The following review is excerpted from an recent Oasis article titled, "Bringing Poetry into Your Classroom."

“Teach poetry? But I don’t know anything about poetry. Besides, I have to prepare my students for high-stakes testing. I don’t have time for additional material.”

Sound familiar? The irony in the statement above—which was issued by me to a colleague—is that introducing students to poetry can actually enhance their performance on those very same high-stakes tests. How? According to Nile Stanley, a reading specialist, researcher, and a professor of education, “Poetry helps students do well on high stakes tests because it gives their minds an exhilarating workout. Poetry inspires students to read more, imagine more, think more, discuss more and write more.” All of which will, of course, will help them on tests.

Perhaps more importantly Dr. Stanley notes that poetry also “massages the heart, cares for the soul, and preps students on life’s tougher questions that are seldom asked on high stakes tests. What are the costs of not including poetry in every child’s education? What damage is done to children’s well being who are denied poetry? Can one be a full human being without poetry?”

Of course, in and of itself, poetry is not a cure-all notes Dr. Stanley. “It must be embedded within a systematic, well-organized, total-literacy program that’s informed by broadly researched principles and best practices.”

If you are intrigued with the idea of incorporating poetry into your classroom but are not sure how to go about it, Dr. Stanley’s book Creating Readers with Poetry is an ideal starting point. I found it one of the most accessible and “teacher-friendly” books available concerning the theory and practice of teaching poetry.

First, the book offers a convincing argument that poetry helps children become better readers. Research and experience have proven this to be true. “Poetry isn’t fluff,” explains Dr. Stanley. “It’s the real stuff of reading that makes literacy come alive, especially with struggling readers.”

The book then goes on to provide mini-lessons that focus on the “’fab five’ of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.” From experience I can tell you that the lessons are highly adaptable and easy to implement. Liberally sprinkled throughout the book you will also find full-length poems and songs.

Recently I used a Guided Reading Mini-Lesson from the book in my sixth-grade social studies classroom to introduce my students to the concept of “social justice” through the folksongs of Woody Guthrie. (Click here to see a copy of the lesson.) Although I was concerned as to whether or not the lesson would “go over” in my room of at-risk students (who are more interested in rap than reading), it turned out to be a huge success. The students made connections, offered thoughtful remarks during class discussion, created a collage representing social justice, and ended the lesson by writing their own folksongs.

One of the most useful aspects of Creating Readers is the audio CD included with the book which contains many of the poems and songs excerpted. Some of the poems are performed by their authors, others by children. You can hear, for example, “My Teacher Thinks He’s Elvis” performed by author Gary Dulabaum. (A poem that my students consider wildly amusing.)

Creating Readers definitely deserves a place on your professional book shelf. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis staff