6.4 Poetry across the curriculum
Including poetry in an already crowded curriculum can be done effectively so that children's experience of it is positive and enriching. An excellent book Using poetry across the curriculum (Chatton, 1993) gives many ideas for integrating poetry into different subject areas. As well as chapters on poetry and mathematics, "one of the ways we can link the language of letters ... with the language of numbers" (p.51) and poetry and art (Ch. 7), there are ideas for treating poetry in thematic units which cross subject lines.
In each chapter there are also suggested poems and anthologies which are suitable for presenting in each subject area.
The website www.poetry4kids.com (detailed in 6.5) also has suggestions for an holistic approach to presenting poetry in the primary classroom.
See too, the anthology suggested in 6.2.1. Rattling in the wind. (Heylen & Jellett).
As a means of communicating a central issue about a topic, and to achieve focus, the teacher can use poetry as an "opener" to the lesson. Two ideas for work in Social Sciences and Religious Education are given below.