Analyzing Poetry and Poetry Components

Let’s be honest…poetry is hard. In fact, it’s the genre that makes most students squirm in their seats–from middle school to even college!

poetryI love poetry, but I realize I’m an oddball. There’s a select few of us that really appreciate the beauty of lines of verse…but my goal as a teacher is to make poetry fun and get students acquainted with what it means to read, understand, analyze, and write poetry.

This is an intro-to-poetry type of lesson. It is designed for either middle or high school students. Originally I was thinking eighth grade, but it depends on the level of the class and the other content that the students have been introduced to.

This lesson is called Analyzing Poetry & Poetry Components.

Students will:

  • brainstorm about poetry
  • create a list of poetic elements
  • read a poem
  • discuss what makes this poem a poem
  • create a poem of their own

The lesson is based off of Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem, “Facing It.”

facing it pic

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