POETRYTEACHERS.COM             START HERE!
http://www.poetryteachers.com/index.html
A terrific site for teachers of poetry. Sections: Poetry Fun, Poetry Class, Poetry Teacher, Poetry Contests, Giggle Poetry (see above), E-poem, and Fiction Teachers. An outstanding site. Excellent

POETRY COLLECTIONS, POETIC FORMS & STYLES AND POETS – WEB ENGLISH TEACHER START HERE!         NEW!
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/poetry.html
A huge resource for teaching poetry. Includes links to many poetry collections, forms, and more. Also, lesson plans. An outstanding site. Excellent

ALFY’S PICKS FOR POETRY AND RHYME             NEW!
http://www.alfy.com/teachers/teach/thematic_units/Poetry_Rhyme/PR_1.asp
Links for teachers to Rhymes, Rhyming Games and Poems. Excellent

BARTLEBY.COM – VERSE
http://www.bartleby.com/verse/
"With thousands of poems by hundreds of authors, Bartleby.com offers one of the largest free collections of verse on the web." Excellent

CHILDREN’S POETRY ARCHIVE                 NEW!
http://www.poetryarchive.org/childrensarchive/home.do
A large collection of poems for children. Excellent

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE – 42EXPLORE             NEW!
http://42explore.com/figlang.htm
Basic information for elementary students on figurative language including links, activities and webquests. Excellent

POETRY FOR CHILDREN             NEW URL!
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/poechild.htm
A gateway to a large number of resources on poetry for children. Includes links to lesson plans for teaching poetry to children and teaching them how to write poetry. Sections: Mother Goose Rhymes, Poems Set to Music, Limericks, Free Verse, Haiku, Cinquains, Concrete Poetry, Ballads, Couplets, Other Forms-as Diamante, and Writing Poetry. Excellent

KNOWING POE             NEW!
http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/default_flash.asp
An extensive resource on Edgar Allan Poe. Includes his life and works. Click on Classroom Connections for lesson plans and more. Also in the Lesson Plans section. Excellent

LUMINARIUM: ANTHOLOGY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE         NEW!
http://www.luminarium.org/lumina.htm
A resource on Medieval, Renaissance, 17^th Century and Restoration English Literature. Click on Metaphysical Poets and Cavalier Poets for the poetry sections. Each section has a list of authors with biographical information, works, quotes, timelines, and more. An outstanding site. Excellent

POEM FORGE             NEW!
http://www.poetryforge.org/
"The Poetry Forge encourages exploration through poetry! We invite you to explore, collaborate and enjoy!
Teachers, view interactive poetry generators for classroom use, lesson plans, exemplars, and collaborative discussion areas to interact with other teachers who are working to integrate these tools into their classroom instruction.
Students, take advantage of poetry generators to challenge your writing skills, a gallery of student writing, collaborative discussion areas for you to discuss your work with an audience of student writers and teachers, and an open forum for your ideas and suggestions." Excellent

POETRY FOR KIDS – 42EXPLORE                 NEW!
http://www.42explore.com/poetry.htm
Basic information for elementary students on poetry for kids including links, activities and webquests. Excellent

POETRY POWER!                 NEW URL!
http://www.planetesme.com/poems.html
A collection of ideas and activities for teaching poetry and ways to inspire children to write poems. Excellent

POETS.ORG – ONLINE CLASSROOM             NEW!
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/6
"Welcome to the Online Poetry Classroom. Here you will find a wealth of resources, including Discussion Forums where teachers can share ideas and seek help from colleagues; Pedagogical & Critical Essays about poetry; extensive links to relevant websites; Curriculum Units & Lesson Plans; biographies of hundreds of poets; and over 2,000 poems." Also in Lesson Plans section. Excellent

WORLD POETRY DAY 2008             NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/calendar/calendar_day.asp?id=308
Information on World Poetry Day with activities, lesson plans and links. Excellent

AMERICAN POEMS.COM             NEW!
http://www.americanpoems.com/
Showcases American poets and poems, both modern and early. Includes a Poem of the Day, biographies, works and more. Very Good

CELEBRATE POETRY         NEW!
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/celebrate_poetry.html
A site with a long list of ideas for using poetry with children in the classroom. Very Good

CHILDREN’S POETRY         NEW!
http://www.poetry-online.org/childrens_poetry_resource_index.htm
"A free, online poetry for children resource providing the famous poetry for children by the World's most popular Poets. Whether your search is for Classic Childrens Poetry or Modern poetry for children you will find the poetry for children of your choice on this Children's Poetry section. Please visit our exclusive Forum, designed by the Poetry Online website for anyone interested in, or with questions about, poems for children." Very Good

CHILDREN’S POETRY             NEW!
http://www.storyit.com/Classics/JustPoems/classicpoems.htm
A collection of classic poems for children to read online. Very extensive. Very Good

FAMOUS CLASSICAL POETS & POEMS             NEW!
http://www.poemofquotes.com/classicalpoets.php
Links to classical poets such as Chaucer, Milton and Shakespeare. Click on the links on the left for additional categories: 18^th Century Poets, 19^th Century Poets, American Poems, Break Up Poems, Friendship Poems, Love Poems, Original Online Poems, and Sad Poems. Very Good

FORGOTTEN GROUND REGAINED – A TREASURY OF ALLITERATIVE AND ACCENTUAL POETRY      NEW!
http://alliteration.net/
A large collection of poetry from the ancient to the modern. For senior high students. Very Good

POET SEERS                 NEW!
http://www.poetseers.org/
A range of poetry from several cultures and poetry traditions. Sections include: Poetic Themes, Poetic Categories and Selected Poets. Very Good

POETRY AND MUSIC OF THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES         NEW URL!
http://www.civilwarpoetry.org/
A large collection of poetry and songs from the War Between the States. Sections: Confederate Poetry, Union Poetry and Music of the War. Very Good

POETRY FORM – HAY(NA)KU: A WORD-COUNT FORM         NEW!
http://www.baymoon.com/~ariadne/form/haynaku.htm
Hay(na)ku is a 21^st century verse form from the Philippines. Includes examples, links and information on the poet who developed the form. Includes links to other poetry forms that may not be familiar. Very Good

POETRYFOUNDATION.ORG: CHILDREN’S POETRY         NEW!
http://www.poetryarchive.org/childrensarchive/home.do
Features articles on poets and children’s poetry as well as an archive of poems. Very Good

POETRY POST - A Uni'verse'al Writing Project for K-12 Students         NEW URL!
http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/dec00/ppost.invite.htm
"Poetry Post features poems created by students from around the world. Grahamwood CLUE students in Memphis, Tennessee, USA invite virtual classmates to create and submit poems that describe your ideas, feelings, and experiences. All poems must be submitted by teachers. All poems submitted must be original work by students." Poems have been submitted so far by students from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. Very Good

POETRY WITH PIZZAZZ – POETRY LINKS             NEW!
http://www.suelebeau.com/poetry.htm
A collection of links for students on poetry. Very Good

POET’S CORNER
http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/index.html
"Welcome to Poets' Corner. Our goal is to create the largest, most diverse, and most user-friendly public library of poetic works ever assembled." "The poems on display range from lone quatrains to entire books, with a large selection of sonnets, narrative poems, and topical works to choose from."  Very Good

REPRESENTATIVE POETRY ONLINE         NEW!
http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/display/index.cfm
A portal to a large number of poets and their works. Search by author, title, timeline, keywords and more. Very Good

RIVER OF WORDS         NEW!
http://www.riverofwords.org/
An annual poetry and art contest in which students create poetry and art about their environment. Very Good

TALESPIN- CHILDREN’S POETRY             NEW!
http://www.pitara.com/Talespin/poems.asp
A colorful collection of multicultural poems for children. Very Good

TWENTIETH CENTURY POETRY                 NEW!
http://www.literaryhistory.com/20thC/20CAmericanandBritish.htm
Links to a large number of 20^th century American and British poets. Categories include: Poetry of WWI, Popular Modernism, High Modernism, Harlem Renaissance, Formalist Poets, Mid-century American Poets, Confessional Poetry, Black Mountain Poets, Beats and San Francisco Renaissance, British Poetry, The New York School and Language Poetry. Very Good

CLICKABLE POEMS             NEW!
http://www.clickablepoems.com/
Information on poetry, culture, poets, and poems. Good

COMPLETECLASSICS.COM – POETS & POEMS             NEW!
http://www.completeclassics.com/
"The "CompleteClassics" database contains 10,171  poems from 1,082 classic poets." Good

THE CRAZY LIMERICK MACHINE             NEW URL!
http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/year4/limerick.htm
Choose different lines from the limerick machine to make up a limerick. Good

DIAMONTE POEMS             NEW!
http://kidsnetsoft.com/html/poem2.html
A site by students on diamonte poems with examples and instructions. Good

THE HAIKU GALLERY             NEW!
http://www.haikugallery.com/
A collection of haiku poems produced by 2^nd and 3^rd grade students. Includes information on how to write haiku. Good

JOSIE’S POETRY FOR EVERYONE BUT ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN         NEW!
http://www.whiteheadm.co.uk/html/josies_poetry.htm
A large collection of poems by author Josie Whitehead on many different topics. Most are for children. Many have audio clips of her reading the poem. Worth checking out. Good

KRISTINE O’CONNELL GEORGE’S POETRY FOR STUDENTS         NEW URL!
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/for_students.html
Colorful tips for students on reading and writing poetry. Good

MODERN AMERICAN POETRY             NEW!
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets.htm
Links to 161 modern American poets. Each includes information about the poet and some of his/her works. Good

OEDILF – OMNISCIENT ENGLISH DICTIONARY IN LIMERICK FORM             NEW!
http://www.oedilf.com/db/Lim.php
An online collection of over 48,000 limericks. Searchable by keyword and topic. Note that not all limericks on the site are appropriate for students. A resource for teachers. Good

POEM HUNTER             NEW!
http://www.poemhunter.com/
A searchable online collection of over 310,000 poems. Good

POETS & WRITERS MAGAZINE
http://www.pw.org/mag/
"Poets & Writers Magazine is the primary source for what creative writers need to know. Along with essays on the literary life and interviews with contemporary writers of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, the magazine publishes articles with practical applications for both emerging and established writers. In addition, it provides the most comprehensive listing of literary grants and awards, deadlines, and prizewinners available in print.." Good

SHADOW POETRY             NEW!
http://www.shadowpoetry.com/
A poetry resource including Resources, Chapbooks, Magazines, Contests, and more. For senior high and adults. Good

SONNET CENTRAL         NEW!
http://www.sonnets.org/
"Welcome to Sonnet Central, an archive of English sonnets, commentary, and relevant web links and a forum for poets to share and discuss their own work. Sonnets are grouped by period below and can also be accessed quickly via an alphabetical list of authors or the java navigation page. All of the sonnets included here (as well as most of those that are linked) are modernized texts for the general reader and are not presented for purposes of scholarly work." Good

ACROSTIC POEMS: ALL ABOUT ME AND MY FAVORITE THINGS – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=309
A lesson plan for grades K-2 on acrostic poems. "Students write free-verse acrostic poems about themselves using the letters of their names to begin each line. They then write an additional poem about something that is important to them, also using the letters of that word for the beginning of each line. After proofreading, both poems are recopied or typed and illustrated and then mounted on construction paper for display. The activity addresses personal reflection and creative writing along with spelling and phonemic awareness." Excellent

AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY UNIT         NEW!
http://www.msu.edu/~miazgama/aapoets.htm
A curriculum unit on African American poets for grades 10-12. Contains 5 lesson plans. Very thorough. Excellent

ALLITERATION IN HEADLINE POEMS – LESSON PLAN
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=81
Students are introduced to the term alliteration and asked to create their own examples of alliteration as well as find examples of alliteration in poems. When students understand the concept of alliteration, they are given a handout that explains the assignment of writing a headline poem. The assignment requires each student to create a headline poem using words that they have cut out from magazines and/or newspapers. The poem must contain at least 25 words, be written in complete sentences with correct punctuation, stick to one central theme, and contain at least three clear examples of alliteration. Excellent

ART IN POETRY – TEACHING THE IMAGISTS – LESSON PLAN         NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0209.html
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. "This lesson presents a study of Ezra Pound's poem, "In the Station of the Metro" and the Imagist perception of modern society. Students will be required to write an original two-line poem about modern society and incorporate the poem into a graphic illustration." Excellent

BEAR OF A POEM: COMPOSING AND PERFORMING FOUND POETRY – LESSON PLAN     NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=835
A lesson plan on poetry for grades K-2. "To add to students’ growing ways of looking at and listening to words, students will "mine" texts for favorite words from favorite stories. Working together, students select words and phrases to create a collective class poem, that they will then turn into a performance. This lesson helps students recast the text they are reading in a different genre, which in turn, makes students more insightful readers and helps develop creativity in thinking and writing.
This lesson uses books from the Berenstain Bears series as an example, but any children’s books or book series can be used." Excellent

BEHIND THE MASKS: EXPLORING CULTURE AND SELF THROUGH ART AND POETRY – LESSON PLAN     NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=395
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. "This unit engages high school students in a study of the relationship between masks and cultures. Students research mask making from various cultures, draw sketches of the masks, and take notes that highlight the connections between the masks and the cultural practices of the people who created them. Using this information, students recreate the cultural masks and compose poetry to reveal their understanding and appreciation of these cultural artifacts. Students then analyze aspects of their own culture, and create personal masks and poetry to reflect their culture and themselves." Excellent

BIRMINGHAM BLUES: EXPLORING THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE THROUGH POETRY – LESSON PLAN                 NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20020513monday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. "In this lesson, students investigate racial inequality and prejudice in American history through the words of Langston Hughes, an American black poet." Excellent

BUILDING CLASSROOM COMMUNITY THROUGH THE EXPLORATION OF ACROSTIC POETRY – LESSON PLAN   NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=807
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on acrostic poetry. "Building classroom community is one of the most challenging yet most important tasks for any teacher, and needs to be reinforced frequently throughout the year. In this lesson, students explore the genre of acrostic poetry and participate in a shared writing experience with acrostic poems. They use the Internet to explore and investigate the characteristics of acrostic poetry. They then brainstorm positive character traits about one of their classmates using an online thesaurus and compose an acrostic poem. Students use an interactive online tool to write and print the final draft, then share their poem with the class." Excellent

CAN YOU HAIKU? –UNIT             NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=250
A three-lesson unit for grades 3-5 on haiku. "Haiku show us the world in a water drop, providing a tiny lens through which to glimpse the miracle and mystery of life. Combining close observation with a moment of reflection, this simple yet highly sophisticated form of poetry can help sharpen students' response to language and enhance their powers of self-expression. In this lesson, students learn the rules and conventions of haiku, study examples by Japanese masters, and create haiku of their own." Excellent

COLOR POEMS: USING THE FIVE SENSES TO GUIDE PRE-WRITING – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=375
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on color poems. "Once students experiment with poetry, they learn that they have another outlet for communicating their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. In this lesson, students are asked to think about colors, while imagining what they taste, feel, smell, sound, and look like. The students use their five senses as a prewriting tool to guide their poetry writing. This lesson is open-ended enough that students can write free-form poetry or follow a provided template to create a color poem." Excellent

COMPILING POETRY COLLECTIONS AND A WORKING DEFINITION OF POETRY – LESSON PLAN   NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=354
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on poetry. "A study of poetry should be one of exploration. To avoid stifling creativity then, initial poetry study should not focus too much on form; however, teaching form as a tool, rather than as a requirement, can help young writers express themselves creatively. This unit introduces poetry forms and craft elements while students explore poetry about everyday topics or themes. Focusing on poetry in this way allows students to delve deeply into their own creativity. When students have the opportunity to select their own choice of topics and to explore poetry craft elements, this activity becomes a poetry unit that motivates and excites students." Excellent

COMPOSING CINQUAIN POEMS – A QUICK-WRITING ACTIVITY
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=51
"Cinquain (pronounced "cin-kain") is a five-line poetic form, using a wavelike syllable count of two-four-six-eight-two. In this lesson, students write simple cinquain of their own as a follow-up to a subject they have been exploring in class." Excellent

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN POETRY AND MUSIC – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=808
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on poetry. "Music helps children develop rhythmic intelligence and notice rhythm in language, which are important skills in learning how to read and developing fluency as readers. In this lesson, students listen to poems read aloud and discuss the rhythm and sound of poetry. Students then perform poems using musical instruments to emphasize cadence. Using online tools, they learn about line breaks and the way these affect the rhythm of a poem. Finally, students write poems they believe will be enhanced by music and perform them for the class." Excellent

CREATING CLASSROOM COMMUNITY BY CRAFTING THEMED POETRY COLLECTIONS – LESSON PLAN   NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=391
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on poetry. "Back to school means new teachers, new classmates and many unanswered questions. In this lesson, students create poetry collections with a back-to-school theme of "getting to know each other." Students write poetry with the goal of introducing themselves, helping to create a sense of classroom community, while exploring the many and varied types and forms of poetry and constructing and refining their own definitions of poetry.
While this lesson focuses on a back-to-school activity, students’ collections can focus on any topic and be completed any time of year. For instance, you might complete the same series of activities as part of a social studies unit, with students writing thematic collections that help readers get to know a historical figure whom they have researched. As a book report alternative, students might complete the series of poems as a way to invite readers to get to know the main character or characters in the books that they have read." Excellent

DANCING MINDS AND SHOUTING SMILES: TEACHING PERSONIFICATION THROUGH POETRY – LESSON PLAN     NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=860
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on poetry. "Experiencing the language of great poets provides a rich learning context for students, giving them access to the best examples of how words can be arranged in unique ways. By studying the works of renowned poets across cultures and histories, students extract knowledge about figurative language and poetic devices from masters of the craft. In this lesson, students learn about personification by reading and discussing poems by Emily Dickinson, William Blake, and Langston Hughes. Then they use the poems as a guide to brainstorm lists of nouns and verbs that they randomly arrange to create personification in their own poems." Excellent

DISCOVERING A PASSION FOR POETRY WITH LANGSTON HUGHES – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=251
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. "Poetry is written to convey the essence of a greater meaning. Much like the youth of today, poetry can bundle a great deal of passion in a small package. After analyzing examples of contemporary youth poetry as well as the poetry of Langston Hughes, students use the Internet to conduct research on how events in the world have shaped Hughes' work. They cite specific examples that link their interpretation of the poem to the sociohistorical context in which it was written. Finally, each student creates an original poem that communicates a personal view on a current world issue." Excellent

DISCOVERING TRADITIONAL SONNET FORMS – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=830
A lesson plan on sonnets for grades 9-12. "In this lesson, students read and analyze sonnets to discover their traditional forms. Students chart the characteristics of the poems then review the details for similarities, deducing traditional sonnet forms that the poems have in common. After this introduction, students write original sonnets, using one of the poems they have analyzed as a model."  Excellent

EDWARD LEAR, LIMERICKS AND NONSENSE: THERE ONCE WAS… - LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=403
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on Edward Lear. "British poet Edward Lear (1812-1888) is most widely recognized as the father of the limerick form of poetry and is well known for his nonsense poems. In this lesson, students will learn the form of the limerick poem, practice finding the meter and rhyme schemes in various Lear limericks, and write their own limericks." Excellent

EKPHRASIS: USING ART TO INSPIRE POETRY – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1093
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. "In this lesson, students explore ekphrasis—writing inspired by art. Students begin by reading and discussing several poems inspired by works of art. Through the discussion, students learn ways in which poets can approach a piece of artwork (for instance, writing about the scene being depicted in the artwork, writing in the voice of the person depicted in the artwork, speaking to the artist or subject of the painting, etc.). Students then search online for pieces of art that inspire them and, in turn, compose a booklet of poems about the pieces they have chosen." Excellent

ENHANCING A POETRY UNIT WITH AMERICAN MEMORY         NEW!
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/98/poetry/poem.html
A unit for grades 7-9 on poetry. "Students explore poetry using American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940 collection of American Memory, which covers personal stories collected by the Works Progress Administration. In particular, students write "found poetry" based on the stories found in this collection. This unit is best undertaken after students have studied a good amount of published poetry and are familiar with at least several different elements common to most verse. These can be found in any grade-level student text or teacher manual, from junior high on up. Briefly, elements to look for include the following: alliteration, repetition, sensory language, metaphor and simile, imagery, rhythm, stanzas, and line breaks." Excellent

EXPLORE POETRY WITH EMILY DICKINSON – UNIT             NEW!
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/poetry/activity/5488.html
A unit for middle school students using the poetry of Emily Dickinson to teach poetry. Contains several different activities. Excellent

FILL-IN-THE-BLANK POETRY – LESSON PLAN         NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0200.html
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. "Choose a simple poem that is 10-20 lines in length. 2. Provide two copies of the poem to students: the original poem and the same poem in which you have removed several of the words and replaced them with "blanks." 3. Read the original poem with students and discuss the meaning and/or structure of the poem. 4. Have students create their own versions of the original poem, filling in the blanks you have created." Excellent

FINDING POETRY IN PROSE: READING AND WRITING LOVE POEMS – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1034
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on love poems. "When students think of love poetry, they almost invariably think of poetry about romantic love. This lesson expands the concept of love poems to move beyond romantic love to explore other kinds of love, particularly the love within a family. After reading several poems that expand the definition of love poetry, students compose found poems based on a personal memoir—either their own reminisces or a love story of another writer." Excellent

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING: EXPRESSING THE MULTITUDE OF EFFECTS INITIATED BY THE DISCOVERY OF DNA – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20030225tuesday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on writing poems. "In this lesson, students reflect on the role of DNA in society since its discovery in 1953 by creating works of art and poetry that metaphorically illustrate the importance, influence and concerns of DNA research." Excellent

HISTORICAL VOICES, POETIC VISIONS – CURRICULUM UNIT             NEW!
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/00/voices/overview.html
A curriculum unit on poetry for grades 10-12. "To better understand the turn-of-the-19th century United States, this interdisciplinary lesson integrates use of primary resources with historical and literary analysis. Students work in groups and express themselves creatively through a multi-media epic poem.
The artistic models for the students’ multi-media epic poem are Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself (1855) and Hart Crane’s The Bridge (1930). These epic poets capture, interpret, and give meaning to their particular time and place. Students look to do the same with the year 1900, relying upon relevant primary resources —sound recordings, images, text— and their own creative and interpretative voices." Excellent

HO HO POETRY: CREATING HOLIDAY-THEMED FOUND POEMS – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20061222friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on writing poems. "In this lesson, students read about the sights and sounds of a Las Vegas Christmas. They then use words and phrases taken from articles in today’s New York Times to create holiday-themed "found poems."" Excellent

HONORING OUR VETERANS THROUGH POETRY PRE-WRITING – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=9
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on poetry. "This lesson supports sixth- through eighth-grade students' exploration of multiple Web resources to gather and synthesize information, and to create and communicate this information through poetry. Additionally, the activity requires students to acquire new knowledge and to expand upon their understanding of themselves and the culture of the United States. Students are encouraged to participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of their classroom community. Extension activities include publishing their poetry on the Web, creating cards using the students' poems to send to local veterans' hospitals, and creating a display with accompanying artwork for Veterans Day." Excellent

HOW I BECAME ME: WRITING POEMS OR SPEECHES EXPLORING IDENTITY – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20070309friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on writing poetry. "In this lesson, students will examine their own identities and read about the experiences of adopted Chinese daughters celebrating the Jewish rite of passage, the bat mitzvah. They then write personal poems or speeches illustrating how their identities evolved." Excellent

HOW TO WRITE A BIOPOEM – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0067.html
A lesson plan for grades 3-4 on poetry. "The students will write a biopoem following the structure provided in class, but will have creativity control. The finished poem will be posted on boy or girl patterns drawn and colored to look like each student by each student." Excellent

THE IMPACT OF A POEM’S LINE BREAKS: ENJAMBMENT AND GWENDOLYN BROOKS’ "WE REAL COOL" – LESSON PLAN  
                                                                                          NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=651
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on line breaks in poems. "Perhaps to her dismay as a voluminous, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, Gwendolyn Brooks is best known for her short but far-reaching poem "We Real Cool." The poem's beauty, strength, and power are rooted in its effective use of line breaks. Brooks' strategic choice of line breaks affects virtually every aspect of the poem: its pace, rhythm, mood, tone, characters, sound, and meaning. In this lesson, students will closely analyze the poem's line breaks and the effect of enjambment on their reading and interpretation of the poem." Excellent

IN THE POET’S SHOES: PERFORMING POETRY AND BUILDING MEANING – LESSON PLAN
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=78
"Through the use of dramatic reading and the exploration of Internet resources, sixth- through eighth-grade students build a greater understanding of poetry and the poet's voice. Further, the experience requires students to analyze and develop their own interpretation of a poem's meaning and representation through performance. Extension activities involve students giving an oral poetry performance of their own poetry writing." Excellent

INTRODUCING METAPHORS THROUGH POETRY – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=605
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on metaphors. "Many students begin to learn about metaphors well before entering high school. This lesson assumes that students will have a basic understanding of what metaphors are; however it is designed to help students begin to engage with metaphors on a deeper and more abstract level. The lesson will begin with a poem containing metaphors accessible at all levels, and with each poem the lesson will progress in difficulty, so that teachers will find material to suit their classes at all skill levels." Excellent

AN INTRODUCTION TO BEOWULF: LANGUAGE AND POETICS – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=813
A lesson plan on Beowulf for grades 9-12. "While Beowulf is generally considered the earliest major work of English poetry, it is almost always taught in translation and its verse form and poetic techniques are often unfamiliar. This lesson provides an introduction to the language and poetics of the poem. Although this lesson assumes students will read Beowulf in translation, it introduces students to the poem’s original Old English and explains the relationship between Old, Middle, and Modern English. The lesson then goes on to introduce students to alliteration, alliterative verse, and kennings and their importance to Beowulf." Excellent

INTRODUCTION TO MODERNIST POETRY – UNIT         NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=615
A three-lesson unit for grades 9-12 on modernist poetry. "Modernist poetry often is difficult for students to analyze and understand. A primary reason students feel a bit disoriented when reading a modernist poem is that the speaker himself is uncertain about his or her own ontological bearings. Indeed, the speaker of modernist poems characteristically wrestles with the fundamental question of "self," often feeling fragmented and alienated from the world around him. In other words, a coherent speaker with a clear sense of himself/herself is hard to find in modernist poetry, often leaving students confused and "lost."" Excellent

KNOWING POE – LESSON PLANS             NEW!
http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/default_flash.asp
An extensive resource on Edgar Allan Poe. Includes his life and works. Click on Classroom Connections for lesson plans and more. Also in the Websites section. Excellent

THE LAST MEOW: A POETRY LESSON INSPIRED BY THE MUSICAL CATS – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20000901friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on writing poems. "In this lesson, students explore the popular culture phenomenon of the musical 'Cats' and the T.S. Eliot poems that were its inspiration. Students then write original poems about animals, and read them aloud to their peers." Excellent

" LEAP, PLASHLESS": EMILY DICKINSON & POETIC IMAGINATION – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=604
A lesson plan on the poetry of Emily Dickinson for grades 3-5. "In this lesson, students will read and explore one of Dickinson's nature poems, "A Bird came down the Walk—" through interaction with other art forms. First, they will listen to clips of a hymn to help them hear Dickinson's meter. Then, they will view 19-century bird images and describe what they see, just as a poet would, and they will observe how a poet plays with language and imagery to create a scene by acting out verse lines. Finally, they will write a brief poem of their own using what they have learned and their own observations." Excellent

LETTER POEMS DELIVER: EXPERIMENTING WITH LINE BREAKS IN POETRY WRITING – LESSON PLAN
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=99
"Letter poems, where communicating a message is central, make poetry accessible, meaningful, and fun for children. Letter poems are also a particularly apt medium for exploring a defining characteristic of poetry—line breaks. As students work to transform narrative-style letters into poetic format, they are forced to think carefully about where to end each line. In this lesson students explore various letter poems and experiment with writing letters as poems, with attention to why the lines are broken where they are and how line breaks affect rhythm, sound, meaning, and appearance." Excellent

A LIFE LIVED WELL: WRITING FOUND POEMS FROM AN OBITUARY – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20061005thursday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on writing found poems. "In this lesson, students brainstorm words and phrases that describe themselves. They then construct found poems using words and phrases taken from the article, and write autobiographical obituaries that celebrate the lives and achievements they imagine for themselves" Excellent

LITERARY PARODIES: EXPLORING A WRITER’S STYLE THROUGH IMITATION – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=839
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on literary style in poetry. "The popular saying "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," coined by Charles Caleb Colton, is the basis for this lesson, which asks students to analyze the features of a poet’s work then create their own poems based on the original model. By exploring sample poems and their parodies, students focus on the language and style of the original writer, all in the process of playing with poetry." Excellent

LONELY AS A CLOUD: USING POETRY TO UNDERSTAND SIMILES – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=907
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on similes. "Poetry is a unique genre that can include poetic devices that are designed to entertain the ear, tickle the funny bone, and invite language play (Labbo, 2004). Yet many of our students approach poetry writing with fear and trepidation. Literature can provide a scaffold for students to use when approaching a new writing task and can help to create an environment that increases the opportunity for student success. In this lesson, students identify similes in poetry and gain experience in using similes as a poetic device in their own work." Excellent

LYRICAL LESSONS ONLINE: POETRY LESSONS FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS         NEW!
http://volweb.utk.edu/Schools/bedford/harrisms/spotlight.htm
A large collection of lesson plans on poetry. They are for elementary through senior high. Excellent

MAGIC WORDS, MAGIC BRUSH: THE ART OF WILLIAM BUTLER AND JACK YEATS – CURRICULUM UNIT     NEW!
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/irish/learn/lsnplans/yeats/curriculum.html
A unit for grades 7-12 on the works of William Butler and Jack Yeats. "This unit on William Butler Yeats, the writer, and Jack Yeats, the painter, is dedicated to immersing students in a study of the brothers as voices of Ireland, and as two of the most renowned artists of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is dedicated also to evoking students to see how the outlook of an age controls cultural expression, and how this expression is articulated in similar ways throughout genres of art. To help effect these major goals, focus is placed on: the impact of geography, place, and family on both William Butler Yeats and Jack Yeats; the influence of personalities of the time period on the two artists; also, the ways both Yeats align, in philosophical construct and creative expression, with the dynamic changes that occurred in the last part of the nineteenth and the early part of the twentieth centuries." Excellent

MIXED BLESSINGS: EXPLORING THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE IN PATRIOTIC POETRY – LESSON PLAN  NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20020628friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on patriotic poetry. "In this lesson, students will learn about the recent federal appeals court decision finding the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional. They then further investigate the notions of constitutionality and separation between church and state by researching and analyzing another patriotic American poem or song." Excellent

NATIVE AMERICAN CHANTS AND MOVEMENT – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2245/
A lesson plan for grades K-4 using Native American chants. "This lesson will challenge students to create expressive movements inspired by traditional Native American chants and poetry. Background information on Native American tribes and their music and oral traditions will precede the reading of the chants and the creation of movement." Excellent

PAIRING FICTION WITH POETRY AND PERFORMANCE – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1001
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. "This lesson is designed to help second-language learners improve vocabulary and comprehension using a variety of genres and techniques. Students read and discuss novels. At specific points in their reading, they conduct research by exploring questions about the author, the storyline, and how they can connect the novels to poetry and drama. They then develop a performance poem focusing on a specific scene or event, which they reenact. Students memorize their poems, rehearse their roles, and then prepare a formal presentation. Although it is designed for second-language learners, this lesson is perfect for mixed classrooms." Excellent

PLAY WITH WORDS: RHYME AND VERSE – CURRICULUM UNIT             NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=259
A curriculum unit for grades K-2 on poetry. "In this lesson, students will use their senses to experience poetry. Students will listen to poems and rhymes, clap out syllables, and sing along with familiar tunes. They will also use puppets and crafts to help recall and retell favorite poems. Finally, students will experience the joy of crafting their own original poems." Excellent

THE POETICS OF HIP HOP – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3656/
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on hip hop and poetry. "Analysis of hip hop music and lyrics can provide students with a greater understanding of rhythm, form, diction, and sound in poetry. Students will analyze form in Shakespearean sonnets, then analyze hip hop music to determine common characteristics between the Bard's work and the music of hip hop artists. Students will reinforce their understanding of the connections between hip hop and poetry through close analysis of the works of poets Saul Williams and Nikki Giovanni, and through the creation of their own poetry." Excellent

POETRY ALL YEAR LONG – UNIT             NEW!
http://www.knowledge.state.va.us/cgi-bin/lesview.cgi?idl=548
A unit plan for teaching poetry all year for 1^st grade students. "Each week introduce a new poem. Begin by showing the students a copy you have already made on chart paper and have displayed in front of the class. ( Skipping lines and/or alternating colors for lines or verses makes the poem easier to read.) Begin the year with very short, simple poems that rhyme. Each day read the poem with your class. The teacher uses a pointer as she reads with the class.
The first day (Mondays) emphasize the vocabulary, repeating the words correctly, and getting the general idea the poem is conveying. As the week goes on read the poem each day concentrating on a different feature. One day you might have the children clap to the rhythm of the poem as you read it. Another day look for rhyming words and patterns, and another day find descriptive words in the poem and talk about the mental pictures they create. Later lessons may focus on how the poetry looks different from prose, how authors’ and poets’ purposes may differ, and any other lessons a particular poem might generate.
On Fridays provide each student with a typed copy of the poem of the week. (I also 3 hole punch the copies.) Children illustrate their poem as they choose. They put the poem in their notebook or folder and keep it in their desks for the year. At the end of the year they have a poetry notebook or folder to take home and keep as their own." Excellent

POETRY CIRCLES: GENERATIVE WRITING LOOPS HELP STUDENTS CRAFT VERSE – LESSON PLAN    NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1074
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. "In this lesson, students interact and play with language while writing poetry using generative writing loops, which are a type of poetry circle. In these groups, students interact to learn and apply poetic conventions and forms, which results in improved understanding and development of social skills. While generative writing loops can be used to write any kind of poem, this lesson focuses on a free verse poem and an Italian sonnet. The student groups can be used throughout the year to stimulate interest in poetry and to help students actively learn poetic terms, conventions, and traditional forms." Excellent

POETRY FROM PROSE – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=49
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on poetry. "Working in small groups, Students compose found and parallel poems based on a descriptive passage they have chosen from a piece of literature they are reading. They pick out words, phrases and lines from the prose passage then arrange and format the excerpts to compose their own poems. This process of recasting the text they are reading in a different genre helps students become more insightful readers and develop creativity in thinking and writing." Excellent

POETRY GIFTS – LESSON PLAN         NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0201.html
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. "In this activity, students brainstorm descriptive words about a person of their choice and then use that information to create a poem. The lesson is an exercise in creative writing that can be used to drum up ideas for more personal poems about people and places that a student knows." Excellent

POETRY PORTFOLIOS: USING POETRY TO TEACH READING AND WRITING – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=152
A lesson plan for grades K-2. "Students learn to read and write when they have an active interest in what they are reading and writing about. This lesson supports students' exploration of language and writing skills as they read and dissect poetry. Through a weekly poem, students explore meaning, sentence structure, rhyming words, sight words, vocabulary, and print concepts. After studying the poem, students are given a copy of the poem to illustrate and share their understanding. All of the poems explored are then compiled into a poetry portfolio for students to take home and share with their families. To further connect home to school, a family poetry project is suggested." Excellent

POETRY SOUND AND SENSE – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=848
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. "Examining great poetry leads to both a greater appreciation for poetry and, if encouraged appropriately, a desire to create original poetry. This lesson suggests nonthreatening ways to teach poetry in the high school classroom. The instructional plan involves reading and listening to selected poems, discussing the author's language choices, and encouraging students to examine the sounds and sense of language." Excellent

A POET’S NEW POST: CREATING POETRY USING THE WORDS OF POET LAUREATE CHARLES SIMIC – LESSON PLAN NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20070803friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. "In this lesson, students will explore the poetry of Charles Simic, America’s new Poet Laureate, and use his words to inspire their own writing." Excellent

POETS.ORG – ONLINE CLASSROOM - CURRICULUM UNITS & LESSON PLANS         NEW!
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/6
"Welcome to the Online Poetry Classroom. Here you will find a wealth of resources, including Discussion Forums where teachers can share ideas and seek help from colleagues; Pedagogical & Critical Essays about poetry; extensive links to relevant websites; Curriculum Units & Lesson Plans; biographies of hundreds of poets; and over 2,000 poems." Also in Websites section. Excellent

PREPARING FOR POETRY: A READER’S FIRST STEPS – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=639
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. "This lesson will begin with a discussion on differentiating literal and figurative language, showing how students will determine denotation and connotation in language. With an emphasis on creating arguments using evidence from the poem, they will next learn how to annotate and paraphrase a poem. They will decipher who the speaker is and how tone and setting establish tension and dramatic context. Finally, students will explore the poem's structure, with attention to rhyme, use of line, and form. Through these exercises, which center on William Shakespeare's Sonnet 130, "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun," students will learn how to create a thesis about the poem rooted in textual evidence." Excellent

PUT THAT ON THE LIST: INDEPENDENTLY WRITING A CATALOG POEM – LESSON PLAN     NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=895
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. "In these contemporary times, our lives are often driven by lists—to-do lists, shopping lists, wish lists. In this activity, students use that structure to write powerful poetry, modeled after Raymond Carver’s poem "The Car." Working individually, students compose catalog poems based on concrete objects that hold personal meaning for them. These poems, stripped down in the most minimalist fashion, allow students to concentrate on important aspects of poetry, including word choice, phrasing and rhythm as well as the all-important "heart" of the poem." Excellent

PUTTING PIZZAZZ IN POETRY – CURRICULUM UNIT     NEW!
http://www.rain.org/campinternet/cperez/poetryunitplan.html
A curriculum unit on poetry for junior high school students. "The students will spend several weeks studying a variety of literary elements with a specific focus on onomatopoeia, simile, personification, and alliteration. They will read and discuss both professional and student examples of poetry utilizing these elements in textbooks, handouts, and online. They will conclude the study of each element by creating an original poem using that element. At the end of the unit, each student will work with a partner to create a multimedia presentation, publication, or web site that demonstrates the analysis of poetry based on the literary elements, an evaluation of the effect of the elements on poetry, and the synthesis of these elements into an original poem." Excellent

ROBERT FROST PROMPTS THE POET IN YOU – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=859
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on poetry. "In this lesson, students write poems similar in form and style to one of three poems by Robert Frost. First, students learn key details about the life of Frost. They then read and discuss three Frost poems. Together with the teacher, students create a poetry prompt for one of the three poems. This involves having students brainstorm ideas for a writing assignment that connect to one of the poems. Finally, students use their poetry prompt to write their own poems reminiscent of the form and style of the selected Frost poem." Excellent

ROBERT FROST’S "MENDING WALL": A MARRIAGE OF POETIC FORM AND CONTENT – LESSON PLAN    NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=645
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on Robert Frost. "In this lesson, students will study both the content and the intriguing poetic form of Frost's famous poem "Mending Wall." Upon completing the suggested activities below, students will understand the intricate relationship between a poem's content and its form. This lesson will enable students to approach Frost's poetry in a new way and will provide them with analytical skills for reading poetry at large." Excellent

RECOGNIZING SIMILES: FAST AS A WHIP – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=608
A lesson plan on similes for grades 9-12. "Many students begin to learn about similes well before entering high school. This lesson assumes that students will have a basic understanding of what similes are, however it is designed to help students review what they have learned in earlier classes and to begin to engage with similes on a deeper and more abstract level." Excellent

SAY HI TO HAIBUN FUN – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=588
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on Japanese haibun poetry. "This cross-curricular lesson is designed to introduce students in language arts or social studies classes to elements of the Japanese writing style and the Japanese cultural concepts incorporated by the haibun. Students consider that each moment recorded in their journal can become elevated to a work of art because of the insights gained. By reading examples of classical Haibun written by Basho and contemporary Haibun by Jane Riechhold and others, students will observe these elements and concepts in the text After studying elements of the Japanese writing style and cultural concepts, students will compose original haibun." Excellent

SEVENTH GRADERS WRITING ITALIAN SONNETS? YOU BET! – LESSON PLANNING ARTICLE    NEW!
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson016.shtml
An article on the work of one Language Arts teacher in Texas whose students learn to become prolific poets. Excellent

SHAPE POEMS: WRITING EXTRAORDINARY POEMS ABOUT ORDINARY OBJECTS – LESSON PLAN    NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=798
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on shape poems. "Writing poetry enables students to reflect on their everyday experiences, express their perceptions and observations, and craft powerful images. In this lesson, students write shape poems using their content knowledge and sensory awareness of a familiar object. Students first learn about the characteristics and format of a shape poem. They then engage in an online interactive activity in which they select a graphic of a familiar object (e.g., the sun, a heart, a balloon), build a word bank of content area and sensory words related to the object, and write poems within the shape of the object. Finished poems are printed and displayed in class." Excellent

STEP-UP-TO-THE-PLATE POETRY – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0219.html
A lesson plan for grades 5-8 on poetry. "While most students know and love the game of baseball, many do not realize that the great African American players in the major leagues today would not have been allowed to play in the first half of the 20th Century. Segregation existed in the country and in baseball. Using computer resources to study the Negro Baseball Leagues, students will learn about the players, teams, and social conditions that existed from the 1900’s until 1946. They will culminate their study by using poetry forms to express their knowledge and their feelings about this historical time in the United States." Excellent

STILL I RISE – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0208.html
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 using Maya Angelou’s "Still I Rise". "A lesson plan using the famous poem, "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou. I created this lesson plan to expose students to Maya Angelou’s powerful poem, "Still I Rise" as well as to enhance their understanding of the power of poetry. In addition, it informs students on how poetry has its own unique format, language, and poetic devices such as metaphors, similes, and personification and how these poetic conventions can add a tremendous punch to a poet’s message. This lesson conforms to the learning concept of "Thematic Learning." The major theme (Thematic Learning) of this poem is the undeniable and unbreakable strength and spirit of the African American people, past and present; however, students will begin to formulate their own identification with the poem's message by seeing beyond the cultural relevance and finding a connection to their own teenage lives, in spite of race or culture. Many students will respond by saying that in spite of peer pressure, trends, or negative situations that they have been confronted with, they, too, have found ways to rise above the adversities that often plague those to conform to the negative standards and trends set by other teenagers." Excellent

THINKING INDUCTIVELY: A CLOSE READING OF SEAMUS HEANEY’S "BLACKBERRY PICKING" – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1014
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. "Applicable to almost any poem, this lesson uses Seamus Heaney’s "Blackberry-Picking" to ease students’ fear of analyzing poetry by teaching them an inductive strategy through which they determine patterns of imagery, diction, and figurative language in order to unlock meaning. First, the students list the images, diction, and figurative language they notice in the poem; then, looking for patterns within their list, they "lump" them into categories. Finally, they apply these categories to the poem’s structure to determine meaning. The student is then able to write a theme statement and support it with specifics gleaned from the poem." Excellent

TUNEFUL BUGS AND BIRDS – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2336/
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on poetry. "What inspires man to create art dealing with bugs and birds? In this lesson, intermediate high school ESOL students engage in a variety of activities as they read and write poetry and listen to music about bugs and birds." Excellent

USING CLASSIC POETRY TO CHALLENGE AND ENRICH STUDENTS’ WRITING –LESSON PLAN     NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=900
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on writing poetry. "Through this series of lessons, students are introduced to classic works of poetry. They learn to interpret multiple perspectives while reading, analyzing, and discussing these works. After looking closely at and discussing each poem collectively, students work together to cocreate an open-ended writing prompt or "link" to stimulate an authentic writing experience. This poetry writing allows them to "try on" or imitate a range of poetic styles and forms. It also guides them to develop their own voice, improve their writing skills, and deepen their understanding and appreciation of poetry." Excellent

WE’VE GOT THE BEAT: AIRING POEMS WITH SONGS TO HIGHLIGHT AND ENHANCE RHYTHMS AND TONES – LESSON PLAN
                                                                                                                                                         NEW!
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20080111friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. "In this lesson, students explore the way poetry’s unique rhythms can be further enhanced by musical accompaniment. By pairing selected music and poems, students discover new ways to listen, interpret and appreciate these art forms." Excellent

WILLIAM/WILLIAM MIX-UP – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0211.html
A lesson plan for grade 12 students on poets. "This lesson is intended to introduce students to a couple of British Romantic Poets, William Blake and William Wordsworth, to see how their styles vary." Excellent

WORDS OF DEEP MEANING: EXPRESSING IMPORTANT PERSONAL FEELINGS THROUGH POETRY – LESSON PLAN
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20000128friday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. "In this lesson, students explore the use of poetry as a means of expressing deep, personal feelings by reading an article about people with physical disabilities who write poems and then creating their own poetry." Excellent

THE WORLD OF HAIKU – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=305
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on haiku. "In this lesson, students explore the traditions and conventions of haiku, comparing this classic form of Japanese poetry to a related genre of Japanese visual art and composing haiku of their own." Excellent

A WORLD OF POETRY – LESSON PLANS             NEW!
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3799/
A collection of lesson plans for elementary through senior high level. Excellent

WRITING FREE VERSE IN THE "VOICE" OF CESAR CHAVEZ – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=777
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on free verse. "This lesson gives students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the characteristics of free verse and to write a free verse poem using written material about the labor activist Cesar Chavez. After they read about experiences that helped shape the life of Chavez and take descriptive notes about these experiences, they each compose a first draft of a free verse poem in the "voice" of Chavez. With the help of graphic organizers and a rubric, they revise, polish, and share their poems with their classmates." Excellent

ANGLO-SAXON RIDDLES – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.knowledge.state.va.us/cgi-bin/lesview.cgi?idl=639
A lesson plan for 12^th grade students on Anglo-Saxon poetry. "Objective: To become familiar with the form and achievement of Anglo-Saxon poetry. To understand the oral tradition of literature in the Anglo-Saxon society" Very Good

APPRECIATING THE BARD’S ART: REWRITING SHAKESPEARE’S EPITAPH USING IAMBIC PENTAMETER – LESSON PLAN
                                                                                                                                        NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0002.html
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on writing poetry. "Description: The following is designed as a small group activity to help students appreciate Shakespeare's art as well as reinforce literary terms and concepts. Students begin to appreciate Shakespeare's genius as they struggle to compose six lines in iambic pentameter, knowing that he wrote tens of thousands in his plays." Very Good

CALLING ON THE MUSE – EXERCISES TO UNLOCK THE POET WITHIN             NEW!
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson171.shtml
An article for teachers on teaching poetry. Very Good

A DEDICATION IN VERSE – LESSON PLAN         NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0036.html
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 in which students read and create poetry and then create a poetry book. Very Good

HAIKU LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://international.ucla.edu/shenzhen/2002ncta/aieta/haikulessonplan.html
A lesson plan on haiku for 6^th and 7^th grades. ‘Students will research internet to explore meaning of Haiku, how it has been used historically and in modern times, preview examples of other works, and write their own Haiku." Very Good

INTRODUCTION TO POETRY –LESSON PLAN             NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0008.html
A lesson plan for grades 7-12 in which students will learn the expressive nature of poetry by composing their own poems. Very Good

MONARCH HAIKU – LESSON PLAN         NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0010.html
A lesson plan for grades 2-3 on haiku. "In this lesson, students who have been studying the spring migration of monarch butterflies have an opportunity to apply what they have learned about the butterflies in a literary way." Very Good

OCEANS: A FACT HAIKU – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2080/
A lesson plan for grades K-4 on haiku poetry. "The sound and movement of ocean waves may be called poetry in motion. This lesson uses the ocean to teach students about a form of Japanese poetry. After learning about haiku, and hearing haiku, students listen to the ocean to inspire them in writing their own haiku." Very Good

PARTS OF SPEECH POETRY – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/41.html
A lesson plan on poetry for 5^th grade students. Students create poems focusing on particular parts of speech. Very Good

POETRY PRINTABLES             NEW!
http://www.abcteach.com/directory/basics/writing/poetry/
A collection of links to printables with ideas for creating poetry. For elementary students. Very Good

POWERFUL POETRY – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.nasaexplores.com/show_58_teacher_st.php?id=030108152851
A lesson plan for grades 5-8 in which students create poetry about weather using different styles. Very Good

TWO WORD AUTOBIOPOEM – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Whole_Language/WLG0014.html
A lesson plan for grades 2-6 on poetry. "This is a great way for students to get to know one another during the first few days of school. It also makes a great addition to any poetry unit. A two word biopoem could also be used to describe a character from a book or story." Very Good

"WRIGHT-ING" PROMPT: CONCRETE POETRY         NEW!
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/wright/teachers/wfomanual/langarts/poem.html
A lesson plan for middle school students in which they learn about concrete poetry and then write their own concrete poems. Very Good

WRITE SUMMER SHAPE POEMS – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/grades3_5/ShapePoems/
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on shape poems. "Who knew that poems could be round or square or even fish-shaped? Shape poems, or poems that look like the things they describe, are a fun way to introduce children to poetry and to get them to use words in new ways. In this activity, children write and print poems in many different summer shapes." Very Good

ZOO ANIMAL POETRY – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Interdisciplinary/INT0083.html
A lesson plan for grades K-3 on poetry. "Many classes plan trips to the zoo to see the animals. Classes may study the animals in books and read many stories, or write original stories, but to really bring the facts alive using a video camera and poetry is very powerful. This activity was formulated to bring the animals into the classroom and the homes of the students." Very Good

ACTION POEMS – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas/ViewLesson.asp?ID=1086
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on creating action poems. This can easily be adapted to different types of classes. Good

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Process_Skills/LPS0205.html
A lesson plan for grades 9-11 on figurative language. "Description: This lesson focuses on identifying and creating similes, metaphors, and personification in literature and in students' own writing." Good

FRUIT POETRY – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LAFruitPoetryUsingSimiliesMetaphorsIdea37.htm
A lesson plan for grades 3-7 using fruit as a subject for a poem. Good

HAIKU – WEB ENGLISH TEACHER         NEW!
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/haiku.html
Links to sites about haiku for teachers to use in the classroom. Good

INTRODUCTION TO POETRY – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/344.shtml
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 using music to introduce poetry. "I use this activity as an introduction to poetry. Music is a wonderful medium to helping students appreciate poetry and poetic devices."  Good

KNOWING OURSELVES AND OTHERS THROUGH POETRY – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0018.html
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on poetry. "Developing a rapport and trust with students at risk of dropping out of school is often difficult. These students are guarded in their openness with adults in general and school staff in particular. Yet providing an open atmosphere is fundamental to mending self-concepts and a prerequisite for skill development and the academic success necessary leading to graduation." Good

A LITTLE SNAKY POETRY – LESSON PLAN         NEW!
http://www.nasaexplores.com/show_58_teacher_st.php?id=021227130928
A lesson plan for grades 5-8 on poetry using the characteristics of snakes. "Objective: To practice writing types of poetry relating to snake characteristics." Good

PERFORMANCE POETRY – LESSON PLAN         NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0024.html
A lesson plan for grades 7-12. "Performing a poem is the best way to move students from literal interpretations to figurative interpretations of literature. For many students, it is difficult to begin to think in abstract ways. Students need to learn to open their minds in order to survive in and appreciate the world in which they live." Good

POETRY CUBES – LESSON PLAN         NEW URL!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0014.html
A lesson plan for grades K-12 in which students construct poetry cubes and develop ways to interpret a poem. Adaptable for each grade level. Good

TIPS ON TEACHING POETRY FROM POETIC POWER         NEW!
http://www.poeticpower.com/plugs1/
A collection of basic lesson plans for grades 3-12. Good

UNRAVELING BURNS – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.knowledge.state.va.us/cgi-bin/lesview.cgi?idl=925
A lesson plan for 12^th grade students on the poetry of Robert Burns. "Purpose:
To introduce students to the Scottish dialect and a fuller understanding of poetry by Robert Burns."  Good

BEAT POETRY WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.ocean.k12.wa.us/ilwacohi/english/beatpoetrywebquest.htm
A webquest for junior high students on beat poetry. "During this webquest you will not only explore the life, times, and poetry of the Beats, but you will also have an opportunity to participate in online discussions about original Beat poetry with your peers. You will end by creating your own original Beat-inspired poem that you will share at our classroom "cocoa-house" poetry readings. Come prepared to listen to jazz, drink cocoa, and enjoy some great poetry!" Excellent

CAMDEN POETRY WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.camdenstation.com/poetquest/intro.htm
A webquest for upper elementary students on poetry. It goes through what poetry is, its forms and leads students to create their own poetry. Excellent

CONTEMPORARY POETRY – AMERICAN TRANSCENDENTALISM – WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.shepherd.edu/transweb/contemporarypoetrywebquest.htm
A webquest for senior high students on poetry and how it was influenced by transcendentalism. "Overview: In this WebQuest, you will explore contemporary poets who have been influenced by the Transcendentalists. The poems are clustered according to theme: some explore the role of the imagination, others focus on studies of nature, and still others look at issues of solitude or nonconformity. Choose one "cluster" to explore and write about. Bring your ideas to class." Doesn’t follow the usual webquest form but excellent. Excellent

DO YOU HAIKU? WEBQUEST         NEW!
http://education.iupui.edu/webquests/haikuI/index.htm
A webquest for junior/senior high students on haiku. "Joining together as writers and researchers, you will explore the scene of Haiku on the Internet from four different perspectives.  You will then create a journal with the information you've gathered and created.  The journal will be created using Microsoft Publisher.  You will also create a PowerPoint Presentation to introduce the class to the art form of Haiku." Excellent

HAIKU HAPPINESS – WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.cape.k12.mo.us/clippard/kyle/Haiku%20Happiness.htm
A webquest for 3^rd grade students on haiku. "You have been chosen by the famous Japanese musician, Hank Hoto, to show your expertise in illustrating Haiku poetry with a sound carpet.  You will be using instruments, found sounds and movements to create your own composition.  He is hunting for new and bright students to tour with him throughout the world.  Have fun and good luck!" Excellent

HURRAY FOR POETRY – WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.schools.pinellas.k12.fl.us/educators/tec/pravda3/Poetry%20WebQuest/powebqst.html
A webquest for 5^th grade students on poetry. "Students and teachers, this web quest is designed to help you make a poetry appreciation book. Your job on this quest is to go to a variety of poetry sites, find poetry that you enjoy, and add it to a poetry book that you can keep. Hopefully this book will grow as your enjoyment of poetry grows. You can, of course, add to this book by writing poetry of your own and by finding it in books as well." We found some broken links on this site. Excellent

IN DEFENSE OF POETRY – WEBQUEST             NEW URL!
http://www.rockwood.k12.mo.us/itech/webquests/su2002/tauser/appoetry/index.htm
A webquest for 11^th & 12^th grade students on poetry. "Congratulations on the acceptance of your application for membership on the Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Test Writing Committee.  You are now an official member of the College Board's Educational Testing Service.  The knowledge, experience, and expertise you have included on your application have indicated that the most sensible utilization of your abilities will be on the prestigious Poem Analysis Sub-Committee.  Your primary responsibility as a committee member will be to help to write the A.P. Literature and Composition Examination poetry essay question for this year's test.
Your input will be integral to the selection of the poem that will be analyzed by hundreds of thousands of our nation's top students on the A.P. Lit. exam, so our expectation is that you will regard this responsibility with the utmost respect.  You were selected for this committee on the basis not only of your intelligence and expertise but also of your integrity and work ethic.  These high school students deserve the best effort we can provide, and we believe that you will be able to contribute significantly to that goal." Excellent

"KIDD’S RIME TIME" POETRY WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www2.franciscan.edu/webquests/kiddsrime/
A webquest for 4^th grade students on poetry. "Ladies and Gentlemen: Welcome to Kidd’s Rime Time Circus!! Today in the center ring you are going to learn about five amazing death-defying types of poetry. Later, in ring #1, you will be asked to perform daring acts of poetry creations. Finally, in ring #3, as you juggle your new found knowledge of poetry, you will be asked to complete a spine tingling circus scavenger hunt." We found several broken links on this site. Excellent

LANGSTON DICKINSON WHITMAN? – WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.idahlberg.net/wqtemplate.html
A webquest for grade 10 on poets. "The Task You have been asked to return to sometime in the first 250 years of the former United States of America in order to: ● Prove your time machine still works ● Gather together three famous poets from the past ● Ask the three poets to work together on a new poem ● Study them as they work and observe their differing poetic styles ● Return to the present, report on your observations, and present the new poem to Alberto Uthgar Nishihara -and- ● Eat a hamburger You will submit the poem and your report using one of those "retro" computer thingies. So that you don’t shock the citizens of Fresno into the modern era, you will even find some paper and ink using your black market connections in order to print everything out. If you find a hamburger, you will ensure that you leave no trace of it behind. This is your mission!" Excellent

POETRY QUEST             NEW!
http://www.rccsd.org/RKeim/index.htm
A webquest for senior high students on poetry. "Rationale: Students are often confused by poetry because they are unfamiliar with it. By discovering the types of poetry and breaking poetry and its elements down into manageable and understandable areas, students will be able to identify multiple forms of poetry and express themselves in some of those forms." Excellent

POETRY WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://mrshopeenglish.wikispaces.com/Poetry+WebQuest
A webquest on poetry for middle school students. "You have begun your journey of higher education! In order to become a more sophisticated, well-rounded student, you will study poetry.
(No groans are needed!) Your journey involves being a critic of famous poetry! You must decide which poems will be used for future reference in SWAS English!
"You're a poet and you didn't even know it!" Your journey into the world of sophistication continues with oringinal poetry! Using your writing savvy and new-found knowledge of poetry, you will compose a poem that rates as well as the classics!
You will read, analyze, and compose poetry. It is time to sharpen your minds, not just your pencils, and become great literature scholars. Your quest begins now!" Excellent

POETRY WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.stewartcountyschools.net/des/Poetry%20WebQuest.htm
A webquest for 4^th grade students on poetry. "Your task will be to explore and research various types of poetry.  You will learn the components of different poetry forms.  You will also read poems written by famous poets as well as children the same age as you.  Next, you will produce your own poems!" Excellent

WANTED: JUNIOR POETS – WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://webhost.bridgew.edu/rgrandmont/index.html
A webquest for upper elementary/middle school students on poetry. "This is a standards-based WebQuest designed to encourage children to write free-verse poetry while incorporating their knowledge of celebrations.
It has been developed to provide students with the opportunity to be creative and inquisitive. Students will be motivated by the exciting adventure that they are about to embark on." Excellent

WELCOME TO POETQUEST: A POETRY WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.newhouser.net/poetry/
A webquest for 9^th grade students on poetry. "Hello and welcome to PoetQuest! an Introduction to Poetry WebQuest! Upon the completion of this WebQuest, you will be able to: ●Identify and define poetry literary terms. ● Identify defining features of several different types of poetry. ● Write your own poetry that is both creative and follows the rules of poetic forms. Wow, all of this sounds pretty complicated, doesn't it?
Well, I guarantee that you are a POET and you didn't even KNOW IT! Trust me, it's easier than you THINK! You'll get it in a BLINK! Let's get started! Click the TASKS link to the left under Quest Navigation!" Excellent

WORLD WAR I POETS – WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.macleans.school.nz/students/languages/webquests/war_poets_wq/introduction.htm
A webquest from New Zealand on the poets of World War I. "World War One (1914-1918) is known in hindsight as the ‘Great War'. It was supposed to be the ‘war to end all wars'. Patriotism was a concept on which people's attitudes towards war were based. Fighting on the battlefield, even at the risk of the ultimate sacrifice, was seen by many as an ‘honourable' action.
However, for the soldiers, the glory and excitement of war, while still in England, was soon replaced with the horrors and reality of trench warfare. Many young soldiers, some still in their teens, began to write poetry as a means to explore and escape their nightmares.
Much of their poetry survived the war. The ‘war poets' represent a broad spectrum of war experiences. Through their poetry, we can trace how their attitudes towards war sometimes changed and how they were influenced by one of the most catastrophic events in human history." We found some broken links on this site. Introduces poets students would not be aware of. Excellent

DIVE RIGHT IN! A WEBQUEST FOR 8^TH GRADE POETRY             NEW!
http://wneo.org/WebQuests/TeacherWebQuests/DiveRightIn/diverightin.htm
A webquest for 8^th grade students on poetry. "Fact:  Because you live, you are a poet.  Within you are images and imaginings and marvelous thoughts that need to be recorded.  We’re going to dive right into an assignment that will be a record of how you felt, what your dreams were, and how you observed the world around you in eighth grade.
You’ll be using this WebQuest to investigate various forms of poetry, see how other students responded to these forms, and eventually write your own poems, sometimes alone and other times in groups.  You will be creating a poetry book with an emphasis on you, your friends, and the world around you." We found a couple of broken links on this site. Very Good

GEOMETRY MEETS POETRY WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://newman.needham.k12.ma.us/learningmaps/webquests/new_math_poetry/main.htm
A webquest for junior high students on poetry. "What do poetry and math have in common? The NES Publishing Company has hired Mrs. Deane's class and Mrs. Modena's class to find out! Your role will be to merge geometry with poetry, and create an animated gif that reflects the changes your selected geometric concept goes through! Your poems will be part of a poetry collection that will surely be used by other teachers to revolutionize the teaching of geometry. Your success in working on this project is certain to influence future generations for years to come." We found several broken links on this site. Very Good

GREEN PINES POETS SOCIETY – WEBQUEST         NEW!
http://www.rockwood.k12.mo.us/greenpines/Glaser/WebQuests/Poetry%20Webquest/index.html
A webquest for 4^th grade students on poetry. You are invited  to join the Green Pines Poets Society When: during your 4th grade school year Where:  your 4th grade classroom Please bring your poetry expertise, a poetry reading, and an original published poem In order to assist you with the completion of these membership requirements, please continue to the task and process pages" We found a couple of broken links on this site. Very Good

A HAIKU WEB QUEST         NEW!
http://homepages.ius.edu/TALROBBI/
A webquest on haiku for middle school students. "At first, Haiku poetry appears to be a very simple form of poetry, but there is much more to it than you may realize. Follow this web quest, to gather information about Haiku and then compose one for yourself." Very Good

KIDZ WORDZ: A POETRY WEBQUEST         NEW!
http://www.mcps.org/fbranch/Poetry/poetry.htm
A webquest for elementary students on poetry. "Your team works for Kidz Workz Magazine.  For the next issue the editor would like to focus on poetry.  He has assigned several teams the job of creating a poetry section.  He will select the best one to be published.  There are specific items that he expects to see in your section.  Using his guidelines and the resources you will create a poetry section to present to the editor.  You may choose to show your section using Hyperstudio, KidPix, or ClarisWorks Slideshow.  Your team wants your section chosen for the issue.  Make it the best!" We found mostly broken links on this site. You’ll need to add your own. Very Good

LOVE THAT DOG – WEBQUEST         NEW!
http://www.bgcs.k12.oh.us/kramp/poetry.htm
A webquest on poetry and the book by Sharon Creech Love That Dog. "Love That Dog is a the story of a student named Jack who is exploring poetry and looking for inspiration. The story is written as a collection of Jack's poetry as he tries to find his own poetical voice. Over the coarse of the year he finds that he enjoys writing poems about his dog, Sky. After he finds his inspiration, he learns to love poetry and gains the courage to share his words with his class (which is not always easy to do!). After reading this book you will also be exploring poetry. Before you begin, let's find out some information about the book Love That Dog and the books' author Sharon Creech." You will need to add your own links. All are broken. Very Good

THE MYSTERIOUS WOMAN IN WHITE: EMILY DICKINSON WEBQUEST         NEW!
http://www.madison.k12.ky.us/district/projects/WebQuest/Emily/emily.htm
A webquest for 11^th grade students on Emily Dickinson. "You are a young reporter for the Amherst Daily News. You have just been informed that the mysterious woman that used to lower cookies in a basket from her bedroom window to you and the other children of the town has died. Your boss has just given you the assignment to write an article eulogizing this woman, Emily Dickinson, for the newspaper. All that you know about her is that she was the daughter of a prominent lawyer, and that she must have liked children." We found several broken links on this site. Very Good

POETRY FOR CHILDREN WEBQUEST         NEW!
http://www.longwood.k12.ny.us/wq/hakmax/index.html
A webquest for elementary students on poetry. "Welcome to the Poetry Project. You and your classmates are going to create your own book of poetry. Don’t be scared! You are going to create a class anthology. What’s that? Well, it’s a collection of poems written by different poets. You will be able to use the poems you find here! Sound easy? It is; and it’s fun, too. Click on Task to find out exactly what you need to do." We found a couple of broken links on this site. Very Good

POETRY WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.frazee.k12.mn.us/staffweb/jacobson2n/petrywebquest.htm
A poetry webquest for 5^th grade students. "Your task will be to research and read various types of poetry.  By doing this you will learn the components (parts) of different poetry forms, as well

POETS AND POEMS – WEBQUEST         NEW!
http://web.syr.edu/~rdiflori/webquest/poemsfor8th.html
A webquest on poetry for middle school students. "Your group will choose two poems from the web site given to you in this web quest and compare them to each other using a double bubble thinking map. Then you will write an essay comparing the difference between the two poems." Very Good

THE POETS WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.mason.k12.ky.us/mcms/class/spangler/webquest.html
A webquest on poets for 6^th grade students. "Poetry. A writing that enriches the soul.  Literature so beautiful that it makes even the toughest challenge seem bearable.  Poetry is one of the most common forms of expression.  The most common feeling that it expresses is love, although it can express any feeling.  Hate, anger, happiness and grief... the list is endless.  We have all heard the poem.... Roses are red   Violets are blue....
Now it is time to move on and learn how to express your feelings in a much deeper way.  So get ready! Get set! Go and learn by searching for poems that will make you cry, laugh, and sigh...  Who knows one day we may even be searching for one that you have written." Excellent

QUEST FOR POETRY         NEW!
http://www.cesa8.k12.wi.us/teares/math/it/webquests/QuestforPoetry/index.htm
A webquest for elementary/middle school students on poetry. "Congratulations!  You have just been hired as the newest editing team for Chipper's Publishing Company.  Our company is considering a new type of publishing:   Children's Poetry Books.  Several teams have been hired to do research and create sample books.   Your goal is to produce and present a sample poetry book that will convince the company board members that this is a profitable and worthy endeavor. The board members are especially interested in new, undiscovered poets.  To help convince them that there are lots of new poets, each team member will need to write a poem for the sample book." We found several broken links on this site. Very Good

SPANISH AND LATIN AMERICAN POETS WEBQUEST         NEW!
http://students.ou.edu/L/Jeremy.M.Lang-1/projects/webquest/index.html
A webquest for junior/senior high students on Spanish and Latin American poets. "Reading Spanish and Latin American poetry is the basis for this lesson, and I want you to feel free to explore the different styles and techniques that poets utilize.
The task at hand is this: Find a poem by a Spanish or Latin American poet that is interesting or meaningful to you. Then, research biographical information about that poet. Combine thoughts, impressions, and biographical information into a concept map so that others can experience your analysis of the poem." Introduces poets students would not be aware of. We found some broken links on this site. Very Good

WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE – BIOGRAPHIES OF POETS – WEBQUEST         NEW!
http://webinstituteforteachers.org/~dguerrero/poets.html
A webquest for 7^th grade students on poets. "Wanted Dead or Alive!  Biographies of poets to be placed in a scrapbook.  You will create your own scrapbook page to be on display for other students, faculty and staff to view." Very Good

ELEMENTS OF POETRY – WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://pangea.tec.selu.edu/~kpope/645/WebQuest.html
A webquest for grades 6-8 on poetry. "Snap!  Crackle!  Pop!  Hiss!  Boom! What in the world is that?!  These are examples of Onamotopoeia.  This element of poetry helps us to "hear" and "see" what is happening in a poem.  It is those words that sound exactly like they are spelled.  This is one of several poetic devices we will study before we can begin to write poetry.  Poetry can be a lot of fun to create once you learn some of the techniques.  In this WebQuest, we will study several different types of elements used by poets to write poetry.  Poets love to play with words and they try to find the "perfect" ones to help you clearly understand and "see" what they are writing about.  With creative use of these elements they can do just that - and so can you!" We found several broken links on this site. Good

LANGSTON HUGHES, THE POET – WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.rblewis.net/technology/EDU506/WebQuests/hughes/lhughes.html
A webquest for middle school/junior high students on Langston Hughes. "The Tasks: Each student will be able to: Recognize the poetry of Langston Hughes, Review the history of Langston Hughes, Gain a greater understanding of the poetry of  Langston Hughes, and Complete several exciting activities. Most of the links on this site are broken. You’ll need to substitute new ones. Good

POETRY SCAVENGER HUNT – WEBQUEST         NEW URL!
http://www.swlauriersb.qc.ca/english/edservices/pedresources/webquest/poetry/poetryhunt.htm
A webquest for elementary students in which they follow links to poems and then answer a question about each poem. We found a few broken links on this site. Good

A POETRY WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://cuip.uchicago.edu/~jlemon/wit2002/introductionyes.htm
A webquest on poetry for 4^th grade students. "Have you ever been so excited about something that you wanted to share your news with the world! Have you ever been angry, and had no one to confide.
Poetry provides a great way to express yourself. Upon completion of this unit, you will create an original poetry book. Your book should be creative and uniquely yours. Now's your time - EXPRESS YOURSELF!" Good

POETRY WEBQUEST         NEW!
http://www.rockwood.k12.mo.us/westridge/casper/poetry/Poetry%20WebQuest.htm
A webquest for upper elementary students on poetry. "Your task will be to explore and research various types of poetry. You will learn the components of different poetry forms as well as the history behind each form. Then you will read poems written by famous poets as well as from children around the world. Next, you will write poetry on your own for classroom publication. As a group, we will share the poems that have been written." Good

SHEL SILVERSTEIN POETRY FUN – WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.coe.unt.edu/patterson/webquests/vaughn/vaughn.htm
A webquest for 4^th grade students on poetry and the works of Shel Silverstein. "The students will become familiar with rhyme patterns that make a rhyme poem.
Students will be able to describe rhyme patterns seen in Shel Silverstein poems and write 2 rhyme poems that will be placed on the bulletin board outside of the classroom.  The materials that will be used for this activity are a worksheet, bulletin board, and a fact sheet on rhyme poems." We found a couple of broken links on this site. Good

Prepared by the Cumberland County AVA Center staff. Please call #856-935-7510 x8508 or email: avactr@salemnj.org with questions or suggestions for future web site lists. This list is also posted on our website at http://www.cumbavac.org

You are welcome to post our lists on your website. 
If you do, you must credit Carol Lyn Hutton, Cumberland County AVA Center, Bridgeton, NJ, post the list in its entirety and link back to our site.  http://www.cumbavac.org