Poetry
We all need more poetry in our lives, and time spent with poems in classrooms is what many students carry away and cherish years after they've left our schools. Here are resources to help you bring more of the delights of poetry into your classroom and school.
Latest Content
News from the Interior
Shirl McPhillips shares a new poem, as well as some practical tips on moving from random observations to vivid details to poetry.
Easing into Writing Poetry
Tara Smith describes how she eases her sixth-grade students into writing poetry through careful selection and analysis of mentor poems.
Beyond the Acrostic Poem
Megan Skogstad finds the right mentor texts can help her fourth graders move beyond acrostic poems.
“Old Age Sticks”: Choral Reading and Reflection
Christy Rush-Levine leads her eighth graders in a choral reading and analysis of the E. E. Cummings poem "Old Age Sticks." This is the second video in a two-part series.
Poetry Read-Alouds During Transitions
Mandy Robek finds that quick poetry read-alouds are a great way to transition between activities in her second-grade classroom and build a love of poems.
Life in a Single Breath
Shirl McPhillips says hello to autumn and explores the power of haiku.
Random Poetry
Gretchen Schroeder finds creative ways to pique interest in poetry in her high school classroom.
Not Just in April: Poetry All Year Long
Tara Smith finds that the 20 minutes she spends on poetry reading, analysis, and response in her sixth-grade classroom each week pay dividends all year long.
Poetry Through Song
Jennifer Schwanke finds song lyrics are one way for students to see the power of poems.
“Old Age Sticks”: Poetry Analysis in Eighth Grade
Christy Rush-Levine leads her middle school students in a choral reading and analysis of “Old Age Sticks” by E. E. Cummings. This is the first installment in a two-part series.
Teaching Punctuation with Poetry
Melanie Meehan discovers that the spare form of poetry is especially useful for teaching conventions.
Weaving in Poetry
Gigi McAllister shares suggestions for infusing poetry throughout classrooms and the literacy curriculum all year long.
The Case for the Sonnet
Gretchen Schroeder makes a case for teaching the sonnet to teenagers in the age of texts and Twitter.
Message from Old Crow
The end of winter is upon us! Shirl McPhillips celebrates with a poem about an old crow and reflections on revising poems over time.
Tests of Time
This vivid new poem from Shirley McPhillips, explores the disconnect between exams and life.
Shaking Off the Village
Shirl McPhillips writes of the glories of summer walks for teachers in her latest poem and reflection.
Closing Out the Year with “Where I’m From”
Jillian Heise shares a marvelous poetry writing activity for students who are transitioning from elementary to middle school, or middle to high school.
A Spring Villanelle
Shirl McPhillips highlights the pleasures and challenges of using a strict poetic form.
One Tool, Many Uses: Poetry Notebooks
Shari Frost explains how teachers get creative with poetry notebooks.
Blackout Poems and Paint-Chip Haiku: Two Fun Ways into Poetry with Adolescents
Jillian Heise uses the lowly paint-chip board to inspire poetry in her middle school students.
Summer’s a Gypsy
Shirl McPhillips captures the fleeting joy of summer in a new poem.
The Habit of Budding
This new poem and reflection from Shirl McPhillips that delights in wordplay and emergent greenery in the spring.
Poemfields
Shirl McPhillips captures beautifully the “hard knuckle” of the end of winter and the slow turn to spring in a new poem and reflection.
The Cure for Senioritis? Poetry!
There may be a group of students somewhere less eager to learn than a class of high school seniors during the last weeks of school, but that group would be as tough to find as Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster. Gretchen Schroeder discovers a surprising cure for senioritis —modern poetry.
Just-Right Poetry and Individualizing Instruction
Shari Frost describes how a sixth-grade teacher provides a range of poetry options to meet the needs of all students.
Poetry and Fluency Minilesson in Second Grade
Sean Moore uses the poem “The Busy Ant” for partner work and discussion of fluency and vocabulary with his second graders.
Poetry Minute: Forms and How to Teach Them
Mary Lee Hahn's "Poetry Minute" includes tips and resources for poetry instruction. This month's Poetry Minute focuses on poetry forms and mentor texts to teach them.
Sketching Trees in Winter
The seasons are like bulbs, fat and full underground. In their time, they edge up and unfold with meaning. Shirl McPhillips finds inspiration from the darkest days of winter in her latest poetry offering.
Poetry Friday in the Computer Lab
Mary Lee Hahn provides a wealth of web resources and practical suggestions for using technology for poetry instruction.
Poems Facing Art: Ekphrasis
Shirl McPhillips considers ekphrasis (poetry inspired by art) in her own poetry and reflection.
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