Grade 6 Poetry Study

Resource Ideas

| HOME |

While it is important to include poetry in every unit of study, at times it can be fun to focus solely on poetry. During this unit (2-3 weeks), students are immersed in poetry. They speak, listen to, write, and read poetry, individually and in groups.

Poetry is meant to be read, heard, and enjoyed, rather than "studied". Throughout this unit, read poems aloud daily and encourage students to read aloud poems of their choice. Ask students to respond to the words they hear and read in poems, and to picture the images that the words create.

Encourage discussion about the poems and the students' responses, making it clear that all responses are valid, and that each reader/listener makes meaning according to his or her own experiences and prior knowledge about poetry and the topic of the poem.

See the Sample Unit Framework: Poetry Study for more detail about this unit

Web Resources

• Writing with Writers - Poetry - students study the genre of poetry by taking part in step-by-step workshops with favorite authors. Then they can publish their poems online in Scholastic's Poetry Anthology or I Spy Riddle Library.
• Seeking Poems, Sharing Connections - an initiating activity for a poetry unit, this lesson seeks first to help students find an immediate connection to a poem.
• Lyrical Lessons Online - Poetry Lessons for Teachers and Students
• EDSITEment Lesson Plans - A collection of poetry links for all grades
• Outta Ray's Head - The Poetry Page - A collection of lesson plans with handouts by Ray Saitz and many contributors; all of the lessons have been used and refined in the classroom.
• Middle School Poetry Study with Least Tern - activities for using the computer to publish poetry, poetry lessons and study questions, and links to many of the best resources online to support the study of poetry in the Middle School.
• Alliteration in Headline Poems - Students will be introduced to the term alliteration. They will be given examples of alliteration and asked to create their own examples of alliteration. As a project, students will be asked to create a headline poem consisting of 25 words that contain at least three examples of alliteration.
• Found Poems/Parallel Poems - Using a descriptive passage from a piece of literature they are reading, students will write found poems. Then they will underline key words, and using these key words, and following the format in their found poems, they will write their own parallel poems.
• In the Poet's Shoes: Performing Poetry and Building Meaning - In this lesson, students analyze a variety of poets and their poetry by reading and listening to their work. Students then use information gathered from Internet resources to select a favorite poet and perform one of their poems for the class.
• Using the Four-Square Strategy to Define and Identify Poetic Terms - Through online research and follow-up discussion, students define four poetic terms using a four-square graphic organizer. They then locate and record examples of each term and apply their knowledge as they explore the poem "The Esquimos Have No Word for 'War'" by Mary Oliver.
• What Am I? Teaching Poetry through Riddles - Riddles have a long history dating to antiquity. Riddle poems, which rely upon creative use of metaphor, simile, and metonymy; concrete imagery; and imaginative presentation and description of an object or concept, are an excellent vehicle for introducing students to poetry and poetry writing.

Web Quests

• Poetry and the Planets Web Quest - This webquest will take students through an interactive tour of the planets, provide information and then help then use similes and metaphors to create a poem based on the features of a planet.

Do you have a lesson plan, resource or web site you would like to contribute to this page? Contact us at: Online Learning Centre

| HOME |