Are you tired of using the same poetry lessons year after year? If so, it may be time to update your teaching toolbox. It is important for teachers to create captivating content that motivates students to learn about poetry. Incorporating online resources for teaching poetry is an effective way to make learning poetry fun. Students will always learn best when they are interested and actively engaged.
I hope these 30 resources will help turn your middle school students into poets!
1. Poetry in Motion Baseball
This is the perfect activity if you have learners that are interested in baseball or sports in general. You will need a stack of poems printed out and enough students to create two teams. What an awesome way to connect poetry to playing sports!
Learn more: Bored Teachers
2. Friendship Poetry
Students will be tasked with writing their own poems to commemorate an experience with a friend. They will also have the option of sharing the poem with their special friend. I love this because it encourages students to be in the moment.
Learn more: Joanne the Poet
3. Studying Song Lyrics
Analyzing song lyrics can be very appealing to the music lovers in your classroom. You can easily connect song lyrics to the elements of poetry. I recommend using popular songs that are school-appropriate for this activity. Students will also be eager to select their own songs.
Learn more: Gem Tracks
4. Poetry Prompts
Sometimes the most challenging part of writing a poem is getting started. One way to support students in getting started is by providing writing prompts for them to choose from. This is an awesome way to guide beginning writers.
Learn more: Doodle Learning
5. Acting Out Poetry
Bring poetry to life by acting out poems in your classroom. This will be especially captivating for students involved with drama clubs or community acting groups. This hands-on activity will allow your students to not only read poetry but interact with poetry in a unique way.
Learn more: Homeschool Resource Room
6. Word Mover
Word Mover is an online poetry game that allows students to interact with the text to form poems. This is a fun poetry activity that will engage students with technology and encourage them to think creatively. A graphic organizer can be used to supplement this activity.
Learn more: Read Write Think
7. Digital Poetry Escape Room
Poetry escape rooms are a great way to immerse middle schoolers in the learning experience. They will be prompted to solve a variety of problems to solve on their own or in teams. This promotes exposure to poetry and engages students in critical thinking.
Learn more: Amped Up Learning
8. Poetry Slam Class Competition
Creating slam poetry allows students to focus more on the enjoyment of poetry rather than the technical aspect of writing. This activity is a great way for students to build self-confidence and support one another. Check out this resource to learn more and see examples of slam poetry.
Learn more: Study Smarter
9. Blackout Poems
Blackout poetry is a type of found poetry in which students will scan through pages of existing text and highlight words that create a poem. Blackout poetry can also double as an art project!
Learn more: Chomping at the Lit
10. Moving to Poetry
Body movements can be added to motivate students to read. This can be applied to teaching the basics of poetry. Movements can be choreographed with poetry for elementary students through high school. What a great way to get the blood flowing and the brain ready for learning!
Learn more: Edutopia
11. Collage Poems
If you are looking for a cool poetry activity, you may be interested in having your students make collage poetry. You can gather all kinds of materials for this project. Students will cut out words from magazines to craft poems and create a one-of-a-kind collage.
Learn more: Tate
12. Poetry Wall
A poetry wall is a useful space for students to post their favorite poems. The poems can be modern-day song lyrics they enjoy or poems they encounter in their everyday lives. You can use colorful paper to decorate the poetry wall and students can be creative with their designs.
Learn more: Just Add Students
13. Haikubes Game
Are you interested in having your students play a clever poetry game? If so, you might want to check out Haikubes. This is a fun game for students with basic instructions that are easy to follow. Students will be engaged with creative thinking while learning about Haiku poetry.
Learn more: Amazon
14. Mad Libs Inspired Poetry
Mad libs are even more entertaining when you use them to learn poetry. You can put this activity into action by selecting any poem and removing several adjectives, nouns, verbs, and adverbs. Students will replace them with their own words. Then students will read their new poems and laugh together.
Learn more: Advancement Courses
15. Poetry Workshop
Poetry writing workshops are a great way for students to practice writing poetry. You can focus on a specific form of poetry or allow students to choose their own types of poems. Students can work with a partner for a more collaborative poem activity.
Learn more: Chick Time
16. Brain Pop Poetry
Brain Pop is an online resource with a ton of fun games for students of all grade levels. The poetry games are interactive and will challenge students as they practice their skills. This is definitely a top favorite poetry activity for students and teachers.
Learn more: Brain Pop Jr.
17. Catch the Beat
Catch the Beat is a game that teaches students about using meters in poetry. Students will sit in a circle and pass a small drum to one another. The player with the drum will be expected to drum along with the beat of the poem as it is read aloud.
Learn more: Imagination Soup
18. Silly Poems
There are many techniques that are useful exercises for poetry writing. Having students write silly poems is one of those techniques. They will select a consonant sound they will use consistently throughout the poem using a prompt. This activity is fun and entertaining for middle school students.
Learn more: Write Shop
19. Revolting Rhymes Activities
"Revolting Rhymes" is a poetry book by Roald Dahl. These companion activities are suitable for elementary grades and middle school students. Students will be entertained by the humorous writing style of Roald Dahl.
Learn more: Pen & the Pad
20. Printable Poetry Worksheets
There are several free printable worksheets to help your students understand poetry. These worksheets are enjoyable because they include engaging topics such as "I Think My Dad is Dracula" and "I Eat Spaghetti with a Spoon" just to name a couple.
Learn more: Poetry 4 Kids
21. Acrostic Name Poetry
Students will use their names to create their own poetry! I love this activity because they can think creatively and use words that positively represent them. This is a great way to include social-emotional learning in your poetry lesson.
Learn more: Scholastic
22. Magnetic Poetry Tiles
Magnetic poetry tiles allow children to interact with words. This kit includes everything you need to assemble various poems, stories, and phrases. I would recommend allowing students to work together to create their own poems.
Learn more: Amazon
23. Poetry Puzzle Set
If your students love puzzles, they will enjoy working on this poetry puzzle set. This set includes many different types of poetry puzzles including word finds, crossword puzzles, and more. These puzzles can be used as a center activity.
Learn more: Etsy
24. Poem-a-Day
Poem-a-Day is a fantastic resource for teaching poetry. It is a digital daily poetry series that includes over 250 new poems every year. This would be a great idea to incorporate into a morning meeting or daily class routine.
Learn more: Poem-a-Day
25. Poetry in America
Poetry in America is a useful website that allows children to explore poetry on their own. My favorite is the inspiring video based on "I Cannot Dance Upon My Toes" by Emily Dickinson.
Learn more: PBS Learning Media
26. Poems in Motion
Another video-based resource worth exploring is motion poems for teens by the Poetry Foundation. This resource is helpful for middle schoolers because it helps with understanding the content.
Learn more: Poetry Foundation
27. Poetry Contests
If you have students that are gifted writers of poetry, you may be interested in researching poetry contests for them to join. Poetry contests are a fun way for students to compete and show off their poetry writing skills.
Learn more: Poetry Teatime
28. Poetry Archive Challenges
There are many resources available through the Children's Poetry Archive. One of my favorite activities for middle school is called "The River" by Valerie Bloom. This activity appeals to the senses to immerse students into the poetry experience.
Learn more: Children's Poetry Archive
29. Poetry Machine
Poetry machine is a fun online game for students. First, they will click on the type of poem they wish to create. Then, they will be prompted to answer some guiding questions. This is an excellent resource to help students with creating an original poem.
Learn more: Poetry Games
30. Picture-Inspired Poetry
Picture-inspired poetry is a great way to motivate students to write poetry. For this activity, you will need to collect pictures or picture books. The text will be covered so students can create their own interpretation of the pictures using poetry.
Learn more: Kids Konnect
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