The role of teaching poetry in developing literacy in Greek primary school: A case study

THE PURPOSE OF THIS case study is to examine the ways in which the systematic teaching of poetry reading at Greek primary school enhances children's interest in reading and helps develop their oral skills by enriching their vocabulary and creative thinking. The present poetry project was implemented at a Greek public kindergarten in Rethymno, Crete in the school year 2010-2011. The sample consisted of 22 children (12 boys and 10 girls) aged five to six years. The teaching instruction design was based on Rosenblatt's Transactional theory. The data were collected through (1) an observation checklist, (2) an observation diary, (3) post-course interviews with the children, and (4) a post-course interview with the teacher of the class. The findings indicated that: (a) small children described the poetry program as the most enjoyable part of language arts, (b) children's reading engagement and motivation were increased and (c) through the poetry program children developed better literary and reading skills.