Poetry Out Loud builds students’ untapped talents Have you heard of Poetry Out Loud, (POL), the poetry recitation contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation? Last year, I made Poetry Out Loud a priority in my high school poetry class curriculum, and I’m so glad I did. Poetry OutContinue reading “Poetry Out Loud: Best High School Poetry Activity Ever”
Category Archives: Poetry Lessons
New Poetry Lesson for High School: Poetry Transcription
Transcribing, slowing down, reading the poem word by word, and pausing to clarify something allowed the poem the time needed to sink in and brew, so we could contemplate the poet’s choices and her reasonings for those choices.
The Sonnet for High School (part 2)
Use these student-written mentor texts inspired by Terrance Hayes Two weeks ago, I posted about a unique sonnet writing exercise inspired by poet Terrance Hayes that I tried with my junior-senior poetry class. Click here to read that post. This new exercise took repetition to an extreme degree, and in so doing, demonstrated the literaryContinue reading “The Sonnet for High School (part 2)”
The Sonnet for High School (part 1)
The power of repetition in Terrance Hayes’ “Sonnet” If you’ve ever worked with students and sonnets, you know how difficult writing a sonnet can be. In a word, it’s complicated. In fact, these little box-shaped poems offer all kinds of challenges for young writers (and their teachers–ha!). For example, when my British Literature students studyContinue reading “The Sonnet for High School (part 1)”
Creative high school poetry idea: Poetic Art
If you want to give your high school students a new angle on poetry that allows them some hands-on and screen-free time, this might be a good activity to try. #poetry #NationalPoetryMonth #poeticart
Ukrainian Poetry: Words for War
It goes without saying that students are also aware of the invasion. I even overheard students last week discussing the draft and how it works. However, I don’t want students to worry. I want them to instead feel fully informed.
Can poetry help students in this regard?
Poetry Lesson: The Ode
If you’re needing an easy and fun poem form to explore with your students, definitely add the ode to your list of upcoming poem ideas. Discuss the form and its classical roots, but then shift the focus to the contemporary form so students can readily apply it to their experiences.
Three poems for Veterans Day
Veterans Day is right around the corner. If you need a quick poetry activity to celebrate veterans and their special day, read about these easy ideas in this post. The ideas are simple and easily replicable right from the details here, but if you’d rather have a handout for students to use and teach from,Continue reading “Three poems for Veterans Day”
Three Poems for Veterans Day
Try these three poem ideas for Veterans Day with your middle and high school students.
Taylor Mali’s Metaphor Dice
Metaphor Dice are excellent tools for inspiring evocative, poem-worthy ideas. The words set the stage for deeper, extended critical thinking. My poetry students loved them!