School of Thought 

POETRY

with Natalie & Rosemary

What do you think of when you think of poetry?  Dr Suess? Banjo Patterson’s The Man from Snowy River? Henry Lawson?  Limericks? 

Poetry is a diverse form of reading and writing that is important for children to be exposed to. Why you ask?

Poetry strengthens reading skills and builds reading fluency through repeated reading. 

Poetry encourages visualisation through expressive and descriptive words.

Poetry often contains words that rhyme for effect. Children can learn about phonics and letter sounds by listening for and locating rhyming words. 

Poetry builds vocabulary.  Children are exposed to words they have not heard before and they hear them in context.

Poetry can inspire writing. Writing poetry is a transferable skill that will help children write in other ways and styles.

Poetry is a form of expression. Writing it lets us get out our feelings and thoughts on a subject, while reading it encourages us to connect and find meaning in our experiences.

Poetry can be easier to engage with for reluctant readers, rather than novels as they are shorter and quicker to read. 

Poetry writing has its own set of rules away from story writing, but the great thing about them is that they can all be broken, building confidence to explore and play with language in their own unique way.

All of us, as both parents and teachers, can work with children to bring poetry to life and make sure they end up with strong and positive experiences with poetry. It starts by helping children find poetry they enjoy. Young children may prefer funny, silly, or whimsical poems to begin with, but poetry preferences change as we grow older. 

For Book Week this year we are lucky to be visited by a local author. Kristin Martin lives in South Australia in a house near the sea with her husband, two sons, three goldfish, four turtles and a bearded dragon named Ash. She works as a primary school teacher and To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme? is her first children’s book. 

Two Magpies is my  favourite poem from the book because it reminds me of my dog Morty who acts like a cat when he sees a bird, creeps up to them and chases them out of our yard. Also Magpies are one of my favourite birds, I love their warble. 

Natalie Brook

Watching pelicans is my favourite poem by Kristen Martin, as I connect to my childhood growing up on the River Murray.  The pelicans would gather at the ferry as we waited on the school bus to cross the river and they would also congregate at Lock 2  to swoop and catch the fish in the lock chamber. 

Rosemary Saxon 

To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme? will be available in our school library soon so make sure you check it out!