"Are you afraid of poetry? Have you been attacked by a terror dactyl?
Are you spooked by spores of spondee?
Then you've come to the write place!"
—From the Foreword by Douglas Florian, children's author

This lively book offers a host of ways for teachers to bring poetry and children together in their classrooms. Based on the premise that poetry and verse, properly presented, promote literacy, this practical handbook includes: introductions to children's poets and their poetry, advice on poetry writing from the poets themselves, examples of children's poetry writing, and methods of presenting poetry to students of any age.

Features:

• Rich examples of classroom poetry projects in elementary and middle school.
• Frequently asked questions about teaching poetry answered by educators from their own classroom experience.
• Successful strategies for encouraging new and veteran teachers to use-and enjoy-poetry study with their students.
• Accounts of poetry projects undertaken outside of classrooms, encouraging parents and caregivers to share poetry with children.
• Words of wisdom from children, teachers, and poets.
• Resources teachers will find useful, such as lists of noted children's poets and helpful reference material on teaching poetry.
• A foreword in verse by children's poet Douglas Florian.