Poetry is a powerful tool to further trust and empathy within the classroom while teaching skills that align with elementary curricula. In the classroom, poetry encourages students to express themselves while supporting writing, comprehension, reading proficiency, and public speaking skills. Modeled after other successful writing-in-the-schools programs across the country, the Young Poets program in Billings, Montana engages students Grades 3–12 in creative brainstorming, analysis, and problem solving, while creative writing fosters a sense of agency in these students, who begin to see themselves as writers. Across 12 weeks, students develop an appreciation for the work of their peers and develop an ability to articulate their work aloud to others. In this chapter, journalist, poet, and educator Anna Paige discusses her successes and missteps teaching poetry in the classroom and how she's adapted this model to fit with a Title 1 school in Billings, Montana.
Stylistic approach to teaching poetry in ESL classrooms
