"Poetry is an egg with a horse inside."
----Third grader

Poetry is a literary genre often overlooked or dismissed by children, yet it provides benefits for both their educational and personal development.

Children who read poetry can improve their voice, including pitch, volume and inflection. Poetry helps children experiment with creativity and develops their vocabulary. Poetry can transport children to other worlds, and at the same time, be relatable to their every day lives. Children who read poetry can develop perspective and understand someone else's feelings.

This one-time class encourages learners to flex their poetry muscles, expanding their current knowledge and appreciation of this literary genre or serving as an introduction to poetry.

Poetry needn't be approached from an academic stance. Instead, learners are encouraged to develop a personal relationship with poetry, realizing that poetry does not have a right or wrong answer. Here, learners explore their overall impression and ideas floating in their mind after reading each poem.

***Lesson Plan
Introductions
Highlight benefits of reading poetry, especially related to learners' everyday lives.
Seek volunteers to read poems out loud, which can provide important information about the poem's message.
Encourage learners to visualize each poem, empowering them to add color, define the setting and highlight what they are getting from the poem.
Ask learners to share their perspectives on the poems read.
Review benefits of reading poetry and why it is worth celebrating National Poetry Month.
Complement lesson with short video by Jason Reynolds+

***Featured poems include: 

**A Jelly-Fish by Marianne Moore

**At the Zoo by William Makepeace Thackeray

**Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson

**The Falling Star by Sara Teasdale

**Theme in Yellow (Halloween) by Carl Sandburg


+Class ends with a short video by Jason Reynolds, an American author and novelist of poetry for young adults and middle-grade learners who explains how poetry can dazzle reluctant readers.

***Class Goal:

** Inspire learners to explore and read a variety of poetry; realizing there is something out there for each reader. What better time to experience and appreciate poetry than National Poetry Month?