How to Write Poetry for Middle Schools

Teach students to capture their feelings by writing poetry.

Writing poetry is a long-standing tradition in the academic world. Learning to record observations in a creative and new way will help students become stronger writers. Several methods of teaching creative writing exist in schools today. Each student will respond differently to the various teaching methods, so try more than one. Teaching children to see the world in a new way and to communicate that vision will enhance any child's education.

Things You'll Need

• Pen
• Writing paper
• Poetry anthologies
• Photographs of artwork

Instructions

Inspiration from Art

1. Read poems from various poets to your students. Explain the different writing styles as you read. Have students choose a poem that makes them feel a strong emotion. Using the same writing style as the poem they have selected, have them create a poem of their own. These poems do not need to be long; however, they should attempt to fully capture the emotion and thinking of the original poem.

2. Choose a peice of art to share with the class. If the painting itself is unavailable, a photograph of one will do. Discuss the paitning's setting, theme, feeeling and colors with students. Have each student write a brief summary of their thoughts on the painting. Choose a writing style, such as prose or haiku, for students to use for their poem. Using the summary that they have written, instruct students to create a poem in the determined writing style.

3. Slam poetry is a newer form of the art. This style will help students to think quickly and respond verbally in poetic fashion. Slam poetry generally uses both rhythm and rhyme to create a verbal poem. Present the class with a theme with which to work. It is common to use strong emotion when using this style so topics such as love, war, world peace or even politics would be appropriate. Students should take turns sharing their poems with the rest of the class. Improvisation should also be used. Begin by making a statement and have each student build on it to create a class poem.

References

• Kristen George: Poetry Power
• ABC Teach: Poetry Worksheets
• PBS: Poetry Lesson Plan 1: Using a Poetry Slam to Teach the Mechanics of Poetry