General Poetry Resources
Lesson plans and more
This page features lesson plans and activities for teaching specific types of poetry or poetry in general. Sites and Activities for Specific Poets and Collections of Poetry are also available.
Acrostic Poems
Students use an interactive tool to understand and write an acrostic.
Alliteration Examples
101 examples of alliteration in alphabetical order.
Arabic Poetry: Guzzle a Ghazal
Students experience the intricacies of the ghazal and work together to compose one. Includes examples.
By Heart: Memorizing and Performing a Favorite Poem
Students memorize a poem, then write it from memory and recite it for othersand for possible inclusion on a class podcast or video. They also reflect on the value of committing poems to memory. Lesson includes links to poems and to other related pages.
Calling on the Muse: Exercises to Unlock the Poet Within
Exercises to help students access their creative powers and produce well-crafted poems.
The Chain Poem, a Way of Breaking the Ice
This lesson by Ingrid Wendt includes plans and samples of student writing. It is part of the National Writing Project.
Children's Poetry in The Poetry Zone
Ideas and printables for the elementary classroom.
Clerihew Poetry
Cooperative poetry writing assignment. Students will write and share poetry using the Clerihew style. Students will also give a group presentation of their poems. This lesson is designed for grades 3-5.
Committed to Memory
More than 100 titles that would be good for a unit asking students to memorize and recite a poem.
Composing Cinquain Poems: A Quick-Writing Activity
Students in grades K-2 write cinquains in response to something they've been studying. Includes Web resources, assessment, and standards addressed.
Craft of Poetry
Definitions and examples of a variety of terms related to poetry: blank verse, line and meter, tercet, imagery, sestina, style, and more.
Diamonte Poems
In this lesson students use images found online to inspire their poetry. Includes links to images, format for the poem, and a model.
Dissed in Verse: The art of the poetic insult
This article by poet Robert Pinsky elaborates on the ancient craft of put-downs in verse.
Epic Poems
Lesson plans for epics often taught in school, including
Beowulf
, the
Aeneid
, the
Iliad
, the
Odyssey
,
Gilgamesh
, and
Paradise Lost
.
Figures of Speech
Lesson plans for teaching metaphor, simile, and other figurative language.
Friendship Cinquains
A 2-page printable that includes a model, the poem's format, and a special sheet for the final draft. Adobe Reader required for access.
Fruit Poetry
Students use a piece of fruit as inspiration for a poem.
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