Explain how reading poetry aloud draws attention to patterns in sound and syntax. For example, you can talk about how the poems of Robert Louis Stevenson, Henry Longfellow and Edgar Allen Poe help students become familiar with common English language rhythms (such as iambic.) These same poets, you can explain, demonstrate to ESL learners the flexibility and range of syntax found in English, as in Stevenson's "To Any Reader," which begins with the line, "As from the house your mother sees."
Tell your students about the benefits of poetry for expanding vocabulary. Poets such as A.E. Housman, Robert Frost and John Betjeman each employed unique vocabularies which descriptively evoked the events and culture of their time and place. For new speakers of English, this can have the positive impact of being introduced to expressive words not often encountered in contemporary speech.
Explain how reading poetry aloud can build the confidence of ESL learners and improve crucial public speaking skills. For instance, you can discuss exercises such as group reading, echo reading and memorization assignments.