Poetry has numerous uses and benefits in the English language-learning classroom.

Besides adding to the range and variety of uses of English, poetry provides cultural insights and forms a basis of discussion. Poems are often thought-provoking and help teachers to break away from routine exercises; they are often humorous and add a motivational buzz to classroom activity. Poetry also provides good practice in developing correct pronunciation and intonation. Rhythms and rhyming patterns not only develop technical language skills; they add fun and vigour to the process! The teacher of modern English usage has to be selective otherwise there is the danger that students will focus on archaic or literary forms that are not relevant for typical modern English in general or business contexts. 'Poetic licence' is an important concept in the use of English but needs to be used at the right time and in the right place! Poems are a wonderful way of developing the students' general skills as well as improving their pronunciations, stress and intonation. They are particularly welcome at the end of the week, on Friday, towards the end of the morning, or perhaps the afternoon. If students are in intensive academic writing programmes poems are probably not going to be appropriate but for most other programmes they can provide excellent practice, lead to a significant amount of discussion, and really improve the students' speaking skills. There are a lot of possible activities with a poem. Here are a few suggestions. 1. The title of this poem by Wendy Cope is "After the Lunch" and that could be the starting point for the lesson. What could the poem be about? In fact, it's not a very good guide to the content but at least it would get them thinking. The poem mentions Waterloo Bridge. Ask them if the know where it is. What was it named after? When was it built? (opened 1945) Give them the poem with the last word of lines 2 and 4 deleted. Ask them to read it through and try to replace the missing words. Tell them that lines 1 and 2 rhyme and also 3 and 4. Get feedback from the students on the missing words. Discuss which ideas are best. Give the students the poem. Let them read it through silently.

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On Waterloo Bridge, where we said our goodbyes, The weather conditions brought tears to my eyes. I wipe them away with a black woolly glove, And try not to notice I've fallen in love. On Waterloo Bridge I'm trying to think: This is nothing. You're high on the charm and the drink. But the juke-box inside me is playing a song That says something different. And when was it wrong? On Waterloo Bridge with the wind in my hair I'm tempted to skip. You're a fool. I don't care. The head does its best but the heart is the boss I admit it before I am halfway across. 6. Compare their version with the final version. 7. Ask them to tell you what they think the poem is about. Discuss the theme. 8. Check the words that rhyme. 9. Check any unknown vocabulary; these might include: wiped, woolly, high, charm, juke-box, skip, boss. 10. Ask the class to describe what is happening in the first verse. Discuss suggestions. 11. Repeat for verses 2 and 3. 12. Discuss the real meaning in verse one. Was it the weather conditions or was it something else? 13. Elicit the meaning of high on the charm and the drink. 14. What juke-box? What is the juke-box saying? 15. Why would she want to skip? Who is a fool? Why? 16. Elicit the meaning of the head does its best but the heart is the boss. 17. Focus on the tenses within the poem and elicit reasons why they think the writer switches tense? Why does the writer switch from past to present in the first verse? Why the Present Continuous in verse 2? 18. Ask individual students to read verses. Help them as necessary with the rhythm, the stress and intonation. 19. Ask the students to write out a fourth verse (this could be done for homework). 20. Listen to them reading their verses. Discuss the different styles and content. Using poetry in the classroom is a great way to teach English. Because of the varied structure of its form, a poem can be used to teach basic concepts of grammar as well as the descriptive and critical writing. Whatever grade level you teach, the steps below will help you use poems in your classroom to provide English instruction. Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_4898352_teach-english-through-poetry.html#ixzz2tUDGSrzn

http://www.slideshare.net/rajeevelt/how-to-teach-a-poem-6380037 http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Hussein-Poems.html

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/hughes.pdf http://anthonywilsonpoetry.com/2011/11/29/recent-research-on-poetry-in-education/