What is National Poetry Month?

National Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets as a month-long, national celebration of poetry. April of 1996 was the first of these annual celebrations of the creative literary mind.

The concept was to increase the attention paid-by individuals and the media to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our poetic heritage, and to poetry books and magazines. April was chosen for National Poetry Month by the Academy with input from booksellers, librarians, poets, and teachers.

The Academy chose a month during the school year so that schools and students could participate fully. Also, there are many wonderful poetic references to April. T. S. Eliot wrote, "April is the cruelest month." It is our hope that National Poetry Month lessens that effect.

On a lighter note, Chaucer wrote:

"Whan that April with his showres soote
The droughte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veine in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flowr"

Finally, Edna St. Vincent Millay asked, "To what purpose, April, do you return again?"

For National Poetry Month, of course!

eLibrary BookCarts are an excellent tool for prompting your students to learn more about poets and poetry, perhaps even motivating them to write poems as well. ProQuest has created several models that you may want to copy and use with your students in the study of poetry, including:

• Fun with Poetry
  
  
• Hispanic Poets and Writers
  
  
• Homer's Epic Poetry
  
  
• Investigating Poetic Forms: Sonnets
  
  
• Power of Poetry
  
  
• Song Lyrics as Poetry
  
  
• Writing Poetry for Fun
  
  
• Writing Poetry for Fun and Expression

These BookCarts includes examples of essential questions for critical thinking that ensure that students use original thought and writing in their reports and presentations, rather than the increasing use of copying and pasting factual information on a given topic.

You can create additional higher-order questions as appropriate. Teachers can also add student directions, correlated print resources, and a QuizCart to make each of these BookCarts a complete lesson plan. To learn more about lesson planning with BookCarts, click here.

1. Open your eLibrary CE Teacher Edition
   
   
2. Click the BookCart Admin link at the top right
   
   
3. Select the ProQuest Carts tab
   
   
4. Search the collection for "poet"
   
   
5. Click the View icon (eye) to the right a title of interest
   
   
6. Browse and then click the Close Window link at top (repeat if necessary)
   
   
7. Click the Copy icon next to the titles of your choice
   
   
8. Click Return to My Local Carts
   
   
9. Repeat if necessary

Any of these BookCarts can easily be edited for effective use:

1. In the BookCart Editor, find and click the Title that will have "Copy of" as its prefix
   
   
2. Delete "Copy of" in the Title
   
   
3. Type your name in the Author boxes
   
   
4. Scroll down and click the Save button> Return to My Local Carts

Assign a report of 150-200 words that cites at least three resources. Or choose a PowerPoint report of about two to three minutes. Remember that each of these BookCarts includes essential questions for critical thinking; you can add or substitute others as appropriate.

Students can address essential questions directly, using these new ProQuest models for reports and presentations. (See Curriculum Builders and Learning with PowerPoint.)

Assign your students to review at least two of the poems of an assigned or personally selected contemporary poet. The list includes 74 contemporary poets to choose from, and also provides an opportunity to LISTEN to several of their poems read by professionals before choosing a favorite.

Students should report on the life, favorite works, and criticism of one of these favorites. Assign either a 150-200 word written report or a two to three minute PowerPoint report that could include the reading of the selected poem for the class to hear. Each student should report on a different poet. Students should listen to several poems of their selected poet from the new Poets on Screen collection before selecting their favorites.

Type "contemporary poets" in the Search box to get the list of 74 poets from which students can select with your approval.

1. Click the Poets on Screen link in the left margin of the Search page.
   
   
2. Scroll to find the poet selected or assigned. If the poet is not on the list, then select another.
   
   
3. Click the title of the poems you would like read to you.