Poetry Lesson Plans

This page offers some free poetry lesson plans to get you started writing poems. This page is designed to help kids come up with poems they can submit to our monthly poetry drawing. For teachers and educators, click Poetry Lesson Plans for a similar set of classroom lesson plans.

The Game

When talking about poetry, I like to begin with a ball. Growing up in my neighborhood every season meant a different ballgame. I think of poetry as a game, but in this game we play with words.

Now it’s sad to see,
And I’m sorry to say
The spirit of play
Is losing out these days.
In pre-school and kindergarten
We're giving B’s and A’s.
You can’t get into a grammar school
Without a good GPA.

But let the standardized tests
Have their day.
The best teachers know
And great poets agree –
Nothing good happens
Without the spirit of play.

The Moves

In baseball you learn to swing and slide. In gymnastics you learn flips and flops. In teaching poetry we focus on five basic moves: Creating Music, Creating Imagery, Creating Comparisons, Creating Tension, Creating Characters.

Batteries not included
No assembly required
No joystick, remote
Or tangled-up wires.
You don’t need modem,
A keyboard or a screen.
There are words in your head
Gameboy has never seen.

It may be a game, but poetry will build some serious artistic muscle. To develop our poetic power, all we need is a little exercise. Click on the following moves for some poetic workouts.

1. Making Music
2. Creating Imagery
3. Creating Comparisons
4. Creating Tension
5. Creating Characters



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