April is National Poetry Month and I have some ideas for you! Showcasing poetry doesn’t have to bring up drudgery of lines that students rarely understand. Instead it can be an opportunity for STUDENTS to bring out their INNER POET and share their own creativity!

I’ve got four fun ideas for you.

Poetry Slam

Set up your classroom like an open mic night! This celebratory style of poetry puts an emphasis on the performance of poetry and allows students to share their work in the way they originally designed it.

Show students some examples of a poetry slam ahead of time and let them write and perform their own pieces. Having poetry style options is GREAT for this activity because it gives variety to the event itself…just like an actual open mic night!

Amp up the realism by having students perform their pieces with an actual mic on the school stage or by inviting in other audience members (family, community members, other staff or students, etc).

You could REALLY bring the fun by having them present on your school’s stage.

Have language learners or timid students in your room?

Have them share a poem from their home culture or language! Then they can translate the piece or the essence of the piece for their classmates.

A poetry slam is not for the faint of heart. So if your students seem to be more timid or bashful when it comes to presenting in front of the class, you could give them the option of choosing an already existing piece of poetry.

Have language learners in your room? Have them share a poem from their home culture or language! Then they can translate the piece or the essence of the piece for their classmates.

There are a lot of choices already existing out there in the YouTube world. Instead of being the writer of the poetry, they could analyze the work and share their thoughts with the class. Here are some questions they could answer about the piece they chose:

1. How do they connect with the piece they chose?
2. What lines in the poem hold the most impact and what impact do they have?
3. What do you admire about the piece, the author, or the author’s performance?
4. Why do you think it is important for other people to hear this piece?
5. How does the topic of the author’s poetry shine? What is important about this topic?

Have them share a poem from their home culture or language! Then they can translate the piece or the essence of the piece for their classmates.

Meet the Author

This way of celebrating poetry shines a light on student authors and gives classmates an opportunity to provide peer feedback. It is structured in a speed-dating or stations format.

Start by splitting the class in half. Set up tables around the room so that each student has one table (or desk) and an additional seat in front of it. For example, if you have 24 students, you would have 12 stations. The authors would sit on one side with their work displayed on the table in front of them. The other 12 students would rotate around the room.

I would time the activity. Allot 3-5 minutes of silence at the beginning where students can read the author’s work and then have a set of 3-4 questions that the peers would ask the author. Once the first half of the class gets to be in the author’s chair, then you would switch groups and the authors would become the peers and vice versa.

Poem in your Pocket

This activity is playful and leans into a “random acts of kindness” structure. If you’re unfamiliar with this activity, check out National Calendar Day’s post on the topic. It gives a brief description that will help you wrap your head around the purpose and structure of this activity.

It is simple in nature. The goal is to SHARE POETRY. Here are some options:

1. Memorize a poem and share it with 3-5 people.
2. Write a poem on a letter, post-it, bookmark, etc and place it somewhere that a random person might find it.
3. Thoughtfully select a poem that makes you think of someone and share it with them.
4. Create a video of you reading a poem and share it on social media, on a classroom page, or through text.

Extend the activity by having students reflect on their experience. Especially if students decided to share in different ways, it can be fun to hear how people’s experiences were similar or different. It is also fun to learn how people respond to the poetry being shared!

Poetry Choice

This last activity provides students with choice and teachers with flexibility. Both of these are particularly important when it comes to how diverse and complex our classrooms currently are.

Give students some options or let them explore different styles of poetry!

Poetry choice boards are an easy and practical way to do this. If you’d like to try one for free, I have a resource for you. If you’re already sold on the idea, I have a resource for that too!!

Are your students new to poetry or simply need a refresher? I have some resources for that too. My poetry choice resources provide short descriptions and examples of each type of poetry. This support helps students learn more about each type of poetry before they are tasked with writing their own.

Click on any of the three pictures above to take you to the resource. If you look closely at the picture, you can see what types of poetry are taught in each of the resources. Regardless of the resource, students will have options when it comes to what poetry they will produce and – more importantly – PLENTY of support!

In conclusion

Celebrating National Poetry Month doesn’t have to be tedious, painful, OR boring. If you have the right resources it can be HEAPS OF FUN. I myself didn’t even know I loved poetry until I started creating resources for my students.

Turns out I LOVE POETRY!

I’m convinced that with the right amount of support and the freedom to choose, students (and teachers) will love it too!

Happy National Poetry Month ya’ll

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