CONTENT
PARTNERS
National Poetry Month
Searching for poetry lessons and activities? Celebrate the legacy and achievement of American poets, while enjoying the pleasures of reading poetry, with Thinkfinity's resources for National Poetry Month.
ACTIVITIES & TIP SHEETS
ReadWriteThink Poetry Month Activity
Enlist "poets of the day" to help bring poetry into your every day. ReadWriteThink, Grades K-12
Add Seasons to Rhyming Poems and Songs
Choose favorite rhyming songs or nursery rhymes, then replace the rhyming words with seasonal themes. ReadWriteThink, Grades K-2
Write Shape Poems
Who knew that poems could be round or square or even fish-shaped? Shape poems are a fun way to introduce poetry and to use words in new ways. ReadWriteThink, Grades 3-5
Shape Poem Tip Sheet
Learn how to use the Shape Poem Tool to make poems that look like the things they describe. ReadWriteThink, Grades K-5
LESSONS
A World of Poetry
This Spotlight focuses on the many types of poetry--from poetry of Yeats to the lyric poets of the Harlem Renaissance to modern day poets. ARTSEDGE, Grades K-12
Composing Cinquain Poems with Basic Parts of Speech
Students discover the characteristics of cinquain poems through reading and analysis of sample poems. They then use a graphic organizer to write their own cinquain poems, focusing on different parts of speech for each line. ReadWriteThink, Grades 3-5
Compiling Poetry Collections and a Working Definition of Poetry
Exploring poetry about everyday topics or themes is motivating and exciting, and allows you to delve deeply into your own creativity. ReadWriteThink, Grades 3-5
Shapes and Poetry
Create an illustration of the poem "Shapes" from A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein to explore geometric figures and positional words in this math lesson. Illuminations, Grades 3-5
One if By Land, and Two if By Sea!
This lesson introduces students to various places associated with the American Revolutionary War. Students use the historical poem, Paul Revere's Ride, and historical and current maps of the Boston area to trace Paul Revere's route and learn about the region and the conflict. Xpedtions, Grades 3-5
Poetry of the National Anthem
Explore the history behind the National Anthem and express the meaning of the Star-Spangled Banner national anthem by writing poetry about the flag or historical event. Smithsonian's History Explorer, Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8.
The Poet's Voice: Langston Hughes and You
Write journal entries and discuss poems to learn about the qualities that make Hughes's voice distinctive, forceful, and memorable. EDSITEment, Grades 6-8
Charles Baudelaire: Poète Maudit (The Cursed Poet)
Encounter firsthand the work of 19th-century French poet Charles Baudelaire as a Decadent poet and the leading influence of the Symbolist movement. EDSITEment, Grades 9-12
Seeing Sense in Photographs & Poems
Learn how poetry can be a "speaking picture" and artwork can be "a silent poetry." EDSITEment, Grades 9-12
Is a Sentence a Poem?
Encourage students to analyze one-sentence poems and then apply their analyses to their own descriptive sentences. ReadWriteThink, Grades 9-12
INTERACTIVES
Acrostic Poems
Use this interactive to learn about and write acrostic poems using the letters in a topic word to begin each line of the poem. ReadWriteThink, Grades K-12
Shape Poems
Use this interactive to learn about and write you own shape poem, a poem about and written in the shape of an object. ReadWriteThink, Grades 3-5
Diamante Poems
Learn about and write diamante poems, diamond-shaped poems that use nouns, adjectives and gerunds to describe either one central topic or two opposing topics. ReadWriteThink, Grades 3-12
Letter Poems
Find out how to turn a letter into a poem using line-breaks. ReadWriteThink Grades 3-12
Introducing Metaphors Through Poetry
Use thesedownloadable worksheets for Margaret Atwood's poem "You Begin" and Naomi Shihab Nye's "Blood"; then have your students test themselves on metaphor with the accompanying interactives from this lesson plan. Grades 9-12
PODCASTS & VIDEOS
Playful Poetry Books to Share
Emily Manning chats about poetry books for kids ages 4 through 11. ReadWriteThink, Grades K-5
RESOURCES FOR POETS
A World of Poetry
Learn about the many types of poetry in music, from the poetry of Yeats to the lyric poets of the Harlem Renaissance to modern day. ARTSEDGE, Grades K-12
ReadWriteThink Poetry Month Entry
Find resources and a "poet of the day" activity to celebrate National Poetry Month. ReadWriteThink, Grades K-12
Poetry Across the Sciences
How can poetry complement science instruction and make it richer? Find out in this article from the AAAS journal, Science, Books and Films. Grades K-12
Science + Poetry Books for Kids
AAAS' Science, Books and Films celebrates National Poetry Month with this article and a list of recommended books for children that integrate poetry and science. ScienceNetLunks, Grades K-12
Poetry and Our National Anthem
Students will be able to express the meaning of the Star-Spangled Banner national anthem in their own words and write their own poetry in relation to the flag or other historical event. Smithsonian's History Explorer, Grades 6-8
National Poetry Month (Poets.org)
Find everything you need to know about National Poetry Month an initiative started by the Academy of American Poets in 1996.
National Poetry Month: Celebrating World Poetry
Learn about major forms of poetry across the world from the epic (the Odyssey from ancient Greece and the Ramayana from India) to the Japaniese haiku to the gazal of ancient Arabia. Link to lesson plans and a literary glossary, too!
