Denver Art Museum
Descriptive Haiku
Even though this is technically an art instructional activity, haiku poetry is actually the main focus! Learners view photographs of Japanese tea caddies. They list five descriptive words for the caddies, then write haiku poems using the...
Curated OER
From George to Martha: Writing a Sonnet Using Primary Sources
What was the relationship like between George and Martha Washington? To protect their privacy, Martha Washington destroyed all her husband’s letters after his death so historians have little evidence of their lives together. Two letters...
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Landscapes of the Mind
Students review Emily Dickinson's biography and examine themes and forms of some of her poems. They measure ways Graham integrates aspects of Dickinson's life and the themes and forms of her poetry into Letters to the World.
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Nonsense Knows
In this poetry lesson, young readers discuss that poems can sometimes have silly words and made up people, places, and things. Learners read and listen to silly poems then write a response poem to their favorite.
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Poetic Justice: Understanding the Life of a Tethered Dog
The Humane Society provides a instructional activity in which class members explore the issue of tethering dogs. Through the resources used -- a comic, a poem, and narrative and expository writings -- class members realize that messages...
Classroom Adventures Program
Creating Characters
Examine character in depth. Over the course of these six lessons, learners explore their own character traits, determine the traits of characters in the books they read, practice comparing and contrasting, and collaborate in small...
Novelinks
The House on Mango Street: Biopoem
Young poets demonstrate their understanding of a character from Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street by crafting a biopoem that captures the essence of this person.
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Comparison of Multicultural Literature
Young scholars examine three different versions of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and complete a comparison activity. Their own version of the poem is created and illustrated in this lesson.
Read Works
What's the Main Idea?
By sharing a summary about their favorite book or movie, your young readers can then discuss the main ideas of their beloved stories. The concept transitions to finding the main idea in poetry. Class members use textual clues in various...
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Out of the Dust: Biopoem
As part of their study of Out of the Dust, readers create a biopoem for one of the characters in Karen Hesse's 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel.
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"Name Me Nobody"
Students complete a 3-5 week unit related to the novel "Name Me Nobody." They participate in a literature circle, read and discuss stories provided by the Safe Schools Coalition, complete a Character/Problem-Solution chart, create a...
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A Way with Words or Say What?
Students explore the language of Shakespeare. In this literature lesson, students examine words invented by Shakespeare as they interpret their meanings in drawings. Students pantomime the meanings and then write a short story...
Japan Society
The Bubble Economy and the Lost Decade
Explore Japanese society and national identity. Class members share ideas about the Japanese economy and then investigate a series of resources, including an article, a film, a lecture, and a poem, to learn about Japan's Bubble Economy...
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Poetry: What's on Your Plate?
Students create original poetry on the subject of food. In this poetry writing lesson, students use sensory details about a food item to create a class poem. Students then write short poems with one sensory detail and add...
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Oral Language
Students explore rhyming words. In this rhyming lesson, students discuss rhyming words, brainstorm words that end with 'at,' read poems with rhyming words and create their own rhyming books.
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Figurative Language in Poetry and Prose
Students examine the impact of sound devices in poetry. In this poetry lesson, students read the listed poems and identify uses of hyperbole, simile, metaphor, imagery, and personification. Students discuss how sound devices enhance poetry.
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The Poetry of Sculpture
Fourth graders practice writing poetry while examining all types of art. In this art analysis activity, 4th graders participate in a field trip to a sculpture garden in which they view sculptures and create different forms of...
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Self-portrait Poem
Students practice naming various features or parts of their bodies using similes and vivid adjectives. The format is extended to poetic expressions as they develop a self-portrait and extend the creative experience through art.
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Diamante Poems
Third graders discuss what diamante stands for in English. They discover the elements of a Diamante poem by observing the teacher writing a poem. Using their journals, 3rd graders create their poem using different parts of speech and...
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Poetry in Motion
Students explore poetry and technology. In this poetry writing lesson, students choose a theme and write a pattern poem, then create a related slideshow.
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Narrative Poetry
Sixth graders explore narrative poetry. In this language arts lesson, 6th graders create a group story. Students discuss the characteristics of narrative poetry and use a story elements checklist to determine which poems are narrative...
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An Irritiating Creature - a poetry lesson
Students think about and evaluate the meaning of a poem. It also encourages students to be original and creative in their thinking as they read, analyze and illustrate their story.
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Dialect Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar
Students examine the life and works of Paul Laurance Dunbar. In groups, they read various poems of his and use a database to examine the covers of his books. They also discuss the criticism he faced during his life and how he dealt...
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Performance Poetry as Social Commentary
Students explore poetry that examines social concerns. In this poetry lesson, students research poems and poets. Students present their findings to their classmates.