Introduce your class to epic heroes with these activities for Beowulf. After watching a video clip, taking notes on heroes, and tracking characteristics of heroism throughout Beowulf, class members retell an episode of Beowulf using a...

Students investigate entertaining characters within stories. In this writing lesson plan, students review nouns and adjectives and discuss magical characters. Students ask themselves questions about their selected characters and...

Model for your class how to craft an analysis of a sonnet by examining the literary techniques used, the background of the poet, and critical reviews of the poem. As guided practice, learners are assigned a sonnet, complete a preliminary...

Students write and illustrate original cinquains based upon the ideas of nobility and virtue. The lesson includes a vocabulary list of key terms and rubric for student reflection and assessment. This is intended for a 4th through 6th...

Learners read and analyze Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Haunted Houses." They define key vocabulary terms, discuss the poem's technical aspects, and create an original poem about a haunted house or a haunted place.

In this lesson, PhotoStory 3, students create a story board of an original poem through the use of PhotoStory 3 presentation. Students write a poem and use it to develop their storyboard. Students publish and share their storyboard. ...

Students examine the impact of sound devices in poetry, prose, and non-fiction. In this figurative language instructional activity, students read instructor-selected literature and identify uses of alliteration, repetition, consonance,...

High schoolers read and analyze poetry by Naomi Shihab Nye. They define stereotypes, view and discuss a video interview with Nye, present an oral reading of a poem, and write a persuasive letter to an author.

Students establish a list of correct words to use in a variety of situations. Students speculate on different forms of poetry. Students encounter different types of poetic techniques. Students write an anti-bullying poem.

Students listen to Granny Is, a poem by Valerie Bloom and discuss the metaphors in the poem.  In this poetry lesson, students read poetry written by Valerie Bloom and discuss the techniques she uses. Students write grandmother poems.

Middle schoolers complete a variety of poems that focus on many different literary techniques and styles. As part of this experience, students share their portfolios with adults in the school and at home.

Third graders read poetry inspired by nature. They talk a walk in nature or in their neighborhood with paper and pen and write down feelings and perceptions. They write a poem about their walk and share it with the class.

Students examine examples of literary terms in poetry. Then they choose two songs, write out the lyrics, and decipher what they think the artist is trying to say. Each student presents their song to the class and they cite examples of...

Third graders discover how to write diamante poems and review the parts of speech contained in them. After writing poems about their teacher, they create ones about themselves. The poems, assessed for creativity and handwriting, are then...

The documentary, The Legendary King of San Miguel Island, introduces the fascinating tale of Herb Lester, his family, and their life on San Miguel Island. Viewers have an opportunity to expand their study of the island and of...

Second graders write a dinosaur poem using information from a research activity. In this dinosaur poetry and music lesson, 2nd graders listen to the book Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp in music class. They work in small groups to...

Students analyze a poem and the use of stylistic devices in the poem. They make connections between the techniques of the poem and its meaning.

Students explore crystals through the story Snowflake Bentley and then create crystal pictures of their own. For this interdisciplinary lesson, they create a crystal web chart on chart paper, design artificial snowflakes, and write poems...

Fourth graders create a haiku. They use a digial camera and file management techniques to save work. They also use a photo editor to manipulate the pictures. Finally, they create a PowerPoint presentation of their Haiku.

Carl Sandburg composed poetry that conveyed a time and place in American Literature and history. Learners identify the literary techniques he uses to describe the historical and cultural context of living in Chicago. They define the...

Students examine the historical and cultural context in Sandburg's poem. The poetic devices of personification and apostrophe are utilized in the poem and identified by Students.

Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the study of poetry while focusing on Haiku as a format. They practice reading a variety of different pieces of literature in order to increase exposure. Students discuss the author's...

Sixth graders research online various types of poetry. In this poetry analysis instructional activity, 6th graders research different types of poetry online, their characteristics, and poets. Students create a class atlas that...

Identify figurative language in sentences that have been pulled out of a text. Looking at the sentence independently, can you tell which technique is being used? How do you know? Ninth graders look at 10 sentences that show simile,...