Middle/High School
Poetry Lesson “Menu”
Below is a list of poems/lessons that I often teach in the middle or high school setting. Before a residency, teachers and I sit down with this list and choose the best lessons for their students. I am always looking for new poems and ideas in my teaching, so if you have a favorite poem you’d like to work on, let me know!
You will see “Performance Poetry” at the bottom of the list. This is a key element for middle & high schoolers. Many of them have never heard a poet read his or her own work. It is important for them to see and hear poets in action. I always include this lesson.
Introduction to Poetry
“You Enter a Poem,” Hirsch
Portrait Poems
“Wheels,” Daniels
“Crumbs,” Sirowitz
Poetic Forms
List Poems
Selections from “The Pillow Book,” Sei Shonogan
“The Last Word,” Baraka
Revising Poems/Line Breaks
“Good Hotdogs,” Cisneros
Sestina
“Clue Sestina,” Spires
Literary Devices
Imagery/Food Poems
“Good Hotdogs,” Cisneros
Imagery/Activity
“Wrestling the Beast,” Adoff
“40 Meter Freestyle,” Kumin
Simile/Animals are Like Feelings
“Hedgehog,” Chu Chen Po
Wordplay/Zany Poems
“Dinosaur Love,” Katz
“Murder Most Vowel,” Hirsch
Poetry on the Web
Poetry 180 – Creating our own prompts
www.loc.gov/poetry/180
Performance Poetry
Watch & write in response to: “Poetry in Motion” or “Def Poetry Jam”