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 AVA Center staff according to the amount of information given, the general appearance of the site and its potential use in the classroom. This list is also sent via email to all teachers with school email addresses. If you do not receive it, please call us to make sure we have your correct email address.
WEBSITES LESSON PLANS & CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES WEBQUESTS
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
http://www.bibliomania.com/
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
http://www.favoritepoem.org/
Established by Robert Pinsky, the 39th Poet Laureate of the United States, the favorite poem project videotapes people, famous and not, reading their favorite poems. The resulting videos are available online. Sections: The Project, The Videos, The Classroom (including classroom lessons and projects), The Book, Get Involved and Your Favorites. Excellent
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
http://www.findpoetry.com/
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
http://www.gigglepoetry.com/
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 AND TALES
http://www.grandpatucker.com/
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
http://www.veeceet.com/
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
http://www.netpoets.com/
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!http://www.poetryforge.org/
"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
http://www.emule.com/poetry/
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
http://www.poetry.com/
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
http://www.poetryexpress.org/
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!
http://www.poetry-portal.com/
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, Resources & Help Center, Inspirational Poetry Online, Poetry Online Community, Diversity of Poetry and much more. An outstanding site. Excellent
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
http://www.rhymezone.com/
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
http://www.robertmunsch.com/
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!
http://www.americanpoems.com/
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
http://edwardlear.tripod.com/
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 Limerick, and Nonsense Links. Very Good
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!
http://alliteration.net/
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
http://www.robertpottle.com/
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
http://www.ibiblio.org/ipa/
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
http://kidbibs.com/home.htm
A collection of children’s poems are featured
as well as teaching and learning tips. Very Good
A LITTLE POETRY – POETRY E-ZINE
http://www.alittlepoetry.com/
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 Academy of American Poets. Sections: Find
a Poet, Find a Poem, Listening Booth (audio files of works),
Discussion Forums, Events/Calendars, My Notebooks and Literary
Links. Very Good
PAUL LAWRENCE DUNBAR
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!
http://www.poetseers.org/
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 Philippines. Includes examples, links and
information on the poet who developed the form. Includes links to
other poetry forms that may not be familiar. Very Good
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 Australia, Canada, Ireland,
Israel, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. Very
Good
POETRY SLAM INCORPORATED
http://www.poetryslam.com/
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 China but who influenced
Chinese literature. Sections: Introduction, Biography,
Philosophy, Love, Poems, and Links. Very Good
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
RIVER OF WORDS
NEW!
http://www.riverofwords.org/
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
http://www.poetryguy.com/
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 GARDEN OF VERSES – ROBERT LOUIS
STEVENSON
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 LIMERICK MACHINE
NEW URL!
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!
http://www.haikugallery.com/
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
LIMERICK FORM
NEW!
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!
http://www.poemhunter.com/
A searchable online collection of over 310,000
poems. Good
POETRY DAILY
http://www.poems.com/
Posts a different poem every day. Click on
Previously on Poetry Daily for archives. Good
POETRY FOR KIDS – BY KENN NESBITT
http://www.poetry4kids.com/
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
http://www.poetrylane.com/
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
http://www.pw.org/mag/
"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!
http://www.shadowpoetry.com/
A poetry resource including Resources,
Chapbooks, Magazines, Contests, and more. For senior high and
adults. Good
SONNET CENTRAL NEW!
http://www.sonnets.org/
"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
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
BIRMINGHAM BLUES: EXPLORING THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE THROUGH POETRY – LESSON PLAN
NEW!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 THE PLANET" – LESSON PLAN
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: READING AND WRITING
LOVE POEMS – LESSON PLAN
NEW!
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 United
States, this interdisciplinary lesson integrates use of primary
resources with historical and literary analysis. Students work in
groups and express themselves creatively through a multi-media
epic poem.
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 Las Vegas Christmas. They then use words and phrases
taken from articles in today’s New York Times to create
holiday-themed "found poems.""
Excellent
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 United States. Students are
encouraged to participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative,
and critical members of their classroom community. Extension
activities include publishing their poetry on the Web, creating
cards using the students' poems to send to local veterans'
hospitals, and creating a display with accompanying artwork for
Veterans Day."
Excellent
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 Dickinson's nature poems, "A Bird came down the Walk—" through interaction with other art forms. First, they will listen to clips of a hymn to help them hear Dickinson's meter. Then, they will view 19-century bird images and describe what they see, just as a poet would, and they will observe how a poet plays with language and imagery to create a scene by acting out verse lines. Finally, they will write a brief poem of their own using what they have learned and their own observations." Excellent
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
READING AND WRITING – LESSON PLAN
NEW!
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