This April marks the 20th anniversary of National Poetry Month, which was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. Use these resources from PBS LearningMedia to celebrate poetry in your classroom!
Discovering Poetry I Grades PreK-4
April is National Poetry Month! Introduce this form of literature to your kids with an activity from Arthur featuring steps to create a “crowd-sourced” poem.
Reading from "Mirror, Mirror" I Grades 3-7
Marilyn Singer has written all kinds of great books for children and young adults - picture books, fairy tales, mysteries, non-fiction, and novels - but poetry is her favorite. Singer is on a mission to "knock poetry off its pedestal" and to introduce kids to the pleasing rhythms and powerful emotion of poems, but also to encourage kids to express themselves through verse.
Poetry Everywhere Collection I Grades 7-12
Poetry is EVERYWHERE. . . It’s in nature. It’s in dance. It’s even at work. Help your class explore the wonders of language and diverse perspectives in poetry with this collection from WGBH and the Poetry Foundation.
Crash Course: The Poetry of Emily Dickinson I Grades 9-12
She has been called “the most paradoxical of poets” – and also highly prolific, churning out 800 poems between 1858 and 1865. In this Crash Course episode, students learn about 19th century American poet Emily Dickinson.
Poetry vs. Prose I Grades 9-12
Examine with students some of the key themes and characters in Shakespeare’s “Henry IV, Part 1,” as well as the playwright’s use of poetry versus prose with videos from PBS “Great Performances.”
Crash Course: The Poetry of Slyvia Plath l Grades 11-12 (Contains Mature Content)
Sylvia Plath’s feminism is important to her poetry, but she also wrote about day-to-day experiences and made them significant. Students learn how she did that, as well as how her personal life impacted her work, in this episode of Crash Course.
Try This! Poetry Circles Teacher Professional Development
In this video, Christy Petroze’s seventh grade students work together in poetry circles to examine the form, content, language, and meaning of poetry.
#KLRNTeach #PBSLearningMedia