Desert Museum
Daisy Ecology
Here's a fine instructional activity that combines poetry with life sciences. Learners carefully listen to a poem that's all about a food chain. As the poem is read, learners name the producer, the herbivore, the carnivore, and the...
Roald Dahl
The Twits - Mrs Twit
"A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly." The second lesson plan in an 11-part unit that accompanies The Twits by Roald Dahl uses poetry to encourage positive character traits. Mrs. Twit has ugly thoughts, but those...
Poetry Out Loud
The Tabloid Ballad
What do the theme song from Gilligan's Island, the nursery rhyme "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat," and the poem "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" all have in common? Why, they're ballads of course! Challenge your young balladeers to compose their...
University of North Carolina
Literature (Fiction)
An informative installment of the Writing for Specific Fields series helps readers learn how to interpret and write about fiction. The website details nine easy steps for writing a literary analysis—a useful method for all readers!
Curated OER
Biopoem: Ender's Game
Here's an activity designed to encourage character analysis. Readers craft a biopoem for a character in Orson Scott Cards' popular science fiction novel Ender's Game.
Novelinks
Tuck Everlasting: Similes, Metaphors, and Personification in Imagery
Poetic language is abundant in Natalie Babbitt's beautiful novel, Tuck Everlasting. Learners note the examples of similes, metaphors, and personification they find as they read, and illustrate how the language creates a sensory...
Novelinks
The Giver: Biopoem
The characters in Lois Lowry's The Giver are rich and complex as they weave their way through the plot. Examine the character traits of one chosen person with a biopoem, which enables learners to follow a poetic format in writing a...
Teaching Tolerance
Artistic Expression Showcase
No one is too young to create a masterpiece. Elementary artists delve into the topic of social justice with original artwork. Scholars keep journals to reflect on their experiences before putting paintbrush to paper. Final artwork is...
Weebly
Team Building Activities
Need some ideas for team-building activities? This 27-page packet contains a wide variety suggestions, everything from back-to-school bingo to positive comments name charts. There's even an inspirational poem by David Roth...
Novelinks
Oedipus the King: Biopoem
The biopoem is a great way for instructors to get to know class members, classmates to get to know each other, and readers to flesh out their understanding of a character. Why not create a biopoem for a character from Oedipus the...
Reed Novel Studies
Rules: Novel Study
Have you ever been so focused on others, that a look in the mirror surprises you? It seems that Catherine, a character in Rules, does just that when she focuses so much on her autistic brother's behaviors that she is surprised by her own...
Curated OER
Attitudes Towards Nature in Daoist Art
Students examine Daoist art. In this art appreciation instructional activity, students illustrate a poem, then create a second illustration in the Daoist fashion while focusing on depicting the harmonious relationship between humans and...
Curated OER
Poetry Pals
Students create the components for a slideshow featuring their own poetry, illustrations, and music. This lesson uses auditory, visual and kinesthetic (signing and clapping) learning styles.
Brethren High School
Romanticism Through the Eyes of Art, Poetry, and Technology
Use this simple collaborative activity to introduce the definition, art, and poetry of romanticism. Educators will have to provide the poetry, images of the art, and the survey for the learners, but by using this resource, they won't...
Curated OER
A Walk Around the School: Mapping Places Near and Far
After reading Pat Hutchins’ Rosie’s Walk, have your young cartographers create a map of Rosie’s walk. Then lead them on a walk around the school. When you return class members sequence the walk by making a list of how the class got from...
Curated OER
Poetry
Fifth graders explore poetry. They write a variety of poetry using the writing process. Students choose a topic related to Thanksgiving and write a Thanksgiving themed poem. They write a rough draft and peer edit their poems. Students...
Hamilton Schools
Figurative Language
What's the difference between a simile and a metaphor? Show language arts learners a presentation that identifies different types of figurative language used in poetry.
Curated OER
Literature and Art Through Our Eyes: African-American Artists
Examine the contributions of African-Americans in the worlds of art and literature. Over the course of a few days, young scholars will read and analyze a poem, a short story, and a piece of art. They complete a range of...
Curated OER
Creating a Literary Magazine - Part Two
Poetry can provide a great way to get a literary magazine going at your school.
Curated OER
Making Recycled Paper
Students explore the advantages of recycling paper. In this environmental lesson, students produce recycled paper by ripping up paper and putting it into a blender with water to create a mixture. Students use their recycled paper to...
Curated OER
It's a Jungle Out There: How Species Survive in the Jungle
Students investigate the different adaptation and skills of jungle species. In this ecology lesson, students play an interactive online game where they match species with their adaptation. They research about a specific adaptation and...
Curated OER
Appreciating Poetry
Students examine different types of poetry. They choose a poem and write it on another piece of paper practicing their cursive writing. They illustrate their poem and shares them with the class.
Curated OER
Poetry
Students reflect on a news report through poetry. Students write a poem based on this week's news events. Students share poems with each other. Students reflect on a poem of their choosing.
Curated OER
Water is Life, Water is Poetry Seminar
Students participate in a discussion about water and create water-inspired poetry. In this poetry lesson, students demonstrate a memorable experience involving water by constructing a poem.