How can poetry be taught in a way that will capture students' imaginations and inspire them to enjoy poetry's rhythms and rhymes? This book presents a fresh approach that will stir young learners' creative spirits and bring an unusual level of personal engagement to the classroom experience. The book contains a myriad of teaching ideas that can be adapted to different levels of ability and interest. It is designed to be a comprehensive resource that combines background information about teaching poetry and a variety of learning activities to help create a classroom that invites positive experiences with poetry and encourages students not only to learn more about poetry, but also to appreciate it. Each chapter contains ideas suitable for engaging K-8 students with poetry in exciting ways. The activities described throughout the book are presented in an appendix of 22 reproducible lesson plans, which outline expected outcomes, step-by-step directions, and assessment possibilities. Many full-length poems, songs, and useful parts of poems are reproduced in the book so that teachers may try the suggested activities and lessons immediately. A list of additional resources for using poetry in the classroom is also included. (Contains approximately 350 references.) (NKA)