservation, and his disappointment at the lack of attention paid to Indian culture. Describes his decision to become a writer after reading the works of Joy Harjo, a Native American poet. Explains how her work has influenced his own, and the importance of poetry to Native Americans. (PA)

Describes a way of using history to teach poetry in the English classroom. Argues that coupling history and poetry is a powerful way to teach both topics to students. (HB)