Poetry Curriculum & Resources

You can't train a Milton. Some people are born great poets and some are not. You can, however, teach almost anyone to appreciate and understand poetry, and by so doing help to broaden their horizons immeasurably.

Poetry analysis should be part of any high school literature course, though introducing it as a subject earlier is a good idea. While poetry remains one of the least read literary genres, it is arguably the most important. It certainly takes the most effort to understand, written as it often is in an obscure and highly metaphorical style. Because of this, a grasp of its essential elements will lead to a level of analytical proficiency students who don't study poetry will likely never attain.

There are a lot of approaches to the study of poetry. Some prefer to learn only the formal elements and to construct a completely objective standard for judging a poem's worth, mostly on a technical level. Others pursue the soul of poetry and dwell on its beauty and spiritual value. Some like to focus on analysis of existing poems, others like to guide students in drafting their own.

The best approach is a balance of these extremes. To understand and fully appreciate good poetry one needs to be familiar with the formal elements, just as one needs to have a handle on poetic diction and metaphor to be affected by the beauty of a well-crafted line. As far as analyzing and writing poetry, for most people the former is enough, though trying to pen some verse of your own is a good way to get a feel for the poetry of others.

Our collection of books on the topic represents all of these approaches. Most provide a more or less balanced course, each with their own strengths. Any introduction that doesn't include at least a passage concerning the beauty of poetry is insufficient. After all, the study of poetry isn't just an academic one—it is ultimately a spiritual and an aesthetic one.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
Did you find this review helpful?
Parent Categories
Poetry Curriculum & Resources
Related Links
Poetry - Wikipedia article
55 Items found Print
Analogies for All of Us
by Marc Hays
from Classical Conversations
for 7th-9th grade
in Logic Resources (Location: LOG-RES)
$24.99
Art and Craft of Poetry
by Michael J. Bugeja
from Writer's Digest
for 11th-Adult
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$11.00 (2 in stock)
Art of Poetry
by Christine Perrin
from Classical Academic Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$29.95
Art of Poetry - DVD
by Christine Perrin
from Classical Academic Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$103.95
Art of Poetry - DVD Bundle
by Christine Perrin
from Classical Academic Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$145.22
Art of Poetry - Teacher's Edition
by Christine Perrin
from Classical Academic Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$34.95 $20.00 (1 in stock)
British Tradition I - Anthology
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$20.95
British Tradition I - Set
from Memoria Press
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
British Tradition I - Student Guide
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$17.80
British Tradition I - Teacher Book
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$19.90
British Tradition II - Anthology
3rd edition from Memoria Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$20.95
British Tradition II - Set
from Memoria Press
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
British Tradition II - Student Guide
3rd edition from Memoria Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$17.80
British Tradition II - Teacher Book
3rd edition from Memoria Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$19.90
British Tradition III - Anthology
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$20.95 $14.00 (1 in stock)
British Tradition III - Set
from Memoria Press
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
British Tradition III - Student Guide
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$17.80 $12.00 (1 in stock)
British Tradition III - Teacher Book
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$19.90 $14.00 (1 in stock)
Building Poems - Teacher Manual
by Michael Clay Thompson
2nd edition from Royal Fireworks Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts (Location: GRA-MCT)
$17.50 (1 in stock)
Enjoy the Poems: Alfred, Lord Tennyson
by Emily Dickinson, Sonya Shafer
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 1st-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
Enjoy the Poems: Emily Dickinson
by Emily Dickinson, Sonya Shafer
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 1st-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
Enjoy the Poems: Robert Louis Stevenson
by Robert Louis Stevenson and Sonya Shafer, Compiled by Ruth Smith
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 1st-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Enjoy the Poems: Robert Louis Stevenson (old)
by Emily Dickinson, Sonya Shafer
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 1st-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
Grammar of Poetry
Imitation in Writing Series
by Matt Whitling
from Canon Press
Writing Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$23.99
Grammar of Poetry (old)
Imitation in Writing Series
by Matt Whitling
from Logos School
Writing Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Grammar of Poetry - DVD
Imitation in Writing Series
by Matt Whitling
from Roman Roads Media
Writing Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
Grammar of Poetry - DVD Bundle
by Matt Whitling
from Canon Press
for 6th-9th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
Grammar of Poetry - Teacher Edition
Imitation in Writing Series
by Matt Whitling
2nd edition from Canon Press
Writing Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$24.00
How to Read a Poem
by Burton Raffel
from Meridian Book
for 11th-Adult
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$17.00 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Introduction to Poetry - Progeny Press Study Guide
Progeny Press Literature Guides
by Judy Cook
from Progeny Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Progeny Press Literature Guides (Location: LIT-SGPP)
$27.99
Knock at a Star
by X. J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy
from Little, Brown & Company
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization - Set
by Andrew Pudewa
2nd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 2nd-10th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$65.00
Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization - Student Pages
by Andrew Pudewa
2nd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 2nd-10th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$19.00 $13.00 (1 in stock)
Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization - Teacher Manual
by Andrew Pudewa
2nd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 2nd-10th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$29.00
Memoria Press Poetry II (old)
from Memoria Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$12.00
Painless Poetry
by Mary Elizabeth
from Barron's
for 7th-9th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Poetry & Short Stories - Teacher Guide (old)
from Memoria Press
for 7th grade
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$12.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Poetry & Short Stories for the Logic Stage - Anthology
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 7th-8th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$20.95
Poetry & Short Stories for the Logic Stage - Student Guide
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 7th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$17.80
Poetry & Short Stories for the Logic Stage - Teacher Guide
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 7th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$19.90
Poetry for the Grammar Stage - Anthology
by Laura Bateman, Dayna Grant
3rd edition from Memoria Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$18.40 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Poetry for the Grammar Stage - MP Teacher Guide
3rd edition from Memoria Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$18.85 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Poetry for the Grammar Stage - Student Guide
by Laura Bateman & Dayna Grant
3rd edition from Memoria Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$16.75 $10.50 (1 in stock)
Poetry Patterns & Themes
by Orndorf
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 4th-6th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$16.99 $9.00 (2 in stock)
Poetry Primer
Imitation in Writing Series
by Matt Whitling
from Logos School
Poetry Curriculum for 4th-8th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$20.00
Poetry Primer - Teacher Edition
Imitation in Writing Series
by Matt Whitling
from Logos School
Poetry Curriculum for 4th-8th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$10.00 $7.00 (1 in stock)
Poetry Writing
by Jodene Smith
from Teacher Created Resources
for 1st-3rd grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Read and Understand Poetry 2-3
by Michael Ryall
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
Read and Understand Poetry 3-4
by Michael Ryall
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 3rd-4th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
Read and Understand Poetry 4-5
by Michael Ryall
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 4th-5th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
Read and Understand Poetry 5-6
by Jill Norris, Linda Armstrong
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 5th-6th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
Roar on the Other Side
by Suzanne U. Rhodes
2nd edition from Canon Press
for 7th-Adult
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$16.99
Sound and Sense
by Greg Johnson, Thomas R. Arp
13th edition from Wadsworth Publishing Company
for 7th-10th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
Writing Poetry with Children
by Jo Ellen Moore
Revised Edition from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 1st-6th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
Young Scholar's Guide to Poetry
from Bright Ideas Press
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$34.95