Themepark

imagination
Poetry

Poetry uses language in a musical, imaginative way. It uses devices such as rhythm, sound pattern, rhyme, imagery, assonance, alliteration, and repetition.  

Sample some of the following activities to learn more about poetry.

 

Places To Go    People To See    Things To Do    Teacher Resources    Bibliography

Places To Go

The following are places to go (some real and some virtual) to find out about poetry.

Classic Poetry Aloud
Hear classic poetry read aloud
Dylan Thomas
Travel to Wales and meet poet, Dylan Thomas.
Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial
Virtually visit the real Flanders Field that Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) wrote about in his famous poem.

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People To See

Emily Dickinson
Get to know Emily Dickinson. She only published 10 poems in her lifetime
Ezra Pound
Meet Ezra Pound. He was born in Idaho but spent most of his life in Europe
Henry David Thoreau
Get acquainted with Henry David Thoreau. He liked to live in harmony with nature
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Spend some time with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He wrote poems about American legends like Paul Revere and Miles Standish and Hiawatha
Utah's Poet Laureate
Meet the current Poet Laureate of Utah
Robert Frost
Meet Robert Frost. He won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1924, 1931, 1937, and 1943
Robert Pinsky
Meet Robert Pinsky. He's the Poet Laureate of the United States
T.S. Elliot
Meet T.S. Elliot. His writing style was influenced by Dante
Voices and Visions
Meet 13 of America's most famous modern poets and explore their lives and works
Walt Whitman: Poet at Work
Get to know Walt Whitman. He first published Leave of Grass at his own expense
The William Blake Archive
Get to know William Blake. Not only was he a poet, he was also a skilled artist and engraver
William Butler Yeats
Spend some time with William Butler Yeats. He was also a playwright.

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Things To Do

Acadamy of American Poets
Use the "Find a Poem" section of this site to locate your favorite verse. There's also an audio section where you can hear poetry read
Barking Spiders and Other Such Stuff
Have students read from the online poetry collection
Favorite Poem Project
Let students hear poems being read rather than reading them silently. According to this site, poems are meant to be read out loud
Haiku
Find out the format for writing haiku and see many examples
India Heritage
Learn about The Mahabharata. It is the world's longest poem. The epic poem describes events that took place around 5,000 BC in India
Magnetic Poetry
Move words around on a cyber-magnetic board to create your own poetry
Sonnet Central
Read a sonnet a day from their random sonnet generator or search for your favorite sonnet by Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barret Browning, and others

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Teacher Resources

Lesson Plans/Webquests

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Bibliography
  • Malley, Barbara Beyer. Rhyme Time: Poems and Activities for the Elementary Grades. Carthage, IL: Fearon Teacher Aids, c1992.
  • Potts, Cheryl. Poetry Galore & More With Shel Silverstein. Hagerstown, MD: Alleyside Press, c1994.
  • Wainwright, James. Poetivities: Guiding Creative Poetic Expression Successfully in the Elementary Grades. Carthage, IL: Good Apple, c1989.