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15 Fun Poetry Activities for High School

April 8, 2019 //  by  Lindsay Ann //   3 Comments

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High School Students + Fun Poetry Activities

If you’re an English teacher, looking for fun poetry activities for high school or middle school students, I’ve got you covered. I’m opening up my poetry toolbox and sharing some of my favorite (and most successful) poetry games and activities!  Whether you’re looking for a stand-alone lesson or something more, there’s something here for everyone.

Pop Sonnets

The creation of pop sonnets is one of my favorite poetry activities to use in conjunction with the reading of a Shakespearean play, but it can be used as a stand-alone lesson. The hook is that modern-day songs have been turned into Shakespearean sonnets. You can study one of Shakespeare’s sonnets and ask students to modernize it. Then, work in reverse by re-working a modern-day song as a sonnet. Or, just use this as a “hook” to help students feel more comfortable with Shakespearean language.   Take a look and thank me later.

Songs as Poetry

Studying modern-day songs is a great way to teach about figurative language and poetic devices while studying poetry. Try reading the lyrics, but omitting or re-writing the metaphors and talking about the change in message/meaning. Look for examples of imperfect rhyme in one of Eminem’s cleaner songs. Study poems as paired texts . Analyze lines from a famous soundtrack. Ask students to bring in their favorite songs and discuss. So. Many. Options!

Here are 12 great songs to analyze if you aren’t sure where to start:

• “Across the Universe” by the Beatles
• “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan
• “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift
• “Chasing Pavements” by Adele
• “Infinity” by Mariah Carey
• “Stereo Hearts” by Gym Class Heroes
• “Counting Stars” by One Republic
• “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons
• “Imagine” by John Lennon
• “Mad World” by Gary Jules
• “Zombie” by The Cranberries
• “Letter to Me” by Brad Paisley

Slam Poetry

Students need to know that poetry is not dead. It’s living. It’s breathing. It’s storytelling. It’s cool. In April, my classes come alive with the magic of slam poetry as students become authors and performers. They re-discover wonder and learn to let down their guard. They learn that there is intersectionality between their story and the stories of others. They are appreciated. They appreciate others. When I use this fun poetry activity for high school students , my classroom really becomes a true community.

Grab my slam poetry “mini” unit to get your students started with slam poetry!

Not sure which slam poems are school-appropriate and engaging? Here are 40 of my favorite slam poems !

Paint Chip Poetry

This poetry writing activity is FREE if you’re willing to grab some paint chips from your local hardware store, preferably ones with multiple colors in one. Or, Amazon sells an awesome paint chip poetry “game.”

• Have students use one of the color names as the title for a poem.
• Have students write poems in stanzas, using each of the color names as inspiration.
• Have students use all of the color names somewhere in a poem.
• Have students choose two contrasting colors and make a poem of contrasts.
• Have students choose two complimentary colors and make a poem.
• Have students choose a color and write an identity poem.

Blackout Poetry

This is an oldie, but goodie poetry writing exercise for high school students. Copy a page or two from a whole class novel. Or better yet, choose a completely divergent text, maybe a science textbook or page from a dictionary. Students string together words on the page to form a poem, and black-out the rest of the words. If they want to go above and beyond, they can create an original illustration to accompany their blackout poem.

Book Spine Poetry

Take your students to the library (or have them browse a site like Goodreads) and challenge them to create poems from book titles. Each title becomes a line in the poem. An optional challenge: have students choose (or randomly draw) a theme, and their poem has to relate to their chosen theme. If you’re looking for some FREE templates, I’ve got you covered: Click Here !  I created these templates as a quick fun poetry activity for high school sophomores after my librarian told me that having my classes pull so many books would be a pain to re-shelve.

Poetry Tasting

A lot of teachers are loving my reading progressive dinner stations . Poems are short and accessible texts that always rock when used with this activity.

Here are some options for poetry stations, a fun group poetry activity: 

• Choose a certain kind of poem or a certain poetic movement to explore at ALL the stations, i.e. the ghazal or Imagist poetry.
• Choose different kinds of poems or movements to explore at each station.
• Choose poems related to ONE thematic idea.
• Choose poems written by teenagers.
• Choose “famous” poems.
• Choose slam poems.

Poetry Transformations

If you’re studying word choice and tone in poetry, why not have students transform a poem, switching from one tone to another? Then, have students write a reflection analyzing why they made 4-5 important changes.

Found Poems

This poetry activity is exactly what it sounds like. Have students choose / cut-out words from magazines to form “found” poems. Or, have students listen to a TED talk or story, writing down a certain # of words they hear. Then, ask them to use these words + ones of their own to write an original poem.

Easter Egg Poems

If ’tis the season, you might as well use those plastic easter eggs you may have lying around. Put “poetry inspiration” in each egg. At the very least, I suggest a word or phrase. If you want to go “all-in,” create a combination of the items below:

• Random household objects, i.e. a piece of string, a bead
• Newspaper/magazine clippings
• Words/phrases
• Famous first lines
• A “mentor” poem, copied and folded up

Tell students that their challenge is to write a poem inspired by these objects. Or, if you prefer, have students incorporate words / ideas from each object in their poem.

Favorite Poem Project

If you’ve never seen the site “ Favorite Poem Project ,” I suggest checking it out as a poetry unit resource. The site’s goal is to interview a variety of different people about their “favorite poems.” In each short video, an individual shares a personal connection to his/her poem and reads the poem out loud.

After being a fan of this site for some time, I decided to have my students make their own “favorite poem” videos . They explored, chose a poem that they liked “best,” and created videos on Flipgrid discussing their thoughts about the poem and reading it aloud. These videos were then viewed by classmates. Everyone enjoyed this a lot!

Metaphor Dice

Poems as Mentor Texts

Using mentor texts for writing is a powerful strategy for poetry instruction, yet one that I find myself “skipping” because there isn’t time. I have to remind myself to “make” the time because it’s important. If we’re going to spend time analyzing texts, it only makes sense to have students try to use those writing moves in their own writing. After all, students should be writing frequently, and not always for an assessment grade.

Here are 12 great mentor poems if you’re not sure where to start:

• “ We Real Cool ” by Gwendolyn Brooks
• “ Montauk ” by Sarah Kay
• “ This is Just to Say ” by William Carlos Williams
• “ Mother to Son ” by Langston Hughes
• “ My Father’s Hats ” by Mark Irwin
• “ Chicago ” by Carl Sandburg
• “ Entrance ” by Dana Gioia
• “ My Father is an Oyster ” by Clint Smith
• “ If ” by Rudyard Kipling
• “ Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market ” by Pablo Neruda
• “ The Bean Eaters ” by Gwendolyn Brooks
• “ The Summer I Was Sixteen ” by Geraldine Connolly
• “ Where I’m From ” by George Ella Lyon (As a bonus, students can submit their poems to the “I am From” project. ) p.s. If you’re looking for ready-to-use templates,  here you go !

Magnetic Poetry

A fun activity to fill extra class time, or just for fun: magnetic poetry . Give each student (or pairs of students) a handful of magnetic poetry pieces. See what they come up with. Take pictures and display around the room.

Interactive Poetry Bulletin Board

Sort of like magnetic poetry, but with a twist, it’s fun to set-up an interactive bulletin board as a fun poetry activity for high school students to try before or after class. You can do this in several different ways.

• Poem of the day + a “feel-o-meter” for students to rate the poem on a scale from “mild sauce” to “hot sauce.” You can have students use push pins to vote.
• Large scale magnetic poetry + a bulletin board becomes “push pin poetry.” You choose the words. Students move them around to form poems.

Hey, if you loved this post, I want to be sure you’ve had the chance to grab a FREE copy of my guide to stream l ined grading . I know how hard it is to do all the things as an English teacher, so I’m over the moon to be able to share with you some of my best strategies for reducing the grading overwhelm. 

Click on the link above or the image below to get started!

About Lindsay Ann

Lindsay has been teaching high school English in the burbs of Chicago for 19 years. She is passionate about helping English teachers find balance in their lives and teaching practice through practical feedback strategies and student-led learning strategies. She also geeks out about literary analysis, inquiry-based learning, and classroom technology integration. When Lindsay is not teaching, she enjoys playing with her two kids, running, and getting lost in a good book.

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Find Poetry resources | TPT

Learn more about poetry resources.

Poetry encourages students to engage with language, explore their thoughts and feelings, and connect with the broader human experience. If you’re a teacher or parent looking for printable and digital poetry resources, look no further. TPT has an extensive collection of resources, created by other teachers, that are designed to help with any need across grade levels.

If you want to make poets out of younger students in elementary grades, then acrostic poems or fill in the blank poems are the perfect place to start. (In fact, many poetry resources on TPT include templates so your students can easily get started producing their own poetry, whether it’s a haiku, or limerick.) For older students in middle and high school, you can find an array of resources to teach them about everything from iambic pentameter, figurative language, to famous poets from history. With plenty of TPT resources at your fingertips, you can sharpen your students’ poetry skills in no time.

Fun and engaging poetry activities to try

Teaching students about poetry can be an engaging and creative experience. Here are a few ideas for poetry activities that you can find on TPT to help you introduce and explore the world of poetry with your students:

Poetic Device Scavenger Hunt

Distribute some poems and have students identify and highlight poetic devices like similes, metaphors, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and imagery. Discuss what these are and the overall impact on the reader's experience.

Poetry Analysis Jigsaw

Divide students into small groups, assigning each group a different poem. Have each group analyze the assigned poem's themes, tone, and literary devices, and present their findings to the class.

Poetry Slam or Performance

Organize a poetry slam where students can perform poems they’ve written themselves or those written by famous poets. This will help build confidence and strengthen their public speaking skills.

Writing Poetry from Different Perspectives

Ask students to write a poem from the perspective of an inanimate object or an animal to foster empathy and encourage creative, out-of-the-box thinking.

Creating Found Poetry

Provide magazines, newspapers, or online articles. Have students cut out interesting words and phrases, and use them to create their own unique poems.

These (and other!) activities can help deepen your students’ appreciation for poetry and enhance their creative writing skills.

Frequently asked questions about teaching poetry

What types of poetry resources are available on tpt.

There are many different types of poetry resources sold by Sellers on TPT. Some popular poetry lessons include learning how to write haikus, acrostic poems, limericks, and free verse.

How do I find poetry resources on TPT?

Educators can save time preparing poetry lessons with resources created by experienced teachers. Simply start a search for poetry resources on the TPT marketplace, and filter by grade level, price, and/or resource type to find materials that've been proven to work in classrooms like yours. No matter what you’re teaching, there are plenty of poetry lessons and activities sold by Sellers on TPT that are tailored to meet your students' skill levels.

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Poetry Lessons & Worksheets: Gallery of Activities (Grades 9-12)

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9 Fun Poetry Lessons to Add to Your Next Unit

Did you land on this post while searching for ways to make poetry less painful…more exciting…more interactive…more creative? Maybe you’re starting your first poetry unit, or maybe you need a way to engage students who claim to dislike it. In this post, you’ll find nine fun poetry lessons for secondary.

1. Creative Writing

Help students study the importance of text structure as they write nonfiction-inspired poetry. Try blending elements of prose, verse, picture books, and concrete poetry to help students understand the power of word choice and aesthetics.

This would also be an opportune time to fit in the concepts of rhythm and rhyme. Studying how words are arranged can help students understand the impact of author’s craft on the overall reader’s experience.

In this activity, students read a nonfiction text (selected by you or by them!), identify their key takeaways, and respond creatively using poetry! Read more about this lesson plan here .

2. Music Analysis

Poetry lessons wouldn’t be complete without music lyric analysis!

I incorporate music into every poetry unit because it makes the genre more relevant to reluctant students. Reading poetry is an opportunity to practice analysis and annotation skills. Songs change in popularity, and each class has a different culture, which should be taken into consideration when selecting music.

One of my favorite lessons using poetry is when I introduce the presence of figurative language in verse with the song “ My Heart’s a Stereo .” It’s a fun way to explore the concept of an extended metaphor. Follow up this lesson with the poem “All the World’s a Stage,” which is part of  As You Like It.

Use this free song analysis activity to guide your discussion.

3. Mood and Tone

Mood and tone can be difficult concepts for students to grasp. I try to re-visit the concepts multiple times throughout the year with various types of literature.

Visuals help! For example, analyze mood and tone by comparing the way the author plays with word choice to the way an equalizer adjusts the sound frequencies of a song.

This engaging poetry lesson  requires students to think critically and symbolically about how mood is represented by color and how tone is controlled through the equalizer. The poet’s diction is the focal point of this creative task, which can be applied to any poem. Want a recommendation? Try using it with “The Highwayman.”

4. Picture Inspiration

Want students to write poetry? Pictures are an excellent hook. Previously, I wrote about 13 ways pictures can inspire students to write poetry . You can find detailed ideas in that post.

Consider: wordless picture books, old family photos, cartoon strips, social media. Texting couplets are also engaging. The possibilities are inspiring.

Download the picture-based poetry resource featured below to help differentiate poetry writing for your students.

5. Close Reading

Looking for more traditional poetry lessons? Sometimes we kill a poem by asking students to read it and analyze it for everything under the sun. I’ve had more luck with close reading and poetry when I focus on one specific target.

With this lesson , students read and re-read short poems, analyzing them through a specific lens. For instance, how does the poet’s word choice impact the reader’s overall experience? How do the connotations and denotations of important words establish the mood?

6. Paired Texts

Surprise your students by pairing poems with nontraditional texts, like short films. Here are five recommended pairings to get students thinking. What I love about this poetry lesson is how it incorporates diverse perspectives, which increases the rigor. As a result, students typically come up with some impressive responses.

Students enjoy poetry more when they can connect the themes to their own lives and to other modern literature. That’s an important benefit of approaching poetry through a paired-text analysis approach.

7. Play Games

Once students have been introduced to the terminology you are using during your poetry unit, don’t be afraid to give them a poem and turn them loose with a game. It’s a social way to think critically about a poem, and as they talk, you have the freedom to roam around and overhear common misconceptions. In doing so, you’ll have a better idea of what concepts might require a follow-up lesson.

This poetry challenge covers structure, figurative language, types of poems, and sound devices. Students can play it with many different poems. Not sure they’re ready for independent play? Play as a class by projecting the game and dividing the students into groups.

Looking for a figurative language game students can use to practice literary terms? Try figurative language Truth or Dare , or, for a more advanced class – Get Schooled !

8. Re-Read with Color

This reading strategy is fun, and it can be used with any text. It’s one I came up with as I was brainstorming ways to pull the main idea from a text and then get students to see how that idea is developed by smaller details.

Next time you want students to process important information from a poem, try asking them to re-read with color . Basically, students will pull out the central idea, then text evidence, and finally connect the poem to life. You can give students different prompts as well.

Each time they read through the poem, they look closely at another layer of meaning.

9. Write First

I’m often surprised at how much more willing my students are to participate when I’ve given them an opportunity to process their thoughts in writing before a class discussion. If you are seeking higher engagement, try giving students some time to reflect on questions before engaging with peers.

These poetry journal prompts each focus on a different important concept and can be used with any poem. Try using them after a class discussion as a way for students to synthesize their opinions.

Poetry lessons can be fun. Spice up your next poetry unit with some of these activities, and drop your own favorite approaches in the comments.

RELATED RESOURCE

Grab this creative poetry analysis resource to spice up your existing unit. Use these analytical graphic organizers and written response tools to get your students thinking critically about any song or poem.

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11 Poetry Lesson Plans For Middle School

Teach your students what a poem is as well as all the important information necessary while  teaching poetry, like: vocabulary, sound devices, types of poetry, figurative language, how to analyze a poem, and how to find rhyme scheme.

In this resource, you will receive a packet of graphic organizers/guided notes along with a Powerpoint lesson that teaches the following terminology:

poem, speaker, line, stanza, quatrain, couplet, cinquain, tercet, refrain, symbol, theme, mood

tone, imagery, juxtaposition, oxymoron, pun, paradox, allusion, proverb, foot, iamb, iambic pentameter, enjambment, anaphora, metonymy

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

simile, metaphor, personification, idiom, hyperbole, irony

SOUND DEVICES

rhyme, rhyme scheme, slant rhyme, rhythm, meter, alliteration, consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, repetition

TYPES OF POETRY

narrative, lyrical, haiku, ballad, sonnet, limerick, free verse, acrostic, concrete, blank verse, blues poem, elegy, ode, prose, villanelle

HOW TO ANALYZE A POEM

HOW TO DETERMINE RHYME SCHEME

Students LOVE reading and analyzing  Kobe Bryant’s “Dear Basketball” Poem.  In this activity, they will complete a  Poem Analysis & Compare/Contrast Paired Text Activity.  The paired text students will look at is Michael Jordan’s 2003 Retirement Letter, also titled  “Dear Basketball.”

In 2015, Bryant announced his retirement through “Player’s Tribune” in a poem titled “Dear Basketball.” In the poem, Bryant shares his love for the sport with the world. Bryant later earned an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for “Dear Basketball” in 2018.

Included in this lesson:

• Anticipation Guide
• “Dear Basketball” poem by Kobe Bryant, analysis and answer key
• Paired Text Excerpt of Michael Jordan’s letter: questions and answer key
• After Reading Poem — Creative Writing Activity

This lesson is a  poem analysis of “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost . This is a perfect side activity for the novel  The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton!

This activity also works  on its own  if you are looking just to teach about the poem itself. Your students don’t have to be reading  The Outsiders.

In Chapter 5 of The Outsiders, Ponyboy recites the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” This poem plays a major role in the novel as it represents the universal message to stay gold and stay pure. Have your students analyze the poem and build their comprehension; it will make analyzing the theme of the book much easier later on! The poem analysis will touch on important literary elements such as: rhyme scheme, tone, theme, metaphor, alliteration, allusion, imagery, and personification.

To enhance their learning and make the lesson more engaging, students will also study a poem with a similar theme. Students will listen to the Bob Dylan song, answer the questions, analyze the lyrics, and then compare and contrast the themes present in both texts.

In this Poem Analysis and TDA Essay (Text Dependent Analysis),  students will first read and answer questions for  the poem “Out Out—” by Robert Frost.  Students will then write a TDA based on themes and figurative language in the poem.

In this lesson plan:

• Full Poem “Out Out—” by Robert Frost (1916)
• Poem Analysis Questions that concentrate on poetic devices (alliteration, allusion, theme, mood, tone, dialogue, connotation, rhyme scheme, juxtaposition) with ANSWER KEY
• TDA Text Dependent Analysis Prompt and worksheets for writing
• TDA Prewriting, planning, brainstorm Graphic Organizer for Students
• TDA Rubric and Grading guidelines based on: content, focus, organization, style, and conventions

Students will  write their own original poems  with this lesson and activity created for middle school students (6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th grade).

Make  writing poetry  fun for students by giving them choice! Students will first learn about five different types of poems. Then, they will choose 3 of the 5 poems they’d like to write. Students will write their rough drafts in a packet, and then finalize their work on blank pieces of paper which result in beautiful wall art for your room.

In this ELA resource, you will receive:

• Powerpoint presentation that includes examples and definitions of the following 5 types of poems:  Haiku, Acrostic, Concrete, Limerick, and Free Verse
• Student packet that includes: directions, requirements, and examples of all 5 poems
• An example final draft of a limerick with colored illustration

Teach your students all about  Blackout Poetry with this fun lesson and activity!

In this resource, you will receive:

• Teacher Guide
• Powerpoint lesson on Blackout Poetry with step by step directions for students to create their own blackout poems in a variety of ways
• 10 Examples of blackout poems
• 40 Pages of printable texts your students can use to make their own poetry
• Editable word document Rubric and Prompt for students

This  Poetry Packet  includes 5 Poems your students will read and analyze. The poems included are suggested for a  Middle School Poetry Unit : 7th, 8th or 9th Grade ELA.

This packet is a wonderful tool because you can have students complete the analyses of the poems in a variety of ways: whole-class, independently and/or collaboratively.

The poems included in this packet are:

• “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth
• “We Wear The Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
• “We Never Know How High We Are” by Emily Dickinson
• “The Gardener” by Robert Louis Stevenson

In this packet, students will work on poetry skills such as: rhyme scheme, rhyme, allusion, imagery, assonance, consonance, alliteration, hyperbole, theme, tone, mood, author’s purpose, personification, and connotation.

Your students are going to love this  Poetry Digital Escape Room!  Students will read and analyze the poem  “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost.

They will solve puzzles in this peaceful scene of snowy woods, glistening mountaintops, and a beautiful, serene frozen lake. In this  360°  digital escape room, students will try to escape the woods before the sun goes down! This activity is designed to work for a laptop, tablet, or smart phone.

This game requires reading comprehension strategies, knowledge of poetic devices, and critical thinking skills. Watch the preview video and see exactly what’s inside the digital escape room!

Included in this download are teacher instructions, student instructions (digital), the master lock graphic organizer, answer keys, the full text of the poem, and a reflection sheet (optional).

PLEASE READ: While using this resource, you must have a wi-fi connection and the ability to access the following sites: Google Forms and Kuula.co. Please check that these websites are not blocked by your district’s filter before purchasing. Your students do not need to have a Google account.

Assign your students  a one pager poetry analysis project  and have your students share their understanding of ANY POEM by imaginatively blending their written ideas with colorful images from the text. You can pick one poem for your whole class to use or have all your students pick their own individual poems! Students’ artwork make for unique and creative analyses of the literature and also make great bulletin boards!

Included in this purchase is:

• Student directions for the one pager project
• Rubric for the one pager project
• Example one pager (based on the poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas)
• 10 BLANK TEMPLATES (printable — optional)
• EDITABLE word document so teachers can modify instructions or rubric

Students are encouraged to include several of these literary devices, poetic devices (sound devices), and figurative language elements into their final projects: metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, imagery, pun, oxymoron, paradox, idiom, allusion, symbolism , assonance, consonance, alliteration, anaphora, rhyme, rhyme scheme, repetition, onomatopoeia, cacophony, mood, tone, and theme.

This resource includes a  Poetry Assessment for upper middle school  students (7th, 8th, or 9th grade ELA). You will receive a printable PDF copy as well as an  EDITABLE  word document in case you would like to make modifications. A detailed answer key is also included!

The format of this test includes:

• 8 fill-in-the-blank questions with a word bank
• 6 matching questions with poem types
• 5 matching questions with sound devices
• 5 matching questions with figurative language
• A poetry analysis of two poems: “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Sara Teasdale and “Nature” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• Students will answer 5 multiple choice questions regarding each poem
• 1 constructed response where students will compare the themes of each poem in a fully developed paragraph

(35 questions in total)

The Poetry Test covers the following terms:

narrative poem

lyrical poem

acrostic poem

alliteration

onomatopoeia

personification

Have your students create a collaborative poster and learn about  Robert Frost  in a fun and engaging way!

Your students will create an author biography by researching Robert Frost and establishing his profile on a poster.

Students will learn about Frost and his body of work as an influential author.

Additionally, they will learn the importance of collaboration and effective communication. This project is perfect for  National Poetry Month.

Project Steps:

1) To construct the author study poster, your students will work in groups to conduct research on Robert Frost.

2) Students will then transfer their findings to boxes on the poster.

3) Next, they will work together to color or paint the pieces of the poster.

4) Lastly, students will tape together the final product.

The poster is made up of six pieces of paper, which can be printed on regular copy paper or card stock.

Once taped together, the final product will be  28″ x 15″  and can last a lifetime if you laminate it!

This resource includes the following:

• Step by Step Student Directions (PDF & editable word document)
• Author Study Project Rubric (PDF & editable word document)
• Author Study Graphic Organizer for Students (PDF & editable word document)
• 6 Blank Coloring Pages that come together as one beautiful poster (PDFs)
• Robert Frost Author Study Answer Key
• Example of Final Project: Completed Text & Fully Colored Body

Check out more from my LITERARY LEGENDS Collection:

• Emily Dickinson
• Langston Hughes
• George Orwell
• William Shakespeare
• Walt Whitman

This resource is a  FULL POETRY UNIT for ELA grades: 7th, 8th, or 9th!  You will get a collection of different lessons, activities, and projects, plus a TDA essay, digital escape room, and final test! I’ve also included an example schedule for teachers to follow day-by-day!

Included in this  middle school poetry unit bundle:

• Introduction to Poetry Lesson & Guided Notes
• Kobe Bryant “Dear Basketball” Poem & Paired Text Michael Jordan Letter
• “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost Poem Analysis and Paired Song
• “Out Out” by Robert Frost Poem Analysis and TDA Essay
• Writing Poetry/Writing Workshop: Haiku, Concrete, Acrostic, Limerick, Free Verse
• Blackout Poetry Lesson and Project
• Poetry Packet — 5 Poems to Analyze
• Poetry Digital Escape Room — Robert Frost Poem Analysis & Comprehension Game “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
• Poetry One-Pager Project and Poem Analysis for ANY POEM
• Editable Poetry Test/Assessment for 7th, 8th, or 9th Grade Poetry
• Robert Frost Author Study: Collaborative Poster Project
• Teacher guide with day by day schedule for 3 weeks of Poetry

This bundle is so diverse and your students will get to analyze at least 12 different poems!

1 thought on “11 Poetry Lesson Plans For Middle School”

This looks wonderful!

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Lesson Plans for Introducing Poetry

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Bring poems into the classroom with these lesson plans, which are especially suited to introducing students to poetry and helping them become engaged and thoughtful readers.

Noticing Poetry

Poems about poetry, committed to memory, guerilla poetry, songs my teacher taught me, how i teach poetry in the schools, brain spelunking, word karaoke, praise song for the day, smell this story, taste this poem, incredible bridges: “praise song for the day” by elizabeth alexander, teach this poem: “theme for english b” by langston hughes, teach this poem: “ars poetica” by archibald macleish, teach this poem: “because you asked about the line between prose and poetry” by howard nemerov, teach this poem: “poetry” by marianne moore, teach this poem: “the young poets of winnipeg” by naomi shihab nye, teach this poem: “there is no frigate like a book (1263)” by emily dickinson, newsletter sign up.

• Academy of American Poets Newsletter
• Academy of American Poets Educator Newsletter
• Teach This Poem

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iRubric: 9th Grade Poetry Assignment rubric

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9th grade reading & vocabulary

Unit 1: borders, unit 2: social psychology, unit 3: the apocalypse.