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Lesson Plan: Reading, Writing, and Performing Poetry

In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 1 Format(s): Text

This lesson plan contains poetry-related activities that aim to help students read and interpret English poetry, and write their own poems. The activities are introduced in each of the following parts: talking about poetry, understanding poetic devices, interpreting poems, using poetry for language acquisition, writing original poems, performing poetry, and organizing poetry slams.

Language & Literature in Tertiary Education: The Case for Stylistics

In: English Teaching Forum 2002, Volume 40, Number 2 Format(s): Text

This article discusses the lack of quality in students’ literary criticism in degree English courses, suggesting that students have difficulty understanding literary texts in English. It recommends stylistic analysis, the analysis of structures and vocabulary, as a way that learners of English as a second or foreign language can develop a more active and independent approach to understanding and critiquing literary works.

Poetry Corner

In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 1 Format(s): Text

This issue’s “Poetry Corner” revolves around the poem “Coins” by Richard Newman. It includes a lesson plan for teaching students about American Coins, as well as a glossary of terms. Skills include vocabulary, reading, and discussion. The lesson works with the feature article entitled US Coins.

Poems Made Into Songs

In: Poetry Format(s): MP3

Students from all over the world participated in poetry writing to celebrate National Poetry Month. Three of the poems were then made into songs! Listen to them or download the MP3s here!

Poems About Love and Relationships

In: Poetry Format(s): Text

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day on February 14th, this month’s poems by English language learners are about love and relationships. Download them or read them online.

Literature and Language

Format(s): Website

Language arts resources including reading, literature, and poetry. Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE).

Just Off Main Street

In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 3 Format(s): Text

“Just off Main Street” is for learner use and is an account of the writer’s experience as an Arab American. It opens with a description of the writer’s childhood and the cultural divide between life inside and outside the home. Readers will be drawn into the vivid description of daily life. The article looks at the challenges of being bi-cultural, of keeping home life separate, of being “exoticized,” of becoming comfortable and proud of one’s heritage, and of finding community. The article provides opportunities for discussions of culture, identity, and activism.

An American Poetry Project for Low Intermediate ESL Adults

In: English Teaching Forum 2001, Volume 39, Number 4 Format(s): Text

This article discusses the author’s poetry unit, developed to expose her ESL students to American literature. Students wrote journals about poems they read and were assigned a poem about which to write a composition. The author required her students to memorize and perform one poem. While teaching the unit, the author and a colleague kept a dialog journal of their experience and insights. Both the student reactions and their dialog journals yielded positive results, allowing the author to make several recommendations for using poetry in the ESL classroom.

Using Favorite Songs and Poems with Young Learners

In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 2 Format(s): Text

In this article, the author discusses the benefits of using songs and poems to teach young learners. The author explains how songs and poems can be used in English class and what their benefits are. The author explains how teachers can use actions or puppets to accompany the selected songs or poems, or allow young learners to create ideas themselves. Each suggestion includes an activity. The author also offers an example of a song chart.

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