{"id":3434,"date":"2016-04-05T14:23:17","date_gmt":"2016-04-05T21:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lpatucson.org\/south\/?p=3434"},"modified":"2017-04-17T09:54:59","modified_gmt":"2017-04-17T16:54:59","slug":"april-celebrating-rhyme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lpatucson.org\/south\/april-celebrating-rhyme\/","title":{"rendered":"April: Celebrating with a Rhyme"},"content":{"rendered":"

April 2016 marks the 20th<\/sup> anniversary of National Poetry Month. According to the Academy of American Poets, this observance has become the \u201clargest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K-12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, bloggers, and, of course, poets marking poetry\u2019s important place in our culture and our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Their site, poets.org<\/a>, has information and resources about some special events and programs celebrating poetry, including the Dear Poet<\/a> project for kids from K-12. You can also find local poetry readings, such as those happening all month at Arizona Humanities<\/a> in Phoenix and at the UA Poetry Center in Tucson, and events, like Tucson Poetry Festival XXXIII<\/a>, one of the longest running events of its kind in Arizona.<\/p>\n

Smaller community events<\/strong> are also common, particularly at area libraries and booksellers, as well as locations that support local poets and host readings all year long. We encourage you to find a way to celebrate and explore poetry that fits your family\u2019s schedule and style.<\/p>\n

Pushed Aside<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Poetry is an oral tradition that harkens back to early civilization, as well as early childhood development. Many children are exposed to poetry through nursery rhymes, lullabies, and storybooks. But all too often, once they get into school poetry is pushed aside in favor of expository writing and the analysis of non-literary texts. Poetry has become little more than a supplement to other subjects rather than something studied on its own.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the Deal?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Poetry, in various studies and academic writings, including \u201cPoetry Proves to be Positive in the Primary Grades<\/a>,\u201d has been shown to affect students\u2019 language, cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional development. Poetry can help improve reading and writing, help children develop creative problem solving and critical thinking skills, while helping build character, self-awareness, and understanding of others.<\/p>\n

All through their academic careers poetry can impart lessons, improve skills, and contribute to student growth. Poetry can be a gateway to learning\u2014writing poetry can lead students to other writing forms, as well as give them a mastery over language which can help them excel academically. After all, according to Andrew Simmons, a California-based teacher and writer, \u201call forms of writing benefit from the powerful and concise phrases found in poems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growth in Literacy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Poetry can teach many things:<\/p>\n