American Literary Humor: Mark Twain, George Harris and Nathaniel Hawthorne
EDSITEment | Lesson Plans | 9-12
In this three-part curriculum unit, students examine structure and characterization in short stories and consider the significance of humor through a study of several American writers.

Exploring Satire with Shrek
ReadWriteThink | Lesson Plan | 9-12
The movie Shrek introduces the satirical techniques of exaggeration, incongruity, reversal, and parody. Students brainstorm fairy tale characteristics, identify satirical techniques and then create their own satirical versions of fairy tales.

Irreverently Funny and Worth Reading
ReadWriteThink | Podcast | K-5

In this episode, Emily introduces books that will certainly make kids giggle, and she talks to Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer, the authors of Fartiste.

The Laughing Brain 1: How We Laugh
Science NetLinks | Lesson Plan | 9-12
Learn about the science of laughter and explore its positive effects in terms of our social, mental and physical well-being.

The Laughing Brain 2: A Good Laugh
Science NetLinks | Lesson Plan | 9-12
This lesson focuses on the various theories and benefits of laughter, and explores psychoneuroimmunology (the science of studying the benefits of laughter to our immune system).

“Old Southwest” Humorists and George Washington Harris
EDSITEment | Lesson Plan | 9-12
In this lesson, students read a Sut Lovingood story by George Washington Harris and examine the story's structure.

Tickle Your Funny Bone
ReadWriteThink | Podcast | K-5
Podcast host Emily Manning yucks it up with kids’ humorist Mike Artell and explores three books sure to get your kids reading, speaking, and laughing out loud.

Acrostic Poems
ReadWriteThink | Interactive | 3-8
This student interactive uses several lessons to help students learn about and create acrostic poems.

April is National Poetry Month!
ReadWriteThink | Activity | K-12
Students are assigned to be "poets of the day" and are provided several models to create, illustrate and present their different poems to the class.

Choose, Select, Opt or Settle: Exploring Word Choice in Poetry
ReadWriteThink | Lesson Plan | 9-12
Students investigate the effects of word choice in Robert Frost’s “Choose Something Like a Star” to construct a more sophisticated understanding of speaker, subject and tone.

Crossing Boundaries Through Bilingual, Spoken-Word Poetry
ReadWriteThink | Lesson Plan | 7-12
Students explore the idea of “crossing boundaries” through bilingual, spoken-word poetry, culminating in a poetry slam at school or in the community.

Freedom Songs
History Explorer | Activity | K-4
Songs played an important role during the civil rights movement. In this activity, students will listen to freedom songs and then make their own version of one of the songs.

Haiku Starter
ReadWriteThink | Resource | 2-6
This graphic organizer provides students the opportunity to brainstorm words about a given topic, count and record the syllables, and draft a haiku.

National Poetry Month: American Originals
EDSITEment | Resource Collection | K-12
This  collection highlights some of America’s most original poets: Emily  Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost and Gwendolyn  Brooks and includes featured lessons and recommended websites.

Make a Magnetic Poetry Set
ReadWriteThink | Activity | 5-10
Let children practice using different types of words in a fill-in-the-blank-story game before making their own word list for a magnetic poetry set.

Music, Poetry and History
History Explorer | Lesson Plan | 3-5
The national anthem describes an actual event in American history. In this activity, students will be able to recite the first verse and paraphrase "The Star-Spangled Banner." Students will also be able to explain why Francis Scott Key wrote these words in 1814.

Poetry Across the Sciences
Science NetLinks | Tool | 6-8
Learn how poetry can complement science instruction and make it richer. This tool also contains selected poems, lists poets in science, and recommends poetry resources.

Poetry and Our National Anthem
History Explorer | Lesson Plan | 6-8
Was Francis Scott Key a good poet? In this activity, students will analyze "The Star-Spangled Banner" for Key's use of poetic devices and will write their own poetry in relation to the flag or another historical event.

Reading Follow the Drinking Gourd
History Explorer | Activity | K-4
In  this activity, students increase their knowledge of slavery, slave life  and the Underground Railroad by answering questions about the book and  song Follow the Drinking Gourd. Then they write and illustrate a poem or letter playing the role of a conductor, agent or passenger on the Underground Railroad.

Riddle Interactive
ReadWriteThink | Interactive | 5-8
The  Riddle Interactive outlines the characteristics of riddle poems and  provides direct instruction on the prewriting and drafting process for  writing original riddle poems.

Skimming and Scanning: Using Riddles to Practice Fact Finding Online
ReadWriteThink | Lesson Plan | 3-5
Students will learn to skim and scan to make sure they don’t flounder when  surfing the Internet for facts to help them complete riddles about the United States.

What Am I? Teaching Poetry through Riddles
ReadWriteThink | Lesson Plan | 6-8
Students explore figurative language in poetry by reading and writing riddle poems.

What is Poetry? Contrasting Poetry and Prose
ReadWriteThink | Lesson Plan | 6-8
Students often find poetry frustrating and meaningless. By helping students think critically about the differences between poetry and prose, this introduction sets the stage for different strategies for comprehending poetic texts.

Where in the Wild?
Science NetLinks | Lesson | K-2
This lesson, based on an award-winning book, introduces students to animal camouflage through poetry, photography, and informative facts.

Write a Gem of a Poem
ReadWriteThink | Activity | 5-8
Learn about diamante poems, and then consider the idea of cause and effect before working it into the diamante poem format.

Write Shape Poems
ReadWriteThink| Activity | 3-5
Use shape poems, or poems that look like the things they describe, as a fun way to introduce children to poetry.