Students prepare for their service learning project by listening to a representative from the Lake Michigan Federation. They volunteer their time to clean up the coast line. They reflect on the event by writing a poem about their...

Learners investigate the concept of Sijo as a form of poetry. They compare it to other forms of poetry in the interest of pointing out unique characteristics of Sijo. They use the research information in order to compose their own Sijp...

In this acrostic poem worksheet, students review the definition for an acrostic poem and an example poem about veterans. Students then use the lines to write their own acrostic poem.

Students review figurative languages terms and examples. They read the first entry in the book, Out of the Dust, and discuss the images created by the author. Then they create an autobiographical poem using figurative language.

Students read about land and gardening and create found poems from the text. They use the poems to design interpretation quilts of communal text.

Learners explore tier two vocabulary words. In this vocabulary lesson, students work in small groups assessing the meaning of new vocabulary words. Learners record vocabulary in a word journal or discovery chart.

Pupils identify different types of literary terms in poems. They read different poems and create a packet summarizing them. They write a poem of their own and a biography of one of their favorite poets.

Eighth graders study the visual aspects of poetry and write a poem using the white space to form a poem into the shape of a plus sign.

Students demonstrate a higher level of thinking in writing a poem that delivers a message of wisdom and is metaphorical in meaning. They study the use of metaphors in poetry as well as the meaning and use of concrete and abstract words...

Learners explore writing using literary terms. In this Christmas poetry lesson, students write a poem about a Christmas tree or a snowman using at least one example of each: metaphor, simile, and personification.  

Ninth graders read and discuss part 1 of The Odyssey and create a mind map and visual images to represent vocabulary. In this reading lesson plan, 9th graders are introduced to poetry, and the Hero Cycle.

Pupils discover the formula for writing limericks and use it to write their own poems.

In this simile worksheet, students review the definition and an example about similes. Students then write five similes about ladybugs, pick out the best one, and then illustrate it.

Discover Modernism through the eyes of artists. Over the course of six well-thought-out lessons, learners examine works by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse while completing a range of collaborative and hands-on activities. A great resource!

Poems by O. Henry, Marion Dane Bauer, Monty Roberts, and Langston Hughes provide the text for a study of symbolism, hyperbole, and imagery. Employing the “think-pair-share” strategy learners generate definitions of these terms and locate...

Learners create a facial expression in clay using slabs of clay and coils that convey a feeling inspired by a poem in this excellent cross-curricular lesson suitable for the Laqnguage Arts or Art classroom. National Standards met during...

Studying haiku poetry with your English class? Delving into Japanese history with your world history class? Here is an authentic and creative way to explore Japanese culture more deeply. Pupils will compare and contrast two tea caddies...

Get your pupils' attention with this lesson on similes and metaphors, which features two poems by Tupac Shakur. A SMART board presentation guides them through the lesson, which includes a BrainPop activity (linked). After they have...

What's happening in this poem? Have your high schoolers participate in an activity about connotation and denotation. They apply the concept of connotation to a reading of Theodore Roethke's poem "My Papa's Waltz." Lead a discussion about...

Your developing literary critics discuss 'perspective' and discuss how the same occurence can be interpreted by two different people in two different ways. They read Ryszard Kapuscinski's untitled poem, infer meaning of the poem, and...

Sixth graders review the definition of adjectives and synonyms. Then, they produce a poem using as many of those words as they can. This language arts PowerPoint also reviews the elements necessary to construct a poem.

Emerging orators distinguish between effective and ineffective public speaking strategies. They read a text that fits in with a Native Americans unit and speak about the text with both ineffective and effective volume, tone, phrasing,...

What is figurative language? Introduce your young learners to the most popular forms of figurative language: the simile and the metaphor. Start by reading "Willow and Ginkgo" by Eve Merriam, and identify where similes are used. Then look...

Get your young writers outside of the traditional essay writing mode with Free Write Friday. Free Write Friday encourages your class to use personal experiences or knowledge to write more creative pieces. Young writers could experiment...