As part of The Homeschool Review Crew, I received The Art of Poetry from Classical Academic Press to review. Classical Academic Press’s motto is Classical Subjects Creatively Taught. They take the classic subjects that can be dry and boring and make them clear and understandable for all ages.
The Art of Poetry is a middle school and high school curriculum that teaches students the elements of poetry and how to read a poem slowly so they see all the imagery and metaphors in the poem. The Art of Poetry contains sixteen chapters that cover the elements of poetry, the formal history of poetry, and how the student can grow their interest in poetry. Also included in the book are a glossary, a bibliography and short biographies of the poets in the book. Classical Academic Press offers a Suggested Schedule to help you in your planning. There are options for a half year, one year, four year and co-op studies. 
The Art of Poetry Teacher’s Edition includes every page from the student text, detailed explications of all thirty-nine poems, a complete answer key, a poetry time line, a quiz for every chapter with answer keys, tips and suggestions for teaching poetry, and much more. There is also a DVD set available. I received a sample DVD with Chapters 1 and 2 on it. The DVD features the teacher discussing the content of the chapters with a group of students. With the DVD set, your student can teach themselves the course. The teacher will lead them through the chapters. The DVD set is not a requirement for the course. You can view a sample video on the Art of Poetry DVD Set page.
I used The Art of Poetry with my 14 year old, eighth grade daughter. During the review period, she completed chapters one through three. At the rate of one lesson per week, this would be a half year course. Taking two weeks per chapter would make this a one year course. After the lesson at the beginning of each chapter, she had to read several poems and answer questions about them. There was also list of activities for the student to complete. Each chapter ended with a list of vocabulary words. I like the way The Art of Poetry really teaches the student to focus on each part of the poem. Instead of just reading through the poem all at once, the course shows the student how to dissect the poem to see what the poem is really saying. Some of the activities at the end of the chapters do have the student writing their own poems but The Art of Poetry concentrates on the student studying other authors poems.
The Art of Poetry books and DVD set can be purchased separately, or you can save money buy buying them as a bundle. 
As of April 1st, the prices are $24.95 for the student text, $29.95 for the teachers edition, and $69.95 for the DVD set. The curriculum bundle sells for $99.95 for the teacher/student/DVD program. 
