Teaching Poetry in the Primary Classroom

Gervase Phinn

Rating:

This book is a must for every primary teacher, being the most comprehensive book on the teaching of poetry I’ve come across. Easy to use and attractively produced in a thick A4 format, it is worth every penny of its price, £19.99.

Phinn, a seasoned teacher, advisor, inspector of English and poet, covers a comprehensive range of different styles and themes in a useful framework. There are helpful introductions to each genre and how to teach it, samples of poems giving teachers a ready-made bank of material, and very extensive book lists.

He covers poetic genres such as miniature poems, patterned poems, limericks, clerihews (that was new to me), alphabet poems, acrostic poems, concrete poems, riddles, cautionary verse, conversation poems, poems from other cultures, poems from experience environmental poems, poems from poems, poems from paintings, myths and legends in poetry and poems of praise.

There are helpful sections on teaching infant and junior poetry, learning poetry and having poets in school. This books makes me want to go back into the classroom and get into poetry with the children. I enjoyed reading the poems myself – no dull analysis here.

By reading, following Phinn’s advice, the fear of teaching poetry will fly out of the window and restore poetry to its rightful place in the English curriculum, aiding topic work, helping develop spirituality through poetry and helping children produce their own praise and prayer poems for assemblies it is invaluable.

An excellent book, go and buy it!

Reviewer: Moira Kleissner, School Librarian and Teacher, Hillside County Primary School, Ipswich, Suffolk

Review posted on: 21 April 2010

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