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!
National Endowment for the Humanities
The World of Haiku
Middle schoolers complete a study of Japanese culture through haiku. They read and interpret haiku poetry and write haiku of their own.
Curated OER
Pictures in Words: Poems of Tennyson and Noyes
Students examine how Tennyson and Noyes use words to paint vivid pictures. They read and analyze two poems, complete an online scavenger hunt, complete a worksheet, and write examples of alliteration, personification, metaphor, simile,...
Curated OER
The Study of Theme and Figurative Language in Poetry and/or Prose
Identify and analyze the use of figurative language used in select pieces of writing. These pieces of literature will represent at least two pieces by one writer and at least two pieces by different writers. This lesson would be a great...
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Reading Literature - The Ruin
Cross-comparison, the technique of focusing on two different texts with the same themes, motifs, events, etc., is employed in an exercise that asks groups to examine two different translations of “The Ruin,” a poem, written in Old...
DLTK
Groundhog Paper Craft
Get crafty this Groundhog's Day with a hands-on activity that combines creativity and making predictions. Scholars color, cut out, and put together a friendly image of a groundhog and showcase whether they feel the weather will be sunny...
Curated OER
Life Reflections in Songwriting and Poetry
Students analyze, discuss and compare sources of inspiration, use of words and imagery, and other differences in writing styles between two featured songwriters. This is an introductory lesson to a creative project unit.
August House
The Pig Who Went Home on Sunday
Turn your classroom into a pig sty with a instructional activity based on the Appalachian folktale The Pig Who Went Home on Sunday. Similar to the story of The Three Little Pigs, the folktale tells a story of four pigs who leave...
Curated OER
Activity Guide for Snow
Create a cross-curricular learning experience around a shared reading of Cynthia Rylant's book Snow. From writing poetry and a singing a song about snow, to creating paper snowflakes and solving math story problems, this resource...
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.
Anchorage School District
“Dressing Up” an Introduction
Are your pupils ready to move beyond a thesis statement by adding additional detail to their introductory paragraphs? Provide this handout to give your class some ideas for spiffing up their work. The page includes a sample paragraph...
Curated OER
American Rhythms
Students combine elements of music with poetry. In this creative writing lesson, students examine poems from a variety of authors with varying writing styles. Students explore the different elements of poetry, including tone,...
Curated OER
Newspaper Poetry
Students cut out nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs from newspapers and create poems using words they have found.
Curated OER
Poems for Every Season
Students read and explore autumn poetry. In this poetry lesson, 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...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Seeing Sense in Photographs & Poems
Learners analyze photographs and poetry as forms of each other. In this poetry and photography analysis lesson plan, students use the photographs of Alfred Stieglitz and poetry from William Carlos William to explore how poetry and...
Curated OER
Ladybug Poem
In this language arts worksheet, learners study rhyming patterns and learn about ladybugs by reading a short poem and coloring a picture. Students also practice printing the word "ladybug" and create a poem or story of their own.
Curated OER
MTV's Poetry
Students use several strategies in poetry to convey tone and speaker. In this language arts lesson, students read and build vocabulary as they gain a larger understanding of how to write poetry. Students then work in groups in order...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Impact of a Poem's Line Breaks: Enjambment and Gwendolyn Brooks' "We Real Cool"
Students 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. Students discuss the poem and write...
Curated OER
Alphabet Poem
In this Language Arts worksheet, learners read an example of an alphabet poem. Students also cut out alphabet squares, brainstorm ideas, write their own alphabet poem, and reflect on it.
Curated OER
Food Poetry
In this eating healthy worksheet, students brainstorm words related to healthy foods and then write a poem that will encourage others to eat healthy foods on the lines provided.
Curated OER
Poetry Pop-Up
Third graders, after exploring the process of writing poetry through imagery words that go beyond pen and paper, create a Poetry Pop-Up Book. They incorporate the use of the Thesaurus and clip-art/digital photography to assist them in...
Curated OER
Balloon Writing
In this writing activity worksheet, students create a poem within a balloon utilizing a word box of words to choose from. Students also design their own balloon and write a short description of it on paper.
Curated OER
ESL Poetry Unit
Students complete a twelve lesson unit on poetry. They read and respond to different forms of poetry, write a bio poem, complete an online WebQuest, and in small groups present lessons to the class on various types of poems.
Curated OER
Japanese Poetry: Tanka? You're Welcome!
Students analyze Japanese tanka poetry. In this Japanese poetry activity, students identify analyze the structure of tanka poetry. Students complete the activities at the given links for the activity and compose two tanka poems.