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Poetry is a type of literature, or artistic writing, that attempts to stir a reader's imagination or emotions. The poet does this by carefully choosing and arranging language for its meaning, sound, and rhythm. Some poems, such as nursery rhymes, are simple and humorous. 

 

Poetry should stir up an emotional response in the reader through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm. 

Sound?  Watch and listen for the rhyming words and the way that the metre influences the sounds within the words.  Do the words arouse your feelings, ie do you laugh, or feel sad, or think deeply?  Ask yourself at the end of the poem which words do this? The form within the poem: ie iambic poetry goes di DUM di DUM di DUM di DUM whilst anapaests go diddy DUM diddy DUM diddy DUM diddy DUM etc.  In fact the words may dance across the page perhaps.  This affects the sound of the poem, ie makes the words dance or walk slowly across the page.  It links poetry to music doesn't it?  Similes and metaphors use comparisons to describe the subject:  as cold as snow or as big as a bus etc.

 

What it is NOT, in my opinion, is the writing of a sentence down a page and splitting it into several lines, there being no reason under the sun for splitting the words in this way, and with it having no effect at all on the words and certainly not enhancing it.  Others may disagree with me here.  This way of writing, makes it difficult for others to  read or comprehend. 

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I've taught English language all my working life and my thoughts, therefore, come back to young people who are trying to learn our difficult language and need the support of good writers to do so.

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The poems and rhymes that we share with children should be varied and powerful.  Schools should establish the idea of children learning a poem/rhyme a week, across key stage 1 and the early years and perhaps beyond that. The rhyme or poem is learned orally in class each day, chanted or spoken together.  Do go to my 'alternative nursery rhymes' for fun, simple poems.  Getting a group of children to perform a poem, one verse each, is a good idea.  Do teach them the simple things such as iambic feet and anapaestic metre to help them understand the poems they read.   It's no harder than knowing the difference between a march and a waltz in fact.  Josie