Although poetry eludes definition it has certain characteristics that distinguish it from prose. Children's poetry should be related to familiar experiences of childhood and should not be didactic or overly sentimental. Teachers need to know the language of poetry for their use in teaching; however, children should not be required to analyze poetry for technical elements. Poetry is developed with the use of rhythm; elements of sound, including rhyme; sensory imagery; figurative language; shape; and emotional intensity. Children's poetry is written in several forms: ballads, narrative poems, lyrical poems, limericks, free verse, haiku, and concrete poems. Results of research studies over sixty years indicate certain stability in children's poetry preferences at primary and intermediate grade levels. Trends in publishing include an increase in poetry books and an expanded range of subject matter. This range includes humorous verse, poems related to the world of childhood, nature poems, and multicultural poems. Many poets are quite versatile in their offerings. Anthologies no longer stay in print for long periods of time due to copyright restrictions. Thus there are many collections of specialized poems and picture-book editions of single poems. Poor selection of poems, neglect of poetry, required memorization of poems, and too detailed analysis of poems are practices that contribute to the misuse of poetry. Teachers who are truly committed to poetry are those who make available to children a strong poetry-book collection, who connect poetry with prose and topics across the curriculum, who provide listening areas and visual displays of poetry, who make time for sharing and allowing children to read poetry daily, who have built their personal files of individual poems that are immediately accessible in the classroom, and who present poetry with enthusiasm. There are techniques for discussing poetry with children, for helping children practice writing poetry from models, and for sustaining writing of meaningful poetry. Choral reading encourages interest in poetry. Teachers should provide opportunities for children to develop an appreciation of poetry. In poetry workshops, students may use models to begin writing poetry. They learn to write about what they know and learn to critique and revise their poetry writing.