Teaching poetry opens the door to powerful benefits for students. Poetry builds vocabulary and deepens comprehension by exposing students to rich, precise language in short, accessible texts. Its rhythm and structure strengthen fluency, while the imagery sparks creativity and critical thinking.
Poetry also provides opportunities for students to connect personally with text—sharing feelings, experiences, and perspectives in ways other genres don’t always allow. Best of all, it’s flexible: a poem can be explored in just a few minutes or woven into a larger unit, making it a high-impact tool for building both literacy skills and classroom community.