WEBSITES
ON POETRY FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
Access these sites through your computer’s
Internet connection. Open
the underlined address (URL). Information can be printed or
downloaded to your computer.
Be sure to follow links to other sites and find your way back
with the “Back” button
All of the sites listed were active as of
February 2008. The
evaluation is by the
POETRYTEACHERS.COM START HERE!
http://www.poetryteachers.com/index.html
A terrific site for teachers of
poetry. Sections:
Poetry Fun, Poetry Class, Poetry
Teacher, Poetry Contests, Giggle Poetry (see above), E-poem, and Fiction
Teachers. An
outstanding site. Excellent
POETRY COLLECTIONS, POETIC FORMS & STYLES
AND POETS – WEB ENGLISH TEACHER
START HERE! NEW!
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/poetry.html
A huge resource for teaching poetry. Includes links to
many poetry collections, forms, and more. Also, lesson plans. An outstanding site. Excellent
ALFY’S
PICKS FOR POETRY AND RHYME NEW!
http://www.alfy.com/teachers/teach/thematic_units/Poetry_Rhyme/PR_1.asp
Links for teachers to Rhymes, Rhyming Games
and Poems. Excellent
THE ATLANTIC
POETRY PAGES
http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/poetry/
The poetry section for the online version of The
Atlantic magazine.
Includes poems, criticism, interviews, audio files, a large
number of previous articles and more. Excellent
BARTLEBY.COM – VERSE
http://www.bartleby.com/verse/
“With thousands of poems by hundreds of authors, Bartleby.com offers one of the largest free collections of verse on the web.” Excellent
BIBLIOMANIA
Free online full-texts with over 2,000 titles. Click on Poetry for
the Poetry section. The
Teacher’s section includes Study Guides for many of the works. Excellent
BOB’S BYWAY – A POETIC DIVERSION – A GLOSSARY OF POETIC TERMS
http://www.poeticbyway.com/glossary.html
A huge word reference. Sections: Phonetic
Pronunciations, Cross-References, Broad Range of Definitions, Numerous
Examples, Hyperlinked Keywords & Cross-References, A Wealth of Poetic
Quotations, Writer’s Guidelines and more. Excellent
CHILDREN’S POETRY
ARCHIVE NEW!
http://www.poetryarchive.org/childrensarchive/home.do
A large collection of poems for children. Excellent
THE COMPLETE
WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ONLINE
http://www.ipl.org/div/shakespeare/shakespeare.html
The complete works of William Shakespeare
online. The
links here take you to the full text of the 1914 Edition of the Oxford
Shakespeare. Includes
links to Criticisms and much more. Excellent
FAVORITE
POEM PROJECT
Established by Robert Pinsky,
the 39th Poet Laureate of the
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE –
42EXPLORE NEW!
http://42explore.com/figlang.htm
Basic
information for elementary students on figurative language including links, activities
and webquests. Excellent
FIND A POEM
A huge searchable database of
poetry, poems, poets and more. Sections: Anthologies, Children’s
Poems, Epic, Famous Poets A-Z, Haiku, Modern Poets A-Z, Nature, Odes, Poetry
Forums, Poetry Publishing, Rhymes, Sonnets, Sorrow, Uncategorized, War, Wit
& Humour, and Your Poems A-Z. Excellent
POETRY FOR CHILDREN NEW URL!
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/poechild.htm
A gateway to a large number of resources on
poetry for children. Includes
links to lesson plans for teaching poetry to children and teaching them how to
write poetry. Sections:
Mother Goose Rhymes, Poems Set to Music, Limericks, Free Verse, Haiku, Cinquains, Concrete Poetry, Ballads, Couplets, Other
Forms-as Diamante, and Writing Poetry. Excellent
GIGGLE
POETRY- FUNNY POETRY FOR CHILDREN
A terrific, fun site on poetry for children. Sections: Read’em, Rate’em; Favorite Poems;
School Poems; Poetry Contests; Poetry Class (how to write a funny poem); Poetry
Teachers (classroom ideas); Fiction Teachers and more. Excellent
GRANDPA TUCKER’S RHYMES
A terrific page of stories, rhymes and silly poems for kids. This is an outstanding, fun site for children to begin to read and create poems and stories. Excellent
HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH HUB
http://highschoolhub.org/hub/english.cfm
A terrific resource for high school English students. Click on the Poetry section for activities, ideas, poems, and how-to’s. Excellent
KIDZPAGE! POETRY AND VERSE FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES
A large collection of fun poems for children. Sections: Critter ABC’s, Have a Bash with Odgen Nash, For Better or Verse, KidzSing Garden of Song, Homegrown Verse-Poems from the Web, Homegrown Verse-Poems from Schools, and Homegrown Verse-Story Poems. Excellent
KNOWING POE NEW!
http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/default_flash.asp
An
extensive resource on Edgar Allan Poe. Includes his life and works. Click on Classroom
Connections for lesson plans and more. Also in the Lesson Plans section. Excellent
LUMINARIUM:
ANTHOLOGY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE NEW!
http://www.luminarium.org/lumina.htm
A
resource on Medieval, Renaissance, 17th Century and Restoration
English Literature. Click
on Metaphysical Poets and Cavalier Poets for the poetry sections. Each section has a
list of authors with biographical information, works, quotes, timelines, and
more. An
outstanding site. Excellent
MODERN
AMERICAN POETRY
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/index.htm
The online component of Modern American
Poetry with 161 companion sites on well-known poets such as Marianne Moore, Amiri Baraka, John Berryman, Marilyn Chin, ee cummings, and many more. Excellent
ONLINE POETRY CLASSROOM
http://www.onlinepoetryclassroom.org/
A resource for language arts teachers to help them teach poetry. Includes: Curriculum Units, Find a Poet, Find a Poem, How to Teach, What to Teach, and more. Excellent
PASSIONS
IN POETRY
An online source for poems. Section: Love Poems, Friendship Poems,
Sad Poems, Poems on Life, Poetry Buffet, Classical Poetry and Greeting Cards. Has a large section
on the classical poets.
Includes several forums including one for Teen Poets. Excellent
POEM
FORGE NEW!
“The
Poetry Forge encourages exploration through poetry! We invite you to explore, collaborate and enjoy!
Teachers, view interactive
poetry generators for classroom use, lesson plans, exemplars, and collaborative
discussion areas to interact with other teachers who are working to integrate
these tools into their classroom instruction.
Students, take advantage of
poetry generators to challenge your writing skills, a gallery of student
writing, collaborative discussion areas for you to discuss your work with an
audience of student writers and teachers, and an open forum for your ideas and
suggestions.” Excellent
THE POETRY ARCHIVES
A huge database of over 4,000
“classical” poems. Sections:
What’s New, Poet List, Random Poem, Top Poems, Top Authors (i.e. William Blake,
Emily Dickinson, etc.), Forums and more. Excellent
POETRY.COM – THE INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF POETRY
This site boasts over 4.6 million
poets! Sections
include: Poem of the Day, Poetry Contests, 100 Greatest Poems Ever Written, 100
Greatest Love Poems Ever Written, Need Help Rhyming?, Online Poetry Bash,
Poetic Techniques, September 11th Dedication Poems, Listen to Poems
with Audio, Anthology Series, Our World of Poetry and much more. Outstanding. Excellent
POETRY EXPRESS – 15 POEMS YOU CAN WRITE NOW
A terrific poetry writing site
which provides 15 poetry writing activities to get you started. Follow the
guidelines for each activity to develop your own work. Sections: Make, Share, Revise,
Publish, E-muse. The
e-muse lets you fill in the blanks with types of words (i.e. color, noun,
adjective, and forms a poem from them). An outstanding site to get students
started. Excellent
POETRY FOR KIDS –
42EXPLORE NEW!
http://www.42explore.com/poetry.htm
Basic
information for elementary students on poetry for kids including links,
activities and webquests.
Excellent
POETRY
180 – A POEM A DAY FOR AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOLS
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/
From the Library of Congress, “Poetry 180 is designed to make it easy for students to hear or read a poem each day of the 180 days of the school year. I have selected the poems you will find here with high school students in mind. They are intended to be listened to, and I suggest that all members of the school community be included as readers. A great time for the readings would be following the end of daily announcements over the public address system.” Includes: How to Read a Poem Out Loud. Excellent
POETRY
PORTAL–AN INTERNET GUIDE TO POETRY RESOURCES– START
HERE!
A huge site on poetry. A great resource to get started or
assistance in writing poetry.
Sections include: Poetry Online, Poetry Events, Poetry Courses,
Styles & Themes, Poets in Focus, Poetry Publishing, Beginner’s Section,
Advanced Section, E-Zine Listings,
POETRY POWER! NEW URL!
http://www.planetesme.com/poems.html
A collection of ideas and activities for teaching poetry and ways to inspire children to write poems. Excellent
POETRY TODAY ONLINE
http://www.poetrytodayonline.com/
A Poetry e-Zine, Forums, Links, Contests, How-To, and much more. Excellent
THE POETRY ZONE
http://www.poetryzone.ndirect.co.uk/index2.htm
A gallery of student submitted
poems. The
Teacher Zone includes several activities for teaching poetry. Sections: Your Poems, Teacher Zone,
Poets Talk (interviews), Top 10 Poetry Books, Reviews, Poetry Gallery,
Competitions, Poetry Challenge and more. Excellent
POETS.ORG – ONLINE
CLASSROOM NEW!
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/6
“Welcome
to the Online Poetry Classroom.
Here you will find a wealth of resources, including Discussion Forums where
teachers can share ideas and seek help from colleagues; Pedagogical &
Critical Essays about poetry; extensive links to relevant websites; Curriculum
Units & Lesson Plans; biographies of hundreds of poets; and over 2,000
poems.” Also in Lesson Plans
section. Excellent
RHYMEZONE – RHYMING DICTIONARY AND THESAURUS
A rhyming, word tool. Put in any word to
find a rhyme, synonym, definition and more. Other sections: Shakespeare, Quizzes,
Quotations, Famous Documents, Mother Goose and more. A huge site. Outstanding. Excellent
ROBERT
MUNSCH
The official site for author Robert Munsch.
Sections: The Books, What’s New, Biography, Poems, Photos of
Robert, Kids Art, Something Special, Class Pictures, Mail Robert, Unpublished
Stories, Storytime with Robert Munsch
(audio clips of Robert Munsch reading his stories),
and Class Visits. Lots
of the poems are about students who have written him. A fun site. Excellent
SHADOW POETRY
http://www.shadowpoetry.com/index.html
Another online poetry site for
poets. Sections:
Poetry, Creative Works, Writers Block (all kinds of assistance), Publications,
FAQ, Message Board, Email Groups, Poetry Places and more. Excellent
WELCOME
TO THE POETRY CORNER
http://www.angelfire.com/md/byme/pocket/poetry1.html
Over 100 free, funny poems for children. A fun site. Excellent
WORLD POETRY DAY 2008 NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/calendar/calendar_day.asp?id=308
Information on World Poetry Day with
activities, lesson plans and links. Excellent
AMERICAN POEMS.COM NEW!
Showcases American poets and poems, both
modern and early. Includes
a Poem of the Day, biographies, works and more. Very Good
CELEBRATE
POETRY NEW!
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/celebrate_poetry.html
A site with a long list of ideas for using
poetry with children in the classroom. Very Good
CHILDREN’S POETRY NEW!
http://www.poetry-online.org/childrens_poetry_resource_index.htm
“A free, online
poetry for children resource providing the famous poetry for children by the
World's most popular Poets. Whether your search is for Classic Childrens Poetry or Modern poetry for children
you will find the poetry for children of your choice on this Children's Poetry
section. Please visit our exclusive Forum, designed by the Poetry Online
website for anyone interested in, or with questions about, poems for children.” Very Good
CHILDREN’S POETRY NEW!
http://www.storyit.com/Classics/JustPoems/classicpoems.htm
A collection of
classic poems for children to read online. Very extensive. Very Good
EDWARD LEAR HOME PAGE
A site on well-known humorous
poet Edward Lear. Sections:
About Edward Lear, Edward Lear’s Nonsense Works, Edward Lear’s Art, The
Limerick Before Edward Lear, Essays on Lear and the
FAMOUS CLASSICAL POETS & POEMS NEW!
http://www.poemofquotes.com/classicalpoets.php
Links to classical poets such as Chaucer,
Milton and Shakespeare.
Click on the links on the left for additional categories: 18th Century Poets, 19th
Century Poets, American Poems, Break Up Poems, Friendship Poems, Love Poems,
Original Online Poems, and Sad Poems. Very Good
FORGOTTEN
GROUND REGAINED – A TREASURY OF ALLITERATIVE AND ACCENTUAL POETRY
NEW!
A large collection of poetry from the ancient
to the modern. For
senior high students. Very
Good
GAME GOO – GAMES FOR KIDS
http://www.cogcon.com/gamegoo/gooeylo.html
Click on Wizards and Pigs Poetry Pickle for a fun poetry game for kids. Very Good
GIGGLE,
GIGGLE, SNICKER, LAUGH
Author/poet Robert Pottle’s
collection of funny poems for children. A fun site. Very Good
HAIKU
FOR PEOPLE
http://www.toyomasu.com/haiku/
A how-to site on writing haiku poetry. Includes What is
Haiku?, How to Write Haiku, and several examples. Very Good
THE
INTERNET POETRY ARCHIVE
Information on contemporary poets: Phillip
Levine, Seamus Heaney, Czelaw Milosz, Robert Pinsky, Yusef komunyakaa,
Margaret Walker, and Richard Wilbur. Includes some of their poems, audio
clips and more. Very
Good
KIDBIBS
A collection of children’s poems are featured as well as teaching and learning tips. Very Good
A
LITTLE POETRY – POETRY E-ZINE
An online poetry e-zine. Sections: Voracious
Verses, Musing Marvels, Poet Pages, Featured Faces, Luscious Links and Sizzling
Sites. Very
Good
MOTHER GOOSE NURSERY RHYMES
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~pfa/dreamhouse/nursery/rhymes.html
Introducing a new generation to
Mother Goose nursery rhymes.
Sections: Master List (Alphabetical), On Reading Nursery Rhymes
with Children of Varying Ages, Recommended Books & Resources, Mother Goose
Artwork & Book Covers, and a Mother Goose Online Coloring Book. Very Good
NATIONAL
POETRY MONTH
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/41
The official web site for National Poetry
Month sponsored by the
PAUL LAWRENCE
http://www.udayton.edu/~dunbar/
Paul Lawrence Dunbar was the
first African-American poet to gain prominence. This site discusses his life and works. It includes audio
files of readings of his poems. Very Good
POET SEERS NEW!
A range of poetry from several cultures and
poetry traditions. Sections
include: Poetic Themes, Poetic Categories and Selected
Poets. Very Good
POETRY AND MUSIC OF THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES NEW URL!
http://www.civilwarpoetry.org/
A large collection of poetry and songs from
the War Between the States.
Sections: Confederate Poetry, Union Poetry and Music of the War. Very Good
POETRY FORM – HAY(NA)KU:
A WORD-COUNT FORM NEW!
http://www.baymoon.com/~ariadne/form/haynaku.htm
Hay(na)ku is a 21st
century verse form from the
POETRYFOUNDATION.ORG: CHILDREN’S POETRY NEW!
http://www.poetryarchive.org/childrensarchive/home.do
Features articles on poets and children’s
poetry as well as an archive of poems. Very Good
POETRY POST - A Uni'verse'al Writing Project
for K-12 Students NEW URL!
http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/dec00/ppost.invite.htm
“Poetry Post features poems created by
students from around the world. Grahamwood CLUE students in Memphis, Tennessee, USA invite virtual classmates
to create and submit poems that describe your ideas, feelings, and experiences.
All poems must be submitted by teachers. All poems
submitted must be original work by students.” Poems
have been submitted so far by students from
POETRY SLAM INCORPORATED
The official web site for
organized poetry slams (events in which poets perform their poems – equal
weight given to writing and performance). Sections include: Slam FAQ, National
Poetry Slam, Slam Venues, Poet Gallery, Press Archives, Multimedia (audio &
video clips – currently down), and more. Very Good
POETRY WITH PIZZAZZ – POETRY LINKS NEW!
http://www.suelebeau.com/poetry.htm
A collection of links for students on poetry. Very Good
POET’S CORNER
http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/index.html
“Welcome
to Poets' Corner. Our goal is to
create the largest, most diverse, and most user-friendly public library of
poetic works ever assembled.” “The poems on display range from lone quatrains to entire
books, with a
large selection of sonnets, narrative poems, and topical works to choose from.”
Very Good
REMINISCENCES OF XU ZHIMO – A CHINESE
POET
http://www.thinkquest.org/library/lib/site_sum_outside.html?tname=C0111522&url=C0111522/
A
student-created site on Chinese poet Xu Zhimo who is little-known outside
REPRESENTATIVE POETRY ONLINE NEW!
http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/display/index.cfm
A portal to a large number of poets and their
works. Search
by author, title, timeline, keywords and more. Very Good
An annual poetry and art contest in which
students create poetry and art about their environment. Very Good
TALESPIN- CHILDREN’S POETRY NEW!
http://www.pitara.com/Talespin/poems.asp
A colorful collection of multicultural poems
for children. Very
Good
TED SCHEU – THAT POETRY GUY
Funny poems for children by
children’s author and teacher Ted Scheu. A fun site. The Teacher’s
section has ideas for inspiring children to create their own. Very Good
TEEN POETRY
http://teenpoetry.studentcenter.org/
An online showcase for poems by teens. Very Good
TWENTIETH CENTURY POETRY NEW!
http://www.literaryhistory.com/20thC/20CAmericanandBritish.htm
Links to a large number of 20th
century American and British poets. Categories include: Poetry of WWI,
Popular Modernism, High Modernism, Harlem Renaissance, Formalist Poets,
Mid-century American Poets, Confessional Poetry, Black Mountain Poets, Beats
and San Francisco Renaissance, British Poetry, The New York School and Language
Poetry. Very
Good
ZUZU – E-ZINE FOR CHILDREN
http://www.zuzu.org/index.html
An e-zine publishing children’s artwork, poetry, stories, photographs, and more. Sections: Artwork, Mysterious Stories, Creative Writing, Poetry, Photography, Courageous Kids, Neighborhood Reports, Virtual Vacations, Kids Collect!, Interviews, Broadway Reviews, Super-Links and more. Very Good
ARS POETICA – THE ART OF POETRY
http://library.thinkquest.org/C005319/?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0428
A student-created site on reading and writing poetry. Sections: Poetic Terms, Browse Poems, Analyzing Poetry, Submit a Poem, How to Write Poems and Famous Poets. We were unable to access the submitted poems. Good
BARKING SPIDERS - POETRY FOR CHILDREN
http://www.barkingspiderspoetry.com/
Poems for children by C.J. Heck. Good
A
CHILD’S
http://ofcn.org/cyber.serv/resource/bookshelf/child10/garden/
The online text of A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson. Good
THE CHUCKLE CORNER
http://www.lyfe.freeserve.co.uk/index.html
A selection of fun and/or interesting poems for adults and children. Good
CLICKABLE POEMS NEW!
http://www.clickablepoems.com/
Information on poetry, culture, poets, and
poems. Good
COMPLETECLASSICS.COM – POETS & POEMS NEW!
http://www.completeclassics.com/
“The
"CompleteClassics" database contains
10,171 poems from 1,082 classic poets.” Good
COOL RHYMES FOR KIDS
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/HOON4VR/hopscotchmyplace.html?mtbrand=AOL_US
Eight fun rhyming poems for children. Good
THE CRAZY
http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/year4/limerick.htm
Choose different lines from the limerick
machine to make up a limerick. Good
DIAMONTE POEMS NEW!
http://kidsnetsoft.com/html/poem2.html
A site
by students on diamonte poems with examples and
instructions. Good
A
GLOSSARY OF POETIC TERMS
http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display_rpo/poetterm.cfm
A straight-forward glossary of poetic terms
from accent to zeugma. Good
THE HAIKU GALLERY NEW!
A collection of haiku
poems produced by 2nd and 3rd grade students. Includes information
on how to write haiku.
Good
HOW TO
LOVE YOUR DOG – KIDS POETRY ABOUT THEIR DOGS
http://www.kidsanddogs.bravepages.com/poetry.html
A large collection of poems written by
children about their dogs.
Good
INKI
AND TAZ’S POETRY CORNER
http://library.thinkquest.org/11883/?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0428
A student-created site on poetry defining the
types of poems and with information on several famous poets. Sections: Famous Poets Page, Haiku
Poetry Page, Concrete Poetry Page, Cinquain Poetry
Page, Story of Poetry Page, One Sentence Poetry Page, Biopoem
Poetry Page, Question Poetry Page, Freestyle Poetry Page, Glossary of Terms,
and Young Poets’ Page.
Good
JOSIE’S POETRY FOR EVERYONE BUT ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN NEW!
http://www.whiteheadm.co.uk/html/josies_poetry.htm
A large collection of poems by author Josie
Whitehead on many different topics. Most are for children. Many have audio
clips of her reading the poem. Worth checking out. Good
KIDLIT
POETRY GALLERY
http://mgfx.com/kidlit/kids/artlit/poetry/
A website for children to submit their poetry. The majority are
from elementary schools.
Good
KIDSCRIBE!
http://www.brightinvisiblegreen.com/kidscribe/poetry.html
A bilingual site for kids to submit their
poems and stories. Good
KRISTINE O’CONNELL GEORGE’S POETRY
FOR STUDENTS NEW URL!
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/for_students.html
Colorful tips for students on reading and writing poetry. Good
MODERN AMERICAN POETRY NEW!
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets.htm
Links to 161 modern American poets. Each includes
information about the poet and some of his/her works. Good
OEDILF – OMNISCIENT
ENGLISH DICTIONARY IN
http://www.oedilf.com/db/Lim.php
An
online collection of over 48,000
limericks. Searchable
by keyword and topic. Note
that not all limericks on the site are appropriate for students. A resource for
teachers. Good
ONGOING
TALES – OLD TIME POETRY
http://www.ongoing-tales.com/SERIALS/oldtime/POETRY/
A “collection of old-time poetry
for children from various out of copyright books.” A large collection of
poems for children. Good
POEM HUNTER NEW!
A searchable online collection of over
310,000 poems. Good
POETRY
DAILY
Posts a different poem every day. Click on Previously on Poetry Daily for archives. Good
POETRY
FOR KIDS – BY KENN NESBITT
Fun and silly poems for children by poet Kenn Nesbitt. Click on Poems for the “Funny Forty”
40 poems for kids. Includes:
How To, Books, Links and more. Good
POETRY
LANE – A POETRY PAGE FOR CHILDREN AND THE YOUNG AT HEART
A collection of poems for children by G.E.
Farrell. Good
POETRY
WORKSHEETS
http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-14856.html
Four printable worksheets. 1/Word Scramble 2/Poets & Poems
3/Alphabetizing Poets 4/Poetry Terms. Good
POETS & WRITERS MAGAZINE
“Poets & Writers Magazine is the primary source for what creative writers need to know. Along with essays on the literary life and interviews with contemporary writers of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, the magazine publishes articles with practical applications for both emerging and established writers. In addition, it provides the most comprehensive listing of literary grants and awards, deadlines, and prizewinners available in print..” Good
POET’S CANVAS
http://www.poetscanvas.org/index.htm
An online poetry magazine. Not specifically for children. Good
SHADOW
POETRY NEW!
A poetry resource including Resources,
Chapbooks, Magazines, Contests, and more. For senior high and adults. Good
SONNET CENTRAL NEW!
“Welcome to Sonnet Central, an archive of English sonnets, commentary, and
relevant web links and a forum for poets to share and discuss their own work.
Sonnets are grouped by period below and can also be
accessed quickly via an alphabetical list of authors or the java navigation
page. All of the sonnets included here (as well as most of those that are
linked) are modernized texts for the general reader and are not presented for
purposes of scholarly work.”
Good
TANGERINE! POETRY SITE EXTRAORDINAIRE
http://library.thinkquest.org/3721/?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0429
A student-created site on poetry. Sections: Poetry
(Poetry Forms, Famous Poets, Poems by Our Poets), Favorites, and Links. Good
THE WEB
POETRY CORNER
http://www.dreamagic.com/poetry/poetry.html
An online poetry center where poets (both beginners
and advanced) can post their poetry. Sections: Authors Alphabetically,
Authors Date Submitted, Authors by Country, Authors Number of Poems, Submission
Rules and more. Scroll down for Children’s Poetry. Good
WELCOME TO SUESSVILLE!
http://www.randomhouse.com/seussville/
The
Random House official site for everything Dr. Suess.
Sections: Playground, Biography, Catalog, Events, and Music. Good
WRITING POETRY – HOW TO WRITE A CINQUAIN
http://jfg.girlscouts.org/How/make/cinquain.htm
A cinquain
is a five-line poem following a specific formula. Follow the formula to create your own. Good
LESSON
PLANS
ACROSTIC
POEMS: ALL ABOUT ME AND MY FAVORITE THINGS – LESSON
PLAN
NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=309
A lesson plan for grades K-2 on acrostic
poems. “Students
write free-verse acrostic poems about themselves using the letters of their
names to begin each line. They then write an additional poem about something
that is important to them, also using the letters of that word for the
beginning of each line. After proofreading, both poems are
recopied or typed and illustrated and then mounted on construction paper for
display. The activity addresses personal reflection and creative writing
along with spelling and phonemic awareness.” Excellent
AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY UNIT NEW!
http://www.msu.edu/~miazgama/aapoets.htm
A curriculum unit on African American poets
for grades 10-12. Contains
5 lesson plans. Very
thorough. Excellent
ALLITERATION IN HEADLINE POEMS – LESSON
PLAN
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=81
Students are introduced to the term alliteration and asked to create their own examples of alliteration as well as find examples of alliteration in poems. When students understand the concept of alliteration, they are given a handout that explains the assignment of writing a headline poem. The assignment requires each student to create a headline poem using words that they have cut out from magazines and/or newspapers. The poem must contain at least 25 words, be written in complete sentences with correct punctuation, stick to one central theme, and contain at least three clear examples of alliteration. Excellent
ARABIC POETRY:
GUZZLE A GHAZAL! – LESSON PLAN
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=388
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on Arabic poetry. “”What is a ghazal, how did it evolve, and why has it remained a popular form of Arabic poetry until today? What elements and structures does this pre-Islamic poetic form contain? How does the rhyming pattern of the ghazal compare to that of common forms of poetry in English?” Excellent
ART IN POETRY – TEACHING THE IMAGISTS –
LESSON PLAN NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0209.html
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. “This lesson presents a study of Ezra Pound's poem, "In the Station of the Metro" and the Imagist perception of modern society. Students will be required to write an original two-line poem about modern society and incorporate the poem into a graphic illustration.” Excellent
BEAR OF
A POEM: COMPOSING AND PERFORMING FOUND POETRY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=835
A lesson plan on poetry for grades K-2. “To
add to students’ growing ways of looking at and listening to words, students
will “mine” texts for favorite words from favorite stories. Working together,
students select words and phrases to create a collective class poem, that they will then turn into a performance. This
lesson helps students recast the text they are reading in a different genre,
which in turn, makes students more insightful readers and helps develop
creativity in thinking and writing.
This lesson uses books from the Berenstain Bears
series as an example, but any children’s books or book series can be used.” Excellent
BEHIND
THE MASKS: EXPLORING CULTURE AND SELF THROUGH ART AND POETRY – LESSON PLAN
NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=395
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. “This
unit engages high school students in a study of the relationship between masks
and cultures. Students research mask making from various cultures, draw
sketches of the masks, and take notes that highlight the connections between
the masks and the cultural practices of the people who created them. Using this
information, students recreate the cultural masks and compose poetry to reveal
their understanding and appreciation of these cultural artifacts. Students then
analyze aspects of their own culture, and create personal masks and poetry to
reflect their culture and themselves.” Excellent
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20020513monday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. “In
this lesson, students investigate racial inequality and prejudice in American
history through the words of Langston Hughes, an American black poet.” Excellent
BUILDING CLASSROOM COMMUNITY THROUGH THE EXPLORATION OF
ACROSTIC POETRY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=807
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on acrostic
poetry. “Building
classroom community is one of the most challenging yet most important tasks for
any teacher, and needs to be reinforced frequently throughout the year. In this
lesson, students explore the genre of acrostic poetry and participate in a
shared writing experience with acrostic poems. They use the Internet to explore
and investigate the characteristics of acrostic poetry. They then brainstorm
positive character traits about one of their classmates using an online
thesaurus and compose an acrostic poem. Students use an interactive online tool
to write and print the final draft, then share their poem with the class.” Excellent
CAN YOU HAIKU? –UNIT NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=250
A three-lesson unit for grades 3-5 on haiku. “Haiku show us the world in a water drop, providing a tiny lens
through which to glimpse the miracle and mystery of life. Combining close
observation with a moment of reflection, this simple yet highly sophisticated
form of poetry can help sharpen students' response to language and enhance
their powers of self-expression. In this lesson, students learn the rules and
conventions of haiku, study examples by Japanese masters, and create haiku of
their own.” Excellent
COLOR
POEMS: USING THE FIVE SENSES TO GUIDE PRE-WRITING – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=375
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on color poems. “Once
students experiment with poetry, they learn that they have another outlet for
communicating their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. In this lesson,
students are asked to think about colors, while
imagining what they taste, feel, smell, sound, and look like. The students use
their five senses as a prewriting tool to guide their poetry writing. This
lesson is open-ended enough that students can write free-form poetry or follow
a provided template to create a color poem.” Excellent
COMPILING
POETRY COLLECTIONS AND A WORKING DEFINITION OF POETRY – LESSON PLAN
NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=354
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on poetry. “A
study of poetry should be one of exploration. To avoid stifling creativity
then, initial poetry study should not focus too much on form; however, teaching
form as a tool, rather than as a requirement, can help young writers express
themselves creatively. This unit introduces poetry forms and craft elements
while students explore poetry about everyday topics or themes. Focusing on
poetry in this way allows students to delve deeply into their own creativity.
When students have the opportunity to select their own choice of topics and to
explore poetry craft elements, this activity becomes a poetry unit that
motivates and excites students.” Excellent
COMPOSING CINQUAIN POEMS – A QUICK-WRITING
ACTIVITY
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=51
“Cinquain (pronounced "cin-kain") is a five-line poetic form, using a wavelike syllable count of two-four-six-eight-two. In this lesson, students write simple cinquain of their own as a follow-up to a subject they have been exploring in class.” Excellent
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN POETRY AND MUSIC – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=808
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on poetry. “Music
helps children develop rhythmic intelligence and notice rhythm in language,
which are important skills in learning how to read and developing fluency as
readers. In this lesson, students listen to poems read aloud and discuss the
rhythm and sound of poetry. Students then perform poems using musical instruments
to emphasize cadence. Using online tools, they learn about line breaks and the
way these affect the rhythm of a poem. Finally, students write poems they
believe will be enhanced by music and perform them for the class.” Excellent
CREATING
CLASSROOM COMMUNITY BY CRAFTING THEMED POETRY COLLECTIONS – LESSON PLAN
NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=391
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on poetry. “Back
to school means new teachers, new classmates and many
unanswered questions. In this lesson, students create poetry collections with a
back-to-school theme of “getting to know each other.” Students write poetry
with the goal of introducing themselves, helping to create a sense of classroom
community, while exploring the many and varied types and forms of poetry and
constructing and refining their own definitions of poetry.
While this lesson focuses on a back-to-school
activity, students’ collections can focus on any topic and be
completed any time of year. For instance, you might complete the same
series of activities as part of a social studies unit, with students writing
thematic collections that help readers get to know a historical figure whom they have researched. As a book report alternative,
students might complete the series of poems as a way to invite readers to get
to know the main character or characters in the books that they have read.” Excellent
DANCING
MINDS AND SHOUTING SMILES: TEACHING PERSONIFICATION THROUGH POETRY – LESSON
PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=860
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on poetry. “Experiencing
the language of great poets provides a rich learning context for students,
giving them access to the best examples of how words can be arranged in unique
ways. By studying the works of renowned poets across cultures and histories,
students extract knowledge about figurative language and poetic devices from
masters of the craft. In this lesson, students learn about personification by
reading and discussing poems by Emily Dickinson, William Blake, and Langston
Hughes. Then they use the poems as a guide to brainstorm lists of nouns and
verbs that they randomly arrange to create personification in their own poems.” Excellent
DISCOVERING
A PASSION FOR POETRY WITH LANGSTON HUGHES – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=251
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. “Poetry
is written to convey the essence of a greater meaning. Much like the youth of
today, poetry can bundle a great deal of passion in a small package. After
analyzing examples of contemporary youth poetry as well as the poetry of
Langston Hughes, students use the Internet to conduct research on how events in
the world have shaped Hughes' work. They cite specific examples that link their
interpretation of the poem to the sociohistorical
context in which it was written. Finally, each student
creates an original poem that communicates a personal view on a current world
issue.” Excellent
DISCOVERING TRADITIONAL SONNET FORMS – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=830
A lesson plan on sonnets for grades 9-12. “In
this lesson, students read and analyze sonnets to discover their traditional
forms. Students chart the characteristics of the poems then review the details
for similarities, deducing traditional sonnet forms that the poems have in
common. After this introduction, students write original sonnets, using one of
the poems they have analyzed as a model.”
Excellent
EDWARD LEAR, LIMERICKS
AND NONSENSE: A LITTLE NONSENSE – LESSON PLAN
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=404
A lesson plan
for grades 3-5 on Edward Lear. “In
this lesson, which focuses on Lear's nonsense poem "The Owl and the Pussy
Cat," students learn about nonsense poetry as well as the various poetic
techniques and devices that poets use to help their readers create a mental
picture while reading or hearing poems. In a related lesson, Edward Lear:
Limericks, and Nonsense: There Once Was…, students learn the form of the
limerick poem, practice finding the meter and rhyme schemes in various Lear
limericks, and write their own limericks.”
Excellent
EDWARD
LEAR, LIMERICKS AND NONSENSE: THERE ONCE WAS… - LESSON
PLAN NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=403
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on Edward Lear. “British poet Edward Lear (1812-1888) is most widely recognized as
the father of the limerick form of poetry and is well known for his nonsense
poems. In this lesson, students will learn the form of the limerick poem,
practice finding the meter and rhyme schemes in various Lear limericks, and
write their own limericks.”
Excellent
EKPHRASIS: USING ART TO INSPIRE POETRY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1093
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. “In
this lesson, students explore ekphrasis—writing
inspired by art. Students begin by reading and discussing several poems
inspired by works of art. Through the discussion, students learn ways in which
poets can approach a piece of artwork (for instance, writing about the scene
being depicted in the artwork, writing in the voice of the person depicted in
the artwork, speaking to the artist or subject of the painting, etc.). Students
then search online for pieces of art that inspire them and, in turn, compose a
booklet of poems about the pieces they have chosen.” Excellent
ENHANCING A POETRY UNIT WITH AMERICAN MEMORY NEW!
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/98/poetry/poem.html
A unit for grades 7-9 on poetry. “Students explore poetry using American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940 collection of American Memory, which covers personal stories collected by the Works Progress Administration. In particular, students write "found poetry" based on the stories found in this collection. This unit is best undertaken after students have studied a good amount of published poetry and are familiar with at least several different elements common to most verse. These can be found in any grade-level student text or teacher manual, from junior high on up. Briefly, elements to look for include the following: alliteration, repetition, sensory language, metaphor and simile, imagery, rhythm, stanzas, and line breaks.” Excellent
ENVIRONMENTAL RHYME AND REASON – ANALYZING
THE “STATE OF
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/19991123tuesday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. “Students employ poetry as a medium to relay information and express views about significant environmental issues that exist today and to assess their effects on 'The State of the Planet' as we enter the next millennium.” Excellent
EXPLORE
POETRY WITH EMILY DICKINSON – UNIT NEW!
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/poetry/activity/5488.html
A unit for middle school students using the
poetry of Emily Dickinson to teach poetry. Contains several different
activities. Excellent
FILL-IN-THE-BLANK POETRY – LESSON PLAN NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0200.html
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. “Choose a simple poem that is 10-20 lines in length. 2. Provide two copies of the poem to students: the original poem and the same poem in which you have removed several of the words and replaced them with "blanks." 3. Read the original poem with students and discuss the meaning and/or structure of the poem. 4. Have students create their own versions of the original poem, filling in the blanks you have created.” Excellent
FINDING
POETRY IN PROSE:
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1034
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on love poems. “When students think of love poetry, they
almost invariably think of poetry about romantic love. This lesson expands the
concept of love poems to move beyond romantic love to explore other kinds of
love, particularly the love within a family. After reading several poems that
expand the definition of love poetry, students compose found poems based on a
personal memoir—either their own reminisces or a love story of another
writer.” Excellent
FOUND POEMS/ PARALLEL POEMS – LESSON PLAN
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=33
A lesson plan for 6-8th grade students in which they recast the prose they are reading into poetry. “Students finding poetry in passages from novels or the everyday language of newspapers or advertising gives them new insight into the power of words and the genres in which they can be used. Recasting found poems into their own parallel texts helps students "become transactive, discerning readers and thoughtful, perceptive writers" (Claggett, Reid, Vinz). This lesson is an adaptation of the "paralog" used with permission of Fran Claggett.” Excellent
THE
GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING: EXPRESSING THE MULTITUDE OF EFFECTS INITIATED BY THE
DISCOVERY OF DNA – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20030225tuesday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on writing
poems. “In this lesson, students
reflect on the role of DNA in society since its discovery in 1953 by creating
works of art and poetry that metaphorically illustrate the importance,
influence and concerns of DNA research.”
Excellent
HISTORICAL VOICES, POETIC VISIONS –
CURRICULUM UNIT NEW!
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/00/voices/overview.html
A curriculum unit on
poetry for grades 10-12. “To
better understand the turn-of-the-19th century
The artistic models
for the students’ multi-media epic poem are Walt Whitman’s Song of
Myself (1855) and Hart Crane’s The Bridge (1930). These epic
poets capture, interpret, and give meaning to their particular time and place.
Students look to do the same with the year 1900, relying upon relevant primary
resources —sound recordings, images, text— and their own creative and
interpretative voices.” Excellent
HO HO POETRY: CREATING HOLIDAY-THEMED FOUND POEMS – LESSON
PLAN NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20061222friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on writing
poems. “In this lesson, students read
about the sights and sounds of a
HONORING
OUR VETERANS THROUGH POETRY PRE-WRITING – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=9
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on poetry. “This lesson supports sixth- through
eighth-grade students' exploration of multiple Web resources to gather and
synthesize information, and to create and communicate this information through
poetry. Additionally, the activity requires students to acquire new knowledge
and to expand upon their understanding of themselves and the culture of the
HOW I
BECAME ME: WRITING POEMS OR SPEECHES EXPLORING IDENTITY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20070309friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on writing
poetry. “In this lesson, students will
examine their own identities and read about the experiences of adopted Chinese
daughters celebrating the Jewish rite of passage, the bat mitzvah. They then
write personal poems or speeches illustrating how their identities
evolved.” Excellent
HOW TO
WRITE A BIOPOEM – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0067.html
A lesson plan for grades 3-4 on poetry. “The students will write a biopoem
following the structure provided in class, but will have creativity control.
The finished poem will be posted on boy or girl patterns drawn and colored to
look like each student by each student.”
Excellent
THE IMPACT OF A POEM’S LINE BREAKS: ENJAMBMENT AND
GWENDOLYN BROOKS’ “WE REAL COOL” – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=651
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on line breaks
in poems. “Perhaps to her dismay as a
voluminous, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former Consultant in Poetry to the
Library of Congress, Gwendolyn Brooks is best known for her short but
far-reaching poem "We Real Cool." The poem's beauty, strength, and
power are rooted in its effective use of line breaks. Brooks' strategic choice
of line breaks affects virtually every aspect of the poem: its pace, rhythm,
mood, tone, characters, sound, and meaning. In this lesson, students will
closely analyze the poem's line breaks and the effect of enjambment on their
reading and interpretation of the poem.”
Excellent
IN THE POET’S SHOES: PERFORMING POETRY AND
BUILDING MEANING – LESSON PLAN
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=78
“Through the use of dramatic reading and the exploration of Internet resources, sixth- through eighth-grade students build a greater understanding of poetry and the poet's voice. Further, the experience requires students to analyze and develop their own interpretation of a poem's meaning and representation through performance. Extension activities involve students giving an oral poetry performance of their own poetry writing.” Excellent
INTRODUCING
METAPHORS THROUGH POETRY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=605
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on
metaphors. “Many students begin to learn
about metaphors well before entering high school. This lesson assumes that
students will have a basic understanding of what metaphors are; however it is
designed to help students begin to engage with metaphors on a deeper and more
abstract level. The lesson will begin with a poem containing metaphors
accessible at all levels, and with each poem the lesson will progress in
difficulty, so that teachers will find material to suit their classes at all
skill levels.” Excellent
AN
INTRODUCTION TO BEOWULF: LANGUAGE AND
POETICS – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=813
A lesson plan on Beowulf for grades 9-12. “While Beowulf
is generally considered the earliest major work of English poetry, it is almost
always taught in translation and its verse form and poetic techniques are often
unfamiliar. This lesson provides an introduction to the language and poetics of
the poem. Although this lesson assumes students will read Beowulf in translation, it introduces
students to the poem’s original Old English and explains the relationship
between Old, Middle, and Modern English. The lesson then goes on to introduce
students to alliteration, alliterative verse, and kennings and their importance
to Beowulf.” Excellent
INTRODUCTION
TO MODERNIST POETRY – UNIT NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=615
A three-lesson unit for grades 9-12 on
modernist poetry. “Modernist poetry often is
difficult for students to analyze and understand. A primary reason students
feel a bit disoriented when reading a modernist poem is that the speaker
himself is uncertain about his or her own ontological bearings. Indeed, the
speaker of modernist poems characteristically wrestles with the fundamental
question of “self,” often feeling fragmented and alienated from the world
around him. In other words, a coherent speaker with a clear sense of
himself/herself is hard to find in modernist poetry, often leaving students
confused and “lost.”” Excellent
JAPANESE POETRY: TANKA? YOU’RE WELCOME! –
LESSON PLAN
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=399
A lesson plan
for grades 9-12 on Japanese poetry. “Japanese poetry, with its demands on intuition and strict
discipline of structure, content, restraint, and subtlety, can sometimes
confound a Western audience. Difficulty lies in translating the concept of the on, or Japanese sound unit. Japanese
forms often demand a specific number of on,
characters or sound units, which Westerners erroneously equate to syllables.
The evolution of the structures of Japanese make them complex, and Western
audiences, accustomed to meter, rhythm, and form, prefer to reduce poetry to
its simplest terms. This unit on the Japanese tanka encourages students to
explore the structure and content of the form and to arrive at a definition of
the structure in English.” Excellent
KNOWING POE – LESSON PLANS NEW!
http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/default_flash.asp
An
extensive resource on Edgar Allan Poe.
Includes his life and works. Click
on Classroom Connections for lesson plans and more. Also in the Websites section. Excellent
THE
LAST MEOW: A POETRY LESSON INSPIRED BY THE MUSICAL CATS – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20000901friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on writing
poems. “In this lesson, students explore
the popular culture phenomenon of the musical 'Cats' and the T.S. Eliot poems
that were its inspiration. Students then write original poems about animals,
and read them aloud to their peers.” Excellent
“ LEAP,
PLASHLESS”: EMILY DICKINSON & POETIC IMAGINATION – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=604
A lesson plan on the poetry of Emily
Dickinson for grades 3-5. “In
this lesson, students will read and explore one of
LETTER POEMS DELIVER: EXPERIMENTING WITH
LINE BREAKS IN POETRY WRITING – LESSON PLAN
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=99
“Letter poems, where communicating a message is central, make poetry accessible, meaningful, and fun for children. Letter poems are also a particularly apt medium for exploring a defining characteristic of poetry—line breaks. As students work to transform narrative-style letters into poetic format, they are forced to think carefully about where to end each line. In this lesson students explore various letter poems and experiment with writing letters as poems, with attention to why the lines are broken where they are and how line breaks affect rhythm, sound, meaning, and appearance.” Excellent
A LIFE
LIVED WELL: WRITING FOUND POEMS FROM AN OBITUARY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20061005thursday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on writing
found poems. “In this lesson, students
brainstorm words and phrases that describe themselves. They then construct
found poems using words and phrases taken from the article, and write
autobiographical obituaries that celebrate the lives and achievements they
imagine for themselves” Excellent
LISTENING TO POETRY: SOUNDS OF THE SONNET –
LESSON PLAN
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=365
A lesson plan on
sonnets for grades 9-12. “While teaching some of the formal terms used
to describe sonnets will be one of the aims of this lesson, our starting point
and central focus throughout will be learning to appreciate the sounds of poetry. For it is in
sound--and in the subtle interplay of sound and form and meaning--that much of
the pleasure of poetry resides. By focusing on the sounds of poetry, the
exercises below seek to demonstrate that there is always an underlying sense of
form or structure at work in language, whether we happen to know the names for
the formal elements of poetry or not. At the heart of the lesson are its seven sound experiments, designed to help
students understand how form, meter, and rhythm all combine to shape our
experience of poetry, and the meanings we derive from it. After some
preliminary sound experiments with Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem, "Jabberwocky,"
we turn to Shakespeare's “Sonnet 29”, a model of how the sonnet form, with its
dense knitting together of sound and meaning, can suggest an astonishing
variety of emotional effects.” Excellent
LITERARY
PARODIES: EXPLORING A WRITER’S STYLE THROUGH IMITATION – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=839
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on literary
style in poetry. “The popular saying “Imitation is
the sincerest form of flattery,” coined by Charles Caleb Colton, is the basis
for this lesson, which asks students to analyze the features of a poet’s work
then create their own poems based on the original model. By exploring sample
poems and their parodies, students focus on the language and style of the
original writer, all in the process of playing with poetry.” Excellent
LONELY
AS A CLOUD: USING POETRY TO UNDERSTAND SIMILES – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=907
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on similes. “Poetry is a unique genre that can include
poetic devices that are designed to entertain the ear, tickle the funny bone,
and invite language play (Labbo, 2004). Yet many of
our students approach poetry writing with fear and trepidation. Literature can
provide a scaffold for students to use when approaching a new writing task and
can help to create an environment that increases the opportunity for student
success. In this lesson, students identify similes in poetry and gain
experience in using similes as a poetic device in their own work.” Excellent
LYRICAL
LESSONS ONLINE: POETRY LESSONS FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS NEW!
http://volweb.utk.edu/Schools/bedford/harrisms/spotlight.htm
A large collection of lesson plans on
poetry. They are for elementary through
senior high. Excellent
MAGIC WORDS, MAGIC BRUSH: THE ART OF WILLIAM BUTLER AND
JACK YEATS – CURRICULUM UNIT
NEW!
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/irish/learn/lsnplans/yeats/curriculum.html
A unit for grades
7-12 on the works of William Butler and Jack Yeats. “This unit on William Butler
Yeats, the writer, and Jack Yeats, the painter, is dedicated to immersing
students in a study of the brothers as voices of Ireland, and as two of the
most renowned artists of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is
dedicated also to evoking students to see how the outlook of an age controls
cultural expression, and how this expression is articulated in similar ways
throughout genres of art. To help effect these major goals, focus is placed on:
the impact of geography, place, and family on both William Butler Yeats and
Jack Yeats; the influence of personalities of the time period on the two
artists; also, the ways both Yeats align, in philosophical construct and
creative expression, with the dynamic changes that occurred in the last part of
the nineteenth and the early part of the twentieth centuries.” Excellent
MIXED
BLESSINGS: EXPLORING THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE IN PATRIOTIC POETRY –
LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20020628friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on patriotic
poetry. “In this lesson, students will
learn about the recent federal appeals court decision finding the Pledge of
Allegiance unconstitutional. They then further investigate the notions of
constitutionality and separation between church and state by researching and
analyzing another patriotic American poem or song.” Excellent
NATIVE
AMERICAN CHANTS AND MOVEMENT – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2245/
A lesson plan for grades K-4 using Native
American chants. “This lesson will challenge
students to create expressive movements inspired by traditional Native American
chants and poetry. Background information on Native American tribes and their
music and oral traditions will precede the reading of the chants and the
creation of movement.” Excellent
OUR CITY, OUR WORDS – WRITING POETRY
CELEBRATING STUDENT IMPRESSIONS OF THEIR CITY – LESSON PLAN
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20021206friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. “In this lesson, students will write poetry that captures their feelings about their city or town. After presenting their poetry at a class reading students will compare their poetry to the work of published poets who have written about the same city.” Excellent
PAINTING PORTRAITS WITH WORDS – A LANGUAGE
ARTS LESSON BASED ON AN EXHIBITION ON WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS – LESSON PLAN
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/19990806friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on Yeats. “In this lesson, students examine how an exhibition of an author's writings can become a portrait or biography of that author by first learning about an exhibit on William Butler Yeats and what it reflects about this famous poet. Students then work in small groups, analyzing various poems by Yeats using varied written forms. After 'curating' an exhibition of these responses to the Yeats poems, students reflect on what their process and the exhibition itself reveals about Yeats.” Excellent
PAIRING FICTION WITH POETRY AND PERFORMANCE – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1001
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. “This
lesson is designed to help second-language learners improve vocabulary and
comprehension using a variety of genres and techniques. Students read and
discuss novels. At specific points in their reading, they conduct research by
exploring questions about the author, the storyline, and how they can connect
the novels to poetry and drama. They then develop a performance poem focusing
on a specific scene or event, which they reenact. Students memorize their
poems, rehearse their roles, and then prepare a formal presentation. Although
it is designed for second-language learners, this lesson is perfect for mixed
classrooms.” Excellent
PICTURES IN WORDS: POEMS OF TENNYSON AND
NOYES – LESSON PLAN
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=426
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on poetry. “Just as painters capture and manipulate color and light, poets capture and manipulate words and sounds to create a vision for their audiences. Striking examples of pictures in words—not just vivid images but the entire mental picture conjured up by a poet—are to be found in "The Charge of the Light Brigade," by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and "The Highwayman," by Alfred Noyes. Both poems also tell compelling stories and are easily comprehensible as well as appealing to the adolescent reader. Besides guiding students in a close study of the text of these two poems, the activities and handouts below provide an introduction to the terminology of figurative language. A basic understanding of critical terms can help students to describe and analyze the effects of poetry on readers. Specific activities include an Internet scavenger hunt, discussion and analysis, an exercise involving the interpretation of poetry through visual art, and an opportunity for students to create their own pictures in words.” Excellent
PLAY
WITH WORDS: RHYME AND VERSE – CURRICULUM UNIT NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=259
A curriculum unit for grades K-2 on
poetry. “In this
lesson, students will use their senses to experience poetry. Students will
listen to poems and rhymes, clap out syllables, and sing along with familiar
tunes. They will also use puppets and crafts to help recall and retell favorite
poems. Finally, students will experience the joy of crafting their own original
poems.” Excellent
POEMS THAT TELL A STORY: NARRATIVE AND
PERSONA IN THE POETRY OF ROBERT FROST – LESSON PLAN
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=345
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on Robert Frost. “In the suggested activities below, students explore such questions and mysteries in journal entries that build upon narrative hints in poems chosen from an online selection of Frost's most frequently anthologized and taught works. By analyzing what a speaker (or persona) in one of Frost's poems includes or omits from his narrative account, students make inferences about that speaker's motivations and character, find evidence for those inferences in the words of the poem, and apply their inferences about the speaker in a dramatic reading performed for other class members.” Excellent
THE
POETICS OF HIP HOP – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3656/
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on hip hop and
poetry. “Analysis of hip hop music and
lyrics can provide students with a greater understanding of rhythm, form,
diction, and sound in poetry. Students will analyze form in Shakespearean
sonnets, then analyze hip hop music to determine common characteristics between
the Bard's work and the music of hip hop artists. Students will reinforce their
understanding of the connections between hip hop and poetry through close
analysis of the works of poets Saul Williams and Nikki Giovanni, and through
the creation of their own poetry.” Excellent
POETRY: A FEAST TO FORM FLUENT READERS –
LESSON PLAN
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=22
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on poetry. “Students will use Internet resources to observe poetry performed orally and discuss elements of the performance that lead to fluency and meaning of the written text. Students then use online resources to select a poem to perform out loud. Following an "analyze and apply process," students will prepare and perform their poem for the class. A performance critique sheet is used to evaluate students' oral performance, and can be used for self-evaluation, peer evaluation, and teacher evaluation.” Excellent
POETRY ALL YEAR LONG – UNIT NEW!
http://www.knowledge.state.va.us/cgi-bin/lesview.cgi?idl=548
A unit plan for
teaching poetry all year for 1st grade students. “Each week introduce a new poem. Begin by
showing the students a copy you have already made on chart paper and have
displayed in front of the class. ( Skipping lines and/or alternating colors for
lines or verses makes the poem easier to read.) Begin the year with very short,
simple poems that rhyme. Each day read the poem with your class. The teacher
uses a pointer as she reads with the class.
The first day (Mondays) emphasize the
vocabulary, repeating the words correctly, and getting the general idea the
poem is conveying. As the week goes on read the poem each day concentrating on
a different feature. One day you might have the children clap to the rhythm of
the poem as you read it. Another day look for rhyming words and patterns, and
another day find descriptive words in the poem and talk about the mental
pictures they create. Later lessons may focus on how the poetry looks different
from prose, how authors’ and poets’ purposes may differ, and any other lessons
a particular poem might generate.
On Fridays provide each student with a typed
copy of the poem of the week. (I also 3 hole punch the copies.) Children
illustrate their poem as they choose. They put the poem in their notebook or
folder and keep it in their desks for the year. At the end of the year they
have a poetry notebook or folder to take home and keep as their own.” Excellent
POETRY
CIRCLES: GENERATIVE WRITING LOOPS HELP STUDENTS CRAFT VERSE – LESSON PLAN
NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1074
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. “In this lesson, students interact and play
with language while writing poetry using generative writing loops, which are a
type of poetry circle. In these groups, students interact to learn and apply
poetic conventions and forms, which results in improved understanding and
development of social skills. While generative writing loops can be used to
write any kind of poem, this lesson focuses on a free verse poem and an Italian
sonnet. The student groups can be used throughout the year to stimulate
interest in poetry and to help students actively learn poetic terms,
conventions, and traditional forms.” Excellent
POETRY
FROM PROSE – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=49
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on poetry. “Working in small groups, Students compose
found and parallel poems based on a descriptive passage they have chosen from a
piece of literature they are reading. They pick out words, phrases and lines
from the prose passage then arrange and format the excerpts to compose their
own poems. This process of recasting the text they are reading in a different
genre helps students become more insightful readers and develop creativity in
thinking and writing.” Excellent
POETRY GIFTS – LESSON PLAN NEW
URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0201.html
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. “In this activity, students brainstorm descriptive words about a person of their choice and then use that information to create a poem. The lesson is an exercise in creative writing that can be used to drum up ideas for more personal poems about people and places that a student knows.” Excellent
THE POETRY OF LANGSTON HUGHES – A TEACHER
CYBERGUIDE
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/langhu/langhutg.html
A Teacher’s Guide to activities focusing on the poetry of Langston Hughes. Includes creating an author brochure and an author bookmark. Excellent
POETRY
PORTFOLIOS: USING POETRY TO TEACH
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=152
A lesson plan for grades K-2. “Students learn to read and write when they
have an active interest in what they are reading and writing about. This lesson
supports students' exploration of language and writing skills as they read and
dissect poetry. Through a weekly poem, students explore meaning, sentence
structure, rhyming words, sight words, vocabulary, and print concepts. After
studying the poem, students are given a copy of the poem to illustrate and
share their understanding. All of the poems explored are then compiled into a
poetry portfolio for students to take home and share with their families. To
further connect home to school, a family poetry project is suggested.” Excellent
POETRY
SOUND AND SENSE – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=848
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. “Examining
great poetry leads to both a greater appreciation for poetry and, if encouraged
appropriately, a desire to create original poetry. This lesson suggests
nonthreatening ways to teach poetry in the high school classroom. The
instructional plan involves reading and listening to selected poems, discussing
the author's language choices, and encouraging students to examine the sounds
and sense of language.” Excellent
POETRY WRITING WITH JACK PERLUTSKY, KARLA KUSKIN, AND JEAN
MARZOLLO
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/index.htm
Scholastic’s poetry writing site
for teachers. “The Poetry Writing project
features three authors whose works expose students to various characteristics
of poetry, such as powerful description, rhythm, and rhyming. Each of the
writers offers models of his or her work as well as suggestions for students.
Students are introduced to warm-up exercises, and other tips to help them
create, revise, and share their work. An ongoing journal component is included
in the Teacher's Guide to provide students with a personal portfolio they can
use to organize, information, notes, and their own poems in process.” The Teacher’s Guide provides lesson planning
information. Excellent
A
POET’S NEW POST: CREATING POETRY USING THE WORDS OF POET LAUREATE CHARLES SIMIC
– LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20070803friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. “In this lesson, students will explore the
poetry of Charles Simic,
POETS.ORG – ONLINE CLASSROOM - CURRICULUM UNITS & LESSON PLANS NEW!
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/6
“Welcome
to the Online Poetry Classroom.
Here you will find a wealth of resources, including Discussion Forums where teachers
can share ideas and seek help from colleagues; Pedagogical & Critical
Essays about poetry; extensive links to relevant websites; Curriculum Units
& Lesson Plans; biographies of hundreds of poets; and over 2,000
poems.” Also in Websites
section. Excellent
PREPARING
FOR POETRY: A READER’S FIRST STEPS – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=639
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. “This lesson will begin with a discussion on
differentiating literal and figurative language, showing how students will
determine denotation and connotation in language. With an emphasis on creating
arguments using evidence from the poem, they will next learn how to annotate
and paraphrase a poem. They will decipher who the speaker is and how tone and
setting establish tension and dramatic context. Finally, students will explore
the poem's structure, with attention to rhyme, use of line, and form. Through
these exercises, which center on William Shakespeare's Sonnet 130, "My
mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun," students will learn how to
create a thesis about the poem rooted in textual evidence.” Excellent
PUT
THAT ON THE LIST: INDEPENDENTLY WRITING A CATALOG POEM – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=895
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. “In these contemporary times, our lives are
often driven by lists—to-do lists, shopping lists, wish lists. In this
activity, students use that structure to write powerful poetry, modeled after
Raymond Carver’s poem “The Car.” Working individually, students compose catalog
poems based on concrete objects that hold personal meaning for them. These
poems, stripped down in the most minimalist fashion, allow students to
concentrate on important aspects of poetry, including word choice, phrasing and
rhythm as well as the all-important “heart” of the poem.” Excellent
PUTTING
PIZZAZZ IN POETRY – CURRICULUM UNIT NEW!
http://www.rain.org/campinternet/cperez/poetryunitplan.html
A curriculum unit on poetry for junior high
school students. “The students will spend several
weeks studying a variety of literary elements with a specific focus on
onomatopoeia, simile, personification, and alliteration. They will read and
discuss both professional and student examples of poetry utilizing these
elements in textbooks, handouts, and online. They will conclude the study of
each element by creating an original poem using that element. At the end of the
unit, each student will work with a partner to create a multimedia
presentation, publication, or web site that demonstrates the analysis of poetry
based on the literary elements, an evaluation of the effect of the elements on
poetry, and the synthesis of these elements into an original poem.” Excellent
ROBERT
FROST PROMPTS THE POET IN YOU – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=859
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on poetry. “In this lesson, students write poems
similar in form and style to one of three poems by Robert Frost. First,
students learn key details about the life of Frost. They then read and discuss
three Frost poems. Together with the teacher, students create a poetry prompt
for one of the three poems. This involves having students brainstorm ideas for
a writing assignment that connect to one of the poems. Finally, students use
their poetry prompt to write their own poems reminiscent of the form and style
of the selected Frost poem.” Excellent
ROBERT
FROST’S “MENDING WALL”: A MARRIAGE OF POETIC FORM AND CONTENT – LESSON PLAN
NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=645
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on Robert
Frost. “In this lesson, students will study
both the content and the intriguing poetic form of Frost's famous poem
"Mending Wall." Upon completing the suggested activities below,
students will understand the intricate relationship between a poem's content
and its form. This lesson will enable students to approach Frost's poetry in a
new way and will provide them with analytical skills for reading poetry at
large.” Excellent
RECOGNIZING SIMILES: FAST AS A WHIP – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=608
A lesson plan on similes for grades
9-12. “Many students begin to learn
about similes well before entering high school. This lesson assumes that
students will have a basic understanding of what similes are, however it is
designed to help students review what they have learned in earlier classes and
to begin to engage with similes on a deeper and more abstract level.” Excellent
SAY HI
TO HAIBUN FUN – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=588
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on Japanese haibun poetry. “This
cross-curricular lesson is designed to introduce students in language arts or
social studies classes to elements of the Japanese writing style and the
Japanese cultural concepts incorporated by the haibun.
Students consider that each moment recorded in their journal can become
elevated to a work of art because of the insights gained. By reading examples
of classical Haibun written by Basho and contemporary Haibun by Jane Riechhold and others, students will
observe these elements and concepts in the text After studying elements of the
Japanese writing style and cultural concepts, students will compose original haibun.” Excellent
SEASONAL HAIKU: WRITING POEMS TO CELEBRATE
ANY SEASON – LESSON PLAN
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=39
“In this three-part lesson, students write and illustrate haiku depicting seasonal images. First they use their observation skills, real-world knowledge, and knowledge of parts of speech to help them create seasonal word charts. They then listen to and read samples of haiku to identify haiku criteria, followed by a writing session where they create haiku that depict seasonal images. Finally, they publish their poetry mounted on colorful backgrounds that illustrate the images in their poems.” Excellent
SEVENTH
GRADERS WRITING ITALIAN SONNETS? YOU BET! – LESSON PLANNING ARTICLE NEW!
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson016.shtml
An article on the work of one Language Arts
teacher in
SHAPE
POEMS: WRITING EXTRAORDINARY POEMS ABOUT ORDINARY OBJECTS – LESSON PLAN
NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=798
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on shape
poems. “Writing poetry enables students
to reflect on their everyday experiences, express their perceptions and
observations, and craft powerful images. In this lesson, students write shape
poems using their content knowledge and sensory awareness of a familiar object.
Students first learn about the characteristics and format of a shape poem. They
then engage in an online interactive activity in which they select a graphic of
a familiar object (e.g., the sun, a heart, a balloon), build a word bank of
content area and sensory words related to the object, and write poems within
the shape of the object. Finished poems are printed and displayed in class.” Excellent
STANZA PROUD – EXAMINING THE LIFE AND TIMES
OF
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20030224monday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan
for grades 6-12 on
STEP-UP-TO-THE-PLATE
POETRY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0219.html
A lesson plan for grades 5-8 on poetry. “While most students know and love the game
of baseball, many do not realize that the great African American players in the
major leagues today would not have been allowed to play in the first half of
the 20th Century. Segregation existed in the country and in baseball. Using
computer resources to study the Negro Baseball Leagues, students will learn
about the players, teams, and social conditions that existed from the 1900’s
until 1946. They will culminate their study by using poetry forms to express
their knowledge and their feelings about this historical time in the
STILL I
RISE – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0208.html
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 using Maya
Angelou’s “Still I Rise”. “A
lesson plan using the famous poem, "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou. I
created this lesson plan to expose students to Maya Angelou’s powerful poem,
"Still I Rise" as well as to enhance their understanding of the power
of poetry. In addition, it informs students on how poetry has its own unique
format, language, and poetic devices such as metaphors, similes, and
personification and how these poetic conventions can add a tremendous punch to
a poet’s message. This lesson conforms to the learning concept of
"Thematic Learning." The major theme (Thematic Learning) of this poem
is the undeniable and unbreakable strength and spirit of the African American
people, past and present; however, students will begin to formulate their own
identification with the poem's message by seeing beyond the cultural relevance
and finding a connection to their own teenage lives, in spite of race or
culture. Many students will respond by saying that in spite of peer pressure,
trends, or negative situations that they have been confronted with, they, too,
have found ways to rise above the adversities that often plague those to
conform to the negative standards and trends set by other teenagers.” Excellent
THINKING
INDUCTIVELY: A CLOSE
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1014
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. “Applicable to almost any poem, this lesson
uses Seamus Heaney’s “Blackberry-Picking” to ease
students’ fear of analyzing poetry by teaching them an inductive strategy
through which they determine patterns of imagery, diction, and figurative
language in order to unlock meaning. First, the students list the images,
diction, and figurative language they notice in the poem; then, looking for
patterns within their list, they “lump” them into categories. Finally, they
apply these categories to the poem’s structure to determine meaning. The
student is then able to write a theme statement and support it with specifics
gleaned from the poem.” Excellent
30 DAYS OF POETRY – LESSON PLANS
http://www.msrogers.com/English2/poetry/30_days_of_poetry.htm
30 classroom activities on
poetry. Excellent
TUNEFUL
BUGS AND BIRDS – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2336/
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. “What inspires man to create art dealing with
bugs and birds? In this lesson, intermediate high school ESOL students engage
in a variety of activities as they read and write poetry and listen to music
about bugs and birds.” Excellent
USING
CLASSIC POETRY TO CHALLENGE AND ENRICH STUDENTS’ WRITING –LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=900
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on writing
poetry. “Through this series of lessons,
students are introduced to classic works of poetry. They learn to interpret
multiple perspectives while reading, analyzing, and discussing these works.
After looking closely at and discussing each poem collectively, students work
together to cocreate an open-ended writing prompt or
"link" to stimulate an authentic writing experience. This poetry
writing allows them to "try on" or imitate a range of poetic styles
and forms. It also guides them to develop their own voice, improve their
writing skills, and deepen their understanding and appreciation of
poetry.” Excellent
VERSED ON THE DISADVANTAGED – USING POETRY
TO EXPLORE THE ISSUES OF POVERTY – LESSON PLAN
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20020930monday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. “In this lesson, students will reflect on what it means to help those in need, then read and analyze poetry that illustrates the struggle of poor people. To synthesize their learning, they create collages connecting current issues of poverty with poets' experiences.” Excellent
VOICES IN VERSE – EXPLORING MIDDLE EASTERN
INTERPRETATIONS OF PALESTINIAN POETRY – LESSON PLAN
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20000308wednesday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan
for grades 6-12 on poetry. “In
this lesson, students examine Arabic poetry and how it is interpreted by people
of different cultures. They formulate their own individual interpretations of
the poetry and consider and how it affects political situations in the
WALT WHITMAN TO LANGSTON HUGHES: POEMS FOR
A DEMOCRACY – LESSON PLAN
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=428
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. “In this lesson, students will explore the idea of "democratic poetry" by reading Whitman's words in a variety of media, examining daguerreotypes taken circa 1850, and comparing the poetic concepts and techniques behind Whitman's I Hear America Singing and Langston Hughes' Let America Be America Again. Finally, using similar poetic concepts and techniques, students will have an opportunity create a poem from material in their own experience.”
Excellent
WE’VE
GOT THE BEAT: AIRING POEMS WITH SONGS TO HIGHLIGHT AND ENHANCE RHYTHMS AND
TONES – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20080111friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. “In this lesson, students explore the way
poetry’s unique rhythms can be further enhanced by musical accompaniment. By
pairing selected music and poems, students discover new ways to listen,
interpret and appreciate these art forms.”
Excellent
WHERE THE SIDEWALK TRANSCENDS – REMEMBERING
SHEL SILVERSTEIN: A POETRY-WRITING LESSON FOR THE LANGUAGE ARTS CLASSROOM –
LESSON PLAN
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/19990514friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on the poetry of Shel Silverstein. “In this lesson, students use titles of Shel Silverstein poems to generate their own poetry for children. Each student then compares his or her poem to the Shel Silverstein poem of the same title, focusing on the relationship of the title to each poem, the meaning of each poem, and the methods used by the authors to reach their intended audience of children.” Excellent
WILLIAM/WILLIAM
MIX-UP – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0211.html
A lesson plan for grade 12 students on poets.
“This
lesson is intended to introduce students to a couple of British Romantic Poets,
William Blake and William Wordsworth, to see how their styles vary.” Excellent
WORDS OF DEEP MEANING: EXPRESSING IMPORTANT
PERSONAL FEELINGS THROUGH POETRY –
LESSON PLAN
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20000128friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. “In this lesson, students explore the use of poetry as a means of expressing deep, personal feelings by reading an article about people with physical disabilities who write poems and then creating their own poetry.” Excellent
THE
WORLD OF HAIKU – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=305
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on haiku. “In this lesson, students
explore the traditions and conventions of haiku, comparing this classic form of
Japanese poetry to a related genre of Japanese visual art and composing haiku
of their own.” Excellent
A WORLD
OF POETRY – LESSON PLANS NEW!
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3799/
A collection of lesson plans for elementary
through senior high level. Excellent
WRITING
FREE VERSE IN THE “VOICE” OF CESAR CHAVEZ – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=777
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on free verse. “This lesson gives students the opportunity to
familiarize themselves with the characteristics of free verse and to write a
free verse poem using written material about the labor activist Cesar Chavez.
After they read about experiences that helped shape the life of Chavez and take
descriptive notes about these experiences, they each compose a first draft of a
free verse poem in the "voice" of Chavez. With the help of graphic
organizers and a rubric, they revise, polish, and share their poems with their
classmates.” Excellent
ANGLO-SAXON RIDDLES – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.knowledge.state.va.us/cgi-bin/lesview.cgi?idl=639
A lesson plan for 12th
grade students on Anglo-Saxon poetry. “Objective:
To become familiar with the form and achievement of Anglo-Saxon
poetry. To understand the oral tradition
of literature in the Anglo-Saxon society”
Very Good
APPRECIATING
THE BARD’S ART: REWRITING SHAKESPEARE’S EPITAPH USING IAMBIC PENTAMETER –
LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0002.html
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on writing
poetry. “Description: The following is designed as a small group activity
to help students appreciate Shakespeare's art as well as reinforce literary
terms and concepts. Students begin to appreciate Shakespeare's genius as they
struggle to compose six lines in iambic pentameter, knowing that he wrote tens
of thousands in his plays.” Very
Good
CALLING ON THE MUSE – EXERCISES TO UNLOCK THE
POET WITHIN NEW!
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson171.shtml
An
article for teachers on teaching poetry.
Very Good
COMPOSING CINQUAIN POEMS WITH BASIC PARTS
OF SPEECH – LESSON PLAN
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=43
A lesson plan for elementary students using the basic parts of speech to create cinquains. Very Good
A DEDICATION IN VERSE – LESSON PLAN NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0036.html
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 in which students read and create poetry and then create a poetry book. Very Good
HAIKU LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://international.ucla.edu/shenzhen/2002ncta/aieta/haikulessonplan.html
A lesson plan on
haiku for 6th and 7th grades. ‘Students will research internet to explore
meaning of Haiku, how it has been used historically and in modern times,
preview examples of other works, and write their own Haiku.” Very Good
INTRODUCTION TO POETRY –LESSON PLAN NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0008.html
A lesson plan for grades 7-12 in
which students will learn the expressive nature of poetry by composing their
own poems. Very Good
MONARCH HAIKU – LESSON PLAN NEW
URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0010.html
A lesson plan for grades 2-3 on haiku. “In this lesson, students who have been studying the spring migration of monarch butterflies have an opportunity to apply what they have learned about the butterflies in a literary way.” Very Good
MUSIC IS POETRY – LESSON PLAN
http://www.youthfirst.org/winners/music-poetry.htm
A lesson plan for 8th grade students in which the teacher selects some music CD’s popular with students (and acceptable in the classroom). Students listen to the lyrics and discover the poetry in them. Very Good
OCEANS:
A FACT HAIKU – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2080/
A lesson plan for grades K-4 on haiku poetry.
“The sound and movement of ocean waves may be
called poetry in motion. This lesson uses the ocean to teach students about a
form of Japanese poetry. After learning about haiku, and hearing haiku,
students listen to the ocean to inspire them in writing their own haiku.” Very Good
PARTS
OF SPEECH POETRY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/41.html
A lesson plan on poetry for 5th
grade students. Students create poems
focusing on particular parts of speech.
Very Good
P.E.A.F. – POETIC ELEMENTS ARE FUN! –
INTEGRATED UNIT
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/01_5_PEAF.pdf
A unit on poetry for 5th grade students that examines the various elements of poetry. Very Good
POETRY = THE ESSENCE OF LIFE – INTEGRATED
UNIT
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/01_5_PEAF.pdf
A unit on poetry for 8th grade students that examines poets and poems past and present and the different styles of poetry. Very Good
POETRY
PRINTABLES NEW!
http://www.abcteach.com/directory/basics/writing/poetry/
A collection of links to printables
with ideas for creating poetry. For
elementary students. Very Good
POWERFUL POETRY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.nasaexplores.com/show_58_teacher_st.php?id=030108152851
A lesson plan for grades 5-8 in which students create poetry about weather using different styles. Very Good
TWO
WORD AUTOBIOPOEM – LESSON PLAN NEW!
A lesson plan for grades 2-6 on poetry. “This is a great way for students to get to
know one another during the first few days of school. It also makes a great
addition to any poetry unit. A two word biopoem could
also be used to describe a character from a book or story.” Very Good
WORDS FROM THE HEART – EXPLORING THE
CREATIVE PROCESS OF WRITING POETRY IN THE STYLE OF CHILD POET MATTIE J.T. STEPANEK – LESSON PLAN
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20011130friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. “In this lesson, students learn about the unexpected success of young poet Mattie J.T. Stepanek. Then, by creating poems using the same method that Mattie's mother used to help him write his early poems, students will explore the creative process of writing poetry.” Very Good
THE WORLD OF
HAIKU – LESSON PLAN
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=305
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on haiku. “In this
lesson, students explore the traditions and conventions of haiku, comparing
this classic form of Japanese poetry to a related genre of Japanese visual art
and composing haiku of their own.” Very Good
“WRIGHT-ING”
PROMPT: CONCRETE POETRY NEW!
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/wright/teachers/wfomanual/langarts/poem.html
A lesson plan for middle school students in
which they learn about concrete poetry and then write their own concrete
poems. Very Good
WRITE
SUMMER SHAPE POEMS – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/grades3_5/ShapePoems/
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on shape poems. “Who knew that poems could be round or square
or even fish-shaped? Shape poems, or poems that look like the things they
describe, are a fun way to introduce children to poetry and to get them to use
words in new ways. In this activity, children write and print poems in many
different summer shapes.” Very
Good
ZOO
ANIMAL POETRY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Interdisciplinary/INT0083.html
A lesson plan for grades K-3 on poetry. “Many classes plan trips to the zoo to see the
animals. Classes may study the animals in books and read many stories, or write
original stories, but to really bring the facts alive using a video camera and
poetry is very powerful. This activity was formulated to bring the animals into
the classroom and the homes of the students.”
Very Good
ACTION POEMS – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas/ViewLesson.asp?ID=1086
A lesson plan for
grades 3-5 on creating action poems.
This can easily be adapted to different types of classes. Good
FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE – LESSON PLAN NEW!
A lesson plan for grades 9-11 on figurative
language. “Description: This lesson focuses on identifying and
creating similes, metaphors, and personification in literature and in students'
own writing.” Good
FRIENDLY POETRY – LESSON PLAN
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/gen_act/friends/poetry.html
A lesson plan for elementary students in which they think of the qualities they look for in a friend and create a poem about those qualities. Good
FRUIT
POETRY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LAFruitPoetryUsingSimiliesMetaphorsIdea37.htm
A lesson plan for grades 3-7 using fruit as a
subject for a poem. Good
HAIKU – WEB ENGLISH TEACHER NEW!
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/haiku.html
Links
to sites about haiku for teachers to use in the classroom. Good
HOW TO WRITE A 5W POEM – LESSON PLAN
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/poetry2.html
A simple lesson plan for 1st grade students on writing a poem using who, what, where, when and why. Good
INTRODUCTION
TO POETRY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/344.shtml
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 using music to
introduce poetry. “I use this activity as an
introduction to poetry. Music is a wonderful medium to helping students
appreciate poetry and poetic devices.”
Good
KNOWING
OURSELVES AND OTHERS THROUGH POETRY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0018.html
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. “Developing a rapport and trust with
students at risk of dropping out of school is often difficult. These students
are guarded in their openness with adults in general and school staff in
particular. Yet providing an open atmosphere is fundamental to mending
self-concepts and a prerequisite for skill development and the academic success
necessary leading to graduation.” Good
A
LITTLE SNAKY POETRY – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.nasaexplores.com/show_58_teacher_st.php?id=021227130928
A lesson plan for grades 5-8 on poetry using
the characteristics of snakes. “Objective:
To practice writing types of poetry relating to snake
characteristics.” Good
NATIONAL
POETRY MONTH QUIZ
http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-19534.html
A brief quiz on poetry. Good
PERFORMANCE POETRY – LESSON PLAN
NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0024.html
A lesson plan for grades 7-12. “Performing a poem is the best way to move
students from literal interpretations to figurative interpretations of
literature. For many students, it is difficult to begin to think in abstract
ways. Students need to learn to open their minds in order to survive in and
appreciate the world in which they live.”
Good
POETRY CUBES – LESSON PLAN NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0014.html
A lesson plan for grades K-12 in
which students construct poetry cubes and develop ways to interpret a
poem. Adaptable for each grade
level. Good
POETRY – DEVELOPING A TASTE – AN INTEGRATED
UNIT
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/3_97_PoetryTaste.pdf
A unit on poetry for 3rd grade students in which they learn about different types of poetry and poets. Good
POETRY
LESSON PLANS
http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/language_arts/poetry/
A page with links to 76 lesson plans on
poetry. We did not judge the quality of
each of the lesson plans. Good
POETRY PLUS II – AN INTEGRATED UNIT
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/32K_Poetry_Plus.pdf
A unit on poetry for 3rd grade students in which they learn about different forms of poetry and begin to create their own. This is a follow-up to another unit which we could not locate on the web. Good
POETRY
WORKSHEETS
http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-14856.html
Four printable worksheets. 1/Word Scramble 2/Poets & Poems
3/Alphabetizing Poets 4/Poetry Terms.
Good
TIPS ON
TEACHING POETRY FROM POETIC POWER NEW!
http://www.poeticpower.com/plugs1/
A collection of basic lesson plans for grades
3-12. Good
UNRAVELING BURNS – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.knowledge.state.va.us/cgi-bin/lesview.cgi?idl=925
A lesson plan
for 12th grade students on the poetry of Robert Burns. “Purpose:
To introduce students to the Scottish dialect and a fuller understanding of
poetry by Robert Burns.”
Good
USING CREATIVE DRAMATICS WITH THE TEACHING
OF POETRY
http://atozteacherstuff.com/lessons/PoetryDramatics.shtml
A lesson plan for 4-6th grade students on poetry. Students form teams to read and interpret poems then create a skit based on the meaning of the poem. Good
WEBQUESTS
BEAT
POETRY WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.ocean.k12.wa.us/ilwacohi/english/beatpoetrywebquest.htm
A webquest for junior high students on beat
poetry. “During this webquest you will
not only explore the life, times, and poetry of the Beats, but you will also
have an opportunity to participate in online discussions about original Beat
poetry with your peers. You will end by creating your own original
Beat-inspired poem that you will share at our classroom "cocoa-house"
poetry readings. Come prepared to listen to jazz, drink cocoa, and enjoy some
great poetry!” Excellent
http://www.camdenstation.com/poetquest/intro.htm
A webquest for upper elementary students on
poetry. It goes through what poetry is,
its forms and leads students to create their own poetry. Excellent
COMMOTION
IN POETRY-POETRY IN COMMOTION – WEBQUEST
http://www.lakelandschools.org/EDTECH/poetry.htm
A webquest for middle school students on
poetry styles. “At the
annual poetry convention in Frost,
CONTEMPORARY
POETRY – AMERICAN TRANSCENDENTALISM – WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.shepherd.edu/transweb/contemporarypoetrywebquest.htm
A webquest for senior high students on poetry
and how it was influenced by transcendentalism.
“Overview: In this WebQuest, you will explore contemporary poets who have been
influenced by the Transcendentalists. The poems are clustered according to
theme: some explore the role of the imagination, others focus on studies of
nature, and still others look at issues of solitude or nonconformity. Choose
one "cluster" to explore and write about. Bring your ideas to
class.” Doesn’t follow the usual webquest form but
excellent. Excellent
DO YOU HAIKU? WEBQUEST NEW!
http://education.iupui.edu/webquests/haikuI/index.htm
A webquest for junior/senior high students on haiku. “Joining together as writers and researchers, you will explore the scene of Haiku on the Internet from four different perspectives. You will then create a journal with the information you've gathered and created. The journal will be created using Microsoft Publisher. You will also create a PowerPoint Presentation to introduce the class to the art form of Haiku.” Excellent
HAIKU HAPPINESS – WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.cape.k12.mo.us/clippard/kyle/Haiku%20Happiness.htm
A webquest for 3rd grade students on haiku. “You have been chosen by the famous Japanese musician, Hank Hoto, to show your expertise in illustrating Haiku poetry with a sound carpet. You will be using instruments, found sounds and movements to create your own composition. He is hunting for new and bright students to tour with him throughout the world. Have fun and good luck!” Excellent
HURRAY FOR POETRY – WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.schools.pinellas.k12.fl.us/educators/tec/pravda3/Poetry%20WebQuest/powebqst.html
A webquest for 5th grade students on poetry. “Students and teachers, this web quest is designed to help you make a poetry appreciation book. Your job on this quest is to go to a variety of poetry sites, find poetry that you enjoy, and add it to a poetry book that you can keep. Hopefully this book will grow as your enjoyment of poetry grows. You can, of course, add to this book by writing poetry of your own and by finding it in books as well.” We found some broken links on this site. Excellent
IN
DEFENSE OF POETRY – WEBQUEST NEW URL!
http://www.rockwood.k12.mo.us/itech/webquests/su2002/tauser/appoetry/index.htm
A webquest for
11th & 12th grade students on poetry. “Congratulations
on the acceptance of your application for membership on the Advanced Placement
Literature and Composition Test Writing Committee. You are now an
official member of the College Board's Educational Testing Service. The
knowledge, experience, and expertise you have included on your application have
indicated that the most sensible utilization of your abilities will be on the
prestigious Poem Analysis Sub-Committee. Your primary responsibility as a
committee member will be to help to write the A.P. Literature and Composition
Examination poetry essay question for this year's test.
Your
input will be integral to the selection of the poem that will be analyzed by
hundreds of thousands of our nation's top students on the A.P. Lit. exam, so
our expectation is that you will regard this responsibility with the utmost
respect. You were selected for this committee on the basis not only of
your intelligence and expertise but also of your integrity and work
ethic. These high school students deserve the best effort we can provide,
and we believe that you will be able to contribute significantly to that
goal.” Excellent
“KIDD’S RIME TIME” POETRY WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www2.franciscan.edu/webquests/kiddsrime/
A webquest for 4th grade students
on poetry. “Ladies and Gentlemen:
Welcome to Kidd’s Rime Time Circus!! Today in the center ring you are going to
learn about five amazing death-defying types of poetry. Later, in ring #1, you
will be asked to perform daring acts of poetry creations. Finally, in ring #3,
as you juggle your new found knowledge of poetry, you will be asked to complete
a spine tingling circus scavenger hunt.”
We found several broken links on this site. Excellent
LANGSTON
http://www.idahlberg.net/wqtemplate.html
A webquest for
grade 10 on poets. “The Task You have been asked to return to sometime in the first
250 years of the former United States of America in order to: ● Prove
your time machine still works ● Gather together three famous poets from
the past ● Ask the three poets to work together on a new poem ●
Study them as they work and observe their differing poetic styles ●
Return to the present, report on your observations, and present the new poem to
Alberto Uthgar Nishihara -and- ● Eat a
hamburger You will submit the poem and
your report using one of those “retro” computer thingies. So that you don’t
shock the citizens of
MODERN AMERICAN POETRY WEBQUEST
http://www.webspawner.com/users/drjm8f/
A webquest on
modern American poetry. “Home
Teams have been grouped into cooperative learning groups based on diversity of
talents and skills. Each Home Team has been assigned a Modern American poet
(Langston Hughes, Carl Sandburg, Gwendolyn Brooks, T.S. Eliot, or Edna
POETRY INDEPENDENT STUDY – WEBQUEST
http://www.macomb.k12.mi.us/wq/poetry/index.htm
A webquest for junior/senior high students on poets. Students must choose a poet from the list, write a short biography and analyze two of that poet’s poems. We found one broken link on this site. Excellent
POETRY QUEST NEW!
http://www.rccsd.org/RKeim/index.htm
A webquest for senior high students on
poetry. “Rationale: Students are often confused by poetry because they are
unfamiliar with it. By discovering the types of poetry and breaking poetry and
its elements down into manageable and understandable areas, students will be
able to identify multiple forms of poetry and express themselves in some of
those forms.” Excellent
POETRY
WEBQUEST NEW!
http://mrshopeenglish.wikispaces.com/Poetry+WebQuest
A webquest on poetry for middle school
students. “You have begun your journey of
higher education! In order to become a more sophisticated, well-rounded
student, you will study poetry.
(No groans are needed!) Your journey involves being a critic of famous poetry!
You must decide which poems will be used for future reference in SWAS English!
"You're a poet and you didn't even know
it!" Your journey into the world of sophistication continues with oringinal poetry! Using your writing savvy and new-found
knowledge of poetry, you will compose a poem that rates as well as the
classics!
You will read, analyze, and compose poetry.
It is time to sharpen your minds, not just your pencils, and become great
literature scholars. Your quest begins now!”
Excellent
POETRY
WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.stewartcountyschools.net/des/Poetry%20WebQuest.htm
A webquest for 4th grade students
on poetry. “Your task will be to explore and
research various types of poetry. You will learn the components of
different poetry forms. You will also read poems written by famous poets
as well as children the same age as you. Next, you will produce your own
poems!” Excellent
WANTED:
JUNIOR POETS – WEBQUEST NEW!
http://webhost.bridgew.edu/rgrandmont/index.html
A webquest for
upper elementary/middle school students on poetry.
“This is a standards-based WebQuest designed
to encourage children to write free-verse poetry while incorporating their
knowledge of celebrations.
It has been developed to provide students
with the opportunity to be creative and inquisitive. Students will be motivated
by the exciting adventure that they are about to embark on.” Excellent
WELCOME
TO POETQUEST: A POETRY WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.newhouser.net/poetry/
A webquest for 9th
grade students on poetry. “Hello
and welcome to PoetQuest! an Introduction to Poetry WebQuest! Upon the completion of this WebQuest,
you will be able to: ●Identify and
define poetry literary terms. ● Identify defining features of several
different types of poetry. ● Write your own poetry that is both creative
and follows the rules of poetic forms. Wow,
all of this sounds pretty complicated, doesn't it?
Well, I guarantee that you are a POET and you
didn't even KNOW IT! Trust me, it's
easier than you THINK! You'll get it in
a BLINK! Let's get started! Click the TASKS link to the left under Quest
Navigation!” Excellent
WORLD
WAR I POETS – WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.macleans.school.nz/students/languages/webquests/war_poets_wq/introduction.htm
A webquest from
However, for the
soldiers, the glory and excitement of war, while still in
Much of their poetry
survived the war. The ‘war poets' represent a broad spectrum of war
experiences. Through their poetry, we can trace how their attitudes towards war
sometimes changed and how they were influenced by one of the most catastrophic
events in human history.” We found some broken
links on this site. Introduces poets
students would not be aware of.
Excellent
DIVE
RIGHT IN! A WEBQUEST FOR 8TH GRADE POETRY NEW!
http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/DiveRightIn/diverightin.htm
A
webquest for 8th grade students on poetry. “Fact:
Because you live, you are a poet. Within you are images and imaginings
and marvelous thoughts that need to be recorded. We’re going to dive
right into an assignment that will be a record of how you felt, what your
dreams were, and how you observed the world around you in eighth grade.
You’ll be using this WebQuest to investigate various
forms of poetry, see how other students responded to these forms, and
eventually write your own poems, sometimes alone and other times in
groups. You will be creating a poetry book with an emphasis on you, your
friends, and the world around you.” We found a couple of
broken links on this site. Very Good
GEOMETRY
MEETS POETRY WEBQUEST NEW!
http://newman.needham.k12.ma.us/learningmaps/webquests/new_math_poetry/main.htm
A webquest for junior high students on
poetry. “What do poetry and math have in common? The NES Publishing Company has
hired Mrs. Deane's class and Mrs. Modena's class to find out! Your role will be
to merge geometry with poetry, and create an animated gif that reflects the
changes your selected geometric concept goes through! Your poems will be part
of a poetry collection that will surely be used by other teachers to
revolutionize the teaching of geometry. Your success in working on this project
is certain to influence future generations for years to come.” We found several broken links on this site. Very Good
GREEN PINES POETS SOCIETY – WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.rockwood.k12.mo.us/greenpines/Glaser/WebQuests/Poetry%20Webquest/index.html
A webquest for 4th
grade students on poetry. You are invited to join the Green
Pines Poets Society When: during your
4th grade school year Where: your
4th grade classroom Please bring your
poetry expertise, a poetry reading, and an original published poem In order to assist you with the completion of
these membership requirements, please continue to the task and process
pages” We found a couple of
broken links on this site. Very Good
A HAIKU WEB QUEST NEW!
http://homepages.ius.edu/TALROBBI/
A webquest on haiku for middle school students. “At first, Haiku poetry appears to be a very simple form of poetry, but there is much more to it than you may realize. Follow this web quest, to gather information about Haiku and then compose one for yourself.” Very Good
KIDZ
WORDZ: A POETRY WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.mcps.org/fbranch/Poetry/poetry.htm
A webquest for elementary students on poetry.
“Your team works for Kidz Workz Magazine. For the next
issue the editor would like to focus on poetry. He has assigned several
teams the job of creating a poetry section. He will select the best one
to be published. There are specific items that he expects to see in your
section. Using his guidelines and the resources you will create a poetry section
to present to the editor. You may choose to show your section using Hyperstudio, KidPix, or
ClarisWorks Slideshow.
Your team wants your section chosen for the issue. Make it the
best!” We found mostly broken
links on this site. You’ll need to add your own. Very Good
LOVE THAT DOG – WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.bgcs.k12.oh.us/kramp/poetry.htm
A webquest on
poetry and the book by
THE MYSTERIOUS WOMAN IN WHITE: EMILY
DICKINSON WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.madison.k12.ky.us/district/projects/WebQuest/Emily/emily.htm
A webquest for 11th grade students
on Emily Dickinson. “You are a young reporter for the
POETRY ANTHOLOGY – WEBQUEST
http://www.ottawaelem.lasall.k12.il.us/OES%20folder/OES/Shepherd/mywebquest2/!Poetry%20Webquest.html
A webquest for middle school students in which they must form teams to create a poetry anthology. “As a member of a publishing company, you have been selected to create a book of poetry. Your job will be to research poets and poetic styles and produce an anthology of poetry. You will have complete freedom with this project; however, a few guidelines have been set for you to follow.” We found one broken link on this site. Very Good
POETRY BREAK – WEBQUEST
http://its.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/poetry/poetry.htm
A webquest on poetry
for elementary students. “Need a break? How about a poetry break? Visit
a pumpkin patch of poetry and read other students' poems. Learn about different
types of poetry. Create, publish and illustrate your own original poems. It's
fun and it's easy! How about a poetry pen pal? It's all right here.” Very
Good
POETRY
FOR CHILDREN WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.longwood.k12.ny.us/wq/hakmax/index.html
A webquest for elementary students on poetry. “Welcome to the Poetry Project. You and your classmates are going to create
your own book of poetry. Don’t be
scared! You are going to create a class
anthology. What’s that? Well, it’s a collection of poems written by
different poets. You will be able to use the poems you find here! Sound easy?
It is; and it’s fun, too. Click on Task
to find out exactly what you need to do.”
We found a couple of broken links on this site. Very Good
POETRY
WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.frazee.k12.mn.us/staffweb/jacobson2n/petrywebquest.htm
A poetry webquest for 5th grade
students. “Your task will be to research
and read various types of poetry. By doing this you will learn the components
(parts) of different poetry forms, as well
as some of the history behind each
form. Then you will read poems written by well known poets, as well as by
children from around the world. Next you will write some poetry on your
own, publish it and create your own Poetry Portfolio. It is my hope that
at least one poem from each student will be posted on our Classroom
Website.” We found some broken
links on this site. Very Good
POETS AND POEMS – WEBQUEST NEW!
http://web.syr.edu/~rdiflori/webquest/poemsfor8th.html
A webquest on poetry for middle school students. “Your group will choose two poems from the web site given to you in this web quest and compare them to each other using a double bubble thinking map. Then you will write an essay comparing the difference between the two poems.” Very Good
THE POETS WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.mason.k12.ky.us/mcms/class/spangler/webquest.html
A webquest on
poets for 6th grade students.
“Poetry. A writing that enriches the soul. Literature so
beautiful that it makes even the toughest challenge seem bearable. Poetry
is one of the most common forms of expression. The most common feeling
that it expresses is love, although it can express any feeling. Hate,
anger, happiness and grief... the list is endless. We have all heard the
poem.... Roses are red Violets are blue....
Now it is time to move on and learn how to
express your feelings in a much deeper way. So get ready! Get set! Go and
learn by searching for poems that will make you cry, laugh, and sigh...
Who knows one day we may even be searching for one that you have written.” Excellent
QUEST FOR POETRY NEW!
http://www.cesa8.k12.wi.us/teares/math/it/webquests/QuestforPoetry/index.htm
A webquest for elementary/middle school students on poetry. “Congratulations! You have just been hired as the newest editing team for Chipper's Publishing Company. Our company is considering a new type of publishing: Children's Poetry Books. Several teams have been hired to do research and create sample books. Your goal is to produce and present a sample poetry book that will convince the company board members that this is a profitable and worthy endeavor. The board members are especially interested in new, undiscovered poets. To help convince them that there are lots of new poets, each team member will need to write a poem for the sample book.” We found several broken links on this site. Very Good
SPANISH
AND LATIN AMERICAN POETS WEBQUEST NEW!
http://students.ou.edu/L/Jeremy.M.Lang-1/projects/webquest/index.html
A webquest for junior/senior high students on
Spanish and Latin American poets. “Reading
Spanish and Latin American poetry is the basis for this lesson, and I want you
to feel free to explore the different styles and techniques that poets utilize.
The task at hand is this: Find a poem by a
Spanish or Latin American poet that is interesting or meaningful to you. Then,
research biographical information about that poet. Combine thoughts,
impressions, and biographical information into a concept map so that others can
experience your analysis of the poem.” Introduces poets
students would not be aware of. We found some broken links on this site. Very Good
WANTED:
DEAD OR ALIVE – BIOGRAPHIES OF POETS – WEBQUEST NEW!
http://webinstituteforteachers.org/~dguerrero/poets.html
A webquest for 7th grade students
on poets. “Wanted Dead or Alive!
Biographies of poets to be placed in a scrapbook. You will create your
own scrapbook page to be on display for other students, faculty and staff to
view.” Very Good
ELEMENTS
OF POETRY – WEBQUEST NEW!
http://pangea.tec.selu.edu/~kpope/645/WebQuest.html
A webquest for grades 6-8 on poetry. “Snap! Crackle! Pop! Hiss! Boom! What in the world is that?! These are examples of Onamotopoeia. This element of poetry helps us to "hear" and "see" what is happening in a poem. It is those words that sound exactly like they are spelled. This is one of several poetic devices we will study before we can begin to write poetry. Poetry can be a lot of fun to create once you learn some of the techniques. In this WebQuest, we will study several different types of elements used by poets to write poetry. Poets love to play with words and they try to find the "perfect" ones to help you clearly understand and "see" what they are writing about. With creative use of these elements they can do just that - and so can you!” We found several broken links on this site. Good
LANGSTON
HUGHES, THE POET – WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.rblewis.net/technology/EDU506/WebQuests/hughes/lhughes.html
A webquest for middle school/junior high
students on Langston Hughes. “The Tasks:
Each student will be able to: Recognize the poetry of Langston Hughes, Review the history of Langston Hughes, Gain a
greater understanding of the poetry of Langston Hughes, and Complete
several exciting activities. Most of the links on this site are
broken. You’ll need to substitute new
ones. Good
POETRY QUEST
http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/stennille/ST3/poetrywq.htm
A webquest for upper elementary
students on poetry in which they will learn about poetry and create and publish
poems of their own. Good
POETRY SCAVENGER HUNT – WEBQUEST NEW URL!
http://www.swlauriersb.qc.ca/english/edservices/pedresources/webquest/poetry/poetryhunt.htm
A webquest for elementary students in which they follow links to poems and then answer a question about each poem. We found a few broken links on this site. Good
A POETRY WEBQUEST NEW!
http://cuip.uchicago.edu/~jlemon/wit2002/introductionyes.htm
A webquest on
poetry for 4th grade students. “Have you ever been so excited about something
that you wanted to share your news with the world! Have you ever been angry,
and had no one to confide.
Poetry provides a great way to express yourself.
Upon completion of this unit, you will create an original poetry book. Your
book should be creative and uniquely yours. Now's your time - EXPRESS
YOURSELF!” Good
POETRY WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.rockwood.k12.mo.us/westridge/casper/poetry/Poetry%20WebQuest.htm
A webquest for upper elementary students on poetry. “Your task will be to explore and research various types of poetry. You will learn the components of different poetry forms as well as the history behind each form. Then you will read poems written by famous poets as well as from children around the world. Next, you will write poetry on your own for classroom publication. As a group, we will share the poems that have been written.” Good
SHEL SILVERSTEIN POETRY FUN – WEBQUEST NEW!
http://www.coe.unt.edu/patterson/webquests/vaughn/vaughn.htm
A webquest for 4th
grade students on poetry and the works of Shel
Silverstein. “The
students will become familiar with rhyme patterns that make a rhyme poem.
Students will be able to describe rhyme patterns seen in Shel Silverstein poems and write 2 rhyme poems that will be
placed on the bulletin board outside of the classroom. The materials that
will be used for this activity are a worksheet, bulletin board, and a fact
sheet on rhyme poems.” We found a couple of broken links on this site. Good
WEBQUEST – PUBLISH WITH PO-ETREE, INC.
http://tli.jefferson.k12.ky.us/EDTD675Projects/cathy/PoetryWQ/poetry.htm
A webquest for middle school
students in which teams of students must prepare a compilation of teen poems
for publishing. The catch: they must
write the poems. Good
Disclaimer:
We cannot check every link within each site.
Prepared by the
The site list is also posted on three other
web sites:
http://www.cjims.org/links.htm
February 2008