Here is the way I introduced poetry to my students this year. Had a lot
     more success than in previous years, when I used a much more formal,
     stylistic approach. In theory, this method shows students that poetry
     belongs to them as much as to me, and that they have a say in their
     education and edification. It also provides fodder for as many poetry
     lessons as there are students in one's classroom, as well as good Reading
     and Oral & Visual Communications marks. 
     
     
 Introduction to a Pervasive Poetry Program
     
       Begin with a visit to your school library and your local public library. 
     Clean them out of poetry anthologies. One for each student if possible. 
     The day of the lesson, place one poetry anthology at each student's
     place, and ask them to flip through the books and select one poem they
     like for any reason. This takes about 20 minutes. 
     After that issue chart paper and markers, and have them copy their poems
     on the chart paper. Plan about 15 minutes to complete this activity. 
     While this is going on, copy a favourite poem of yours onto chart paper (I
     chose My People by Langston Hughes)
     Plan to place these poems up around the room, and tell the students they
     will be discussing one poem a day for as many days as there are poems. 
 
 Mini-Lesson Presentations
        
        The student will begin each presentation with why they chose the poem they
     chose, and what they liked about it or what grabbed their attention. They
     will talk about their poem for no more than three minutes, and no less
     than one. The teacher can then make a mini-lesson discussing the element
     of the poem they wish to highlight. In My People, I highlighted imagery
     and simile. We discussed why this poem is so effective when it only has 6
     lines plus the title, and introduced the Imagist School and what it was
     all about. 
     The kids love feeling that poetry is theirs, and they will always find
     something to say about the poem they chose. I then anecdotally mark them
     on their talk, and base some of their OVC mark on it. 
   
   Extensions
     You could ask them to write about their poem as well. Or you could ask
     them to pick any two poems in the room and compare and contrast them. 
     This is fairly high-level though, so I just asked them to give a written
     submission to go along with their presentation. 
     
     
          My People 
          by Langston Hughes 
          
          The night is beautiful,
          So the faces of my people.
          
          The stars are beautiful,
          So the eyes of my people.
          
          Beautiful, also, is the sun.
          Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people
          
          
          Michael F. Jursic
          Science and Technology Teacher
          Ryerson Community Public School
          
          For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and
          wrong. - H. L. Mencken