Play with Powerful Poetry
Use stations to teach skills relevant to the Common Core and tap into individual creativity.
By Noel Woodward
There are a variety of ways to teach or introduce poetry. Many teachers look in-depth at a few specific poems, some have a poem that goes with each unit or a poem of the week, and others dedicate entire units to poetry. Feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of introducing multiple types of poetry to my class, I spoke with a colleague who suggested poetry stations as an overview and introduction to poetry that allows for student creativity.
Poetry stations help move the class from whole-class, teacher-led instruction, to small-group, student-led discovery. Class members not only have the chance to discuss the poems with their peers, they also have the opportunity to explore and compose a wide variety of different types of poems. It is an excellent way to provide general information about poetry while tapping into their creative juices.
Preparation, Organization, and the Final Product
Poetry stations are flexible, but there are a few steps that you might take to set up and complete stations. The goal of each station in the setup listed below is to have group members read many different types of poetry and write copy changes, or original versions of these particular types of poetry.
Suggested steps to setting up poetry stations:
- Decide what types of poetry you would like your class to read and recreate. This might depend on your preferences, how much time you have, and what you need to cover in your course.
- Find examples of each type of poetry.
- Come up with a template for a copy change for each type of poetry.
- Make up the stations with enough copies of each poem with its copy change for a small group. I would recommend lamination so that multiple classes can use the same materials.
- Depending on the length of your class period, cycle around and complete one to two stations per day. Have group members read the poems out loud to one another, discuss amongst themselves, and then write their own versions.
The end product is a portfolio of original poetry. You might ask your poets to choose a few from their new collection of drafts that they think are the best, and edit them for their final portfolio. Incorporate some art and design into the project and ask class members to create a cover page that represents their work.
Poetry and the Common Core
With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, the emphasis on informational texts is greater than the emphasis on poetry. However, that does not mean there is no longer a place for poetry in an English classroom. Poetry is condensed emotion and content. Students need to use critical-thinking skills and literacy skills in order to understand poetry. Sometimes, readers are more motivated to find out what a poem means because it has touched them in some way and they are engaged in the material.
First and foremost, the Common Core advocates for college and career readiness. In order to be prepared for college and a career, learners need to be able to read well, write skillfully, and think creatively. Literature content, including the poetry you choose for poetry stations, can help enhance their ability to read, write, and think. In order to recreate the poetry they read in the stations, participants have to comprehend the work, translate it into their own thoughts, and compose original writing. Stations provide an opportunity for class members to collaborate while improving their skills in reading, writing, and thinking.
Poetry Lessons:
Similar to poetry stations, this lesson lays out a plan for poetry circles. Learners collaborate in groups in order to create a poster about their poem. The poster must include the poem, a recommendation, an interpretation, and a list of examples of figurative language.
This plan focuses on Robert Frost in particular. Class members visit a variety of stations in order to understand his work more fully. Learners have the chance to read poetry, write poetry, learn about Frost’s life, and draw their own interpretation of poems.
See, smell, hear, touch. Ask your class to write sensory poetry with real inspiration. This plan describes how to set up your classroom into four stations—one for each sense. Class members then circulate and write a draft for each sense.