National Poetry Month, held in April, arrives during one of the busiest seasons. Spring Break, test prep, special programs, yearbook due dates and warmer weather creating antsy children can make teaching poetry harder than it has to be!
Teaching poetry doesn’t have to be complicated! Here are some simple ideas you can incorporate to encourage students to read and write poems.
#1 Create a poetry book display!
Creating a display of books you ALREADY have is a simple, but effective way of helping readers develop a love of, or interest in, poetry! If a quick search through the 800s section doesn’t leave you feeling inspired, here are some of my favorites for National Poetry Month!
#2 Poetry Read Alouds!
One my biggest secrets in encouraging children to love to read is to make read aloud experiences amazing! I find that by reading a book to children, it automatically gives it a gold star of approval that generates interest. Once of my favorite pairings for National Poetry Month is to read I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes and Visiting Langston by Willie Perdomo. I, Too, Am America gives readers a beautiful introduction to the words of Langston Hughes. Visiting Langston gives readers a peak at the author. You could also add a biography such as Who Was Langston Hughes? although I do not hold that title in my library so I haven’t read it!
#3 Make Poetry Fun!
I often find that adding a touch of silliness and laughter is a quick way to hook young children.
Ken Nesbitt’s Poetry4Kids website is one of my favorite places to find funny poems for National Poetry Month!
Other funny poems my students have loved include The Kindergarten Concert and Sick.
#4 Make Interactive Poems
Magnetic Poetry Kits are an easy way to make poetry interactive and a simple station to set up!
You can also have a “Finish the Poem” station by putting a large piece of paper, like bulletin board paper, out on a table or floor area with the first line in the middle. Students can finish the poem by writing another line around the first line.
Here are some great first lines to start with:
- If I were invisible…
- On the way to school today…
- Last night at dinner…
#5 Utilize spoken word!
One of the best poetry lessons I ever did equated song lyrics to poetry. It was a long time ago and I was working with older students, so I haven’t done this exact lesson with my current students, but we have done similar. We read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and listened to Caged Bird by Alicia Keys.
Another fun activity is to host a Poetry Slam! If your local middle school or high school has a poetry club, collaborate with the librarians and/or teachers to have students come to your school OR to have a district event.
One year, my local high school hosted a fine arts event during National Poetry Month. They invited our primary and elementary schools to participate. We had an art exhibit with art from all 4 schools in my district, the high school band played, and some poems were read. It was a really great showcase of student work!
#6 Incorporate some art!
One idea is to have students illustrate poems. Sick by Shel Silverstein is a fun one to illustrate!
You can also have students color these fun, printable Poetry Genre book marks! Each bookmark features a quote about poetry paired with related pictures to color.
There are a total of 4 unique bookmarks, with 4 copies of each bookmark on a page. Simply print them on paper (regular, cardstock, or construction) cut and pass out!
When you are done planning your Poetry Unit, check out how to use poetry with phonemic awareness to get more done with less!
