World Poetry Day is held annually on March 21. It was originally declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1999, with a purpose of promoting the reading, writing, publishing, and teaching of poetry throughout the world—”to give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional and international poetry movements.”
Poetry offers us so many possibilities! Reading, writing, and performing poetry are obvious choices.
How else can poetry be part of the curriculum?
- Find a poet you think students may not have come across yet, and ask them to engage in an inquiry project, learning as much as they can and sharing with each other.
- Identify poems that can be used to celebrate language in all of its richness.
- Select poets and poems that students can make personal connections to—how do students see themselves represented?
- Take it a step further and invite students to be the ones to find and share poets and their poetry with the class.
And today, let’s all set aside time to share our favorite poetry, attend a poetry reading, or enjoy a favorite poem, in celebration of World Poetry Day!
We’d love to hear your poetry suggestions for World Poetry Day and National Poetry Month!
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