If there’s one thing poetry can give you it’s this: variety. I hope these poetry ideas will inspire you to try these within your own larger poetry unit, or simply as a refreshing creative writing activity.
Tag Archives: Poetry
Lessons on Longfellow
This past week, my junior English III learned about one of the America’s first celebrities, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. And I’m so glad I decided to go more in-depth with this cultural icon than our textbook allows.
Poetry Lesson: The Cinquain
Two weeks ago, in my new high school poetry class, I introduced my students to the cinquain. These short, concise, and beautiful little poems were a hit and a success and, as I heard my students reciting their own cinquains, I knew I would have to fill you in on this poetry idea.
A Better Beowulf Unit Begins with Sutton Hoo
The Dark Ages discovery builds Beowulf engagement Need an awesome nonfiction text to enhance your Beowulf unit? Look no further! I have a resource for you that you really must check out. It’s titled “Revisiting Sutton Hoo, Britain’s Mythical Ship Burial.” Written by Sam Knight and published in The New Yorker (August 9, 2019), thisContinue reading “A Better Beowulf Unit Begins with Sutton Hoo”
My New High School Poetry Class
Four weeks into the new school year, my new poetry class is quickly becoming my FAVORITE class of the day. Here’s what we’ve done so far… but know that we are just getting started, so stay tuned. Read on…
A New Poem Activity for The Wanderer
While our study of The Wanderer included some note-taking, reading the poem aloud, and completing a close-reading activity, I wanted us to go one step further to get more out of this beautiful verse. So when I read about something called the “Ubi sunt” motif present in The Wanderer, I took notice… especially when I considered how it might be a way for students to better connect personally to this poem.
Back to School: Four Icebreaker Poems
Get to know your students with these poetry mentor texts School is starting soon in most locales of the United States and teachers are busy gearing up to find interesting. low-stakes ways to get students writing. Poetry is always a no-fail way to encourage students of all ages to get back in the swing ofContinue reading “Back to School: Four Icebreaker Poems”
Three Back to School ELA Lesson Ideas
Needing some fresh ideas for the first day back at school? Want to avoid the ubiquitous “What I Did On My Summer Vacation” drudgery?
Movie Captions and Text Create Unique Poems
When text passages from a novel mingle with captions or subtitles from its accompanying movie, interesting things happen. Here’s what I mean: I always watch movies with the subtitles on. It helps me catch every word of dialogue and also catch every nuance given through the sound effects.
“Song of Myself” Videos Make Personal Connections
And then I stumbled upon something amazing: Whitman, Alabama. This was the inspiration I needed to demonstrate the importance of Walt Whitman’s poetry in American culture today.