Including poetry in English classes is a daunting task but it doesn’t have to be!
Here are a few quick ideas you can add to the rotation for any text you’re studying.
One of the best ways to include poetry before reading a novel or play is to use it as a vehicle for background information. This might be related to the historical time period or even themes.
To provide students with information about the historical time period of a text or author, look at poems from the same time period. An easy way to do this if you’re studying a novel set in or written by a US author is to check out poets.org – the database for the Academy of American Poets. Examining poet profiles can also help with building this knowledge.
If you’re reading any of Shakespeare’s plays, you might focus on a theme that will feature in the chosen play. Check out this post about poetry pairings for themes in different Shakespeare plays.
There are so many ways to incorporate poetry during the study of a text! SO MANY!
I know many teachers don’t have a lot of options when it comes to getting new contemporary texts into students’ hands but this is where poetry can be helpful.
Use contemporary poems as a complement to whatever text you’re studying in class.
Use them to make connections to big ideas in the text that are relevant beyond the text such as relationships, current events, or anything else that might be related. You can assign this task to students and have them search online with keywords. They can compile a portfolio of poems in small groups and make clear the connections between the poems and the main text in class. (Then this means you have poetry options to use in the unit in the future! A win-win!)
The other option that I love to use is to explore a type of poetry such as odes. Study the structure, form, and content, and then have students write an ode from the perspective of one of the characters. Use this ready-made resource all about odes for the entire process!
If you’re wondering if you can grade this work, the answer is yes! Check out this post for how I evaluate student poetry without directly evaluating the creative work.
At the end of a novel study, use poetry as part of the final assessment.
Students can create a portfolio of poems that connect to the text based on character, theme, plot points, and more! Since poetry and music are closely linked you can ask students to create a mix of songs and poems that fit the text.
Add in an analysis piece such as a TP-CASTT (grab this freebie graphic organizer with guiding questions) and ask students for a written or oral component to explain what connects one (or more) of the songs/poems.
Check out these related posts:
- 6 Ways to Include Poetry in Your Next Novel Study
- Using Poetry as an Assessment Tool in the ELA Classroom
- 4 Simple Ways To Add Poetry Into ELA
How do you incorporate poetry into your ELA classroom? Any tips or tricks to share? Let us know in the comments or share with us on Facebook or Instagram.
