- Activity: Writing Short Poems
- English Teaching Forum Volume 44, Issue 1 Lesson Plan: Reading, Writing, and Performing Poetry by Kitty Johnson
- The Poetry Foundation Website
- Create to Communicate: Art Activities for the EFL Classroom
- "The Bug" Audio Recording (MP3)
- VOA: Americans Choose Their Favorite Poem
It’s April, and that means National Poetry Month in the U.S.A. The month is a celebration, a reminder to appreciate poetry, and to encourage attention to poetry in schools. There’s a poem for every taste. Write a few of your own during National Poetry Month.
You and your class can participate in the activities below or learn more about National Poetry Month.
Social Media Activities
- Do you have a favorite poem? Tell us what it is on Facebook.
- Share your favorite line from a poem with us on Facebook.
- Is rapping the new poetry? Let us know what you think on Facebook.
Classroom Activities
Write a Senses Poem (Activity Level: Lower Intermediate - Advanced)
Materials:
- A pen and paper
- A copy of the Senses Poem Handout (PDF)
Instructions:
As a class, brainstorm ideas of subjects on the board. Write several sensorial prompts (I see…, I hear…, I taste…, etc.). Using the subjects the class brainstormed, have the students finish the prompts. Then have students create their own and present it to the class.
National Poetry Month
It’s April, and that means National Poetry Month in the U.S.A. The month is a celebration, a reminder to appreciate poetry, and to encourage attention to poetry in schools. What is so great about poetry? Well, poems allow us to see the world in a fresh, new way. That’s just what Carl Sandburg does in his poem “The Fog.”
The fog comes
on little cat feet.It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
That’s why poetry is powerful. The words are charged with image and rhythm – and surprise.
Poetry doesn’t have to be hard. It can be simple and fun, as in this children’s rhyme:
The thunder roared
The lightning flashed
A tree fell down
A bug got smashed