Poetry is words dancing. Children of all cultures love listening to rhymes and songs and poetry. We find a natural joy in the music that resides in our language. Keeping adolescents interested in poetry holds valuable side-benefits. when they see themselves as capable of playing with language and hearing the music and rhythm in language, they will become more and more aware of the ways other writers do the same. These exercises get students playing with language in short bursts worth sharing and celebrating.