Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sounds of Poetry

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders read "Tunnel Music" and then explore how words and spacing in a poem affects how the poem sounds.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Testimony: A Lesson in Creating Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students closely analyze testimony from the Holocaust. They express, in poetic form, meanings students created in their analysis. They react to written passages from the time period.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building Vocabulary Quadrant Charts

For Teachers 4th - 5th
This clever language arts lesson plan invites pupils to read verses of poetry, then construct vocabulary quadrants on index cards. The cards are divided up into 4 sections: Word, Meaning, Opposite, Example. They choose a difficult word...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poet for a Day

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders, while in the computer lab after reading the poem, "H is for Hoosier," create an acrostic poem about Indiana. They list words that are unique of Indiana and choose one of those words to create their acrostic poems to share...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Editing Emily's Way: An Exercise in Diction and Its Implications

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students examine the poetry of Emily Dickinson and the diction in her poetry. In this poetry analysis lesson, students read Dickinson poetry and analyze the diction in the poems. Students journal about the poetry and rewrite their own...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Words From the Heart

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students create poems using the same method as young poet Mattie J.T. Stepanek's mother use to help him write his early poems.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Connecting Poetry with Philanthropy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the different types of poetic conventions. They write a poem about philanthropy using these conventions. They illustrate their poem with artwork of their choice.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Performing Poetry

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students combine aspects of performance with reading and writing poetry.
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Halloween Rhyme Time

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Take advantage of Halloween to teach young readers and writers about rhyming words, adjectives, and figurative language. 
Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Poetic Reflections

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Poetry is a wonderful way to explore language, express topical understanding, and incite creative thinking. After a trip to the local natural history museum (or zoo), learners write an acrostic or a cinquain poem describing one of their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ten Red Apples; The Five Senses

For Teachers K - 1st
A clever lesson plan designed around an apple awaits your learners. Descriptive words are used to explain what they believe is inside a bag while using their five senses. Students read the story The Apple Pie Tree and are introduced to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Secret War: Lesson 5

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders determine how freedom comes with rights and responsibilities through literature and poetry about World War II. In this World War II lesson, 5th graders use the letters in the word "infamy" to write an acrostic poem. They...
Lesson Plan
Bully Free Systems

Bully Free Lesson Plans—Eighth Grade

For Teachers 8th Standards
Middle schoolers are likely very familiar with the concept of bullying and cliques. Discuss their experiences and brainstorm ways to handle peer conflict and feelings of exclusion with a poem that focuses on bullying, and a second lesson...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Best Part of Me

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
After listening to the story, The Best Part of Me, learners will identify a positive physical feature of themselves, and create a descriptive poem about their favorite feature. Photographs are taken, and a nice final draft of the poem is...
Lesson Plan
Denver Art Museum

Descriptive Haiku

For Teachers K - 5th
Even though this is technically an art lesson, haiku poetry is actually the main focus! Learners view photographs of Japanese tea caddies. They list five descriptive words for the caddies, then write haiku poems using the caddies as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"World enough, and time"-Andrew Marvell's Coy Mistress

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Discuss tone and imagery with Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress." In an attempt to get his fair lady to consummate their relationship, he write a poem urging her to seize the day! Introduce the author to your high school class,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing the Use of Irony in a Short Story

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders examine how literature connects to real-life and see how irony aids in the development of theme. They read Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, and discuss elements of foreshadowing and situational irony. Then learners will write...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Explore your Culture through Storytelling

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Explore the cultural heritage through of your class through reading, writing, and speaking exercises. They create illustrated mini-books that express their unique cultural and personal experiences. They share their stores with the class...
Activity
Education World

Every Day Edit - Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this editing worksheet about Gwendolyn Brooks, young writers read and then correct grammatical mistakes in a short paragraph. The errors range from punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Figurative Language iMovie

For Teachers 5th
In order to understand figurative language, learners read 5 poems, each exemplifying a different literary device. They discuss and write responses to each poem. They then choose one literary device which they will use as the basis...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Outsiders

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Are you working on an Outsiders unit? Use this list of activities to deepen your middle schoolers' understanding of the novel. After reading S.E. Hinton's novel, young readers work on three required activities, including participating in...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Requiem "The Song of the Murdered Jewish People"

For Students 9th - 12th
Music and poetry are vehicles that can tell many stories. Learners read the poem "The Song of the Murdered Jewish People" by Itzhak Katzenelson, then listen to the requiem it inspired; composed by Zlata Razdolina. Excellent...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

A Season for Chapters

For Teachers 2nd Standards
Art, music, poetry, and the beauty of the seasons is what you'll find in this very nice unit idea. You can use any of the suggested books and activities to engage your second graders in an exploration of the changes that take place...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kumeyaay Indians

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Useful for literary analysis, citing textual evidence, or summary skills, this lesson about the Kumeyaay Indians would be a good addition to your language arts class. Middle schoolers read novels and summarize the literature in their own...