Welcome


Boost Literacy with Poetry!

Why Poetry?

Poetry is literacy's superfood. Just as certain fruits and veggies are packed with antioxidants, poetry is loaded with rich content, brain-stimulating vocabulary, and nourishing literary devices. Poetry's concise format makes it a perfect choice for:
  • educators who are short on time but challenged with providing rigorous content 
  • reluctant readers who fatigue when faced with pages of text
  • advanced readers ready to dig into deeper analysis
  • English language learners who need exposure to rich vocabulary and sophisticated sentence structure in small bites
In short, poetry is a great choice to boost literacy in all learners

Poetry Boost Resources

On this site you'll find...
  • tips for using poetry in content-area subjects, particularly in STEM areas
  • ideas for boosting vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure with poetry
  • practical, classroom-tested strategies
  • standards-aligned lessons 
  • book lists and mentor text suggestions

About the Creators of Poetry Boost 

Michelle Schaub is a language arts teacher and award-winning children's poet. She is the author of the picture book poetry collections Fresh-Picked Poetry: A Day at the Farmers’ Market, (which won the 2018 Growing Good Kids Award and 2019 Northern Lights Book Award,) and Finding Treasure: A Collection of Collections. She also wrote the bedtime STEM book in verse, Dream Big, Little Scientists. Her poems appear in several anthologies, including The Poetry Anthology for Celebrations and Great Morning! Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud.  Michelle speaks at conferences on the power of poetry to boost literacy. 



Val Bresnahan brings more than 40 years experience working in the field of education as a speech –language pathologist, language-learning specialist, classroom teacher, literacy specialist, certified dyslexic practitioner, and college professor.  She received her doctorate from Northern Illinois University in 2001 with a concentration in adolescent reading.  She has authored books and articles on vocabulary instruction and co-teaching, and has been an invited speaker on reading and language skills. Currently, she is developing training protocols for volunteers serving Title I schools in the Phoenix area.