When I was younger, I did not like poetry. But now I do, not because I understand it any better than I did in High School, but because I have discovered that it is a wonderful way to help students express themselves.
I teach a college-level composition class in high school (my students are in 11-12 grades). My final unit is a poetry unit and I have discovered that every one of my students is capable of writing profound poetry.
Students need time to think and be creative. In class we create multiple poems in multiple styles. Then we choose our favorites and spend time finding ways to work in symbolism and create imagery and emotion.
I begin the unit by introducing 5 types of poetry: lyric, sonnet, free verse, visual, and acrostic. Throughout the unit we will spend time creating each kind of poetry. First, I present an example and then we make a poem as a class, followed by 1-3 student practices (individually or in groups).
The fist poem we practice with is acrostic poetry.
Starting with acrostic poetry is low stakes and approachable. Students can find quick success and discover that poetry is attainable. This is also a fun one to do as a class. You can pick the word and then assign the letters to groups in the class. When they are done, write their lines on the board.
I introduce free verse poetry with “Oda al tomate”. Then we write our own odes to foods. Students tend to have a lot of fun with these poems as they always like to talk about their favorite foods. These are also fun poems to write in groups so there are more minds to think of metaphors.
Visual poetry is very fun as it creates an image with words. It can be hard to think of the image you want to create, but this allows students to think outside the “poetry box”.
Every year my students amaze me with their creations during the poetry unit. There is no real focus on grammar and students are free to focus on their imagination. I hope you try out poetry with your students!
