You might have been questioning yourself at school why is poetry important today? Years ago, writers used verses to express their appreciation, love, and devotedness. Nowadays, some may consider it quite an old-fashioned way to show emotions. However, poetry is not only about verses, nursery rhymes, and songs — it is also about a powerful education tool. Continue reading to see why poetry is so crucial right for you when teaching literature at school.
Boost diverse skills
During the class, kids are into lots of stuff. So, they are reading texts, doing sums, or playing games. A poem is one of the text forms a teacher introduces to children from a young age. The thing about verses is that they are fun to repeat, easy to learn and memorize. Besides, if it is a poem with many characters, kids can also interact with each other while reading it out loud. Children like to play, especially when there is a chance to fool around and demonstrate their theatrical skills.
Often, a tutor reads the poem in front of the entire class first, which is also an effective way to improve a child’s listening skills. When you hear a poem, you also grab the intonations and rhythm, and find out how punctuation marks work. This practice would come in handy later when students have listening comprehension. Additionally, following the example of the teacher’s declaration, children also learn how to speak in public.
Analyzing poetry is useful
The importance of poetry is also related to the basics of analysis. While lots of kids swear they do not understand a thing about poetry, the truth lies in how you approach the piece of writing. The poem is not merely about a wild flight of your imagination: poets apply a range of literary devices such as epithets, metaphors, hyperbole, etc. All these means aim to create an image or symbol, help to depict the idea of a poem better.
Sometimes the author is straightforward, and sometimes he or she gives a hint so that you can reopen and discover the verses in your own way. You can considerably develop your creative side by learning the basics of poem analysis at school. Whether classical or modern poetry, it can encourage a person to be more open and easily express feelings. And not only that! Verses by authors from diverse cultures will help you understand others’ feelings and nature.
Cultural cognition
People study both their country’s and global literature at school or college. It shapes the kind of person you are and enriches you spiritually. When getting acquainted with the national treasure of another culture, you also learn about the world around you. Poetry often depicts society’s pain points, some pivotal stages in history. No wonder people refer to poets and poetesses as to the nation’s voices.
All the genres and poetry writing styles emerged in diverse eras and countries. Kids can discover the reasons that stand behind and see how ordinary verses shaped the history of poetry throughout the times. Also, the fact that there are so many genres means that almost everyone can find something to their liking.
Creative thinking upgrade
Poetry is an intimate experience once you give it a try. It means that you can find something close, heartbreaking, arousing, or revolutionary contained in a few rhymed lines. Some poems work like an imagination booster so that you can just let it go and picture all the things you read about. This works well with the pieces of writing with many symbols. On the other hand, poems can also become an unexpendable source for those kids who want to take a shot at creating their own poetry.
Understand literature on a deeper level
If you are still wondering what the purpose of poetry is – think about how it teaches you to understand literature in general. It is fair to say that some poetry might be tough to understand right after the first reading. However, once you reread it out loud, you can notice several details you haven’t seen before.
It may seem easier with a book, as writers do not have to fit a big idea into several lines. At schools, a teacher should explain how to unfold the essence of a poem and get to the point when it seems too complicated or hardly understandable. It would also be easier to read the opuses by authors who give hints here and there all over their texts without a direct description of the events.
Memory trainer through the years
Schoolchildren study diverse material, and learning a poem by heart is one of the numerous tasks. You may have known two or three mates who liked it, but kids mostly did not understand the purpose or use of this task. Yet, learning poetry and presenting it in front of others trains your memory. The best thing about that is rhyme — it is much easier to memorize big chunks of a poem with a rhyme and a specific rhythm.
Kids face the charms of poetry from the cradle as their mothers sing lullabies to them before they fall asleep. So many children learned new words with the help of nursery rhymes in kindergarten. And even at schools or colleges, poetry proves to be an essential textual form that improves many skills. Poetry adds to reading, listening, and writing skills, and what is more, it enhances a child’s imagination and ability to interpret a literary work.