Take poetry off the page and put it into terms of movement, physical space and, finally, music with this series of three lessons from the Smithsonian Institution. This resource introduces students to two poetic forms that originated as...

Study some of the most prominent poets and works of poetry in history with a language arts poetry unit. From Virgil to Shakespeare to Dickinson to Angelou, the resources present biographies and examples of poetic elements to...

Rhyme, rhythm, free verse, imagery: Do these words describe poetry, or jazz music? The answer is both! A resource explores these similarities as scholars watch a video, engage in discussion, read author biographies, write poetry and...

Celebrate diversity with a toolkit designed to inspire young poets to develop their own voices. After examining poems by African American poets, individuals craft their own poetic stories. The packet features poems by Gwendolyn Brooks,...

The poems of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson are the focus of a unit that asks readers to consider how an artist's life and changes in society influences his or her work. After careful study of Whitman's and Dickinson's perspectives on...

Students explore a variety of poetry and poetry concepts. They examine figurative language, mood, and literary devices. The students write and recite their own poetry.

Who are we and what shapes our identities? Seventh graders work to answer this question as they learn how to write a memoir. Full of non-print resources and supplemental texts that range from fiction to non-fiction, scholars write their...

Students research the Dark Ages using books, the Internet, and other media. In this Dark Ages lesson plan, students study poetry, music, art, and the architecture of the Dark Ages.

Students explore the traits of writing in this six lessons unit. Poems, fiction, and drama are evaluated to identify writing strategies. Utilization of vocabulary and writing rubrics help students judge the effectiveness of their own...

Students identify and discuss six traits of writing and complete some beginning drawing and writing utilizing the traits. Six lessons on one page.

From The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, by permission of David Higham Associates, a recording from The Dream Keeper and Other Poems and a written version of "I, Too", written by Langston Hughes are provided on this site. Multiple...

This lesson focuses on Langston Hughes and two of him poems: "Theme for English B" and "I, Too." It provides links to the two poems including an audio version of "I, Too" and a handout worksheet for "Theme for English B." It asks student...

This resource explains how to analyze a poem for its subject, narrator, tone, diction, and more. "Open" and "closed" poems are defined. Explanation are provided for "metrical feet" and "rhyme scheme" in poetry. William Shakespeare's "My...

By looking to examples of popular poetry in a variety of forms, students learn to analyze, appreciate, and synthesize poetry in the classroom. "Writing Poetry Like Pros" provides several links to poetry texts and suggestions for creating...

A learning module that begins with the poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...

A learning module that begins with "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and...

A learning module that begins with the poem "Poetry Means the World to Me" by Tony Medina, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...

This lesson is an introduction to the play "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry, which is set in Chicago in the 1950s. It features links to two of Langston Hughes's poems that influenced the title of the play and a Lorraine...