Students explore language arts by writing their own poems. In this haiku lesson, students investigate the Japanese culture and their beautiful music, poetry and art. Students count the syllables in every line of a haiku poem and write...

Middle schoolers examine different types of poetry in music, commercials and printed works. They identify themes of philanthropy in poetry as well. They finally share their findings with the class.

Learners write Sun and Moon poetry. In this poetry lesson, students research the sun and the moon.  They write poetry and create two class baskets for descriptive words about each.

Learners create a poem from the first person perspective of a pet. In this Writing/Poetry instructional activity, students read a short poem from, Unleashed. Learners brainstorm what their animal may say. Students write a poem using...

Students dramatize a poem. In this poetry lesson plan, students evaluate a poem looking for feeling words or descriptors. Students then draw a picture of themselves with a feeling.

Sixth graders explore the portrayal of males and females in mass media. In this language arts lesson, 6th graders create a digital collage and write a description about themselves using similes and metaphors.

Students analyze the text of Beowulf. In this epic poetry lesson, students explore the themes and imagery in the text to evaluate their meaning. Students analyze the Old English language and examine the cultural and historical context of...

Students demonstrate a higher level of thinking in writing a poem that delivers a message of wisdom and is metaphorical in meaning. They study the use of metaphors in poetry as well as the meaning and use of concrete and abstract words...

Eighth graders study personification in published works of poetry, then create their own through the use of diamante or cinquain poetry. They read and discuss poetry by Shel Silverstein, William Jay Smith, and Elinor Wylie.

If you are interested in having a basic framework for teaching expository, narrative, persuasive, and descriptive writing, this resource may help; however, you will have to find information on the different forms of writing to share with...

Students analyze and apply their personal responses through poetry and film to a challenging and disturbing event-the Holocaust. They use a digital video camera to film each student reading their poem.

Eighth graders compose or create works of communication for specific audiences and purposes. They locate, access, and select relevant information from a variety of sources. They revise and edit their work to improve content, organization...

Students listen to poems and rhymes, clap out syllables, and sing along with familiar tunes. They use puppets and crafts to help recall and retell favorite poems, and craft their own poems.

Young scholars read and interpret the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. They interlock this poem to other spectacular people or events such as Amelia Earhart and the Bermuda Triangle. A vast array of excellent assignments are given within...

Students are introduced to elements of poetry through the book Runny Babbit. In this poetry lesson, students learn about the newest Shel Silverstein book, then examine the poem's form, rhythm, and rhyme. Students look for other Shel...

Students explore limericks. For this poetry writing lesson, students listen to and read a variety of poems written by Edward Lear. Students count syllables and identify meter by clapping as they read aloud. Students complete a...

Fourth graders practice using effective listening skills as they listen to oral poetry readings.

Students discover the story behind Thanksgiving through comparing and contrasting what pilgrims were thankful for, memorizing Thanksgiving poems, and creating a placemat that depicts the poem.

Students read and discuss a poem about the issues of gender, education, and family written by a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in South Africa. In this poetry instructional activity, students read the poem 'Moetsana' and discuss the...

Connect poetry to a naturally kid-friendly topic: ghosts! Draw on your class's prior knowledge of the paranormal to help them access the classic poem "Haunted House" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. After a fun warm-up activity describing...

Young scholars recognize poetic devices including rhyme, syllabification, and meter. They identify the characteristics of a nonsense poem and of a limerick. They write their own limericks.

Pupils, over an extended time, read and explain the nonsense words of Lewis Carroll's poem, "Jabberwocky". They infer the meaning of the poem using visualizing as well as decoding skills. While written for first graders, this is easily...

Students, while in the computer lab, visit a variety of web sites and read about the life and work of Langston Hughes. They create an author's brochure on Mr. Hughes from the data they collect from the various web sites. Each student...

  Students read and discuss the poem, The Purple Cow.  In this poetry lesson plan, students discuss the rhyming words in the poem and why this piece of literature is silly or unusual.