HERE is an answer to a parents question on poetry: My third-grade sons teacher is enthralled with poetry. She assigns reading, memorizing and writing poems. I have no beef with poetry and he seems to like it, but it seems with there are so many other subjects to be taught that her emphasis is misplaced. My wife says before I ask her about it, I should know if there something about poetry that benefits young readers and writers? Is there? Or is it a waste of time? “Poetry, dear Dad, has been around long before TV, computers, cell phones, video games, the internet. It has been around since humankind could express oneself via any form of communication and yet, it captivates and motivates young learners,” says Lee Bennett Hopkins, one of the nation’s top language arts educators and editor of numerous poetry anthologies. “Herald the teacher who shares poetry with students for nothing – no thing – can ring and rage throughout hearts and minds as does this genre of literature. Send your son’s teacher a thank-you note.”
Posted on: Thu, 10 Apr 2014 22:39:52 +0000