How do you introduce English poetry in the class?

Though I am not into this profession but I believe that introduction is to create interest to grab the attention of the audience. One could explore different ways to do so depending upon available potential.

Start from known to unknown depending on the grade. Students always come with a given entry behavior. then use your pedagogical skills to see how you link up what they know about a given poem or some literally work that resembles one to teach the poem using especially more of nonverbal to emphasize the verbal. First divine all difficult words in the poem contextually. That would be more in my introductory part but again depending on the level.

Depending on the grade, I would use poetry that would grab the kids attention. Funny poetry that kids can relate to. And gradually increase the literature. 

Well, having seen some profound responses, I would just like to know what the main objective of. If it is only pleasure or entertainment, just work on oral delivery with some background and contextualized vocabulary. if critical analysis required then probably more intellectual discussion is required.  

Bottom line the audience and purpose will limit the scope delivery. 

let them read first silently,then someone should it read loudly,then ask what do you understand out of it and having such few qs take them towards syntactical area as well as unusual constructions by prof mzshah.

Encourage students to immerse themselves in poetry

As students' comfort level increases, it will be possible to begin more in-depth conversations about different poetry forms, meaning, and language. Here are some ideas for more advanced students:

Use graphic organizers. These tools can be helpful when talking about a poem's structure or rhyming scheme so that students can reinforce their knowledge about the poetry form and meaning.

Discuss grammatical/syntax patterns found in poems. Poems may have unusual sentence structures that students will not encounter in prose text. Analyzing such sentences can help ELLs develop a better understanding of conventional English syntax.

Continue reading poetry out loud to your students.When introducing more complex poems with increasingly difficult English vocabulary, read the poem through and ask students for an initial impression regarding the meaning of the poem. A student might say, "I think it's about someone who lost someone theylove." This can begin a discussion with questions such as, "Why do you think that? Is there a certain word or phrase that makes you think that? Does someone else have a different idea?"

Encourage students to share their personal interpretations. Students will soon see that each reader finds a different meaning in the poem, and that's ok. Students shouldn't be bogged down looking for the right and wrong answers.

Using Poetry to Develop Oral Language Skills

Give students the chance to read poems out loud

Reading poetry aloud is a great way for ELLs to practice pronunciation and fluency, as well as a chance for students to play with rhymes and language.

In order to increase confidence and fluency, have students start by reading some poems together as a class. Then have students choose a poem that they enjoy and then practice reading their poems aloud in pairs, experimenting with expression, volume, and speed. After students have had time to practice, listen in and offer some feedback on expression and pronunciation. Once students have one more round of practice, ask students to share their poems aloud with the class.

Poems can make wonderful class presentations, whether students read different poems from a collection aloud, act out a longer dramatic poem, or take turns reading a rhyming text. Here are some poetry theater ideas from PoetryTeachers.com. Andrea Spillett, an ELL teacher who blogs for Scholastic, describes a program in which students presented poems from Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak to their parents: "The book has a rhyming text about the months of the year. Students recited the poem of the month they were born. Simple costumes and a backdrop were used for the presentation" (Spillett,2008). This demonstrates that poetry doesn't have to be complicated to be effective — even simple poems can be engaging!

I do not use it now - no need 

I think you may start the lesson with a brief talk about DISCOURSE