{"id":13402,"date":"2026-04-26T21:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T01:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/?p=13402"},"modified":"2026-04-26T21:38:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T01:38:37","slug":"great-poetry-reading-day-helping-students-discover-the-power-of-poetry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/2026\/04\/great-poetry-reading-day-helping-students-discover-the-power-of-poetry\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Poetry Reading Day: Helping Students Discover the Power of Poetry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April marks National Poetry Month, established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets to celebrate poetry’s significance in our lives. Poetry, one of humanity’s oldest art forms, preserves our stories and evolves alongside us. As a poetry enthusiast, I often hear from people who claim to “hate” poetry\u2014and I always suggest they simply haven’t found the right poem yet. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Poetry is everywhere: in music, nature, traffic, pain, laughter, and growth. It shapes us personally and culturally. As teachers, it\u2019s our job to help others discover poetry they connect with. If you haven\u2019t fully engaged with National Poetry Month yet, don\u2019t worry\u2014April 28th is National Great Poetry Reading Day<\/strong> (#GreatPoetryReadingDay), a whole day dedicated to reading, writing, analyzing, and enjoying poetry. I can’t wait.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe poetry should be part of daily classroom conversations and taught weekly to students. On poets.org<\/strong>, the Academy of American Poets\u2019 website (reviewed here<\/a>), you can sign up to receive a daily emailed poem<\/a>. This is an easy way to broaden students’ exposure to poetry while introducing new ideas. Often, Poem-A-Day<\/em> gives you the poem, an audio recording of the poem, and information about the poet\u2014all valuable entry points for readers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example of Poem-A-Day<\/em> featuring \u201cOur Books of Delights<\/a>\u201d by Arielle Herbert on April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Now that we’ve explored the importance of poetry, you may be wondering: How can we honor National Great Poetry Reading Day with our students? Below are some lesson ideas and tools\u2014each reviewed and contextualized by TeachersFirst\u2014that can be used to help students read, listen to, write, and perform poetry in meaningful ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n