Lesson Plan Ideas for National Poetry Month

If you teach language arts, literature, or composition, you're probably already aware that April is National Poetry Month, and that it's a great opportunity to introduce your students to the wider world of reading and composing poetry. Here are three lesson plans designed to teach your students about form as well as give them an opportunity to compose poems of their own.

Lesson Plan One: Acrostic Poetry
Grade Level: Any
Subject: Language Arts, Literature, Composition
Duration: One class period
Objective: To teach students to identify and compose acrostic poems.
Materials: Paper, writing materials (pen, pencil, felt pen, etc.), example poems. You can find a list of articles and acrostic poems here on Associated Content.

Procedure:
An acrostic poem spells out a word, name, or message by using the first letter of each line. One form of acrostic, abecedarian poetry, spells out the whole alphabet.

Give students an opportunity to read two or more example poems, preferably on different subjects and by different authors, then ask what these poems have in common. Point out, if necessary, the acrostic technique. Discuss how the word or message spelled out by the first letters of each line relates to the theme of the poem.

When students have grasped the technique, have them create acrostic poetry of their own using names or favorite words. (Note: Obviously, for some age groups, it may be prudent to provide a word list, or to pass out slips of paper with assigned words of similar length.) If time permits, offer students the opportunity to share their poems with the class.

Lesson Two: Different Types of Rhyme
Grade Level: Middle School or higher
Subject: Language Arts, Literature, Composition
Duration: One or more class periods
Objective: To teach students to identify and compose poetry using different types of rhyme.
Materials: Textbook materials or Wikipedia article excerpt about types of rhyme, example poems, paper, writing materials (pen, pencil, felt pen, etc.)

Procedure:
Have students read about types of rhyme. (Note: if you have an appropriate section in your course textbook or anthology, this is an excellent opportunity to use it. Otherwise, Wikipedia's article on rhyme has an excellent list and includes examples.) Discuss each in brief and, using one or more example poems, have students identify different types of rhyme in existing poems. Ask students to give you examples of each type.

When students are familiar with the different types of rhyme, have them create poetry that uses at least two rhyming technique, then offer students the opportunity to share their work with the class. If you wish to confine your lesson to a single period, ask students to compose one short poem each. If you wish to cover the topic more in-depth, you may consider assigning multiple poems as homework.

Lesson Three: Cut-up Method
Grade Level: High School or higher
Subject: Language Arts, Literature, Composition
Duration: One or more class periods.
Objective: To teach students about the history of the cut-up method, and to demonstrate how to apply it in their own writing.
Materials: Paper, text or materials about the cut-up method, writing materials (pen, pencil, felt pen, etc.), scissors, rubber cement, at least one pre-generated text (a whole copy to show/read to the class, and then enough cut-up copies for students to work with).

Procedure:
Give students a quick primer on the history of the cut-up method. (Note: if you have appropriate materials in your course textbook or anthology, this is a great time to use it. If not, Wikipedia's article on the cut-up technique is an excellent place to start. It includes links to examples of the technique, and information about poets and artists well-known for using the technique.) Ask students if they believe cut-up is truly creative.

Pass out envelopes with cut-up text to your students. If your class is large, you may wish to split students into groups of 2 or 3. Have students assemble poems using the words given, and then offer them the opportunity to share them with the class.

(A quick note about adhesives: a light dab of rubber cement will stick a word to the page without bonding it permanently like white glue or a glue stick will. It will also rub away from desk surfaces very easily. I highly recommend using it as opposed to any other adhesive.)

When they are finished, reveal the original text. Discuss the differences between the original text and the texts students themselves created, and whether their opinions of the method changed after they tried it. If you wish to extend the lesson beyond the first class session, assign one or more additional cut-up poems as homework. For extra fun, have students use the text of a well-known poem generated using the cut-up method.