Espresso your Feelings in Poetry

Wrap up your poetry unit with a portfolio. This resource includes specific requirements for the presentation and content of a portfolio. Writers include examples of literary devices, write six original poems, and conduct a study of a...

Is poetry easier to write than other forms of literature? Does it always have to rhyme? The future poets in your class read several statements about the structure, meaning, and importance of poetry before listing the best lyrics from...

Examine poetic structure and literary devices in an activity focused on Maya Angelou's "Woman Work." The first two pages provide the full text of the poem, which middle schoolers can annotate and highlight. They go on to complete a...

Whether you are viewing a landscape painting of a farm, examining a still-life portrait of a bowl of fruit, or reading a descriptive poem about cultivating food, you can't deny that agriculture plays a major role in visual and language...

Looks like? Sounds like? Smells like? Feels like? Tastes like? Sometimes a white, blank, soulless piece of paper can intimidate writers. Provide potential poets with this template that can serve as a parking lot for words and phrases to...

What makes a strong poem? Eighth graders examine how using strong verbs can make a poem powerful to a reader. A three-minute video helps readers to identify the parts of speech in William Wordsworth's "Daffodils," and how to use that...

Hook kids into a study on poetry elements by asking them to bring in the lyrics to their favorite song. Discuss the elements in one or two songs (preferably that demonstrate rhyme, figurative language, or a repeating phrase). Groups do...

Numerous people from China immigrated to the US during the era of industrialization and expansion. Provide your class with a glimpse into the life of a Chinese immigrant through the poetry they left behind. They then compose a poem of...

Change, growth, and a sense of belonging are the focus of a unit that uses poetry to explore these themes and the distinguishing features of poetry as well. 

Break this presentation into two or three days so as not to overwhelm your kids. Fifty-four slides is a lot of slides, but the PowerShow is well-organized, and terms are defined clearly and illustrated in examples provided. A general...