April is national poetry month. Poems are fun for students to read any time during the year. They are typically short which is less intimidating for struggling readers or ESOL students.
Writing poems is also fun for students. Many of the traditional writing conventions are not as strictly enforced in poems. Students can use fewer words to convey powerful messages. Poems are a fun way to play around with language.
When teaching poetry there are a number of terms that students are expected to learn. I have developed poetry writing task cards to help introduce students to rhyming, alliteration, imagery, and onomatopoeia.
A World of Language Learners 