Grade: 10-12 advanced classes
Objective: To write and deliver a “mini-epic” poem based on a contemporary novel.
Directions: Students choose a novel on the best-seller list, read it, then prepare an “epic” poem developing a main character or plot line.
Comments: This activity combines the ancient art of epic-writing with student interest in contemporary literature.

Grade: 6
Objective: To find examples of personification in the newspaper; To understand the concept of personification; To develop students’ ideas of personification
Directions: Using newspapers students search for examples of personification. They are easily found in the sports section and in newspaper advertisements. Comics are a good source also. As they find them, they cut and paste them to a sheet of construction paper. To develop their own personifications, they need chart paper and markers. At the top of their chart, they draw a word web. In the center, they name an object. You can help by providing pictures, or tell them that it must be an element of nature, or limit it to only animals. The choices are endless. Then around their object, they list words that have human connotations that apply to the project. Under the web, students could write phrases that contain the personification. This is a good activity for cooperative learning.
Comments: This idea promotes just one element of poetry. It could be revised to be used for metaphors or similes. When students understand the elements of poetry, they better understand poems, and the message the poet is trying to convey.

Grade: 5-8
Objective: To encourage adolescent moral and character development as well as creative writing in the Language Arts Classroom by reading the book Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul, 101 Stories of Courage, Hope, and Laughter by Jack Canfield and Victor Hansen.
Directions: To spark our imaginations, we read the inspirational stories and poems in the book. By reading about other people, especially other children, students are exposed to different ways to present their own stories! As part of our Language Arts Class Curriculum, this helps students achieve the goal of reading a variety of different genre. These anthologies are not only excellent stories for adolescents to read, but they also serve as wonderful examples of excellent writing! In one book, there are many different types of essays, and poems. On my own, I have purchased seven Chicken Soup books that I loan out to different children every day. I teach over 96 sixth graders in a middle school, and not a day goes by that every book isn’t signed out for free-reading period. Often, the students are so excited by what they’ve read, that they ask if they can share a story or a poem aloud during class time. Based on the sections in the book, we would first read selections, then write our own stories and poems.

The Various Sections are:
1. On Love
2. On Friendship
3. On Family
4. On Attitude and Perspective
5. On Death and Dying
6. Achieving Dreams
7. Overcoming Obstacles
Our Responsive Writing:
1. Poetry
2. Narratives
3. Essay - Circular-style
4. Letter-writing - hero letters to our heroes
5. Poetry
6. Playing, writing and performing
7. Persuasive writing.
The culmination of our efforts would be the publication of our own class book of stories and poems.

Grade: 7
Objectives: 1) To encourage reluctant writers to write poetry. 2) To apply mythological knowledge to poetry. 3) To learn and use allusions.
Directions: While we are studying mythology, each student is assigned a Greek god, goddess, hero, or creature on which to research and present both a written and oral report. The student then writes a biographical poem on that character. The poetry part of the unit is introduced by reading the poems “Phaethon” by Morris Bishop and “To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph” by Anne Sexton. The students are then told that they will write a mythological poem. They are given the biography formula, and we read the examples together. I make an overhead of the formula, and we write a poem together about a well-known mythical character. Then each student writes one of his/her own.

You can also use the biography formula poem and assign famous people when you are studying the biography genre. As a closure of my mythology unit, students read their poems to the class.



Biography Formula
Line 1. First name
2. Four traits
3. Related to
4. Who cares deeply about
5. Who feels
6. Who needs
7. Who gives
8. Who fears
9. Who would like to see
10. Resident of
Students who are better writers are encouraged to break away from the formula and just use the information to form an original poem.
Comments: When I first used this formula poem, I had students write about relatives, neighbors, and friends. Then when we were studying fairy tales and nursery rhymes, I had them write about one of the characters. Next, I used this form for famous people or poets when we studied biographies or poetry. Now I use this form in more than one unit to encourage reluctant writers to write poems.

Grade: 10
Objectives: 1. Given three prompting questions, the students will be able to identify a meaningful choice which they have made in their lives.
2. Given Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” the students will be able to dissect the literal and symbolic meaning of the poem.
3. Given their own experiences and the model of Frost’s poem, the students will be able to produce their own poem based on a choice they have made in the past.
Directions: The students will write about a time in their lives when they had to make a choice. The students will use the following questions as a guide:
1. What was the choice that you had to make?
2. Which of your options did you choose to take?
3. What affect did the decision have on your life?
The students will write their own poem based on choice.
Why is Frost’ poem considered a classic?
-Because Frost’s theme is timeless.
How do we know that the theme of his poem is timeless?
-Because we can still write about choices today.
Comments: After they wrote about their own choices and read Frost’s poem, the students were able to make the connection with minimal external influence. They also were able to synthesize the theme of choice into their own writing successfully at the end of the lesson.

Michael Villanti
Bellport Middle School
Brookhaven, New York

Grade: 9-12
Objective: Students will develop an appreciation and understanding of the craft of poetry writing by learning and identifying poetic terms and techniques in the poetry of “famous” poets. They will evaluate the craft of their own poetry by writing rough draft poems and then compiling a portfolio of seven to ten of their best poems.
Directions: A packet of learning and writing activities starts with a list of poetry terms and techniques and selections of poetry from published poets. Students define the terms, then we look for examples of those techniques in the works of poets.
Next, students write rough draft poems on a variety of topics: vivid sense details, a legacy or heritage, an animal, a poem to someone, etc. Students read and discuss models of poems for each topic. The topics are vague to allow for creativity and freedom of expression.

Student and teacher response groups work on imagery, theme, and total effect of the poem. The third step is a selection process. Students choose seven to ten of their best poems to revise and edit for a final draft. These poems are compiled into a portfolio which the student titles and publishes. For each poem, the student identifies at least three poetic techniques that he used, and explains why he wrote the poem: inspiration, image, purpose, etc. The final step is sharing the poetry. We have a poetry reading day. Students choose their best and read their poetry to the class. They explain the purpose, read the poem, and talk about the techniques they used.

Comments: Quite a few students write poetry, but too often it is sentimental, sing-song poetry, empty of image and theme. This activity helps to sharpen imagery and create a focus for poetry by allowing students to read models of good poetry and to realize the craft and techniques that poets use. The final portfolio and poetry reading creates a finished product that showcases the individual. It also gives students a resource from which to select contest poetry which encourages and simplifies the contest entering process.

Grade: 6
Objective: To write a “recipe” poem about your mom using adjectives to describe what ingredients you would need.
Directions: 1. List ingredients. 2. Write them out in a list form. 3. Tie them in with a paragraph explaining what to do with the ingredients. 4. Type it, print it. 5. Put it in a clear picture frame and decant it. 6. Give it to mom for Mother’s Day.
Comments: Kids love it!! They don’t even realize they are writing a poem!!

Grade: 11-12
Objective: To have students recognize diction, repetition and end lines.
Directions: Choose a poem suited to the objective. In this case, Walt Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” works well (excerpt below).
“Had my eyes dazzled by the shimmering track of beams,
Look’d at the fine centrifugal spokes of light round the
shape of my head in the sunlit water,
“Look’d on the haze on the hills southward and south-westward,
Look’d on the vapor as it flew in fleeces tinged with violet,
Look’d toward the lower bay to notice the vessels arriving,”
After discussing the poem (it’s lengthy), isolate a section. Point out how Whitman uses words with hard sounds, how his line beginnings are parallel, and how lines end with strong words. Then have students select a title, one that relates to their own geography. Even “Crossing Main Street After School” will do. Have them write 20 lines or more incorporating Whitman’s style. Some may be parodies but the requirements will still test their moxie. After that exercise, of course, diction, repetition, and end words can be repeated in all student poems.

Grade: 9-12
Objective: To foster an appreciation for the deceptively “simple” poetry of the imagists; to write a parody; and to use William Carlos Williams’ poem “The Red Wheelbarrow” to stimulate student writing.
Directions:
1. Read “The Red Wheelbarrow” - discussing how it is an example of imagist poetry. 2. Students use the first four words of the poem and then complete it, using modern, contemporary images - they must keep the same syllable count (16 additional syllables).
Comments: After the initial writing - I allow students to try to write a humorous parody of Williams’ poem.

Grade: 4-5
Objective: For students to understand that subjects of poetry come out of things we see and know around us.
Directions: Students bring their favorite poem to school and share them with their classmates. After reading them, they list the various subjects on a chart. The students soon realize that writers of poetry are so much like them in regards to feelings, topics, senses of humor and so forth. We then brainstorm and add more topics to the chart. We also make a list of their ideas of “What Is Poetry?” After finalizing the list, we write a poem together on the overhead. They are then ready to try writing their first poem!

Grade: 4-8
Objective: To verbalize and creatively expand thoughts, fears and reactions to the plight of refugees and (finally) to produce a written expression of the above.
Brainstorm. Give the children a small scrap of paper and ask them to scribble down words which come to mind when thinking of refugees.
Collect ideas from the class and use them as a springboard for discussion. For example
“Why did the word ‘refugee’ make you think of loneliness?”
“What does homesickness feel like?”
“Why would you be scared?”
Write up all the words that the children have collected on the blackboard.
Split into groups. Each group takes one of the concepts collected on the board and prepares a short role-play based on the discussion. For example the word “fear” leads to the following concerns
“Will they like/understand me?”
“Will we be able to communicate?”
“Will I manage to adapt to their ways?”
“Will they pick on me?”
From this a role-play may develop numerous situations that create ‘fear” in the students. One such role play developed about entering a playground for the first time in a new country.
Reflect on the role-plays that the groups have performed.
“What did you feel like when they bullied you?”
“Why did you bully him?”
“What did it make you feel like to welcome him to be welcomed?”
This introspection can often be quite revealing and insightful to the students. It leads to great discussions.
Draft a poem about those feelings or the situation that has been played. I usually put no restrictions on style but encourage them to get the feelings and emotions that they have worked through into some written form which can be polished up later.
Edit and make a neat copy of the poems and “publish” them in a class book.

Grade: 6-8
Objective: To enhance use of poetry writing by integrating social studies, language arts and the visual arts. Students will create original work about various individuals that have distinguished themselves as positive forces for change, for example, Baseball great-Mark McGwire and Astronaut-John Glenn. Students are required to use 4-5 poetic devices which must be labeled on their rough draft and to construct their poems with a jazzy original title and a minimum line requirement of 25 lines.
Directions: Teaching poetry in language arts class began with simple odes to favorite places and pets in September. As current events brought various individuals to our attention, it is worthwhile for students to use their poetic skills to create a literary tribute for those individuals that are part of our learning focus. Once completed, the books are bound, and mailed to the various individuals the students admired. This year, my students created tribute books for: Mark McGwire, John Glenn, Florida’s governor, Jeb Bush, Michael Jordan, Poet Laureate–Robert Pinsky, Artist–Joseph Beuys, local Sarasota historian and daughter of a founding father, Miss Lillian Grant Burns.
Comments: Florida’s Governor was so delighted that he wrote to us and he placed our book in his office in Tallahassee. He is featuring our work and my students on his web site. For our work about Miss Lillian Burns, we were awarded the Selby Contest Award, and honored with a special day at the Selby Library on May 11, 1999. Copies of the books of poems have been placed in all of the branch libraries.
 
My personal goal for teaching students to love poetry is to use this quote as a mission statement:

Comments: The students enjoy writing this poetry. It is an excellent way to show-off the knowledge they have gained writing their research paper.

Grade: 6-7
Objective: To put positive words into poetry for each individual student. The positive feedback is done by peers.
Directions: Each person writes a descriptive word, phrase, or sentence about each student. The paper is folded and students select at random another student. The classmate now takes the comments about that individual student and puts the words and phrases into poetic stanzas. Each person will then receive a positive account of how others see them. This becomes something they will cherish through the years.