If your students are anything like mine, often the mention of POETRY means groans and looks of displeasure! However, I love the creativity and fun that we can have with a poetry unit. Given the right tools students can allow their creativity to run wild and really engage in the process of reading and writing poetry. One of the tools that students need to have in their "Poetry Toolbox" is the understanding of poetry terms.
I usually introduce poetry terms one at a time, provide lots of examples and then show how that technique is used in an actual poem. Then I like to set them free on their own writing...
After giving students some time to come up with their own examples of a specific poetry term (metaphor, simile...) I like to pass out 4-5 whiteboard makers to 4-5 students. They write their examples on the board and then pass the pen to another student to add to the board. It's nice because the students don't feel pressured because there's so much going on that nobody's really looking at a specific student and what they're writing. I end up with a wonderful free-flowing mind map of examples that are often humorous and unique.
Here's a mini-classroom poster and worksheet that students can use to learn or review poetry terms and figurative language. Just click on the picture to download the worksheet.
Thanks so much!
Addie
