A Feel for Words: Making Poetry in the Public Schools. A Handbook for Teachers and Parents.

This handbook for teachers and parents discusses approaches for helping elementary and secondary school students understand and write poetry. Chapter 1 discusses various elements of expression such as words, thought, movement, and language. Chapter 2 discusses early poem-making and includes discussions of children's acceptance of language, steps in the making of a book, and children's poetry in general. Chapter 3 discusses developing writers, naming objects, and imagining. Chapter 4 discusses writing with older students in middle schools and senior high school. Such topics as what to write, imitation, cleverness, writing with formulas, and various activities for teaching poetry are discussed. Chapter 5 is a bibliography listing helpful aids in the teaching of writing, as well as the names of major American poets. Chapter 6 includes a collection of poems written by children. Chapter 7 gives additional pointers for the teaching of poetry. (TS)