Thursday, April 1, 2010

It's National Poetry Month -- how important is poetry for students? | OregonLive.com

It's National Poetry Month -- how important is poetry for students?

By Wendy Owen, The Oregonian

April 01, 2010, 11:09AM

Today is the first day of National Poetry Month, and to show the proper respect to all the great poets of the world, I will refrain from writing this blog as a poem.

To celebrate the occasion, the Paws for Poetry contest is seeking entries for its annual national competition. Children ages 5 to 12 are asked to write a poem about their favorite animal friend. It must be titled and include a photo of the dog, cat, bird, rodent or reptile. The original poems of any length can be submitted in two categories -- Group One includes children ages 5-9; Group Two is for children ages 10-12. For more information, including where to send the poem, visit pawsforpoetry.org.

In Oregon, children are introduced to poetry as early as first grade,

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