Teaching poetry for pleasure and purpose
Discover the power of poetry in the primary classroom. Learn practical, engaging ways to teach poetic forms, figurative language and curriculum links—balancing joy, purpose and literacy outcomes.
Course Length
2 hours
|
Access
365 days from enrolment
|
Course Creator
Dr Sally Murphy
|
About this course
Teaching poetry can be both a joy and a challenge for primary teachers. Poetry is a rich and flexible form that supports language development, literacy learning, creativity and a lifelong love of reading. Whether read, performed, listened to or written, poetry offers powerful opportunities for both pleasure and purpose in the classroom.
Created by award-winning children's poet Dr Sally Murphy, this practical course explores poetry in an accessible and engaging way. Participants will examine the role of poetry across the Australian Curriculum, NSW Syllabus and Victorian Curriculum, while building confidence in teaching figurative language, poetic devices and a wide range of poetic forms.
Through classroom-ready strategies, quality Australian literature and practical examples, you'll learn how to help students read, discuss, write, publish and perform poetry with confidence and enjoyment.
Learning outcomes
- Understand what we mean by poetry and explore a range of popular poetic forms.
- Identify where poetry features within curriculum documents and the National Literacy Learning Progression.
- Articulate the importance of teaching poetry and its contribution to literacy learning across Years F–6.
- Understand the key types of figurative language commonly used in children's poetry.
- Explore quality Australian literary examples that demonstrate poetic techniques and language features.
- Incorporate strategies such as teacher read-alouds and Tell Me questioning into poetry lessons.
- Support students to write, create, publish and perform poetry in a variety of forms and styles.
Who should participate?
- Classroom Teachers F–6
- Literacy Leaders
- Teacher Librarians
- Heads of Curriculum
- Heads of Instruction
- Heads of Teaching and Learning
What else do I need to know?
- This PL course is self-paced and unmoderated.
- Participants have access for 365 days from registration.
- Group booking discounts apply for 6+ participants.
- This course addresses AITSL standards 2.1.2, 2.5.2, 3.3.1 and 3.4.1.
About your course creator
Dr Sally Murphy is an award-winning poet, educator and creator of this course, which is based on her award-winning PETAA publication Teaching Poetry for Pleasure and Purpose.
She is the author of numerous children's books, including Worse Things and The Riding Gallery. Sally is also a lecturer in Literacy and Course Coordinator of the Bachelor of Education (Primary) at Curtin University.
Her research interests include integrating children's literature across the curriculum and increasing engagement with reading and writing. Sally holds a Doctorate in Creative Writing and has taught learners from preschool through to university level.
Cost of participation
| Registration Type |
Price |
| Member |
$70 |
| Non-Member |
$100 |
| PL Subscription School Member |
Included |
| Automatic group booking discount (6+) |
25% off each extra enrolment |
*all tickets must be booked at the same time for the discount to apply