“Poetry is the art of using words, lines and stanzas charged with their utmost meaning [...] It is language crystalized language distilled, and it articulates and gives voice to the human experience in a way that often cannot be expressed any other way” (Certo et al, 2012, p.104). The quote above highlights the importance of poetry as a form of written expression. Poetry reading and writing enables us to express our emotions and experiences through a medium that is not strictly controlled by structures and rules. Christison and Bassano (1995) suggest that those who struggle with reading may find poetry more manageable because of its format with its short lines, repetition and clear white space on the page (cited in Hawkins & Certo, 2014, p.197). In a study of eighty-six elementary school children who were below the US average reading age, (Wilfong, 2008, p.11) found that through repeated, guided readings of poetry students’ reading fluency in terms of word recognition and comprehension as well as students attitudes and motivation within the classroom increased dramatically. …show more content…
Fisher (2015, p.76) notes that when struggling students saw a purpose in the work they were doing, they began to uncover different styles, words and expressions and afterwards used poetry as a form of healing. Additionally, Dymoke (2003, p.19) argues that drafting poetry improves cognitive development. Similarly, Cazden (1976) proposes that studying poetic texts increases ‘phonological development and metalinguistic awareness’ (cited in Hawkins & Certo, 2014, p.197). Steinbergh (1999) also suggests that exposing students to poetic language enables them fathom greater abstract thought (cited in Hawkins & Certo, 2014,