National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Analyzing Poetic Devices: Robert Hayden and Theodore Roethke
Students examine the relationship of poetic form and content, shaped by alliteration, consonance, repetition, and rhythm, in two poems about fatherhood: Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays" and Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz."
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Preparing for Poetry: A Reader's First Steps
In this lesson plan, students will consider Preparing for Poetry: A Reader's First Steps. Worksheets and other supporting materials can be found under the Resources tab.
University of Illinois
University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: Robert Penn Warren
This site offers excerpts from interview with Warren about a reunion at Vanderbilt in 1956, on his writings and values, on HAWKS, on rhythm in prose. There is also a review of HEARTS OF AUTUMN. This site also has a photo of Warren.
University of Pennsylvania
Rhythm and Meter in English Poetry
Discusses the terminology needed to understand rhythm and meter in English poetry including the following terms: stressed and unstressed syllables, iambs, trochees, spondees, anapests, dactyls, monometer, dimeter, trimeter, tetrameter,...
Hopelink
Hopelink: Writing Lesson Idea: Poetry Writing
Many simple forms, such as cinquain and haiku, that follow set formats, are included in this poetry lesson plan.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Put That on the List: Collaboratively Writing a Catalog Poem
Using the structure of a list poem, students combine creative expression with poetic techniques and language exploration in order to write group poems about what really matters in their lives.
British Library
British Library: Tennyson's the Charge of the Light Brigade: A Close Reading
In this activity, students will consider the context within which Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote 'The Charge of the Light Brigade'. The poem immediately captured the public imagination, where it has remained, testimony to heroic failure,...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Song Writing
This lesson engages students in writing lyrics to songs. Students will use free musical software to aid students as they put their lyrics to a tune and tempo.
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: The Poetics of Hip Hop
Students will analyze form in Shakespearean sonnets and hip-hop music. Concepts viewed in-depth include rhythm, form, diction, and sound. [Requires QuickTime 7].
British Library
British Library: 'Goblin Market' by Christina Rossetti
In 'Goblin Market', Rossetti employs imagery to explore Victorian debates around sin and temptation. Students will explore these techniques and apply them to their own work.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages a Literary Survey
A series of 16 Instructional Units on American Literature with texts, videos, instructor guides, and more. Topics include: Native Voices, Exploring Borderlands, Utopian Promise, Spirit of Nationalism, Masculine Heroes, Gothic...
Academy of American Poets
Poets.org: "Mambo" by Jaime Manrique
A short poem by contemporary poet Jaime Manrique that brings back the smells, spirit, and rhythm of his childhood in Columbia. Bilingual Spanish / English.
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania: Repetition
Explains the role of repetition in poetry. Gives several examples of poems that use repetition as a literary device.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: The Pleasure of Poetic Pattern
Humans are creatures of rhythm and repetition. From our breath to our gait: rhythm is central to our experience, and often brings us pleasure. We can find pleasure in the rhythm of a song, or even the rows of an orchard. Of course, too...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Ain't Gonna Rain No More
In this lesson students will re-create a campfire song with internal rhyme and rhythm.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Ballads About Relatives
In this lesson students will write 4-lined ballads about their relatives.
Varsity Tutors
Varsity Tutors: Web English Teacher: Langston Hughes
This resource focuses on the works of famous African-American author, Langston Hughes.
Academy of American Poets
Poets.org: Langston Hughes
This site provides a biography of Langston Hughes, followed by several of his poems (some complete with audio clips) and a bibliography of his more influential works.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Beowulf Introduction
This is an introduction to Beowulf, an epic and alliterative poem in the Old English from the 11th century. It features a link to the British Library with an image of the manuscript and information about Beowulf.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Noodle Alliteration
This activity allows students an opportunity to explore the dictionary and thesaurus to write creative alliterations about pasta after reading Jack Prelutsky's poem, "Spaghetti, Spaghetti."
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Why Shakespeare Loved Iambic Pentameter
Shakespeare sometimes gets a bad rap in high schools for his complex plots and antiquated language. But a quick peek into the rhythm of his words reveals a poet deeply rooted in the way people spoke in his time- and still speak today....
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Swinging on a String
Students explore how pendulums work and why they are useful in everyday applications. In a hands-on activity, they experiment with string length, pendulum weight and angle of release. In an associated literacy activity, students explore...
![Writing Fix: Animals Not to [Verb] With Lesson Plan](https://content.lessonplanet.com/knovation/original/51597-e1611b7f9310c2925ff60d4c6f12e3e9.jpg?1661771295 "Writing Fix: Animals Not to [Verb] With Lesson Plan")
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Animals Not to [Verb] With
In this activity, learners will create 4 original poems within a particular rhythm and rhyme scheme.
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Influence of Folk
This site, which explores the influence of musical folk traditions in the poetry of Langston Hughes and Nicolas Guillen, provides lesson plans, a biography, examples of Hughes' poetry, and details about his meeting with Nicolas Guillen.