Poetry Unit that Works

I can't tell you how much students groan when an English teacher mentions the word 'poetry.' It is like that simple word is enough to drive even the most calm and confident students into cold sweats and make their palms sweaty. When did creativity become scary and the imagination taboo? I'm not sure when it happened but there are people and organizations out there trying to inspire creativity into our youth again. One such organization is Poetry Foundation sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts they hold an annual Poetry Recitation Contest and provide free lesson plans and resources on the internet for students and teachers. I've adapted one of the lessons to my style of teaching to great success. Poems Put To use is a great lesson as it asks students to find relevance and relate to classic poetry as it applies to real life. To see my assignment click on this link -> Classnoteonline.com then download PoetryBook Assignment.

My students love this assignment a ton. The more classroom time you allow the better the assignment results but make that time structured with deadlines. Several students took the freedom of this assignment to dedicate the book to a family member or girlfriend or boyfriend. Others used it like a memory book and selected poems that related to events in their own life during the past year or their time in high school. This assignment is good for all grade levels although I increase or decrease the length and difficulty depending on student level and ability.

So what is it?... I ask my students to find three poems that can be put to real use in real life. Such as Langston Hughes poem "Dream Deferred" which can be used to inspire people at graduations or other occasions then this must be explained in terms of the way the poem would be used and why in no less than 100 words. The next step is for them to find a poem that reflects who they are. I call it a mirror poem. They explain how the poem reflects them. Finally- I ask the students to create four unique figurative language examples that represent who they are.

The students truly enjoyed the assignment and took them all back- the students who usually let me have their projects had to keep this one. If that isn't a sign of a good assignment I don't know what is.