Curated OER
War Literature
Working in groups, young historians review a war poem written by Stephen Crane. After reviewing the poem, they present an oral interpretation of the poem and hold a panel discussion about their analysis. The panel is made up of five or...
Curated OER
Analysis of Frost's poem The Road Not Taken
Pupils read and analyze the Robert Frost poem, "The Road Not Taken." They identify the meter and rhyme, describe the purpose, and write a paragraph about what kind of job they plan to have and why they have chosen it
Curated OER
The American Dream Poetry
Students analyze how poetry can reveal themes of 'The American Dream.' In this poetry themes lesson plan, students discuss the elements of poetry and define imagery. Students read 'Lost Sister' by Cathy Song and complete a related...
Curated OER
Sound Devices in Poetry, Fiction and Nonfiction
Students examine the impact of sound devices in poetry. In this poetry lesson, students read the listed poems and identify uses of alliteration, repetition, consonance, rhythm, rhyme, and slang. Students discuss how sound devices enhance...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Seeing Sense in Photographs & Poems
Learners analyze photographs and poetry as forms of each other. In this poetry and photography analysis lesson, high schoolers use the photographs of Alfred Stieglitz and poetry from William Carlos William to explore how poetry and...
Curated OER
Place and Character in Poetry
Students examine how place in poetry helps give clues about character. In this poetry lesson plan, students read a poem while focusing on the descriptions of the room that is being described and predict what type of person would live...
Harper Collins
Every Thing On It Lessons and Activities
Honor the great poet, Shel Silverstein with eighteen activities and lessons showcasing his collection of poems from the book, Every Thing On It. Activities challenge scholars to rhyme words, make inferences, recite a poem, and more!
Pearson
Langston Hughes
An author study provides learners the opportunity to explore in depth the life of, the influences on, and the works of a single literary figure. Introduce middle schoolers to Langston Hughes with a unit that models how to approach an...
Curated OER
Identifying Personification in Poetry
Improve your young poets' descriptive writing with this lesson on personification. A SMART board and PowerPoint presentation guide your class through the process of identifying human qualities attributed to various non-human objects. A...
Syracuse University
Harlem Renaissance
The music and literature of the Harlem Renaissance defined American culture, including its poetry. Using a poem from the period, individuals explore its musical qualities and how it is reflective of the period. Then, they use what they...
Main Memory Network
Longfellow's "The Village Blacksmith" and Whitman's "Song of Myself"
Although the work Americans do has changed over time, the plight of the American worker has largely remained the same. Facilitate a class discussion aboutAmerican workers using Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "The Village Blacksmith" and...
Prestwick House
"Because I could not stop for Death" -- Visualizing Meaning and Tone
Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death" provides high schoolers with an opportunity to practice their critical thinking skills. They examine the images, diction, rhythm, and rhyme scheme the poet uses and consider how...
Santa Ana Unified School District
Early American Poets
The poems of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson are the focus of a unit that asks readers to consider how an artist's life and changes in society influences his or her work. After careful study of Whitman's and Dickinson's perspectives on...
California Education Partners
The Road Not Taken
An effective lesson plan truly can make all the difference. Seventh graders read, analyze, and annotate Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" before writing an essay about what they believe to be the theme of the iconic poem.
Great Books Foundation
The Road Not Taken
Every time you make a choice, it prevents another option from taking shape. Spend some time analyzing "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost with a reading activity that includes four discussion questions that recall evidence from the text.
Curated OER
Exploring Contrasts in "The Lanyard" by Billy Collins
Middle schoolers analyze the speaker's ideas and tone in the Billy Collins poem "The Lanyard." After identifying how each of the five senses is addressed in the poem, they compare images to draw conclusions about the speaker and his...
Curated OER
Text Features of Fiction, Poetry, Drama: Story Matrix
How do novels differ from plays? Explore with your class the text features of fiction and drama by reading The Hidden One: Native American Legend and then performing a reader’s theater script based on the story. Class members create a...
Curated OER
Exploring Race Through Literature
Provide your class with an opportunity to examine race through a variety of literary works. They read and analyze a chosen poem, interview, speech, or story describing race in America. They then use key words from the original work to...
Curated OER
Music in Words
Your class can build strong, well-represented opinions about the music they hear. They listen to, and share thoughts about, a piece of classical music. Then they write a piece of music or a poem, and analyze their peers' work and their...
Curated OER
Emily Dickinson & Poetic Imagination: "Leap, plashless"
Learners analyze the poems of Emily Dickinson and write their own nature poem. In this poetry analysis lesson, students read Dickinson poetry and analyze the use of imagery, sound, and metaphor. Learners write their own nature poem using...
Curated OER
No Second Troy Questions
In this poetry analysis worksheet, students interpret “No Second Troy,” by William Butler Yeats by answering 5 questions based on the relationships featured in the poem.
Curated OER
My Last Duchess Theme of Madness
In this poetry analysis worksheet, students consider the motivation for the actions of the Duke in "My Last Duchess," by Robert Browning as they read a brief paragraph positing that the Duke is insane. Students then respond to 3...
Curated OER
My Last Duchess Theme of Language and Communication
In this poetry analysis worksheet, 6th graders read a paragraph about the Duke's style of communication and lack of it in the poem, “My Last Duchess,” by Robert Browning. Student then answer 4 short answer questions that help them to...
Curated OER
No Second Troy Theme of Guilt and Blame
In this poetry analysis worksheet, learners examine the content of the William Butler Yeats poem, “No Second Troy." Students read a paragraph about the theme of the poem, then respond to three discussion questions about the role of guilt...