For my first few years of teaching, I completely avoided teaching poetry. It seems like a challenge to walk students through sonnets, stanzas, and rhyming. But teaching poetry does not have to be scary; with some simple to use resources, and some engaging activities, poetry can be exciting and rewarding for even your most reluctant readers.
Introduction to Poetry
When I poll students at the beginning of the unit to ask them what they know about poetry, most will say they know how to rhyme. And then the room falls silent. Helping students understand some basic “look fors” when reading poetry has really helped build literacy around poetry. Using a simple 8-step process, my students work through several common elements that appear in many poems. Like any piece of writing, there are nuances to each work, but often we see certainly patterns when reading poetry. Using this 8-step process, students are better able to read and understanding not only the meaning of a poem, but the overall construction and literary techniques.
I start my poetry unit with an overview of understanding poetry and how we talk about poetry. This presentation includes terms and definitions so students can begin to hear and learn the various ways in which we talk about poetry. I also teach my students about various styles and types of poetry, as well as rhythm in poetry. I print off easy-to reference handouts so students can quickly reference terms as they read poems.
Poetic Analysis Trios: Alicia Keys, Laurence Dunbar, and Maya Angelou
One of my favorite poetry lessons I use to start it my Poetry Analysis Trio, because it includes a contemporary artist, Alicia Keys, who many students know. I use her song “Caged Bird” and pair it with “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou and “Sympathy” by Laurence Dunbar.
Using these three poems, I walk students through literacy analysis by comparing the key messages and themes in each of the poem. Students are able to cite parallels and comparisons between the poems.
Students analyze each poem/song and apply their understanding of poetic and literary devices. Students will compare and contrast messages, themes, symbols, and synthesize ideas across all three works. These powerful works all contain messages of hope, freedom, racial oppression, happiness, and sorrow.
Poetic Analysis: "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
Once students feel comfortable with the exploring poetry with the poetry trio activity, I introduce a short lesson using “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. This poetry activity encourages in-depth analysis of the short story to help students develop strong literary analysis skills. Students analyze the story and apply their understanding of close reading to explore messages, themes, symbols, and analysis techniques.
This short 1-2 lesson includes 2 steps:
- An Author Biography Exploration worksheet for students to investigate the life and background of Alice Walker. The worksheet includes 2 external links for students to research her life and background and guided questions to document their research.
- Alice Walker “Everyday Use” worksheet with 26 in-depth, open-response analysis questions to compare and contrast characterization, historical impact, plot, main ideas, themes, symbols, and messages in the story.
Poetic Analysis: "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou
Another poem analysis my students enjoy is “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. Angelou’s message of perseverance and how she can overcome anything resonate with students. Through her message of rising to any occasion, students are able to feel a sense of hope after reading this poem.
I include three activities when I teach this poem:
- An Author Biography Exploration worksheet for students to investigate the life and background of Maya Angelou. The worksheet includes 2 external links for students to research her life and background and guided questions to document their research.
- How to Read Poetry: An 8-step handout to guide students new to poetry analysis through the process of “reading” poetry in a structured and organized way.
- Maya Angelou’s “Caged Bird” worksheet with 18 in-depth, open-response analysis questionsto compare and contrast the main ideas, themes, symbols, and messages in the poem.
