Resources for National Poetry Month

Curriculum Resources for Teachers & Students

from Education World® (updated March 2008)

April is National Poetry Month. The initiative was established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 as a month-long, national celebration of poetry.

We have gathered a collection of resources that we hope will assist you in introducing students to the pleasure of reading poetry, helping them understand the achievements of American poets, and encouraging them to write an recite their own poetic masterpieces.

Lessons, Activities, Projects

1. Create a Poetry Calendar
   Students research, design, and create a school-year calendar based on the work of famous poets.
    
2. 'P' Is for Poetry
   Students create simple rhymes for each letter of the alphabet, gather them together, and publish them in book format.
    
3. Poetry Slam Hits Schools with Literary Force
   Learn how writer Bob Nelson enlisted educators to bring high schoolers to the poetry performance arena.
    
4. Stage a Poetry Slam!
   This classroom or school-wide activity could serve as a fundraiser or parent's night event.
    
5. Poetry Author's Visit
   Use Mary O'Neill's classic collection of 12 poems about colors (Hailstones and Halibut Bones) to introduce young students to poetry and then help them develop and write their own poems.
    
6. Design a Poet-T
   Grades 3-12 use old t-shirts to announce and illustrate their favorite poems.
    
7. Diamond Poems Across the Curriculum
   Students build vocabulary skills, teach parts of speech, and have fun with diamond poems.
    
8. A Laugh and a Half: Students Make Funny-Poem Mobiles
   Grades K-8 find their favorite funny poems -- and write their own -- to hang from a smile-mobile. (Student work sheet provided.)
    
9. Winter Expressions
   Write a winter "shape poem." Display the unique poems on a classroom bulletin board. (Grades PreK-8)
    
10. A Poem Is a Poem Is a Poem
    A collection of 20 resources found at EducationWorld.com, including lesson plans, activities, projects, best practices, and more.
     

Best Practices & Other Resources

1. Calling on the Muse
   I think that I shall never see ... well-disciplined creativity! How often has that thought crossed your mind? Don't despair! The experts -- working poets who teach their craft -- share their secrets for instructing and inspiring budding poets.
    
2. The Authors' Picks
   Are you looking for books to recommend to your elementary school students? You might want to review some of the books mentioned in this article, so you'll have plenty of recommendations for students. (Poetry for kids included!)
    
3. Visiting Authors
   Sometimes, getting a published author to appear in your classroom isn't possible. Here are some tips on how you can prepare yourself as a guest author.
    
4. How I Staged a Poetry Slam
   A veteran teachers cured the mid-winter blahs with a great activity.
    
5. Haiku, Chaiku, Bless You
   Introducing middle school students to haiku.
    
6. Writing Sonnets
   Students of this junior high teacher are among the most-often published poets in the country.
    
7. Peeing in the Ool and Other Favorite Kids' Poems
   An interview with a children's poet who often visits elementary classrooms.
    
8. Read Across America: April Reading Resources
    
9. Web Resources for National Poetry Month

Elsewhere on the Internet

BONUS LESSONS!
While surfing the Net looking for the best poetry sites for kids, we found lots of terrific lesson plans to help teachers integrate poetry across the grades.

• Fifteen Poems You Can Write Right Now (Grades 4-12)
• Fooling With Words With Bill Moyers (Grades 9-12)
• Virtual Poetry(Grades 1-5)
• Enhancing a Poetry Unit with American Memory (Grades 6-11)
• Make a Poetry Quilt (Grades K-3)
• Can You Imagine . . . Poem (Grades 3-12)
• Poetry Writing With Jack Prelutsky (Grades 2-5)
• Metaphor Unit Poems (Grades 3-12)
• Performance Poetry (Grades 6-12)
• Writing I Spy Riddle Rhymes With Jean Marzollo (Grades 1-6)
• Shape Poems (Grades PreK-5)
• Counting Strong Words in Poetry (Grades 5-12)
• Using a Poetry Slam to Teach the Mechanics of Poetry (Grades 9-12)
• Rock Lyrics As Poetry (Grades 9-12)
• Rock and Poetry: A Thematic Project (Grades 9-12)

ADDITIONAL POETRY RESOURCES

• Billy Collins' Poetry 180: A Poem a Day for American High Schools
• PoetryTeachers.com
• Giggle Poetry
• The English Room: 30 Days of Poetry
• Outta Ray's Head Poetry Lessons
• Online Rhyming Dictionary and Thesaurus
• Poetry Lessons from Scholastic
• Poetry Online: Search By Poet, Title, Timeline, Keyword
• The English Teacher's Poetry Resources (By Poet's Name)

POETRY RUBRICS

• Poetry Rubric
• Poetry Rubric -- Eighth Grade

PUBLISH YOUR STUDENTS' POEMS ONLINE

• Poet's Corner Online Poetry Project
• Surfing the Net With Kids: Publish Your Poetry Online
• Young Poets