Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Arabic Poetry: Guzzle a Ghazal!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Students research the evolution and cultural significance of the Arabic ghazal form of poetry. They, in groups, compose an original ghazal poem and read it aloud to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing Poetry with TPCASTT

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers read a poem and complete a TPCASTT chart. They make a prediction about the title (T) , paraphrase each line (P), identify poetic devices and nuances (C-connotation), explore mood and tone (A-attitude), point out shifts...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry in Depth

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Scholars use technology to explore poetry and its related elements, such as theme, figures of speech, and other literary devices. They complete four poetry projects including a poem analysis with a concept web, an interactive poem...
Activity
Curated OER

Poetry Project

For Teachers 8th
Choosing a poet or a theme, eighth graders conduct research in the world of poetry. They conduct Internet research and select five poems that fit their poet or theme, and create a seven slide PowerPoint presentation on their selected...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Not So Much a Lesson, More a Song and Dance

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Inspired by Britain's National Poetry Day, this resource will help your class analyze poetry. You will find a variety of poetry analysis methods to work through with your class. Finish by having each person compose an original poem.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Extreme Poetry Vocabulary

For Teachers 12th
Challenge your class with this comprehensive list of literary vocabulary words. Learners take a pre-test, look up definitions, come up with an example, and then take a post-test. You might use this prior to a unit about poetic devices in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

De-Mystifying Poetry: Understanding Narrative Poetry

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders explore narrative poetry. They analyze sections of a poem and present to groups. They compose their own narrative poems using pictures as prompts. They exchange their poems and analyze their classmate's poem.
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Lesson: Impressions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Here, Autumn Poplars is the painting upper graders will analyze. They look at techniques, time period, and the use of impressionism to convey a natural theme. They go outside to make observations of nature and use what they see to write...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Tomma Abts: Abstract Painting

For Teachers 9th - 12th
One must first learn how to analyze art before they can properly respond to it. Here, young analysts examine six abstract pieces in a systematic and formal way. They then respond to one of the pieces in either a poem or an essay. An...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Metaphor

For Teachers 9th - 11th
High schoolers identify the distinction between literal and figurative language with a focus on metaphors. They complete a metaphor analysis chart, then practice expanding metaphors by composing their own comparisons of elements of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching Selected Poems from Jim Wayne Miller's the Brier Poems

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students explore the basic elements of poetry through Appalachian life poetry. In this poetry lesson, students read seven poems from Jim Wayne Miller's the Brier Poems and complete poetry analysis activities for each poem.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The American Dream Poetry

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students analyze how poetry can reveal themes of 'The American Dream.' In this poetry themes instructional activity, students discuss the elements of poetry and define imagery. Students read 'Lost Sister' by Cathy Song and complete a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Listening to Poetry: Sounds of the Sonnet

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate how sound influences meaning in poetry by listening to sonnets. They write an analysis after listening to and reading sonnets.
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

In Emily Dickinson's Own Words: Letters and Poems

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Analyze the depth and beauty of American Literature by reading Emily Dickinson's letters and poems. The class analyzes Dickinson's poetic style and discusses Thomas Wentworth Higginson's editorial relationship with Dickinson. They pay...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Effects of Slavery

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The emotional and spiritual oppression of slavery in the African-American experience is the focus of this lesson. Middle schoolers analyze various texts by Frederick Douglass and Maya Angelou related to freedom and oppression....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Identifying Text Features of a Self-Written Fable

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Make learning the parts of a book fun by having pupils construct their own glossary entries, table of contents, and title page. Beginning with a review of text features and a hunt for examples, kids use previously written fables to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Upon the Burning of Our House

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders read the poem "Upon the Burning of Our House" and complete analysis activities. In this poetry analysis instructional activity, 10th graders read the poem and create original scenes summarizing the stanza.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Listening to Poetry: Sounds of the Sonnet

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers experience and enjoy the sounds of poetry. They erform sound experiments with sonnets and closely read and analyze a sonnet by Shakespeare. Students write an analysis of how sound affects meaning in a sonnet chosen from...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Modernism in Poetry, Painting, and Music

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Are you teaching Modernism to your class? Connect different areas of artistic expression in the Modernist Era. Learners read T.S. Eliot, view art by Pablo Picasso, and listen to a Modernist musical composition. This final assignment is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1900 America: Primary Sources and Epic Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Using Walt Whitman's Song of Myself and Hart Crane's The Bridge as models, class groups first craft their own epic poems for 1900 and, using primary sources, create a multi-media presentation that captures the sights and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Literary Response and Analysis

For Teachers 11th
Examine a variety of literary responses to Abraham Lincoln's death and the impact of perception. Your class can work in writing groups to analyze either poetry, eulogy, or a newspaper article. They retell the events of Abraham Lincoln's...
Unit Plan
Louisiana Department of Education

The Metamorphosis

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed Standards
How can something be true even if it didn't happen? Invite your classes to investigate the truths found in the world of magical realism as they analyze short stories, poems, informational texts, video, and art from this genre.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

The Beauty of Anglo-Saxon Poetry: A Prelude to Beowulf

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Riddle me this! What do kennings, caesura, and alliteration have to do with the Nowell Codex? Introduce class members to Anglo-Saxon poetry and prepare readers for a study of Beowulf with a series of activities that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Review Steps in the Writing Process and Explore a Poem

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students practice their persuasive writing skills. In this writing process lesson, students write essays that meet the requirements of the included text element worksheets and analyze poetry of their choosing.