P
OETRY:
“ENRICHING OUR SOULS”
JACKIE FREEDMAN-SPECTOR
SIR WILFRID LAURIER SCHOOLBOARD
We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and
write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the
human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business,
engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life.
But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.
~Dead Poet's Society
Poetry is one of the oldest forms of literature. More than any other genre of
writing it involves our feelings, reaching deep into our inner-being. Poetry lifts
language to heights that are more vivid, more powerful, and more fun than ordinary
language. It shows us that literacy is not just a set of rules and skills, but an
avenue for self-expression.
The study of poetry is one of exploration. Poetry helps us delve into the human
condition, seeing ourselves and the world around us in new ways. Amazing things can
happen when adult students and poetry meet. Reluctant readers and writers can
feel liberated when they discover poetry. Poetry builds confidence in
inexperienced writers who discover they can produce poetry that is imaginative,
funny, impressive, and powerful.
I hope that as you explore this site, both you and your students will be encouraged
to think “outside the box”, and discover other avenues of literary expression.
Open your minds, let your guard down, find a sense of wonder, and discover poetry
as an opportunity to reflect on life.
Make memories…to last a lifetime!
MEMORIES
~ by Jackie Spector
Memories are amazing things,
Forever vivid in our minds,
Of people, places, all life brings,
Endless treasures and priceless finds.
Memories can hurt and make us cry,
Or inspire hope, promise, and cheer,
Recollections of times gone by,
Renewing faith in all that is dear.
As you turn the pages from your past,
Take advantage to learn each day,
Capture each moment so it will last,
Use your memories to guide your way.
ONLINE
RESOURCES
WHAT IS POETRY
TAKE A POETRY
BREAK
INTRODUCTION
UNLOCKING THE
MYSTERY OF POETRY
FINDING THE
POET IN YOU
READING &
WRITING LESSONS
WRITING
ACTIVITIES
READING &
WRITING LESSONS
INTERACTIVE
WRITING ACTIVITIES
MORE POETRY
READING ON THE
NET
POWERPOINT
STUDENT PROJECT
USING
TECHNOLOGY
ONLINE RESOURCES
DICTIONARIES
Merriam-Webster Word Central Dictionary
http://www.wordcentral.com/
• Go to “Student Dictionary”
• Enter your word.
• Click the “Find” button.
If your word is not found, a list of words similar to the one you typed may appear.
Scroll through it to see if the word you want is there. If it is, highlight it and click
the “Go To” button.
Kenn Nesbitt’s On-line Rhyming Dictionary
http://www.poetry4kids.com/rhymes
• Type in the word you want to rhyme.
• Choose: Sort By “Most common words first’” or “Shorter words first”.
• Click the “Show Rhymes’” button and a list of words that rhyme with your
word will be given.
Rhyme Zone
http://www.rhymezone.com/
• Type in a word to find its rhymes, synonyms, definitions, and more.
• Choose: Organize results by: “Syllables” or “Letters”.
• Choose: Include phrases: “Yes’” or “No”.
• Commonly searched words are shown in bold. Rare words are dimmed.
• Click on a word to view its definition.
GLOSSARIES
Literary Terms
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/
• Click on the word to find its meaning
Bob’s Byway Glossary of Poetic Terms
http://www.poeticbyway.com/glossary2.html
• Click on the letter that the word begins with to find the definition
• Click on the highlighted word for its meaning
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
Enhance pre/post-reading experiences, and organize your ideas and concepts using
a graphic organizer.
Printable Graphic Organizers
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/graphicorganizers/printable/6293.html?wtlAC=TVPS_kimono_c,TVPS&detoured=1
Enchanted Learning
Graphic Organizers
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/
4 Blocks Literacy Framework
http://www.k111.k12.il.us/lafayette/fourblocks/graphic_organizers.htm
Teachnology
http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/graphic/
INTRODUCTION
Poems hide. In the bottoms of our shoes, they are sleeping. They are
shadows drifting across our ceilings the moment before we wake up.
What we have to do is live in a way that lets us find them.
Once I knew a man who gave his wife two skunks for a valentine. He
couldn’t understand why she was crying. “I thought they had such
beautiful eyes,” he said. And he was serious. He was a serious man
who lived in a serious way. Nothing was ugly just because the world
said so. He really liked those skunks.
So, he re-invented them as valentines and they became beautiful. At
least…to him. And the poems that had been hiding in the eyes of
skunks for centuries crawled out and curled up at his feet.
Maybe if we reinvent whatever our lives give us, we will find poems.
Check your garage, the odd sock in your drawer, the person you
almost
like,
but
not
quite;
and
let
me
know.
-Naomi Shihab Nye
Of all the forms of creative writing, none is more loved, or more hated than poetry.
Actually, we’ve all had more experience with poetry than we’re aware of. Think of
the lullabies we fell asleep to as infants, the nursery rhymes we enjoyed as
toddlers, the chants that accompanied our childhood games, the jingles that
advertisers use, or the “rap” and song lyrics that we remember. All of these are
extensions of poetic form. So take a break from your regular language arts
program, and wake up the poet within. Everyone can enjoy poetry, regardless of
their literacy level.
WHAT IS
POETRY?
The dictionary defines poetry as:
1 a : writing usually with a rhythm that repeats: verse
1 b : the productions of a poet: poems
2 : writing chosen and arranged to create a certain emotional response
through meaning, sound, and rhythm
Poetry is a special form of writing. It looks and sounds different from prose. It
encompasses the heart, mind, body and soul. It takes language to new heights,
bringing our imagination to a deeper level.
I sometimes begin a poetry unit by asking the students what poetry is, how they
would define it (no dictionaries allowed). Then we discuss our ‘definitions’. Students
have been so programmed into giving ‘right or wrong’ answers that they are often
at a loss as to what to write.
Recommendations:
• Use the following quotes for introducing
the genre of poetry. It gets your students
thinking of poetry from a philosophical and
creative perspective.
• These quotes are great as a general
jumpstart for reading and writing.
• Research the writers of these quotes –
their biographies, find more of their
writings, etc.
• Do a presentation on one of the writers.
Use any creative process that will bring to
life the writer’s message (PowerPoint,
hardcopy or Word document with visuals,
drawings, illustrations, etc.).
Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.
~Kahlil Gibran
Poetry should strike the reader as a wording of his own highest thoughts, and
appear almost a remembrance.
~John Keats
Poetry is man's rebellion against being what he is.
~James Branch Cabell
Poetry is the language in which man explores his own amazement.
~Christopher Fry
Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.
~Robert Frost
You will find poetry nowhere unless you bring some of it with you.
~Joseph Joubert
Poetry is all that is worth remembering in life.
~William Hazlitt
Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.
~T.S. Eliot, Dante, 1920
If you've got a poem within you today, I can guarantee you a tomorrow.
~Terri Guillemets
Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the
expression of personality, but an escape from personality. But, of course, only
those who have personality and emotions know what it means to want to escape
from these things.
~T.S. Eliot, Tradition and the Individual Talent, 1919
The poem... is a little myth of man's capacity of making life meaningful. And in the
end, the poem is not a thing we see - it is, rather, a light by which we may see - and
what we see is life.
~Robert Penn Warren, Saturday Review, 22 March 1958
Breathe-in experience, breathe-out poetry.
~Muriel Rukeyser
Mathematics and Poetry are... the utterance of the same power of imagination, only
that in the one case it is addressed to the head, in the other, to the heart.
~Thomas Hill
Poetry is the art of uniting pleasure with truth.
~Samuel Johnson
Poetry is plucking at the heartstrings, and making music with them.
~Dennis Gabor
"A poem begins with a lump in the throat, a home-sickness or a love-sickness. It is
a reaching-out toward expression; an effort to find fulfillment. A complete poem is
one where the emotion has found its thought and the thought has found the
words."
~Robert Frost
Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.
~Jules de Gautier
Poetry gives you permission to feel.
~James Autry
Poetry isn't written from the idea down. It's written from the phrase, line and
stanza up, which is different from what your teacher taught you to do in school.
~Margaret Atwood
The art which uses words as both speech and song to reveal the realities that the
senses record, the feelings salute, the mind perceives, and the shaping imagination
orders.
~Babettes Deutsch
Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted.
~Percy Shelley
I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew. Writing a poem is discovering.
~Robert Frost
To me, poetry is a marriage of craft and imagination. The making of a poem
requires attention to form, sound, revision, and precision. But imagination lifts you
from a lawn chair to the clouds. And this is the mystery of poetry.
~Christine E. Hemp
UNLOCKING THE
MYSTERY OF POETRY
Poetry has been around for centuries. No one knows for sure who wrote the first
poem. But we do know that ancient and holy people created chants as prayers and
spells. Messengers and bards used to pass along news, songs, and stories, chanting
them in verse. Today we find poetry in songs, on greeting cards, in advertising
jingles, and in books. Poetry comes in many forms. Some rhyme, some don’t. But all
poetry has a special rhythm and form that sets it apart from prose or ordinary
speech.
Before you and your students embark on your poetic voyage, become familiar with
some of the different forms of poetry, and poetic elements that a poet may use.
Poems convey an idea or a feeling through the words that the poet has carefully
chosen. To unlock the meaning, think about the words the poet has used, and the
form of the poem.
Use the On-Line Dictionaries and Glossaries to look up the meaning of the forms
and poetic terms. Then apply what you have learned to the reading and writing of
poetry.
Here are a few forms to get you started on your journey. You can find many more
on the internet. You may even try inventing one of your own!
Traditional Forms of Poetry
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Ballad
Blank verse
Cinquain
Couplet
Elegy
Epic
Free verse
Haiku
Limerick
Lyric
Narrative
Ode
Quatrain
Sonnet
Invented Forms of Poetry
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Acrostic poetry
Alphabet poetry
Concrete poetry
Definition poetry
Diamante
List poetry
Elements of Poetry
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Alliteration
End rhyme
Exaggeration
Imagery
Metaphor
Metre
Mood
Onomatopoeia
Personification
Repetition
Rhyme
Rhythm
Simile
Stanza
Tone
Verse
Once you know something about the forms and elements of poetry, reading poetry
will not be such a mystery.
You are now ready to sail off into the Poetic Seas. For both our Maiden & Seasoned
Voyagers, set your mind free, bask in the warmth of imagination, listen to the
waves of the words, and journey to the depths of your heart.
We will now be leaving the Port of Prose. Bon Voyage!
TAKE A POETRY BREAK
Teachers, Students ~
Beware the word “POETRY”!
Does the mere mention of the word bring
you to your knees, begging for mercy?
The study of poetry does not need to be
a painful and exhausting experience.
If you understand some of the rules,
reading poetry can be very enjoyable.
TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS:
• Acknowledge that students may have different tastes in poetry
than yours.
• Select a variety of poetry forms and styles.
• Expose your students to both classical and modern-day poets.
• Start with shorter poems with simple language, that appeal to
the ear (perhaps rhyming poems)
• Present poems in different ways:
Read to your students
Students read silently
Students read a favourite poem
Invite discussion on meaning, emotions & experiences
• When first exposing your students to poetry, read for
enjoyment.
• Depending on the age and literacy level of the students, choose
poetry that they can relate to.
• Have students find a picture or illustrate the message that the
poem is communicating.
• Look at the connection between poetry and music.
• Watch a movie that deals with the subject of poetry, like “Dead
Poet’s Society”
• Remember that poetry is never “black & white”. Encourage your
students to validate their interpretation of the poem.
THE READING PROCESS*
* Source ~ adapted from: Reader’s Handbook: A Student Guide for
Reading and Learning
I. FOCUS ON READING POETRY
Goals:
• To understand the poems you read
• To understand how poems are organized
• To use reading strategies
Before Reading:
Set a Purpose
¾ What is the poem saying?
¾ What meaning am I getting from the poem?
Preview
¾ Look at the title and the name of the poet.
¾ Look at the structure and general shape of the poem.
¾ Look for any rhymes and where they are.
¾ Look for any names or words that are repeated or that stand out?
¾ Look for punctuation.
¾ Look at the first and last couple of lines.
Plan
Plan to read the poem more than once.
1. First reading
¾ Read for enjoyment.
¾ Get a feeling for the words.
2. Second reading
¾ Look for clues to help you understand what the poem is saying.
3. Third reading
¾ Look at the structure and language of the poem.
¾ Look for a rhyming pattern.
¾ Look to see if the poem has been separated into verses.
4. Fourth reading
¾ What are the mood and tone of the poem?
¾ How does the poem make you feel?
During Reading:
Read With a Purpose
¾ Read slowly.
¾ Think of what the words mean.
1. First reading
¾ Read for enjoyment.
¾ Respond to the text as you read.
¾ Use a Double-Entry Journal reading strategy. Write down specific
lines or phrases and your feelings to them.
2. Second reading
¾ Read to gain meaning.
¾ Use your imagination to picture what is happening.
¾ Use the Two Per Line reading strategy.
3. Third reading
¾ Look at the structure and language of the poem.
¾ Look at how the poem is organized ~ the shape of the poem, how many
verses there are, the pattern of line length or rhyme, the rhythm and
punctuation.
4. Fourth reading
¾ Read actively. Make an effort to connect the poem to your own life
and experience.
¾ How does the poem affect you?
¾ How does the poem make you feel?
After Reading:
Discussing the poem with others is a good idea.
Pause
¾
¾
¾
¾
and Reflect
Can you explain what the poem is about?
Do you have a clear picture of the poem?
What particular words or images were important to you?
What message does the poem convey?
Reread
As a group, with the teacher, or another student:
¾ Paraphrase some of the lines of the poem using the Paraphrase Chart
reading strategy. Look at what lines you especially liked; what lines
reflected the most feeling; or, what you couldn’t get through or didn’t
understand.
II. FOCUS ON LANGUAGE
Goals:
• To understand what the words mean, especially
the key words
• To recognize word connotations, figurative language,
and imagery
• To understand how a poem’s language affects reading
• To use reading strategies
Before Reading:
You do not have to pay equal attention to each word. When you focus on language,
look for:
¾ difficult words or unusual phrases
¾ words that spark a strong emotional reaction
¾ figurative language
¾ imagery
During Reading:
Find Key Words
¾ Use the Two Per Line reading strategy to focus on words that
describe an action, create a mood, or name a person, place, or thing.
¾ Focus on one line at a time.
¾ Ask yourself how the words make you feel.
Understand the Meaning of the Words
¾ You need to know the denotation of words ~ to understand what each
word means.
¾ Try to use the context to figure out what a word means.
¾ Use a dictionary.
¾ Write the definitions in your own words to help you remember.
Think About How the Words are Being Used
¾ Look at how the poet uses the connotation of words ~ an emotional
response or suggestion a word communicates.
Examine Figurative Language
¾ Look at how the poet used figurative language to create pictures and
images.
¾ Become familiar with different figures of speech and how they are
used.
Look for a Poem’s Images
¾ Poets use imagery to help readers create pictures of words. These
details appeal to the senses – sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste.
After Reading:
¾ Are there still words or lines of the poem that are hard for me to
understand?
¾ How does the language affect the meaning of the poem?
Work
¾
¾
¾
with a Partner or in a Group
Read the poem aloud.
Share details about the language of the poem.
Discuss what you think the poem means. Always remember to use
words or phrases from the poem to back up your ideas.
¾ Talk about key words – their denotation, connotation, and images they
create.
Respond and React
¾ Look at parts of the poem that you liked; what images stuck in your
mind.
¾ Write down your thoughts and feelings.
III. FOCUS ON MEANING
Goals:
• To find clues to help you understand the meaning of
the poem
• To see the difference between the subject of the poem
and the meaning of the poem
• To use reading strategies
Before Reading:
Try to get a general impression of the poem.
Clues
¾
¾
¾
to Meaning
Pay attention to the title.
Look for any words that are repeated or stand out.
Look at the first and last couple of lines.
During Reading:
Look at Denotations and Connotations
¾ Knowing the meaning of the words is the first step to helping you
understand the meaning of the poem.
¾ The emotional responses you have to words or phrases, or the
suggestions that the words communicate provide clues to a poem’s
meaning.
Look for What is Unusual or Important
¾ Try to find words, sounds, images or ideas that are used in an unusual
way, or stand out as important.
¾ Use the Two Per Line reading strategy to help you look at how these
words add to the meaning of the poem.
Explore Your Feelings
¾ Can you relate the meaning of the poem to anything in your life, or to
life, in general?
After Reading:
Decide What the Poet is Saying
¾ Look over the key words and phrases you have written to help you get
meaning of the poem.
Paraphrase
¾ Putting some of the text in your own words will help you understand
the message of the poem.
IV. FOCUS ON SOUND AND STRUCTURE
Goals:
• To notice rhyming patterns and the use of sound
• To understand a poem’s rhythm
• To understand the structure of the poem
Before Reading:
Think about why the poet made the poem look and sound the way it does. When you
focus on sound and structure, look for:
¾ the key words and the way the lines are grouped
¾ any repeated sounds and rhyming words
¾ the beat or rhythm
During Reading:
Poetry follows no absolute rules. It is individual and free, and reflects the style of
the poet.
Organization of Lines
¾ Look at the length and arrangement of the poem’s lines.
¾ Is the poem divided into verses?
¾ How does the poet make us of punctuation and capitalization?
Repeated Sounds
¾ Look for/listen for the repetition of certain sounds and words.
Rhyme
¾ Does the poem contain repeating sounds at the ends of the lines?
¾ Is there a rhyming pattern?
¾ Does the rhyme make the meaning of the poem clearer?
Rhythm or Meter
¾ Look for a musical quality to the poem.
¾ Does the poem have a pattern of beats or syllables?
¾ Is there a sudden change of rhythm in the poem?
After Reading:
Connect to the Poem
¾ Think about how the sound and structure of the poem affect your
understanding of the poem.
Reread the Poem
¾ The rhymes and rhythms of poems can be enjoyed over and over again.
¾ Go back and reread a poem, focusing on its sounds and structure to
gain a deeper understanding of the poet’s message.
ON-LINE TIPS FOR READING POETRY
Bob’s ByWay
http://www.poeticbyway.com/tips.html
USE A READING STRATEGY
Use a Double-Entry Journal
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Write words, phrases, or lines from the poem on the left side.
On the right, write your notes, reactions, thoughts, feelings, etc.
QUOTE
MY THOUGHTS ABOUT IT
The Two Per Line Tool
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Use the Double-Entry Journal
Circle or highlight the two most important words per line. Look for
words that describe what’s happening or that give you a strong feeling
or image.
QUOTE
MY THOUGHTS ABOUT IT
Use a Paraphrase Chart
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LINES
Use a Paraphrase Chart when you want to look at certain lines of a
poem that you really liked, found interesting, or had difficulty with
the first time you read through the poem.
Translate what the poet says into your own words.
MY PARAPHRASE
MY THOUGHTS
ON-LINE POEMS TO READ AND LISTEN TO
Poetry Archive
http://www.ibiblio.org/dykki/poetry/
The goal of this ever—expanding poetry archive is to give teachers and students
new ways to study poets and their work.
KidzPage
http://www.veeceet.com/
This poetry site contains a large variety of poems, ranging from works by famous
poets such as Ogden Nash, to original works by students and even some teachers.
Erin’s Poetry Palace
http://www.cswnet.com/~erin/
This site includes a list of poets with links to sites about each one.
The United States of Poetry
http://www.worldofpoetry.com/usop/index.htm
Click on one of the States to begin your journey through a dazzling landscape of
word, voice and image.
Fooling With Words - The Poets Read
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/foolingwithwords/main_video.html
Featured poets read their poetry. Lesson plans and teacher’s guide included.
Poetry Archives
http://www.emule.com/poetry/?page=top_poems
This site offers the top classical poems.
American Academy of Poets
http://www.poets.org/
Listen to poets read their work.
Poetry 180
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/
Poetry 180 is designed to make it easy for students to hear or read a poem on each
of the 180 days of the school year. The poems have been selected with high school
students in mind.
Poetry As We See It
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112392/
Here you will learn about poetic elements, which make poetry, and all kinds of
writing come alive. Features similes, metaphors, alliteration, and more.
Favorite Poem Project Videos
http://www.favoritepoem.org/thevideos/index.html
50 short video documentaries showcasing individual Americans reading and speaking
personally about poems they love; as well as poems they have written.
Visual Poetry
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/poetry/ondisplay/
A showcase of visual poetry - read, watch, and be amazed by these interactive
works.
A Selection of Poems
http://www.poeticbyway.com/rgspoems.html
A Selection of Robert Shubinski’s poetry on Bob’s ByWay
Animated Poetry
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/poetry/rca/
John Hegley got together with the RCA Animation students to bring one of John's
poems to life. Click on the highlighted word to view the animation.
BBC Four Audio Interviews with Poets
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/audiointerviews/professions/poets.shtml
Listen to influential poets of the twentieth century talk about their lives and
poetry.
MORE POETRY
READING ON THE NET
Poets’ Corner
http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/
Poets' Corner is one of the largest and oldest text resources on the web, with
thousands of works by hundreds of authors covering thousands of years.
Find Poetry.com
http://www.findpoetry.com/
From Shakespeare to People's Poems.
Poetry Archives
http://www.poetry-archive.com/
An online collection of the world's greatest poetry.
Poetry Out Loud
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/poetry/outloud/index.shtml
Poets perform their own work.
Poetree
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/poetry/inplace/
Enjoy leaf poetry.
Allspirit
http://www.allspirit.co.uk/poetryindex.html
Spirituality is the theme of “Allspirit”, and spiritual writing, poetry, quotations and
song lyrics can all be found in abundance.
A Little Archive of Poetry
http://poeticportal.net/main.html
A selection of both famous and new poets, a short biography and samples of some
of their poetry.
FINDING THE
POET IN YOU
If you want to write poetry, you must have poems that deeply move you.
Poems you can't live without. I think of a poem as the blood in a blood
transfusion, given from the heart of the poet to the heart of the reader.
Seek after poems that live inside you, poems that move through your veins.
~Ralph Fletcher
Writing poems can be a way of pinning down a dream (almost); capturing a
moment, a memory, a happening; and, at the same time, it's a way of sorting
out your thoughts and feelings. Sometimes the words tell you what you didn't
know you knew.
~Lillian Morrison
Imagine not worrying about capitalization, punctuation,
and grammar rules. Poetry follows no absolute rules.
It is individual and knows no boundaries.
THE WRITING PROCESS
Goals:
• To write different forms of poetry
• To understand how to structure a poem
• To use figurative language and imagery
• To use rhyme, repeated sounds, and rhythm
Prewriting:
Choose a subject
¾ an important time or event in your life
¾ the world around you
¾ something you like or dislike
¾ an idea, occasion
¾ a person
¾ create a greeting card
Gather Details
¾ Collect ideas about your subject.
¾ Brainstorm by using a graphic organizer like a cluster map, network
tree, word cluster
¾ After you have collected enough details, look for a powerful idea to
use as the main focus of your poem.
Writing:
Create a First Draft
¾ Write freely.
¾ Choose a form of poetry and follow the guidelines.
¾ Think about the senses – sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, when
choosing your words
¾ Make line breaks that work with the structure of your poem.
Revising:
Improve Your Writing
¾ Review your poem.
¾ Are your ideas complete? Do they express the feelings and meanings
that you wanted to convey?
¾ Have you used strong words and images?
¾ Think about the meaning and sounds of the words you have chosen. Do
they read and sound well in the structure of your poem?
¾ Does the form of your poem relate to your message?
¾ If you have used a title, does it add to the meaning of the poem?
¾ Does your poem read well?
¾ Make whatever changes are necessary.
Editing:
Check for Style and Accuracy
¾ Check your revised poem for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and
grammar errors (if these apply to the form of poetry you are writing).
¾ Proofread and make whatever changes are necessary.
¾ Write a correct final copy.
Publishing:
Share Your Poems
¾ Keep a portfolio (hardcopy or on the computer) of your poetry.
¾ Present your poem with an illustration or picture.
¾ Read your poem to a partner or to the group.
¾ E-mail it to a friend, or build your own webpage with your poems.
¾ Do a PowerPoint presentation of your poems.
ON-LINE WRITING TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Poetry Express – Tips & Techniques
http://www.poetryexpress.org/tips/tips.htm
READING & WRITING ACTIVITIES ON THE NET
Try these reading and writing poetry lessons.
An Introduction to Poetry
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/adulted/lessons/lesson9.html
Scholastic Writing with Writers – Teacher’s Guide
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/poetry_tguide.htm
Favorite Poem Project Lesson Plans
http://www.favoritepoem.org/forteachers/lessonplans.html
PBS Poetry – News Hour Extra
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/poetry/
Experience Personified – WebQuest Activity
http://gouchercenter.edu/jcampf/abandoned_farmhouse.htm
Read, Write, Think
A Race with Grace: Sports Poetry in Motion
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=920
Nikki Grimes
Teaching Poetry through multiple intelligences
http://www.nikkigrimes.com/teacher.html
Poetry Lesson
http://www.geocities.com/dwokme/lan.htm
Try these music and poetry lessons.
Poetry Appreciation and “Stairway to Heaven”
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rayser3/stairway.txt
A to Z Teacher Stuff - Introduction to Poetry
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/344.shtml
Music is Poetry
http://www.youthfirst.org/winners/music-poetry.htm
WRITING ACTIVITIES
Use the following lessons and activities to explore writing different forms of
poetry.
30 Days of Poetry
Here is a collection of poetry lessons for each day of the month.
http://www.msrogers.com/English2/poetry/30_days_of_poetry.htm
Poetry Muse
Need help with ideas for your writing? Try these writing prompts.
http://www.upwordspoetry.com/lostmuse.htm
Knowing Ourselves and Others Through Poetry
Try this poetry lesson that explores feelings.
http://ofcn.org/cyber.serv/academy/ace/lang/ceclang/ceclang035.html
Teachers.Net Lesson Exchange
This lesson on writing friendship poetry is great for literacy and ESL students.
http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/63.html
CanTeach
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/poetry.html
How to write different forms of poetry. Very simple. Good format to use with
basic literacy students
Read, Write, Think
Acrostic Poems: All About Me and My Favorite Things
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=309
Good lesson plan to use with basic literacy students and reluctant writers.
Auto-Bio Poem
http://www.eduref.org/cgibin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0003.html
Good lesson plan to use with basic literacy students and reluctant writers.
Read, Write, Think
Composing Cinquain Poems with Basic Parts of Speech
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=43
Good lesson plan to use with basic literacy students and reluctant writers.
Creating a Cinquain Poem
http://www.elko.k12.nv.us/ecsdtc/Poetry/cin.htm
Good lesson plan to use with basic literacy students and reluctant writers.
Writing Concrete Poetry
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/wright/teachers/wfomanual/langarts/poem.html
Good lesson plan that refers to the Wright Brothers.
Read, Write, Think
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=211
Discovering Poetic Form and Structure Using Concrete Poems
Dialogue Poem
http://www.lacnyc.org/resources/workshops/poemdialogue.htm
Good lesson plan that offers a different avenue for contrasting opinions.
Education World
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/02/lp262-01.shtml
This site includes a lesson plan for writing a “diamond” poem, focusing on “parts of
speech”.
Creating a Diamante Poem
http://teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/classrooms/amy/algebra/56/activities/poetry/diamante.html
Good lesson plan to use with basic literacy students and reluctant writers.
Creating a Haiku
http://volweb.utk.edu/Schools/bedford/harrisms/haiku.htm
Composing a List Poem
http://www.lacnyc.org/resources/workshops/poemlist.htm
Good lesson plan to use with basic literacy students.
Writing Similes
http://www.abcteach.com/Writing/similes.htm
Good template, especially for basic literacy students
INTERACTIVE WRITING ACTIVITIES
Create your own poems using the following interactive sites:
Poetry Idea Engine
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/poetry_engine.htm
Use Poetry Idea Engine to write haikus, limericks, cinquains and free verse.
Magnetic Poetry
http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/scramble2.htm
Try to make a sentence from these scrambled words. Excellent for basic literacy
students.
Acrostic Poem Generator
http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/acrostic/
An online interactive poem template
Word Play
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/poetry/wordplay/
Become a poet using their poetry making kit.
ETTC Instant Poetry Forms
http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/poemlist.htm
Interactive poetry form finder
Poetry Place Online – Make Your Own Poem
http://poem.freeservers.com/design.htm
Drag the words around to form your own unique poem. Print out the finished
product. Great activity for reluctant writers.
Young Scottish Poetry Library
http://www.spl.org.uk/youngpeople/participate/howtowrite.htm
How to Write a Poem
Poetry Kit
http://www.spl.org.uk/youngpeople/participate/poetrykit/poetrykit.htm
Choose your theme and background image; then pick words to write your own poem.
How to Write a Poem
http://www.tv411.org/lessons/cfm/writing.cfm?str=writing&num=8&act=1
A basic introduction on how to write a poem, with interactive activities. Excellent
resource for literacy and ESL students.
USING
TECHNOLOGY
ENHANCE YOUR POEMS
“A picture says a thousand words”. Add a visual component to your text in a Word
Document, with clipart or pictures to illustrate the message of your poem.
Word 2000 tutorial
http://www.fgcu.edu/support/office2000/word/index.html
• Microsoft Word tutorial
http://www.bcschools.net/staff/WordHelp.htm#Intro
• Placing a picture/photo in Microsoft Word
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pqpath=38/490/574/610
&pq-locale=en_CA
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USE THE INTERNET
Surf the internet to:
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Take an Internet Tutorial
http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/resources/tutorial/home.html
Try an On-line Internet Tutorial
http://www.bcschools.net/staff/Internet.htm
Create a website for your students
http://www.teach-nology.com/themes/comp/sitebuild/
Outline your webquest
http://www.ozline.com/webquests/prewrite.html
Use a Webquest in your classroom
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/using_quest.htm
Create a basic Web Page
http://www.cdli.ca/~blane/writing.htm
Create your own puzzles (word search, crossword, hidden message, crisscross, cryptograms, letter tiles, double puzzle).
http://www.puzzlemaker.com/
Use some of the words from the Glossary of Poetic Terms
http://www.poeticbyway.com/glossary2.html
Self-Publish your own poetry
http://www.self-pub.net/poetrycreator.html
POETRY PRESENTATIONS
Make a PowerPoint presentation using a collection of your poetry or as a class
project. When the multimedia presentation is completed, the students can present
it to the class, another class, the teachers and administration, etc. Use any of the
following sites to help you.
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Electric Teacher PowerPoint tutorial
http://www.electricteacher.com/tutorial3.htm
PowerPoint 2000 tutorial
http://www.fgcu.edu/support/office2000/ppt/
PowerPoint tutorial – technology for teachers
http://oregonstate.edu/instruction/ed596/ppoint/pphome.htm
PowerPoint in the classroom – tool for students
http://www.actden.com/pp/
Placing a picture/photo in Microsoft PowerPoint
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq
path=38/490/574/611&pq-locale=en_CA
MultiMedia Tools 2Learn tutorials (links to other sites)
http://www.2learn.ca/teachertools/multimedia/mmediahowto.html
Build a PowerPoint presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint or use a readymade design template.
Students can use the biography template from Microsoft Office for their
presentation on the poet of their choice.
CREATE A POETRY ANTHOLOGY
Create a Poetry Anthology and present it to the class, another class, the school,
etc.
Use Read, Write, Think to create a newspaper, brochure, booklet or flyer
of poetry
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=211
• Explore this Publishing WebQuest
http://tli.jefferson.k12.ky.us/EDTD675Projects/cathy/PoetryWQ/poetry.
htm
• Publish the poems of your choice on this Poetry Quest
http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/stennille/st3/poetrywq.htm
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EVALUATION
Use any of the following sites to help you create your own evaluation rubric.
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Rubric Maker
http://teacher.scholastic.com/homepagebuilder/rubric.htm
Create a Rubric
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
Rubric for Poetry Booklets
http://www.bedfordk12tn.com/harris/poetrubric.htm
Poetry Rubrics
http://w3.trib.com/~johnbn/poetry/poetrub.htm
General Rubric
http://teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/general/
Presentation Rubrics
http://teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/presentation/
OTHER ON-LINE ACTIVITIES
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Poetry Pals Scavenger Hunt Lesson Plan
http://web.archive.org/web/20001004070850/http://geocities.com/
EnchantedForest/5165/pages/scavengerhunt.html
Poetry Scavenger Hunt
http://www.lacnyc.org/resources/workshops/poemscavenger.htm
Tech Lesson of the week – A Favorite Poem
http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/techlp/techlp032.shtml
Poetry Slam: PowerPoint Style!
http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/techlp/techlp018.shtml
Create a Three-Dimensional Virtual Poetry Slam
http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1000861/
Digital Kids Club – Use multi-media tools to create a personification poem
http://192.150.14.120/education/digkids/lessons/poem.html
Visualizing Meaning in Poetry
http://www.strategictransitions.com/vismeanpoetry.htm
ON-LINE QUIZ
On-Line Quiz on Poetic Terms
http://www.quia.com/quiz/155626.html
• Figures of Speech Quiz
http://www.quia.com/hm/80390.html
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National Poetry Month Quiz
http://www.factmonster.com/quizzes/pmterms1/1.html