poetry analysis assignment high school

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Teaching Poetry in High School – Lessons, Activities, and Ideas

Poetry , Secondary Literacy , Writing

One reason why I love teaching poetry in high school is because of the rich conversations you can have with students.  No matter what school setting I am teaching in, my students always have so much to say about poetry. When students feel confident in their abilities, they truly love the challenge of reading poetry .  In this blog post, you will learn how you can instill the love of poetry in your students.  I will also share some activities and resources to teach poetry to high school students .

How do you introduce a poem in high school?

Have your students ever described poetry as boring or confusing?  It is pretty common for them to feel overwhelmed by poetry.  This is because poetry is so different from the styles of writing that they are used to exploring in the classroom.  In order for students to move past this attitude towards poetry, they need to feel confident in their abilities.

To instill this confidence, it can be helpful to introduce poetry slowly .  Before diving into a poem, you may want to first teach the basic elements of poetry .  This will help students acquire the vocabulary that they need to discuss poetry in the classroom.

Another introductory lesson involves familiarizing students with poetic devices .  Being able to identify figurative language in poetry will help students further develop their thoughts about the poem.  Discussing poetic devices can also help students analyze the author’s style of writing.

Activities to teach poetry in high school

One of the most important skills for high school students is annotating .  Annotating is the process of writing notes next to a verse of poetry  These notes may express thoughts, questions, evaluations, or definitions.  They may also note the meter (or “rhythm”) of the poem.  Annotating will help students to develop an in-depth analysis of a poem.  

Once students understand the elements of poetry and feel comfortable with identifying poetic devices, they are ready to practice annotating .  To teach annotation, you can break the process down into steps.  This blog post shares a 4-step process for annotating poetry.  You can also use this free annotation bookmark as a personal anchor chart for students as they work through these four steps.

A great way to make annotating accessible to students is to practice with music lyrics .  Students already have a lot to say about their favorite artists and songs; because of the cultural relevance of the music they enjoy, they often feel confident analyzing it and making inferences.  Modeling annotation on song lyrics is a great way to hook your students and scaffold this skill.

This poetry unit for high school includes slideshow lessons, word wall activities, vocabulary anchor charts, bookmarks, annotation activities, and informational handouts.  During this 2-week unit, students will learn how to fluently read and analyze poetry .

How do you make poetry fun in high school?

If there’s any unit my high school students resonate with, it’s poetry.  This is because there are so many ways to make poetry engaging and fun.  For the most part, my students enjoy poetry because they see it as relevant to popular culture .  This is why teaching poetry in high school is so rewarding!

In order to help them see the relevance of poetry, we spend a lot of time exploring modern poets in various forms.  They are especially interested in the new wave of free verse poets on Instagram , also known as “Instapoets.”  Some examples of these are Rupi Kaur, Tyler Knott Gregson, and Kate Baer.  Song lyrics form another connection between poetry and popular culture and serve as a great way to teach poetic devices .

Your students will probably have the most fun writing their own poetry .  If they are reluctant, you could start off with a few icebreakers or creative writing prompts to help them become more expressive in your classroom.  Your students might enjoy replicating the styles of free verse poetry popularized on Instagram.  If so, you can lead a free verse poetry workshop with them.

If you students would prefer something more structured, then styles like sonnets and haiku might be more appropriate.  Using a sonnet template or haiku outline will offer them more guidance without limiting their creativity and expression.

Best poetry for high school students

Here are a few poetry picks that your high school students will love!

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur – Kaur wrote this collection of poems at 21.  It shares her coming-of-age experience as an Indo-Canadian woman.  It is vulnerable, feminine, powerful, and features simple illustrations alongside the text.

And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou – Angelou’s collection of poetry shares the themes of strength, loneliness, and determination.  The singular poem by the same name serves as a great read for an individual lesson.

“ The Negro Speaks of Rivers ” by Langston Hughes – This poem serves as a great lesson for exploring figurative language.  This annotation lesson facilitates a guided close reading of the poem to teach your students how to annotate.

William Shakespeare’s Sonnets – These classic poems are a great way to explore Shakespeare’s iconic sonnet form.  Students can read one of Shakespeare’s popular sonnets before writing their own using this sonnet writing workshop .

Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong – Vuong is a Vietnamese American poet who recalls memories of grief and war in this full-length collection of poems.  His work is a great example of contemporary poetry.

Teaching Poetry in High School: Tying it All Together

There are so many ways to make poetry fun and engaging for high school students.  I hope this blog post has helped you with a few lesson plans and activities to teach poetry in high school.   It’s really inspiring to see students feeling confident in reading and analyzing poetry, and it makes for great classroom conversations!

Teaching of Poems: 4 Solutions for High School

• September 8, 2021
• AP Literature , Poetry

When my kids come in to AP® Literature as seniors, they often tell me that they hate poetry.  And yet, poetry is a big part of the course.  According to the the AP® Literature and Composition Course and Exam Description, the teaching of poems should be about a third of the course.  So here are some great ways to teach poetry analysis for high school.

What is Poetry Analysis for High School?

When we teach poetry analysis in high school, we are asking kids to look at the language and the structure of the text.  Structure is the key way that poetry differs from prose, so it is important to get kids thinking about the use of lines, line breaks, rhythm and rhyme.  However, poetry analysis also includes crossover skills from prose like character and setting analysis as well as language analysis of figurative language and imagery.

Teaching of Poems in High School

There are a number of ways we can go about teaching poetry analysis for high school starting with direct instruction; however there are also some really fun ways to sneak it in.  So here are some of the ways that I include poetry analysis instruction in my AP® Literature Course and other courses.

Direct Instruction

Sometimes students are so unfamiliar with a topic that they just need a little direct instruction.  This is the method that I use when teaching students about sonnets .  The sonnet form is so specific that a quick mini lesson on what a sonnet is, the patterns in rhythm and rhyme and the types of sonnets.  Sometime I have students read and take notes from the chapter “If it’s Square, it’s a Sonnet” from the first edition of How to Read Literature Like a Professor (or from How to Read Poetry Like a Professor ).  

Once students have a basic understanding of the sonnet form, we then read and annotate together under the document camera, which is followed by a group annotation project and individual practice.  I have a full sonnet mini unit here. And I write all about teaching the sonnet form here .

Teaching of Poems through Daily Practice: Poem of the Week Bell Ringers

One of my favorite ways to sneak poetry instruction in is through Poem of the Week bell ringers .  I initially got this idea from Jim Burke.  He posted about it on the English Companion Ning.  He started Poem of the Week to make sure his students were bringing their books to class each day.  And when I started, this was one of my goals too; however, I soon decided that I wanted to give students poems that they could write on, so I moved into a model where students picked up a copy of their Poem of the Week on Monday and put it into their notebooks in a section we set aside for Poem of the Week.

How I Structure Poem of the Week

On Mondays, students get a copy of a new poem.  They add it to their notebook and read and annotate for meaning.  We discuss the poem fairly quickly, but I usually let the discussion run its natural course which means I don’t try to stretch (I know we will look at the poem several more times), but I also let it keep going if they have things they want to talk about.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I have slides prepared with specific focus questions.  I ask them to read and annotate for a specific idea or technique.  Those prompts include looking at characterization of the speaker, the figurative language, allusions, shifts and structure.

On Friday, I give them a AP® Poetry Essay-style prompt for which they write only a thesis.

I have just started alternating Poem of the Week with Passage of the Week which allows us to focus on close reading in both areas.  If you are looking for no-prep Poem of the Week, check out these .  Get the first lesson free .

Teaching of Poems with a Poetry Slam

The first time I threw a poetry slam, I had literally been teaching less than a month.  As a result of some red tape, a veteran English teacher (Jerry Egger, who I knew from my days as a per diem substitute) had to work for the first three weeks of school so that he could make it to his retirement age birthday.  But they already hired me to replace him.  The result:  I have my own personal mentor teacher for three weeks.

He introduced me to the poetry slam and helped me set one up.  We started first with poems from the text book, then students wrote their own poems and we did two bracket-style competitions.  To this day, I still have the brackets templates in Jerry’s hand in my filing cabinet.  I just can’t bear to part with them even though I haven’t used them in literally decades.

I abandoned the practice of the poetry slam because I felt like there was not enough analysis happening.  That is until I attended a summer PD with Kelly Gallagher.  He showed us how you could use a poetry slam AND include analysis.  So I revived the poetry slam for the teaching poems in my AP® Class.  We did a British Poets vs. American Poets Poetry Slam .  I selected eight representative poems/poets from each country spanning the times from the 1600s, 1700s, early 1800s, late 1800s and early 1900s. Then we had a show down to see who came out the winner.

Two Ways to Do Analysis During a Poetry Slam

You can incorporate analysis in two ways during a poetry slam.  And I imagine you can mix and match although, I used the group method the first year and the digital whiteboard method the second year due to hybrid instruction which had half my students in-person and half at home on any given class day.  Which ever method you choose, students should have access to paper or personal copies of the poems that they can continue to annotate as the poems move through the competition.

Small groups

Put students into groups they will be in for the whole poetry slam.  Students then annotate and discuss the two poems in contention.  They must note the aesthetics and the author’s moves, in other words, the author’s craft. Come to consensus and submit one vote for the group with rationale. Discuss the results as a full class.

I ndividual (or pairs)  

Have students work individually and then use a digital platform that allows students to anonymously post responses to the poems.  I used NearPod, but if your school doesn’t use that platform, you could also use a combination of Jamboard and Forms.  Post prompts that ask students first what they find aesthetically appealing about the poem and then a second prompt that asks them about the author’s moves.  Each student gets an opportunity to weigh in.  

I like NearPod for the fact that students can post anonymously while I know who is writing what.  In the individual method, I rehash what the students’ comments and observations.  Since I know who wrote what but the students don’t (and don’t necessarily know that I know), I can boost up students who are timid or unsure.  I sometime choose a statement and ask students to defend it or comment further.  Then use the NearPod platform or slides to allow students to vote.  

My preference

I actually think I like the version that uses the digital platforms.  I might try a combination of the two methods which has the students discuss in groups first and then is followed up by individual comments on the digital platform with digital voting.  This of course is easier to do if you are a 1:1 district.

Get your ready made British Poets vs. American Poets here .

Update: For more on hosting a poetry slam, be sure to check out this post: 5 Topics for Poetry Slams.

Student Curated Poetry Anthologies

This idea is a combination of something I saw on the English Companion Ning and a project in Jim Burke’s book What’s the Big Idea? (2010).  I actually use this as my research assignment for AP® Lit.  Students choose a theme or topic that interests them, then they find 12-15 poems that are related to the topic (by authors of literary merit) which they compile in an anthology.

The thing I love most about this project is the sheer volume of poetry the students must read.  However, it is also great because there is so much choice involved.  Students get to pick their topic and the poems they will include.  Poetry analysis comes in through a variety of doors.  They must choose the order of the poems and explain it through the introduction and then students must choose two poems to write about more formally in the Appendix.

The Story of the Appendix in the Student Curated Poetry Anthologies

Some years, I use Google Forms to have my students evaluate the course.  There is no rhyme or reason to the years I choose to do this, but one year, with a particularly great group of kids, one of the girls told me that she liked the poetry anthology project but didn’t actually think it served a strong enough purpose toward the goals of the course.  As I evaluated, I agreed with her, so I added to the project by asking kids to select two poems from their collections on which to do a a formal analysis.  These essays go into an appendix which includes the two essays and annotations of all the poems included in the anthology.

Find the Student Curated Poetry Anthology here .

Teaching Poetry Analysis for High School

These are just some of the methods I use for teaching of poems and poetry analysis in my AP® Literature classes.  I have use some of these same methods with my English 11 classes and they work well there too.  I would love to know what works for you when teaching poetry analysis in high school.  Leave your experiences and ideas in the comments below.

Related Resources for the Teaching of Poems

Don’t forget to grab your first Poem of the Week here .

Looking for ideas for teaching short stories, check out how I use Flash Fiction in high school English .

For more on Poem of the Week, check out Teaching Poetry Analysis through Poem of the Week

Teaching of Poems Round Up: Teaching Poetry in High School ELA

For all things teaching poetry, check out Lesa at Smith Teaches 9 to 12 . You could start with 23 Poets to Teach This Year in English .

And if you are a Taylor Swift fan, you might try How to Teach Taylor Swift as Poetry for High School Students (from Becca at The ReWrite Teacher)

Shop this Post

Poetry Analysis through Poem of the Week

Try a Sonnet Mini Unit

Use a Poetry Slam: British Poets vs. American Poets

Expose your students to lots of poetry through Student Curated Poetry Anthologies

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31 Engaging Poems for High School English Class

May 1, 2019 //  by  Lindsay Ann //   5 Comments

Sharing is caring!

As an English teacher, I know the feeling of trying to find poems for high school English classes that engage students and  allow me to teach important skills. We all know if students are  interested, that’s half of the battle, am I right? These poems to analyze are suggestions for your classroom based on student engagement in my own classes. If something works, I want to share it!

I don’t buy into the whole “teenagers hate poetry” angle. Oh, we’d better brace ourselves…there’s  poetry coming. No. On the contrary, I find poetry to be accessible, a starting place to teach students to analyze and respond to complex texts. Before I assume the problem is my students, I must ask about my approach and about the poems I’m feeding them.

Check it out: Jason Reynolds claims that poetry can help students love literature.

How to Analyze Poems with High school Students

The method you use to guide students in a reading and/or analysis of a poem depends on your class and goals for the lesson. What skills are you currently working on? How does this poem fit into the larger scope of your unit?  Maybe you want to use a more inquiry-driven, organic approach to poetry analysis (my favorite), or maybe your students need a little bit more focus and structure. Here are a few of my favorite strategies for in-class poetry analysis.

Poetry Reading & Analysis Strategies

Guided reading of a poem:.

For this approach, read the poem aloud with students following along. Give students something specific to mark the text for, and pause for paired or group discussions. You want to move students from basic comprehension to noticing organization and style. This strategy flows well into color-coding a poem for meaningful diction, imagery, and figurative language. I find that it’s best to take an “I notice… I wonder…” approach, avoiding prescriptive “teaching” of poems for high school students. You want to, through guided reading and marking the text, allow students to “discover” meaning, using inquiry and questioning to draw out how the details contribute to bigger meaning.

Choose ONE & Argue:

Once you’ve chosen poems for high school students to analyze, it can be tempting to focus on EVERYTHING. Slow your roll. This is how teachers can ruin poetry (or any reading, for that matter) for students. Sometimes, less is more. Read the poem, asking students to mark only ONE detail in each stanza (or choose a number of lines to read before pausing). This strategy works because if forces students to consider what the most important  detail in each stanza or line range is. Then, discussion flows naturally as students have to defend their choices by explaining  why.

TPCASTT (An Oldie, but Goodie):

This well-known strategy for poetry analysis is like a multi-layered sandwich, asking students to consider the meaning of the title, paraphrase parts of the poem in their own words, think about words and their connotations or implied meanings, think about the author / reader’s attitude (a.k.a. mood and tone), think through any shifts in meaning, tone, etc., and then return to re-consider the title and its meaning.

Write the Gist (A Summary Strategy):

This strategy works well for both poetry and longer fiction / nonfiction texts. The idea is that students will chunk the text (stanza divisions work naturally for this purpose). After reading each chunk, ask students to write a one sentence summary of that portion of the text. In the end, ask students to put their sentences together for a full summary of the text. This is a great way to talk about interesting details and overall meaning and message as well as summary-writing skills. A great next step that builds from this strategy is the Summary-Response strategy. After writing a clear and representative summary of the poem, students will write a journal response. You can have them write off of a line from the poem, write to the author of the poem, write about a theme or idea in the poem, or write about personal / societal connections to the poem.

Mentor Text Response:

One of my favorite ways to use poems, for high school classes, (and slam poetry ) is to have students read, discuss in Socratic seminar , and write their own emulations. Poems are great mentor texts! This also prompts organic discussion about figurative language, word choice, and style.

QFT (An Inquiry Strategy):

This strategy is fun, and comes with rules.

• As a small group, come up with as many questions as you can in the next 5 minutes!
• Use the FULL time!
• Write each question down on a post-it note.
• Do not stop to answer, judge, or discuss the questions.
• Write down every question exactly as it is stated.
• Change any statement into a question. 

The premise of this strategy is that students need to be given the time and space to ask questions. Students, in small groups (3-4) read the poem together. Then, arm each group with a stack of sticky notes and make sure they’re aware of (and follow) norms. Set the timer, and tell students to generate as many questions as possible about the poem in that amount of time. If you wish, you can set this up in a couple different rounds, progressing from general questions about the text to more specific questions about the text. For the second round, you would set the timer again (a smaller time frame, perhaps) and give a more specific focus such as “author’s style” or “figurative language.” You can even use a picture or short video to prompt a new round of question-asking. Then, when students have brainstormed, have them sort the questions. You can sort by open vs. closed-ended questions, you can have them determine which questions are higher-level vs. lower-level, or you can have them sort by which questions are most interesting vs. predictable.

At this point, you may want to have each student choose 1-2 questions to answer for homework.

You could also have each group set a discussion agenda by choosing a certain number of thought-provoking questions to discuss on the next day of class. You could have each group post top questions to a Padlet and use this to springboard whole-class discussion and/or journal response to the poem. 

Can you tell I love this strategy?!

EPIC LIST: POEMS FOR HIGH SCHOOL

This list of poems for high school English class contains some of my favorites, giving a mix of styles and movements, but with an emphasis on ideas that engage. Themes that resonate with students, poems that are written in accessible, yet “cool” ways…these are the poems I love. Students can relate to these poems because of their honesty, thematic ideas, and universal truths. What’s more, these poems work well with the strategies above, as well as  reading stations in the English classroom .

• Tattoo by Ted Kooser → This poem almost went “all the way” in my March Madness poetry competition. Students liked the straightforward nature of the poem, but also discussed the symbolic meaning of a “tattoo” and how our experiences are unseen tattoos. Also, they discussed quite well the human tendency to pass judgment, talking about the perspective of the narrator in th e poem.
• Wheels by Jim Daniels → The idea of moving forward instead of staying stuck in the past is an idea that teenagers can get behind, especially my sophomores who are eager to say goodbye to their childhood and take on increasing responsibilities and freedoms. You’ll want to call students’ attention to the author’s use of syntax, alliteration, and repetition.
• Loud Music by Stephen Dobyns → For most of my students, music = life, so this poem about how music is the universal human language is one they enjoy. You’ll want to call students’ attention to the author’s use of line divisions, similes, and the symbolism in the last four lines.
• Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas → The rhythm of this poem makes it one of my favorites, with the focus centering around life vs. death. Students grasp the light symbolism immediately and enjoy unpacking this poem.
• Ode to Dirt by Sharon Olds → A nature poem at its core, with lovely and thought-provoking metaphors, by the time one is finished reading it, reflection turns to deeper issues such as the equality of humans despite their differences and the never-ending circle of life.
• Gee, You’re So Beautiful That It’s Starting to Rain by Richard Brautigan → This poem is about so much more than Marcia’s beauty which is what students will want to discuss at first read-through. Draw students’ attention to the simile and use of assonance in lines 4-5 to establish a tone.
• How to Listen by Major Jackson → This poem’s opening line simile helps students to envision the idea of attentive listening that Major Jackson wants to emphasize. Students should notice repetition and polysyndeton and think about the meaning in the small details of each day.
• Happiness by Jane Kenyon → Personification is used artfully in this poem to make the abstract idea of happiness come to life. Interestingly, it is not human in search of happiness in the first part of the poem, but happiness in search of human. Students should also notice the shift in the end of the poem to show the universality of happiness, how it comes to everyone. The question is, will it be recognized and received, and in what form will it show up?
• Eating Poetry by Mark Strand → In this poem, consuming poetry changes the narrator and brings out his wild side. Students should consider the role of the librarian vs. the narrator. What is the difference between being surrounded by words and being changed by them?
• “Hope” is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson → Emily Dickinson takes the abstract idea of “hope” and compares it to a bird, emphasizing that hope endures.
• Honest Poem by Rudy Francisco → This is one of my favorite poems for high school students! A quirky confessional, this poem appeals to listeners because it is authentic. While this poem appeals at a gut-level, there is also symbolic significance to a lot of the speaker’s confessions.
• When Giving is All We Have by Alberto Ríos → This poem celebrates that people are united through generosity, making the world a better place.
• Miracles by Walt Whitman → This poem has religious undertones as the author speaks to the fact that all aspects of creation are miraculous. Life is a miracle.
• In a Station of the Metro by Ezra Pound → At just two lines, this poem still packs a punch. You may want to introduce students to the idea of an “ Imagist ” poem. The driving image in this poem is anonymous faces as fallen petals. Consider how the author uses hard sounds, why a nature image is chosen for such an industrial location, and why faces are described as apparitions.
• From  Milk & Honey by Rupi Kaur → It’s hard to pick a favorite from this work that combines illustration with poetry. Click on the link to grab a copy of these poems for your high school classroom library or do a Google image search to find your favorites.
• The Black Santa by Allison Joseph and/or The Death of Santa Claus by Charles Harper Webb → Depending on your audience, one or the other Santa poem might work better (or have students read them both!).
• Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle → This poem is inspired by a real life girl who defied Cuba’s taboo against female drummers. It’s a poem that’s easy to read and appreciate, to read and discuss gender and equality.
• One Today by Richard Blanco → This poem was written for and shared at Barack Obama’s Inauguration. As such, it has themes of patriotism and celebrates the “everyday” Americans’ power as a collective whole – WE are the light, and the bonds of citizenship unite us.
• Manifesto of the Lyric Selfie by Becca Klaver → This poem explores the impact of selfishness, suggesting that looking inward is unnatural and results in destruction.
• The Facebook Sonnet by Sherman Alexie → Along the same lines as the last poem, this poem questions the value of social media, claiming that it pulls us into the past, causes us to act fake, and blurs the line between public and private. Though most students don’t use Facebook, this poem is applicable to whatever social media is popular for them.
• Fifth Grade Autobiography by Rita Dove → This poem is written about a photo. A great assignment for students is to write about a photo from their own childhood, thinking about the details that are both seen and unseen in the image / moment.
• If They Should Come for Us by Fatima Asghar → This poem is particularly relevant in today’s society. The author creates parallels to the Holocaust, helping the reader to question the impact of ignoring history’s lessons. Students may need to look up unfamiliar language, and you’ll want to ask them why the author might have chosen NOT to use punctuation or capitalization.
• America by Claude McKay → This poem is written in the form of a Shakespearean rhyming sonnet, with three quatrains and a couplet. It is interesting to consider the author’s depiction of how he is in an abusive relationship with America.
• Digging by Seamus Heaney → The author of the poem digs into his family history and uses sounds artfully. It is interesting to consider how the author continues his family tradition of farming, except with difference. He digs into the soil of words and grows ideas.
• At the Gym by Mark Doty → This poem takes a commonplace activity, going to the gym, and springboards to deeper ideas such as the human desire for power and control, vanity, and vulnerability in the face of burdens.
• Still I Rise   by Maya Angelou → This is a poem of empowerment, one that has rhythm and interest, that sets up tension between the speaker and the audience as the speaker “rises” above obstacles and judgments. Click on the link if you need some ready-to-go lesson plans and resources pairing this poem with Tupac’s song by the same name.
• Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost → This short little rhyming poem comes full circle, returning by the last line to the opening image of “gold.” There is an allusion to Eden, and the overall idea that perfection and beauty are temporary in the face of time and nature.
• Common Things by Christopher Kondrich → Is it a statue or a commentary on gun laws? The author uses 10 “common things” to comment on life vs. death and humans as weapons.
• Lies I Tell by Sara Borjas → This is a prose poem about the stories we like to tell ourselves. Truth is relative.
• Why Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog by Taylor Mali → This poem develops an overall comparison between dog ownership and love relationships, drawing many humorous and interesting parallels between the two.

I hope that you’ve found a poem (or two or three) to love in this list.

I’d love to meet you in the comments!  What grade do you teach and where? Which one of these poems is your favorite? How will you use these poems and/or strategies in your classroom?

Free Guide to Teaching Slam Poetry!

And finally, as a huge thank you for reading my blog, I have put together a free guide to building excitement for slam poetry . Whether you’re new to the slam poetry game or have been teaching it for years, I’d love for you to take a look and download it today!

About Lindsay Ann

Lindsay has been teaching high school English in the burbs of Chicago for 19 years. She is passionate about helping English teachers find balance in their lives and teaching practice through practical feedback strategies and student-led learning strategies. She also geeks out about literary analysis, inquiry-based learning, and classroom technology integration. When Lindsay is not teaching, she enjoys playing with her two kids, running, and getting lost in a good book.

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Reader Interactions

May 3, 2020 at 6:48 pm

Thank you so much for all of this great information! I’m student teaching right now and it’s been a bit of struggle to think of ways to integrate poetry as a medium that is approachable and interesting. I love this list! I’m planning on teaching The Outsiders next year once I have my own classroom (as an Oklahoman, I almost feel like it’s a required text), so I love that you’ve included “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”

May 5, 2020 at 11:55 pm

Claire, thank you so much for reading and commenting! I’m so glad that you found the list and ideas useful. I have fond memories of reading The Outsiders when I was in school – I hope that your students it too.

July 25, 2021 at 4:18 pm

Thank you! Your list of poems was exactly what I needed to get past our poetry plateau and explore some new authors. Your experience and advice reignited my excitement to teach the love of poetry.

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How to Analyze Poetry: 5 Ways to Complete Poetry Analysis in the Secondary ELA Classroom

Reading poetry is one of the most valuable lessons in high school English classes. There is so much to learn from each poem, and each analysis adds value to both the current poem students are studying and to future poems. However, teaching students how to analyze poetry can be rather difficult. Here are five ways students can begin to analyze poetry.

1. How to Analyze Poetry: Annotate the Poem

The best way for students to begin analyzing poetry is for them to make a note of the things they notice. Making use of the margins of the poem, students can take notes on the structure of the poem and various poetic devices they find. Students can also take note of the parts that interest them or the various elements that contribute to the theme. Annotating a poem allows the student to understand further precisely what the poem is saying, and it also forces students to take a deeper, closer look at the poem. My Annotating Poetry Made Easy lesson provides students with a systematic way to annotate poetry to make it more accessible to students.

2. How to Analyze Poetry: Identify Recurring Devices and Images

Identifying the details that are repeated throughout the poem gives students a better understanding of the poem, especially since poets tend to repeat certain elements for emphasis. Once they begin to notice the commonalities among the poem, the poem can be better analyzed. Identifying these recurring devices can be done through annotations in the margins or through other note-taking methods. My Poetry Analysis with Sticky Notes unit helps students identify various poetic devices.

3. How to Analyze Poetry: Read the Poem Multiple Times

4. How to Analyze Poetry: Ask Questions

Questioning what is being read is a great way to analyze poetry. Students will always have questions about poems, such as what is this poem really about? What do these images represent? Why is this poem important? Poetry lends itself to questions and questions help to create and build the analysis of a poem. When students spend time asking themselves these questions, they are already analyzing the poem, without even realizing it and their analysis overall will be better for it.

5. How to Analyze PoetryL Read the Poem Out Loud

Poetry is meant to be read aloud. Having students read the poem out loud will allow them to hear the poem as it is intended to be heard, and this will enable them to analyze it even better. Hearing different rhythms and rhymes aloud will give them the chance to notice parts for their analysis. Reading it out loud makes students notice the little details that make this poem different than any other they have read.

While students may not always appreciate poetry at the time of studying it, poetry analysis can prove to help their writing and literary careers. These methods of poetry analysis will help students in many valuable ways.

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Poetry Analysis of 6 Poems (with answer keys) | High School Poetry Unit

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In this  High School Poetry Packet , your students will read, study, and analyze six famous poems! Perfect for any Poetry Unit!

This packet is a wonderful tool because you can have students complete the literary analysis questions in a variety of ways: whole-class, independently, or collaboratively.

The 6 poems included in this packet are:

• Sonnet V by Shakespeare
• “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost
• “I’m happiest when most away” by Emily Brontë
• “The Tyger” by William Blake
• “When I have Fears That I May Cease to Be” by John Keats
• “If” by Rudyard Kipling

In this packet, students will work on poetry skills such as: rhyme scheme, rhyme, imagery, assonance, consonance, caesura, anaphora, alliteration, theme, tone, mood, personification, enjambment, connotation, and more.

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It’s March and you know that means it’s time to teach your students how to write an analysis on a poem. As National Poetry Month descends, your feeds are inundated with poetry activities, poems to teach, and of course poetry march madness brackets. You want to teach poetry but there are just too many ways to teach poetry analysis and too many good poems for analysis. If you are starting to feel overwhelmed with your choices, let me help you! I have crafted a list of six easy poems to analyze and included activities for teaching poetry with each one. If you are ready for a teacher rewrite of your poetry unit, look no further! 

Before I share my best poems for teaching poetry analysis, I want to share with you my Graphic Organizer for Poetry . I use a different handout from these print or digital graphic organizers for each of the poems on my list. By using the T. S.W.I.F.T. acronym, students will analyze the Tone, Structure, Word Choice, Imagery, Figurative Language, and Theme of any poem. All graphic organizers allow you to customize your lesson to the poem(s) of your choice. This is one of my favorite English teacher resources that I use for my poetry unit. Keep reading below to see how I use this graphic organizer for poetry in my poetry unit. 

Why Make Teaching Poetry Fun?

The perils of poetry.

Have you ever been excited to start your poetry unit just to be met with groans and complaining? Students never seem to have a good reaction to my announcement of this unit. No matter how many engaging lessons I have given them already in the semester, they just do not seem to trust that I can make poetry exciting for them. 

Every semester, I would search for fun activities to create poems such as blackout poetry, haiku writing competitions, concrete poem imagery, etc. These poem projects are a lot of fun but here’s the issue: that’s not what my students will be tested on, nor is that the focus of my class. Now before you criticize me, take a moment to consider what I’m saying. I believe that my focus especially in 10th grade English is to teach analysis. While creating poetry helps to engage students, what’s the purpose? Will that help my students find the deeper meaning? Maybe. Will they be able to identify the theme and write a paragraph about it? Probably not. 

We need to stop making it too simple for our students. Poetry can be difficult but creating a pretty poem project won’t help my students think deeply. So while I still allow some days of poetry creation in my class, we are moving past that to really analyze a poem.  But to do that, I needed to find poems that would not intimidate my students. That’s where my list of six easy poems comes in to help. 

Why You Can Totally Teach Poetry Your Kids Will Enjoy

Before you panic and scrap everything you have planned, take a breath. Friend, I have you covered! In this post, I have given you six easy poems to analyze and included the activity and the resource you can use with each poem. There is nothing to think about! Your unit can have the teacher rewrite sparkle without any work. Analyzing poetry can be a daunting task, especially for those new to the subject. However, there are some poems that are easier to analyze than others. If you’re looking for some beginner-friendly poems to analyze in your high school English class, I’ve got you covered. Here are six poems that are perfect for building your students’ skills and confidence.

Six of the Easiest Poems to Analyze

“i’d wish you disappear” by watts-the-deal.

“I’d Wish You Disappear” by Watts-the-Deal is a powerful and emotive poem that explores the painful experience of betrayal in a relationship. Through vivid imagery and raw honesty, the speaker wishes for the disappearance of their unfaithful lover, acknowledging the heartache and trauma caused by their actions. 

When read from bottom to top, “I’d Wish You Disappear” by Watts-the-Deal takes on a completely different meaning. The poem tells the story of a broken relationship that ends with a tender expression of love and forgiveness. As the lines are read in reverse, the bitterness and anger of the initial wish gradually give way to a deep longing for reconciliation and healing. The poem’s surprising reversal of meaning when read in reverse highlights the complexity of human emotions and the power of forgiveness and redemption to heal even the deepest wounds.

“I’d Wish You Disappear” by Watts-the-Deal is an excellent poem for teaching tone in a classroom setting. The poem’s emotional depth and vivid imagery make it an engaging text for students to analyze and interpret the tone. I have my students analyze the mood and tone in one direction of the poem. Then they consider how the tone changes when read from top to bottom and then bottom to top. 

By teaching tone with “I’d Wish You Disappear,” students can gain a deeper understanding of the importance of tone in literature, and develop their analytical and creative writing skills. Want a tone handout that is ready to use with your poem? Check out my Graphic Organizer for Poetry . 

“Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” is a powerful and emotional poem that urges readers to fight against death and to live their lives with passion and purpose. With its intense imagery and compelling language, the poem encourages readers to resist the inevitability of death and to embrace the fullness of life, making it a stirring and unforgettable call to action.

Teaching the structure of “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” can be a useful exercise in helping students understand how form can contribute to the meaning and impact of a poem. Here are a few strategies for teaching the structure of this poem:

• Analyze the rhyme scheme: “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” follows a strict villanelle form, with a specific rhyme scheme and repeated lines. Help students identify the rhyme scheme (ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA) and discuss how it contributes to the overall meaning and tone of the poem.
• Examine the repetition: The repetition of the lines “Do not go gentle into that good night” and “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” is a key aspect of the poem’s structure. Encourage students to consider why Thomas chose to repeat these lines and what effect it has on the reader.
• Discuss the use of metaphor: Thomas uses a number of metaphors throughout the poem to convey his message about fighting against death. Help students identify these metaphors (e.g. “dying of the light,” “close of day”) and discuss how they contribute to the poem’s meaning.

By teaching the structure of “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” you can help students gain a deeper understanding of how form can contribute to the meaning and impact of a poem. If you want a handout that focuses on the stanzas and the rhyme scheme of a poem, you can snag my Graphic Organizer for Poetry . 

“Plants” by Olive Senior

The poem “Plants” by Olive Senior uses an intriguing word choice that gives the reader a sense of the grandeur and tenacity of the plant world. The poem has an ironic tone, suggesting that plants are not as innocent as they appear, and their seemingly peaceful nature masks a more complex and sinister agenda.

The poet uses words like “deceptive,” “sinister,” “imperialistic,” and “colonizing” to describe the plant world, implying that plants have a master plan to conquer the earth. She also uses vivid metaphors to describe how plants spread and reproduce, with words like “explosive dispersal” and “shoots bent on conquest.”

Moreover, Olive Senior uses words like “extravagant,” “reckless,” and “improvident” to describe the plant’s nature, which reflects its ability to thrive in seemingly inhospitable environments. The poet also describes how plants use beauty and fragrance to lure insects and other pollinators to help them propagate.

Overall, the word choice in “Plants” by Olive Senior creates a sense of wonder and awe for the plant world while highlighting the hidden dangers that plants can pose to other living organisms. The poem encourages readers to think about the world in a new way, as a place where every living being is engaged in a constant struggle for survival and dominance.

“Plants” by Olive Senior is an excellent poem to teach students about word choice. As a teacher, you can ask your students to read the poem and identify the sensory details and vivid imagery used by the poet to describe plants. Encourage them to pay attention to the adjectives and verbs that Senior uses to bring the plants to life in the reader’s mind. Need a handout that focuses on word choice, grab a copy of my Graphic Organizer for Poetry . 

“Charge of the Light Brigade” by Lord Alfred Tennyson

“Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred” – Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Charge of the Light Brigade” is a gripping and powerful poem that vividly captures the bravery and sacrifice of soldiers in the midst of war. With its iconic opening line and rhythmic verse, Tennyson’s masterpiece immortalizes the heroic charge of the British cavalry in the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War, while also highlighting the tragic consequences of miscommunication and leadership errors. This poem continues to inspire and captivate readers with its stirring portrayal of courage and honor in the face of adversity.

Teaching imagery using “Charge of the Light Brigade” can be a powerful way to help students understand and appreciate the sensory details that poets use to create vivid and engaging literary works. Here are some steps that teachers can take to teach imagery with this poem:

• Read the poem aloud: Start by reading the poem aloud to your class, emphasizing the rhythm and flow of the verse.
• Identify sensory details: Ask your students to identify the sensory details that Tennyson uses in the poem. For example, the “thundered” cannons, the “shattered” army, and the “smoked and channeled” guns.
• Visualize the scene: Have your students close their eyes and visualize the scene of the charge, using the sensory details to create a mental image.
• Create a sensory chart: Ask your students to create a sensory chart for the poem, listing the different sensory details that Tennyson uses and the emotions and feelings that they evoke.

By following these steps, teachers can help students deepen their understanding of “Charge of the Light Brigade” while also developing their skills in analyzing and creating imagery in poetry. Looking for a simple way to have your students analyze sensory details in a poem? Check out my Graphic Organizer for Poetry . 

“If” by Rudyard Kipling

“If” by Rudyard Kipling is a timeless poem that inspires readers to embrace courage, perseverance, and self-discipline in the face of adversity. With its powerful and memorable phrases, including “If you can keep your head when all about you / Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,” the poem encourages us to strive for greatness while remaining humble and grounded. Through its wisdom and insight, “If” continues to resonate with readers of all ages and backgrounds, reminding us of the importance of integrity and inner strength in achieving our goals and living a meaningful life.

One effective way to teach figurative language with “If” by Rudyard Kipling is to focus on the many examples of literary devices used throughout the poem. For example, the poem contains several examples of metaphor, such as “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same.” This line uses the metaphor of Triumph and Disaster as impostors to convey the idea that success and failure are temporary and ultimately unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

Another literary device used in the poem is personification, such as in the line “If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,” which personifies virtue as something that can be kept or lost. By identifying and analyzing these examples of figurative language, students can deepen their understanding of the poem and develop their skills in identifying and interpreting literary devices. Use my Graphic Organizer for Poetry to easily identify and track the figurative language in a poem. 

“So Much Happiness” by Naomi Shihab Nye

“So Much Happiness” by Naomi Shihab Nye is a poem that celebrates the joy and beauty that can be found in everyday moments. With vivid imagery and a heartfelt tone, Nye reminds us to appreciate the small things in life that bring us happiness and to cherish the connections we make with the people around us. This uplifting and thought-provoking piece is sure to leave readers feeling inspired and grateful for the many blessings in their lives.

One effective way to teach theme using “SO Much Happiness” by Naomi Shihab Nye is to have students identify the central message or underlying idea conveyed in the poem. They can start by reading the poem closely and looking for patterns or recurring motifs in the imagery, language, and tone.

Next, ask students to consider what the poem suggests about the nature of happiness and how it can be found in everyday life. Encourage them to use evidence from the text to support their ideas and draw connections to their own experiences.

Finally, have students explore how the theme of the poem relates to larger issues or universal human experiences. For example, they could discuss how the poem speaks to the importance of finding joy in the midst of difficult circumstances, or how it highlights the value of simple pleasures and connections with others. Want to start with poetry theme analysis tomorrow? Check out my Graphic Organizer for Poetry to get started. 

More Resources with Examples of Poetry Analysis

How to Teach Taylor Swift as Poetry for High School Students

T SWIFT Poetry Analysis

Teaching Poetry Analysis through Poem of the Week

23 Poets to Teach This Year

The best way to teach poetry analysis is to practice, practice, practice. By focusing on different poetic elements with these six easy poems, your students will gain confidence. I love how simple it became for my students to analyze a poem once we had a system in place with the T SWIFT Poetry Analysis method. 

I hope you love these poem choices and you try them out with your students. I would love to hear what new ways you use these poems. If you have some new ideas or new ways to use these poems or have better poem suggestions, tag me or send me a DM @theteacherrewrite on Instagram. You can always see what other great things I am working on in my classroom by checking out my blog . If you do decide that you want to start using these strategies right away check out my Graphic Organizer for Poetry resource so you can start tomorrow. With these poems, you are now ready to show your students how to write an analysis on a poem.

Download Your FREE Literary Analysis Essay Writing Teacher Toolkit Today!

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Teaching how to write a literary analysis essay can be tough. If you want to simplify the writing process for your students while making sure you don’t forget any steps, then this toolkit is made for you!

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8 Outstanding Poetry Activities For High School

Teaching poetry is a highlight of my homeschool. We enjoy poetry as a family each day during our Morning Time . Over the years, we’ve learned serious poems , fun poems , and even some Psalms . Poetry has enhanced our family culture, given us a shared language, and even sparked inside jokes. Poetry expands our world and promotes a sense of wonder, and is an essential part of a classical education . The homeschooling high school years are a great time to deepen your teens’ love for and understanding of poetry.

Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day in Late April

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The Value of High School Poetry Study

Poetry is a critical component of any high school English course. Poems teach beautiful vocabulary, elegant rhetorical devices, and deep reminders of truth . Charlotte Mason wrote in her fifth volume that, “Poetry takes first rank as a means of intellectual culture.”

Poetry takes a big idea that could be the subject of an entire essay, and distills it down to its most essential and most beautiful words . John Donne’s “Death Be Not Proud” addresses the limited power of death in a hundred and twenty-three words. “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost touches on how the changing of the seasons points to the fall of man in the garden of Eden, and does this in a mere forty words. 

Poetry also trains our high schoolers in metaphorical thinking . Understanding the subtleties of language and symbolism is imperative for thinking critically, examining a wide range of ideas, and making connections. The way a poem teaches us to think impacts teen’s overall academic, spiritual, and emotional maturity.

The essential first step is to love poetry . Learning to love poetry is a process. Mom’s enthusiasm plays a key role here. You can’t expect your teens to joyfully embrace poetry if you’re mumbling, droning on, or not even participating at all. Unapologetically displaying your own enthusiasm sets the foundation for a successful poetry study. Choose poetry that you love , and then share that love with your students. Have fun with it! 

Fight the urge to dissect and analyze every poem to death . If you wanted your child to love birds, you wouldn’t simply dissect birds over and over. Instead, you would look at pictures of birds, read about birds, and go birdwatching in real life. The delight is in the whole, not in the dissected bits. 

Knowing the mechanics of poetry is a valuable skill , even if it is not the primary purpose of poetry. Even so, learning the mechanics and learning to delight are not mutually exclusive. Both can go beautifully together. In fact, teens often will appreciate poems more deeply as they begin to learn the nuances of poetic construction.

Resist analysis paralysis. It’s more important to begin than to worry about selecting the best or most perfect poems ! If you already have a favorite poet, begin there. If not, visit your local library and pick up an anthology. You just might discover a new literary favorite. 

Don’t get bogged down with a poet you don’t enjoy. It’s ok to occasionally move on from a particular poem to another poet’s writings instead. You want poetry to be a delight, rather than a drudgery, after all. But don’t be afraid to persevere even when it’s hard. Some of the most beautiful things we learn come in the midst of the struggle.

The high school years are a time to remind our teens that they are the ones being judged by great works of literature , not the other way around. Cultivating a humble approach towards classic poetry is part of growing in wisdom.

8 Poetry Activities for High School: Everything You Need to Capture Their Attention

Choose Some Poems to Memorize 

My list of 100 of the Best Poems to Memorize in Morning Time can help you get started. You can even download a free printable checklist of the 100 Best Poems to help you track your progress. 

Set a reasonable goal for your semester or year. I usually select 4-6 poems for us to memorize each semester. Don’t try to memorize a dozen poems all at once – that’s a recipe for burnout! 

We use a loop schedule. On the first day, we read Poem #1. On the second day, we read Poem #2, and so forth. Once you’ve read each poem, you loop back to Poem #1. You can never fall behind with this method. You simply pick up where you had left off during the previous session. 

Knowing a poem by heart helps it to sink into your soul . The process of slowing down and repeating it builds a deeper understanding. 

If selecting a few poems out of a hundred feels overwhelming, take a look at the 12 Poems Every Child and Adult Should Memorize and Know by Heart instead. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to have a fruitful poetry study. 

An imperfect thing you actually do is better than the perfect thing you never start!

Remember that poetry memorization is not about drill and dull repetition . Repeating only tiny phrases at a time results in losing the elegant flow of the language, and the flow is half the point of poetry. It does not need to be word perfect either. 

The best way to memorize your selected poem is by simply reading it with your teen. Read it together once per day, and you’ll be astounded by how quickly they commit it to memory. Some teens may also enjoy copying poetry in their reading journals or illustrating poems in their art notebook. 

Learn More About the Mechanics of Poetry

Learn the building blocks of poetry, literature, and metaphorical language with an introductory high school poetry curriculum like The Grammar of Poetry or The Art of Poetry . It’s not as complicated as you might think to learn key terms like meter, rhyme scheme, scansion, and more. And as your high school student develops familiarity with the art of poetry, they will further appreciate each poet’s unique skill and style.

Grammar of Poetry – Introduction from Compass Cinema & Classroom on Vimeo .

✔4 Questions to Ask Before Planning

✔7 Steps to an Easy Homeschool Plan

If you prefer to study poetry mechanics on your own, start with a list of key poetry terms high schoolers should know . Work through a list of important poems from a variety of eras and styles . And include the habit of scansion for at least a few of those poems. Whether you create your own unit study or use a textbook, poetry can be a great high school elective.

Integrate Poetry with Other Subjects

I like to integrate poetry study with our current history study whenever possible. For example, if you are studying ancient civilizations, you might consider learning about the opening lines of The Iliad by Homer, “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” or an excerpt from Virgil’s Aeneid. I have a resource pack with poems to go alongside a study of the Middle Ages here. And “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a perfect complement to early American history.

When poetry is integrated with history, your students are able to easily make their own connections. Knowing the broader context enriches your poetry study, and knowing beautiful words about a historical event cements the true story in your student’s mind. 

It’s also important to include poetry in your high school English literature class. Compare and contrast the ideas found in contemporary fiction, essays, and poems. Writing a literary analysis essay on a poem is slightly different than writing one on a novel or short story, and is an important skill to develop. My teens have enjoyed Great Books classes from Kristen Rudd and CenterforLit , all of which have incorporated poetry in the course plan and reading list.

You can even combine subjects like science and art with poetry. Blackout poetry, Ekphrastic poems, and concrete poems are just a few ways to join poetry and your fine arts lessons .

Poetry Free Writing 

Poetry free writing is simply allowing your student to play with words. For the purposes of the free writing exercise, mechanics are not important. It does not have to be in complete sentences or proper poetic form. The structures do not need to be perfect. Free writing is low stress. 

I have a whole video on poetry free writing available here.  This can be an activity the whole family enjoys together, but it can also be a low-stress way for a reluctant teen writer to explore poetry without anxiety.

Shakespeare Monologues 

Learning about Shakespeare is a classic amongst possible poetry activities for high school students. There are three steps to a painless Shakespeare study. First, begin with reading a retelling of your chosen Shakespeare play. Our family, including the high schoolers, enjoys Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb . While retellings may be written for children, you are never too old for them! Next, watch some curated clips or full theatrical versions of the play. Shakespeare designed his works to be viewed by audiences, not read in isolation. To conclude your study, memorize a few well-chosen passages or quotes from your chosen play. 

I explain this process in much more depth in my free workshop, Getting Started with Shakespeare . You can also check out my blog post, 6 Shakespeare Monologues Everyone Should Know .

But be sure to have your student read a summary of the play before he or she begins to memorize a monologue . Shakespeare monologues lose their meaning when they’re devoid of context. Understanding the broader plot line aids us in getting caught up in the story.

Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” monologue transforms an overused phrase into a piece of a deep and emotional speech. You must understand the seriousness of Henry V’s situation to fully grasp his call to arms monologue. 

Check out all my curated Shakespeare playlists on my YouTube channel!

Write a Haiku 

A haiku is a traditional Japanese form of poetry . When written in English, a haiku typically consists of 3 lines that follow a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. Writing a haiku is an excellent choice of activity for a reluctant writer. Haikus can be less intimidating to write due to their inherent brevity. 

Traditionally, a haiku is written about nature. However, your student could use the format to write about a topic of his or her choice.

For more information on writing a haiku, visit my blog post, Can You Haiku?

Explore the Great Conversation 

As you read literature, you will discover that many authors reference one another’s work. Conversation Pieces: Poems that Talk to Other Poems walks you through several sets of poems which were written in response to each other. 

Nothing is written in a vacuum. Poets are shaped by culture, by their personal experiences, and by literature they’ve read . Conversation Pieces gives us a glimpse into that process, but the more poems you read with your teens the more connections you will find on your own! Take turns reading a poem aloud and having the listener find another poem that connects thematically.

Poem in Your Pocket Day will be observed next on April 29, 2024. Poem in Your Pocket Day is an initiative put on by the Academy of American Poets. Here are 30 ideas for celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day with your high school students.  These could be fun homeschool high school co-op activities as well.

Be sure to check out my free Poem in Your Pocket Day printables as well!

Additional Resources for Poetry Study

As you plan poetry activities for high school students, you may find the following resources helpful: 

• Curiosity and Surrender: Classical Education, Poetry, and a Longing for Light (with Jennifer Dow)
• Free Year of Memory Work  
• Poetry: Emotions, Thoughts, and the Best-Ordered Words 
• Free Getting Started with Shakespeare Workshop + printables
• How To Teach Your Child Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig 
• Ultimate Poetry Book List
• Memory Work Resource Pack: Middle Ages
• Favorite Poems Old and New , selected by Helen Ferris – If you can only add one poetry anthology to your family’s home library, this one is excellent. My brother and I used it when we were growing up, and I use it with my own children now.
• Norton Anthology of Poetry
• Poetry Resources Available on Amazon  
• Printable Poetry Memory Work  
• Poetry Books for Kids and Teens (and beyond): Ultimate Poetry Book List for All Ages

Thank you to Laura Adams for her help in writing this post.

Related Posts

Reading, Writing, and Making Connections: Homeschooling High School English (with Betsy Farquhar)

12 Poems Every Child and Adult Should Memorize and Know By Heart

Raising Our Expectations:  Homeschooling the High School Years 

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No Series: Poetry in Action: Music, Movement & Analysis

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

• Supporting Materials

Thought starters

• Why does Mr. Beadle engage students in discussion before reading the first poem?
• How does active engagement encourage deep analysis?
• How do students use analogies?

Julia Chope Jul 18, 2013 1:34pm

Saul Solis Jul 18, 2013 12:32pm

david rachlin Jul 2, 2012 8:25am

• Transcript: Poetry in Action: Music, Movement & Analysis
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7 Powerful MUST-TEACH Activities & Poems For High School Students

Jul 6, 2021

7 Powerful MUST-TEACH Activities & Poems For High School Students- I am not sure about you, but I have a difficult time teaching poetry! First, you have to decide what poems inspire you and will inspire your high school students. Then, you have to figure out what standards or skills you want to teach. Finally, you need to choose the assignments your students will need to produce to show you what they have learned!

If you are teaching high school students, it can be even more difficult. So many poems can be too simple and cute or super hard even for most college students. We don’t want to frustrate our students. We want them to become engaged and stay engaged. Read on for 7 Powerful MUST-TEACH Activities & Poems For High School Students !

Need help with Test Prep? Check out this  FREE Pack of 3 Test Prep Activities  to help students achieve success on standardized tests!

Table of Contents

7 Powerful MUST-TEACH Activities & Poems For High School Students

1. poetry boom™ cards.

If you haven’t tried out BOOM ™ Learning , check out this online platform that makes teaching poetry just a LOT more fun! You can set up a classroom for a yearly fee (it’s around $15 for up to 50 students), assign various activities in quiz-like formats, and get data for your classroom and for individual students! Check out my store Integrated ELA Test Prep for poetry quizzes that connect to the standards!

2. Poetry Writing Templates

I am a huge fan of helping students through the use of templates! Using an already-created format can assist our students who want to write but don’t know how to get started. This Poetry Writing Pack encourages students to write a how to poem with specific, detailed language. Make writing poems for high school fun and accessible with this NO PREP lesson!

3. Poetry Device Analysis

Poetry is so much fun, because poems for high school challenge us with the rhythm, rhymes, sounds, and images we can see and hear! Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Bells” includes a ton of onomatopoeia and “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley incorporates lots of alliteration. You could have students choose a literary device, find a poem that contains that device, and explain this device to the class after they read the poem of course!

Here are some devices you can focus on while teaching poems for high school:

• Sounds: alliteration, consonance, assonance
• Figurative Language: metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, anthropomorphism, oxymoron, etc. See HERE for more!
• Syntax:  rhythm, internal rhyme, end rhyme, beats, etc.

Click below to get one of Edgar Allan Poe’s best poems for high school students: “The Bells!”

4. Celebrate National Poetry Month in April

National Poetry Month in the month of April is a time to read, enjoy, and celebrate poetry and poets that really connect with who we are! In 1996, the Academy of American Poets decided that we needed a month dedicated to making the everyday person aware of the people and poems that inspire us in so many ways. Whether you like reading poems by celebrated authors Maya Angelou and  Paul Laurence Dunbar , acting out the  dramatic poems of Edgar Allan Poe , or basking in the Romantics like  Percy Bysshe Shelley  or  William Wordsworth , there is a poem for every student during National Poetry Month!

5. Poems for High School that integrate Social Studies, Physical Education, Science, & Electives

Integration is my jam and it is so easy to integrate various ideas when reading poems for high school! I love weaving everything together in a beautiful tapestry of learning. Nothing needs to be taught in isolation. Instead, we can help students make connections with every topic they encounter through poems for high school!

• Civil Rights & “Harlem” by Langston Hughes
• Civics &  “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman
• Plants &  “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth
• Ancient Civilizations &  “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
• American Revolution &  “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 
• Physical Science &  “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost
• British History &  “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• Music &  “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman
• Film & “The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe

Do you teach short stories? Check out this post with LESSON IDEAS and ACTIVITIES for Edgar Allan Poe Short Stories !

6. Poetry Writing Responses

When it comes to teaching poetry, you don’t really want to read it and move on. You want students to respond in some way. You could have students answer questions about characterization, theme, structure, etc. in quick responses, paragraph-long responses, or in full essays. My personal preference is a quick short response. When students don’t have to write a ton, I see more of a willingness to do the work!

Here is an example based on the poem “The Passerby” by Kristin Menke !

Short Response:  How does the author of “The Passerby” use imagery to set the mood of the poem? Use evidence to support your ideas.

Short Response Paragraph: Sentence-By-Sentence

• Answer the question by referring to the mood
• Incorporate a piece of evidence; be sure to embed the quote
• Explain how the evidence links to the mood
• Incorporate another piece of evidence; be sure to embed the quote
• Reiterate how imagery impacts mood

Want to integrate teaching songs with poetry as you include poems for high school? Check out Poem Song of Myself: 3 Engaging Activities !

7. High School Activities that incorporate Test Prep

So often, our kids enter the test prep season with trepidation. We totally get it, right? If you incorporate some test prep involving poetry throughout the year, it will help students prepare for what they might encounter on the state standardized test 🙂

These tests might ask students to cite evidence, determine the central idea or theme, analyze how a character develops, examine how the text starts and ends, and think about the author’s choice of words and descriptions. By including these standards in what you teach, we can have fun with teaching poems for high school and teach for test success!

Check out these examples from Robert Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice!”

What is the effect of the repetition of the word “some?”

• A. It portrays that people have varying beliefs.
• B. It highlights that the fire is greater than the ice.
• C. It confirms the argument that people think in the same way.
• D. It establishes the idea that the earth’s end with affect several people.

What is the tone of the poem?

• B. Meditative
• C. Depressing
• D. Disappointed

Why should we teach poems for high school students throughout the year?

Sharing what we love about language and learning is the ultimate goal! So many students encounter poetry through songs, and making poetry connect to music could be a fantastic way to relate to students. We come into contact with poetry through lyrics whether from an artist we love or an advertisement or a greeting card or even a jingle we just can’t get out of our heads.

Let’s help our students out by teaching them to love literature, no matter the form!

Want more help teaching lessons, activities, and quizzes that connect to poems for high school ? Check out my store, Kristin Menke-Integrated ELA Test Prep!

Hi, I’m KRISTIN!

I primarily focus on  integrating multiple disciplines and subjects. The goal is to make teaching simplified and effective!

Let's Connect

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Click below to download “13 Simple Strategies to make test prep a breeze!”

Easy Peasy All-in-One High School

An extension of the easy peasy all-in-one homeschool, poetry analysis project.

Adapted from a GAVL assignment

Compose an essay, which compares and contrasts two poems.  Your essay should be 3-6 paragraphs (8-12 sentences each), plus an introduction and conclusion.

• introduction and conclusion paragraphs
• 3-6 paragraphs explains similarities and differences of poems
• covers at least two poetic devices/figures of speech
• discusses the type of poem it is
• includes a very brief summary of each poem
• includes a works cited page

You may choose from the poems in the following pages. You can also choose two poems that are not on this list, but if you choose your own, you must get the poems approved by your instructor/parent. You can listen to audio recordings of many of the following poems and others at the following website.   Repeat After Us The following websites can help you locate more poems: Poetry Foundation Poets.org

Here are some ideas for how to organize this project: Idea 1: Item-by-Item Style

• Paragraph 1 – Introduction
• Paragraph 4 – Conclusion * May need additional paragraphs to cover these poems.

Ideas 2: Point-by-Point Style

• Paragraph 1 – Introduction
• Paragraph 2 – Imagery in each poem
• Paragraph 3 – Symbolism in each poem
• Paragraph 4 – Rhyme in each poem
• Paragraph 5 – Conclusion

She Walks in Beauty  by Lord Lord Byron

We Real Cool  by Gwendolyn Brooks

To Sleep  by John Keats

I Felt a Funeral in My Brain  by Emily Dickenson

Laundry  by Ruth Moose

Elms  by Louise Gluck

Fireflies in the Garden  by Robert Frost

Mother to Son  by Langston Hughes

I, Too  by Langston Hughes

The Tyger  by William Blake

America  by Claude McKay

Sonnet 18: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day by William Shakespeare

Sonnets from the Portuguese 43: How do I Love thee? Let me Count the Ways by  Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Grading Rubric (100 points possible)

Introduction 5 points Conclusion 5 points 3-6 body paragraphs 25 points Poetic device 1 15 points Poetic device 2 15 points Type of poem explained 10 points Brief summary 10 points Correct grammar 5 points Correct spelling/punctuation 5 points Works cited page 5 points

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Poem Analysis 101 - Lesson and Activities for High School

Poem analysis 101 - lesson and activities for high school presentation, free google slides theme and powerpoint template.

Do your high school students make you dread literary analysis because they’re just not interested in dissecting famous writings? You’re not alone! Here’s a template to support your poetry analysis lesson: With an eye-catching but not distracting design, it has room for sample poems and even comes with ideas for some activities you can have your students do on the topic. Download these slides for Google Slides or PowerPoint and add your favorite poems - you and your students will have a great learning experience!

Features of this template

• 100% editable and easy to modify
• 35 different slides to impress your audience
• Contains easy-to-edit graphics such as graphs, maps, tables, timelines and mockups
• Includes 500+ icons and Flaticon’s extension for customizing your slides
• Designed to be used in Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint
• 16:9 widescreen format suitable for all types of screens
• Includes information about fonts, colors, and credits of the resources used

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4 Engaging Ways to Write With High School Poets

How do you structure your poetry writing workshop activities and exercises for high school students in your poetry club or creative writing classroom?

I use four different approaches to planning poetry writing activities with high school students. As a club sponsor/youth spoken word coach, I don’t have much leverage or time with my students. I have to appeal to their passion for poetry. We do some light analysis of poems, but I focus on what appeals to them (or not) about a poem. We talk about how to read the model poems as a writer. In other words, I ask them, “What can you steal from this poem to use in your own writing?”

The approaches I use could be summed up as follows:

• Lists or word banks related to their experience
• Apprenticeship with a poem by close reading
• Constraints put in place to break poets out of patterns
• Skill-building that focuses on specific writing skills

I wrote two books that have examples of all of these types of approaches. Look in the resources section of this site for my books and other useful ones, as well as some helpful web resources.

I live and work outside of Chicago. My first exposure to youth spoken word poetry and poetry slams was through Young Chicago Authors (YCA). In their writing workshops, YCA employs a specific theme, e.g. “important people in our lives” or “our names.” These themes show up in one or two example poems. First, workshop leaders lead a discussion about the poems. Then students generate several lists based on the poems. For a workshop about names, examples might include “nicknames you were given” or “times someone mispronounced your name.” Finally, the workshop leader gives a writing prompt: “write a poem that talks about your relationship with your name.” YCA’s website has some model workshops in the Stay Making section of their website.

Poem Apprenticeship

I admire the work of Get Lit , a Los Angeles-based Youth Spoken Word writing organization, similar to YCA. Get Lit uses a more academic approach. Students start by choosing a poem they want to apprentice themselves to, aka a “classic poem.” In other words, they select a poem from Get Lit’s Anthology that they are willing to spend a lot of time with. Next, they do a close reading of the poem, reading it as a writer. What poetic elements does the poet use? How do these elements affect the meaning of the poem? Because they are also learning performance, students then memorize and perform their chosen poem. Finally, students create a “response poem” of their own.

The poet might respond to (1) a specific line or word in the classic poem (2) the topic of the poem itself (3) or a stanza, feeling, or idea. In essence, their poem is in conversation with the classic poem. During Get Lit’s Classic Slam , the poets perform both the original classic poem as well as their response poem. For a book-length resource, pick up a copy of Get Lit: Words Ignite. Look in the resources section of this site for a link to the book and other information.

Constraint Exercises

Constrained writing is a common and very old technique. Generally, beginning writers stick to the same writing moves in their poems. Complicate the prompt with rules or requirements and break your poets out of those patterns. Write sonnets or require a poem to include a list of provided words. There are tons of different poetry writing exercises you can use by themselves or in combination with others.

Here is an example prompt for a love poem:

• As a whole group, brainstorm a list of words that have to do with love (mainly nouns & verbs).
• Then pick a specific subject for your love poem. It can be romantic or platonic.
• Now write a ten – fourteen line love poem.
• But the catch is that you can not use any of the words from the brainstorming list in your poem.

Skill-building Exercises

After a few years of planning high school poetry writing workshops, I found that just providing example poems and prompts wasn’t enough. My young poets needed to build their basic poetry writing skills through skill-building exercises. The difference with this method is that there is no poem as a product expected at the end. Instead, the focus is on learning and trying out a skill.

Some examples include: developing original metaphors & similies, dealing with line breaks, revising your poem & offering feedback, using rhyme effectively, etc.

How do you structure your poetry writing workshops for high school students in your poetry club or creative writing classes? Please share ideas in the comments.

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HIGH SCHOOL POETRY ANALYSIS | 2 Weeks of Lesson Plans | 50+ Poems in 10 Packets!

What educators are saying

Products in this bundle (5), description.

This 2-week poetry unit will boost skills in close reading and formal analysis in any high school English course. The unit features 50+ canonical poems written by a diverse spectrum of English-speaking poets. The poems and accompanying lesson plans are organized into 10 thematic packets which can be used in sequence over two weeks. That's over 200 pages worth of editable poetry resources!

This poetry curriculum promises to elicit dynamic engagement from all students without compromising on intellectual rigor. The discussion questions , quick writes , literary device quizzes , and analytical writing assignments will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of the text and generate profound interpretive insights!!

Here are some highlights from this editable 200-page curriculum:

• Homework Packets with Poems (5-6 Poems per Packet) : The 10 homework packets contain a total of 58 poems by a diverse range of award-winning poets such as William Shakespeare, John Keats, Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Robert Hayden, Theodore Roethke, Audre Lorde, Mary Oliver, Gary Soto, Li-Young Lee, Ada Limón, and others. The poems are collected into ten reading packets that focus on prominent literary devices and themes: 1) poems using sensory imagery, 2) poems using figurative language, 3) love poems, 4) poems on ethical dilemmas, and 5) poems on complex parent-child dynamics. Because teenagers have a lot to say about these themes, the poems will set the stage for your class to have fascinating and profoundly productive discussions!! (60 pages)

• Literary Devices Glossary : A glossary with definitions and examples of the various types of figurative language, imagery, stanzas, and syntactic devices. Many teachers already have a glossary of literary devices, but I'm providing this in case you need one. (2 pages)

• Literary Devices Quizzes : A total of ten quizzes, each with 10 questions about a wide range of literary devices: metaphor, personification, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, etc. Open each class with a quiz to assess whether your students can accurately identify the literary devices used in the poems from the homework packets. Answer keys included. (20 pages).

• Discussion Questions : This bundle features a list of discussion questions for the first poem in each of the homework packets. The discussion questions will ensure that every class discussion starts on a productive foot. Every discussion question is grounded in concrete textual details and challenges students to arrive at lucid interpretive insights! The questions lend themselves to a range of different pedagogical uses: 1) to focus students’ thinking prior to beginning a discussion, 2) to prompt in-class writing, 3) to assign written reflections for homework, etc. Guaranteed to elicit student engagement and foster deep thinking! Answer keys included. (50 pages)

• Quick Writes : The quick writes give students an opportunity to capture and refine the best ideas generated in the discussion. Quick writes can also help reticent students to gather their thoughts so they'll feel ready and eager to contribute. (20 pages)

• Analytical Writing Assignment : Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on a poem of their choice. The assignment sheet contains detailed instructions for how to generate a formalist analysis of a poem (analyzing how the poem's formal features contribute to its meaning). This kind of formalist analysis is exactly what students are asked to generate on the AP Literature exam! Sample paper included. (15 pages)

This entire resource packet will come to you in two separate formats: Word docs *and* PDFs. Because the Word docs are fully editable , you'll be able to customize the materials to suit the skill levels of your students — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access all of the materials as PDF documents — which are easy to navigate and quick to print!

My store is called “Rigorous Resources” because all of the resources contain rigorous content that will motivate students to engage in thought-provoking and productive discussions. Thank you for choosing Rigorous Resources .

Happy teaching!

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

[email protected]

Should you prefer to purchase the poetry units individually, here are links to the five poetry units:

Poetry Unit #1: Sensory Imagery in Poetry

Poetry Unit #2: Figurative Language in Poetry

Poetry Unit #3: Love Poems

Poetry Unit #4: Ethical Dilemmas in Poetry

Poetry Unit #5: Family Dynamics in Poetry

Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Rigorous-Resources

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National Poetry Month Activities for Middle and High School Classrooms

What comes to mind when you think of poetry? Stage actors reciting dramatic sonnets? Beat poets driving cultural change? Musicians singing your favorite lyrics?

National Poetry Month is celebrated in April each year and is an opportune time to explore this writing style more in-depth with your middle or high school students. With the following poetry month activities and lesson plans, broaden your students' understanding of what poetry is and how it is written.

National Poetry Month Lesson Plans and Ideas

Write a self-portrait poem.

There is no better way to get into the spirit of National Poetry Month than writing a poem . In the following video, poet and teaching artist Glenis Redmond instructs students on how to write a self-portrait poem using alliteration, assonance, and anaphora.

The accompanying “How to Write a Poem” activity breaks down the writing process to help students construct a self-portrait of their own. It will help to have students watch the video above before completing the following activity.

How to Write a Poem — Student Activity How to Write a Poem — Teacher Guide

Slam Poetry Presentation

Inspired by the beat poets of the 1950s, spoken word poetry, or slam poetry, allows students to find their voice without the usual constraints like rhyme and syllable count. Written for a live performance, slam poetry is primarily concerned with rhythm and subject matter. Slam poets use the medium to explore ideas that they are passionate about and the emotions that they evoke.

Have your students watch some examples of slam poetry in order to get a better idea of what it entails. Then, have them each write a slam poem about a subject that they feel strongly about before presenting it to the class or to a smaller group. Give them time to practice their line delivery before their presentations.

Create a Nursery Rhyme

Poetry doesn’t have to be about serious subject matter. In fact, your students were in all likelihood introduced to poetry at a young age when they were learning nursery rhymes.

Challenge your students as a group to recall the nursery rhymes that they grew up with, and list them out for the class. Next, have each student select their favorite and identify the rhyme scheme. For example, the poem "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" by Jane Taylor follows a AABB CCDD rhyme scheme.

Once students have identified the rhyme scheme, encourage them to write their own nursery rhyme using this same pattern.

Write a Haiku Series

Sometimes less is more. A haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that is only three lines long. It follows a 5/7/5 syllable pattern, where the first and last lines are 5 syllables, and the second is 7 syllables. While these poems don’t often rhyme, they are a lesson in making every word count.

Syllable counts may differ, depending on factors like accent or language. Many popular Japanese haikus, once translated into English, no longer meet the 5/7/5 pattern. However, that doesn't mean that these poems are not still haikus.

Have students leave the classroom to find inspiration for at least three haikus. The haikus that they write should be part of a themed set, on topics like nature, people, or the classroom itself.

Gothic Poetry Lesson

From Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market” to Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus,” gothic subject matter is an interesting departure from the romance often associated with the sonnet. Gothic poetry is instead a medium for displaying darker subject matter. These poems usually have a melancholic atmosphere and imagery and may also touch on emotions like worry, regret, or fear through their narrative.

Explore this style of poem by reading "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe .

After reading the text, review these questions with your class:

• How do your emotions as a reader develop as you read through the poem?
• How does the imagery evolve throughout the poem?
• Which poetry techniques did you notice in the poem?
• What do the bells in each stanza represent?

Absurdist Language Challenge

Many common sayings and words today are often attributed to poets or writers. One such inventive author is Lewis Carroll, who created words for his absurdist poems like “Jabberwocky.” Many of the words that he invented for the poem were a combination of two existing words. For example, the word “slithy” is a combination of “lithe” and “slimy.”

Read “ Jabberwocky ,” and challenge your class to create new words of their own. Ask them to think about combination words that they might already use in their everyday lives, like “hangry,” and draw inspiration from them. What emotions do they often feel at the same time? What attributes do they usually see occurring together in nature? Have them invent a shorter word they can use to describe a longer phrase or description.

Once the class is done writing their new words and definitions, have them use their favorite ones in a poem of their own.

Write a Rap

Studying rap is a great way to learn about repetition, vocabulary, and patterns when it comes to poetry and song. Teacher and poet Toney Jackson has 5 simple steps on how he teaches students to write raps :

• Choose a topic
• Choose your words
• Pick patterns
• Add a beat or a capella

Check out the video below for an overview on how you and your students can get started on this lesson idea.

For an even more in-depth look at the process of creating a rap, educator and author Dr. Chris Emdin also shares his wisdom on the subject. Emdin compares rap to poetry or storytelling with added layers, and uses this lesson to connect with his students. Through his partnership with Loaded Lux, he breaks down the benefits of this lesson in the following video.

If you are interested in exploring this lesson further, try out the How to Write a Rap student activity below. Alternatively, create a lesson of your own with any musical genre that interests your class, and work with them to develop their lyrics and rhyme scheme.

How to Write a Rap – Student Activity How to Write a Rap – Teacher Guide How to Write a Rap – Teacher Rubric

Language Research Project

Chances are, many of your students either speak a second language or have someone in their life who does. To get a more international perspective of poetry, have them research a poem written in a language other than their own. They can do this by interviewing someone in their life that speaks another language or else by doing independent research on the subject. Many sources will provide both the original poem and a version of it translated into English. Once they find a poem that they like, have them answer the following questions:

• What language is the poem written in, and why did you choose the language that you did?
• What did you learn from the poem?
• What drew you to this poem in the first place?
• How did the language the poem was written in affect the rhythm of the poem itself?
• If you can, either read the poem aloud, have someone read it for you, or find a recording of the poem being spoken aloud. How does hearing the poem as opposed to reading it change your perception or opinion about the poem?

Analyze "Kubla Khan"

The poem "Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge was allegedly inspired by a dream, and if the poet himself is to believed, the work is only a fraction of the 200 to 300 lines he had composed in his sleep.

Read the poem "Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge with your class, then have them answer the following questions:

• What are the main themes that you see reflected in the poem?
• What feelings does the poem evoke?
• What elements of the poem serve to remind you that it is a vision from a dream?
• Underline each metaphor in the poem.
• Circle an example of an alliteration and a consonance in the poem.
• Highlight a personification in the poem.

Inaugural Poem Read and Respond

During the 2021 U.S. presidential inauguration, Amanda Gorman performed her spoken word poem “The Hill We Climb.” Not only was Gorman the National Youth Poet Laureate at the time of her reading, but she was also the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. Her poem, written with the theme of "America United," centers around life and challenges in the U.S. in the years leading up to the inauguration.

Read “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman. Then, answer these questions:

• What two historical events are the focus of this poem? Identify a reference in the poem to each event.
• Note a passage that contains alliteration, and explain the effect of this sound device on meaning and mood.
• What message does this poem express, and how do the closing lines direct readers to act?

Poetry Beyond April

Remember, these National Poetry Month activities do not need to end once April is over. Once your classroom has had time to explore poetry more in-depth over the course of the month, you can leave them with a short poetry portfolio of their own.

There are poetry competitions around the world that give cash prizes to middle and high school students for their writing. Having students research their own local competitions and submit their poems is a great way to encourage them to advocate for their voices to be heard.

HMH Into Literature was built to address the needs of today's teachers and equip students with the reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills required for success in tomorrow's world. Request a free digital sample of Into Literature today.

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