EngageNY
Building Background Knowledge: Planning The Two Voice Poem
Scholars build background knowledge to understand the life and work of the union leader and labor organizer César Chávez. As they read teacher-selected resources, they complete a Building Background Knowledge worksheet and engage in...
Curated OER
Quirky Quatrain Poetry Lesson
Middle schoolers discover what a quatrain is, and are taught the three poetic devices: alliteration, hyperbole, and onomatopoeia. Everyone chooses a favorite hobby or activity, then attempts to write a poem about it. They must write two...
Curated OER
What are the Elements of Poetry
Students read the poem "Ode to Pablo's Tennis Shoes" and analyze the form, figurative language, and mood. They complete a T-chart containing what they have learned about Pablo and the evidence from the poem supporting their conclusions.
Curated OER
I Spy Poetry
Students identify and interpret the rhythm and form of the I Spy poem.
They then integrate art, music, literature, technology, and writing with poetry. Students also write their own poem based on the picture they printed from the I Spy...
Curated OER
Interpretation of Poems
Students recite poetry and analyze its meaning. In this poetry interpretation instructional activity, students listen to a poem and work in groups to write what the poem is about. Students share and discuss the poem. Groups report...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Impact of a Poem's Line Breaks: Enjambment and Gwendolyn Brooks' "We Real Cool"
Young scholars analyze the Gwendolyn Brooks use of enjambment in her poem "We Real Cool." In this poetry analysis activity, students define common poetic devices and the examples of enjambment in the poem. Young scholars discuss the poem...
Curated OER
Poetry
Fifth graders are introduced to poetry and many authors who create it. In this language arts instructional activity, 5th graders create a class poetry book. Each student submits an original poem, along with an illustration.
Curated OER
Poetry Explication and Analysis Using "In Her Shoes"
Students explore language arts by viewing movie clips in class. In this poetry analysis lesson, students view scenes from the movie "In Her Shoes" and define what poetry is. Students read the poem "One Art" and identify its rhymes and...
Curated OER
The Poetics of Hip Hop
The Bard, Nikki Giovanni, Mos Def? “Sonnet 18,” Ego Tripping,” and “Black on Both Sides”? Sure! It’s the poetics. Class members compare the lyrics, rhythm, and rhyme in classic poetry to hip-hop in a richly detailed resource that...
Curated OER
Hailstones & Halibut Bones: Using Color to Teach Adjectives
Students write original color poems based on the poems in the book, "Hailstones and Halibut Bones." They select a color, develop a list of adjectives and characteristics, write a poem, and create a drawing.
Curated OER
Poetry Shared Reading
Students explore poetry. In this poetry lesson, students discover the qualities of good writing and the characteristics of poetry. Students practice reading poems in different ways. Studnets also discuss the mood of the poem and the...
Curated OER
Poems for Every Season
Students read and explore autumn poetry. In this poetry lesson plan, students read Autumnblings and are introduced to different poetic forms. Lesson includes ideas for exploring the poetic forms presented in the book and cross-curricular...
Curated OER
Oceans-A Fact Haiku
Students create haiku poems. In this poetry lesson, students listen to the sound of the ocean from an audio file and write a haiku poem about oceans.
Curated OER
Poems That Work!
Students are introduced to the elements of poetry. As a class, they practice the correct way to read a poem and determine the author's audience. They identify similies and metaphors and determine the rhyme and meter. To end the...
Curated OER
Hermeneutics: Teaching Students Author's Purpose
Your developing literary critics discuss 'perspective' and discuss how the same occurence can be interpreted by two different people in two different ways. They read Ryszard Kapuscinski's untitled poem, infer meaning of the poem, and...
Curated OER
Write a Harry Potter Script
Examine the technique of writing a script and complete a worksheet in which young writers summarize a favorite chapter in a Harry Potter book. They practice public speaking by acting out the summarization scenes for classmates. Handouts...
Newspaper in Education
The Iliad: A Young Reader Adventure
Is The Iliad part of your curriculum? Check out a resource that offers something for those new to teaching the classic and those with lots of experience using Homer's epic. Plot summaries, discussion questions, activities abound in this...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: My Chinatown: One Year in Poems (Mak)
Beautiful illustrations and tender memories of cultural identity make Kam Mak's story My Chinatown an ideal resource for budding readers learning four vocabulary words in context: fortune, scraps, soar, and victory. Introduce these...
Curated OER
How to Diamond Poem (2+)
Ever heard of a "diamond poem" format? Neither had I, until I came across this lesson. Young writers are shown a format which results in a poem that comes out in the shape of a diamond! This is a simple, yet effective lesson.
Curated OER
Poetry Power
Second graders explore language arts by analyzing poems in their class. In this word play instructional activity, 2nd graders define the terms rhyme, rhythm and alliteration and identify their uses. Students utilize class word lists to...
Curated OER
Writing Places
Students brainstorm ideas after being read a poem and then are to write their own poem and read them out loud.
Curated OER
Spider Poems: The Spider and the Fly
Students review the information they gathered on different websites to write a poem about spiders. They use other websites to gain more information if needed. They share their poem with the class.
Curated OER
Power Poetry
Young scholars use poetic devices to discuss political issues. In this cultural diversity lesson plan, students listen to the president's State of the Union address and write poetic pieces that express their opinions about issues the...
Curated OER
Teaching Science with a Smile
Students study science concepts as they are presented in poetic form. They write and present their own science poems to parents during Open House.