Ah, April! The month of budding flowers, chirping birds,
and... poetry! Yep, it's National Poetry Month—a time to dive into the wonder,
whimsy, and wow factor of poetry in all its glory. I see it now – many of you
are laughing and rolling your eyes.
Because the truth is that teaching poetry can sometimes feel like herding
cats. Students roll their eyes, groan, and wonder why on earth they should care
about something so abstract, obscure, and totally irrelevant to their
lives. Some students might even say it’s boring. Oh, the horror! You might not even enjoy
poetry yourself, which makes it even more difficult to want to implement into your classroom curriculum.
That’s why today’s blog post brings you 4 fun and
creative projects to inspire your students' love for poetry. These are easily adaptable ideas that you can incorporate into part of your current unit or use as stand-alone, low-stress, and low-prep activities that are perfect for this time of year.
*Be sure to check out the bottom of this post to receive a FREE poetry analysis lesson based on the poem "Gratitude" by Edgar Albert Guest.
1. Poetry Slam Competition
Host a poetry slam competition where you give students choice: they have the opportunity to perform their original poems, or they can choose to perform a chosen poem by a renowned poet. Encourage students to explore various poetic forms and
styles, such as spoken word, free verse, sonnets, or haikus. Provide guidance
on performance techniques, voice modulation, and stage presence to help
students bring their poems to life. You can even invite guest judges (think principal, librarian) or allow peers to evaluate
performances based on criteria such as creativity, emotional impact, and delivery.
Check out these 2 free resources to help you easily bring this activity to life:
* Spoken Word Poetry - Facing History
2. Found Poetry Collage
A found poem is created by gathering and rearranging existing text from other sources, such as newspapers, advertisements, or even conversations. Students select and arrange these found words and phrases to create a new poetic work that often carries new meaning or insights. You can definitely do a digital found poem, but it’s so much more engaging to challenge students to create found poetry collages using newspapers, magazines, or online articles that they print to use. There is just something about cutting, pasting and coloring that brings the words to life.
If you don't have access to printable newspapers or
magazines, you can find some free and
printable versions online through a simple search. Here's one example. Another option is to ask students to bring in one copy of a magazine and put them in small groups to share.
What to do? Instruct students to select words or phrases
from the texts that resonate with them and arrange them to form poems with
unique themes or messages. Encourage creativity and experimentation with
collage techniques, such as layering, juxtaposition, and visual elements. When
students are done, host a gallery walk or virtual showcase where students can
share their found poetry collages and discuss the inspiration behind their
creations.
Check out this Free FoundPoem Lesson
3. Poetic Playlist
Everyone listens to music, and music is poetry! So, here's a
fun idea! Let your students curate their
own musical playlists that capture the essence of the characters, themes,
imagery, or symbolism from the stories, novels, or even informational texts
you're currently exploring in class. You
can easily assign this by using this free template from Ditchthattextbook.com.
Take it further by having students analyze the lyrics of their chosen songs to identify poetic devices such as metaphor, simile, and alliteration. Then, have them write a reflection explaining the poetic elements and connections to thematic concepts. You can even host a listening party where students can share their playlists and debate whether the songs fit the character, themes, etc.
4. Ekphrastic Poetry
Ekphrastic poetry involves writing poems inspired by visual art or images. I love using images in my journal prompts for writing and reflection, so why not use artwork to inspire poetry?
What to do? Provide a selection of paintings, photographs, or digital
artwork for students to choose from as inspiration for their poems. Encourage
students to observe the details, emotions, and narratives depicted in the
artwork and explore these ideas in their poetry. Much like the song playlist in #3, you can have students find artwork that relates to your current unit. As always, at the completion of the project, it's wonderful for students to have the opportunity to share their work and view the work of others.
Need some ideas or materials to bring this to your classroom? Explore the resources at the J. Paul Getty Museum.
For me, I incorporate poetry into all of my units throughout the year, and I love new ideas beyond just reading and annotating the poems. Hopefully, you'll be able to incorporate some or all of these ideas within your units and they will help to spark students' imagination and foster a deeper appreciation for poetry, even if they still find it boring!
For good measure, here are 2 more website links to free poetry resources to help you bring any or all of these activities easily into your classroom.
Links to FREE poetry Resources:
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**Would you like a FREE poetry analysis lesson based on the poem "Gratitude" by Edgar Albert Guest. CLICK HERE for the free resource.
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Great tips. I love the idea of Found Poetry and I think I'll do that with my students.
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