As an English teacher, I learned to engage students by approaching texts as performances. Poetry is meant to be heard, and speaking poetic language aloud builds fluency in a fun way... teachers and students become co-learners, interpreting and deciphering together in a way that builds meaning but still has room for divergent approaches or perspectives.
Poetry Out Loud is a national program developed by the NEA and the Poetry Foundation... and Poetry Out Loud provides you all the tools you need to get started... free!