Do your students struggle with reading and understanding poetry? Do you hear something along the lines of…“Ugh. We hate poetry. It’s so hard! I can never understand it!” To be honest, this is a fair response. Analyzing poetry does take effort and it is a skill that has to be taught.
Although there are exceptions, interpreting poetry is not something that comes naturally to middle schoolers or adults. It is totally understandable to be hesitant to teach poetry. Without an analyzing framework, it can be a daunting task. Click to read about the 8 active reading steps that will help make this process a little easier!