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Activity
Poetry4kids

How to Write a Free Verse Poem

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Budding poets compose an original free verse poem. Encouraged to use personification and alliteration, scholars read over three tips and examples then try their hand at drafting a poem of their own style.  
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PPT
College of the Canyons

Free Verse

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Free verse poetry is often regarded as poetry without structure, but in reality, it is a poetic form that adheres to its own poet's thought and breath patterns. Delve into the rules and famous examples of free-verse poetry with a short...
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Writing Free Verse in the "Voice" of Cesar Chavez

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Introduce middle schoolers to free verse poetry with a lesson that has young poets read two free verse poems and list the common characteristics of the form. They then read a passage from Cesar Chavez's biography and a free verse poem...
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Activity
Poetry4kids

How to Start a Poetry Journal

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Practice makes proficient! Using a journal of their choice, authors organize pages, then begin their writing journey of on-going writing practice in which they compose all poetic forms including diamante, limerick, free verse, and more!
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Handout
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Core Analysis Frame: Poetry

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Dig deep into any piece of poetry with a set of analysis questions. Ponder the content, form, and language of poetry and provide some question for critique. The first two pages include general questions, and the remainder of the document...
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PPT
Curated OER

10th Grade Poetry Unit

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Immerse your students into the wide world of poetry with this presentation, which opens a poetry unit. By first introducing the art of poetry and then providing examples of poems with figurative language, the presentation guides students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating a Peace Poem

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders write a poem using words from a list and practice poetic forms. For this lesson on writing a peace poem, 2nd graders brainstorm words or phrases associated with "peace." Students choose a poetic form to express their...
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Unit Plan
Trinity University

Introduction to Poetry

For Teachers 4th
Introduce fourth graders to poetry with a three-week unit that has them examine the structural elements of poetry, analyze poems, and craft their own original poems rich in sensory details and other poetic devices. Young scholars study...
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PPT
Curated OER

Poetry Notes

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Break this presentation into two or three days so as not to overwhelm your kids. Fifty-four slides is a lot of slides, but the PowerShow is well-organized, and terms are defined clearly and illustrated in examples provided. A general...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Definition Poems

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
“Hope is a tissue, wiping away your problems and fears.” Use a Definition Poem Web worksheet to model for your class how to craft a free verse poem based on an emotion. After brainstorming topics, groups use the sheet to make comparisons...
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Unit Plan
University of British Columbia

Pondering Poetry and Playing with Words

For Teachers 9th
First-year High school scholars explore the world of poetry with an 11-lesson unit that examines a range of poetry forms and tries their hand at crafting their own poems. Young poets then collect their work in a portfolio that they...
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Lesson Plan
Georgia Department of Education

Exploring Poetry and Poets

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Combine the study of poetry and non-fiction texts with this complete and ready-to-use six-week unit. After reading numerous poems from local writers and compiling a personal anthology, high schoolers find and read a memoir or biography...
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Unit Plan
Trinity University

Framing Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The big idea in this poetry unit plan is that structure and content work together to create meaning. Class members learn how to identify and mark the metrical patterns and line lengths used in poems. They study the structure of various...
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PPT
Curated OER

Poetry: The Most Compact Form of Literature

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Introducing or need to review literary devices and terms for a study of poetry? Though text heavy, the explanations and examples of key poetic devices will provide learners with the vocabulary they need to discuss and craft poems.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Friendly Patter Poetry

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students create a free from poem on the topic of friendship. They read examples of free form poetry to gather ideas. Through the use of a graphic organizer, students generate a list of friendship characteristics which is used to create...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Japanese Poetry: Tanka? You're Welcome!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore tanka, a form of Japanese poetry. They read and analyze tankas to determine the structure and intent, and compose a traditional and a non-traditional tanka.
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Worksheet
K12 Reader

Elegy for Lincoln: Walt Whitman’s Poem

For Students 7th - 10th Standards
Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" is one of the most famous and emotional tributes to Abraham Lincoln. Guide readers through the evocative elegy with a reading comprehension worksheet, complete with the poem's text and a photograph...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Garden of Verses: Poems About Class Gardens

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore botany by participating in a language arts activity. In this garden poetry lesson, students read the classic poem "Mary, Mary Quite Contrary" and discuss the imagery and rhyming methods used. Students examine their own...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Reading Poetry in the Middle Grades

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Bring the beauty of "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost to middle school language arts. After learners read a copy of the poem, they follow an instructional sequence that focuses on sound, figurative language, and theme.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Palm of My Heart: Poetry By African American Children

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Elementary students explore African American culture by reading children's poetry. They read the book, The Palm of My Heart which features poetry by an assortment of young African American boys and girls. Students define several...
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AP Test Prep
College Board

2008 AP® English Literature and Composition Free-Response Questions Form B

For Students 10th - 12th Standards
Ever wondered what your dog is thinking? Scholars take a close look at two poems written through the eyes of animals and then create essays analyzing each author's technique. Pupils also read a passage to write about the literary...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Introduction to Poetry

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students examine the genre of poetry. They read and discuss list poems, write a list poem, research and read poetry online, and write a free form poem.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

War Literature

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Working in groups, young historians review a war poem written by Stephen Crane. After reviewing the poem, they present an oral interpretation of the poem and hold a panel discussion about their analysis. The panel is made up of five or...
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PPT
Curated OER

Western Medieval European Poetry and Literature

For Teachers 11th - 12th
One of the Common Core standards requires learners to make connections between literature or media of the past and the present. Provided here, are key elements found in medieval poetry and literature that are connected to several more...