Poetry is a way of expressing emotions and a form of art. Students often avoid reading and writing at all costs. By bringing poems into your classrooms you're teaching children how to express themselves. Even students that might shy away from even the thought of words can be coaxed into loving poems. Finding poems that students will fall head over heels for can be a difficult task. Thankfully, we've put together a list of 29 poems that are sure to be your student's favorites! These poems express all different forms of poetry. So get them reading and writing sooner with these!
1. Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening By: Robert Frost
Learn more: Poetry Foundation
2. When the Teacher Isn't Looking By: Kenn Nesbitt
Learn more: Poetry 4 Kids
3. Every Time I Climb a Tree By: David McCord
Learn more: Read Good Poetry
4. Kindness to Animals From: The Book of Virtues
Learn more: Lark's Last Tape
5. I Let My Sister Cut My Hair By: Kenn Nesbitt
Learn more: Poetry 4 Kids
6. The Song of Jellicles By: T. S. Elliot
Learn more: All Poetry
7. My Flat Cat By: Kenn Nesbitt
Learn more: Poetry 4 Kids
8. A Mortifying Mistake By: Anna Marie Pratt
Learn more: Poetry Explorer
9. Your World By: Georgina Douglas Johnson
Learn more: Poetry Foundation
10. The Tale of Custard the Dragon By: Ogden Nash
Learn more: Holy Joe
11. Now We are Six By: A.A. Milne
Learn more: Scrap Book
12. Paul Revere's Ride By: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Learn more: Poets
13. Be Kind By: Alice Joyce Davidson
Learn more: Prestonwood Christian
14. If By: Rudyard Kipling
Learn more: Poetry Foundation
15. The Jumblies By: Edward Lear
Learn more: Project Gutenberg
16. I'm Keeping My Distance By: Kenn Nesbitt
Learn more: Poetry 4 Kids
17. Something Told to Wild Geese By: Rachel Field
Learn more: National Poetry Day UK
18. You Can Argue With a Tennis Ball By: Kenn Nesbitt
Learn more: Poetry 4 Kids
19. When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer By: Walt Whitman
Learn more: Poetry Foundation
20. Fireflies By: Paul Fleischman
Learn more: Humble Independent School District
21. Weather By: Eve Merriman
Learn more: Poetry Nook
22. Bats By: Randall Jarrell
Learn more here
23. Mice in the Hay By: Lesley Norris
Learn more: Prestonwood Christian
24. Today I Wore a Costume By: Kenn Nesbitt
Learn more: Poetry 4 Kids
25. Eating While Reading By: Gary Soto
Learn more: S Teach 4 Fun
26. What Have We Done Today? By: Nixon Waterman
Learn more: Stressless Country
27. A Wrecker or A builder? By: Edgar A. Guest
Learn more here
28. Online is Fine By: Kenn Nesbitt
Learn more: Poetry 4 Kids
29. Jabberwocky By: Lewis Carroll
Learn more: Poetry Foundation
Conclusion
Poems are used to teach many aspects of literacy. They enhance the student's skills while being engaging, showing expression, and even provoking thoughts and opinions. Poems like these will help students to understand perspectives and viewpoints from people across the globe and throughout history. Spoken, written, read and audio poems teach students how to express their emotions in a controlled way.
This list of 29 poems will guide you in bringing poetry into your classroom, making sure to always allow expression and space to play with language and sentence structure. Enjoy these poems and you're sure to have a classroom of happy children!
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