STRENGTHENING LITERACY THROUGH POETRY READING SKILLS TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF MEANING IN INDONESIAN LANGUAGE LEARNING

Abstract

The low level of literacy of Indonesian students, especially in understanding the meaning of reading, is a major challenge in learning Indonesian. In a scientific context, this shows the need for an integrative approach between literacy and language skills. This study aims to examine how poetry reading skills can be used as a literacy strengthening strategy to improve students' understanding of meaning. Using a qualitative literature study method, this study collected data from various journals, books, and scientific articles. The results of the study show that reading poetry accompanied by an understanding of meaning can train students to think critically, express emotions, and understand implied messages in the text. The conclusion of this study states that reading poetry not only trains the technical aspects of pronunciation, but is also an effective medium in strengthening literacy of meaning. Therefore, it is recommended that learning Indonesian at the elementary level emphasizes more on exploring meaning in poetry as part of a sustainable literacy strategy.