As students and teachers return to the classroom after the pandemic shutdowns, Dana Kinsey offers 3 interactive theatre scenarios to help regain their footing.
Teacher Stories—My First Villanelle (Thank You, How to Write a Form Poem!)
So much is changing—has changed—in this world. Rebecca D. Martin finds a deep leaving-truth in her first villanelle and her first experience as a teacher.
Grammar for a Full Life Book Club: Chilling Out on the Grammar Rules
In this week’s book club discussion of Grammar for a Full Life, Charity Singleton Craig helps parse when the grammar rules matter, and when we can chill out.
Teach It: Collaborative Poetry—I’m With Aristotle
Writing collaborative poems proves a fertle ground for students to learn and grow both collectively and individually.
Poetry Out Loud: When Poems Become Magic Cloaks
Poetry memorization and recitation can be like a magic cloak, with the power to transform and transport students. Learn great tips for how to start, from theater teacher Dana Kinsey.
The Incredible Hulk, Little Red Riding Hood, and Gwendolyn Brooks
Callie Feyen marshalls Gwendolyn Brooks, the Incredible Hulk and Red Riding Hood in this reflection on teaching, imagination, wisdom and poetry in the varied parts of ourselves.
Take Your Poet to School Week: Ogden Nash
Our preparation for this year’s Take Your Poet to School Week continues with the light and whimsical poems of Ogden Nash.
Interview with an English Teacher, Pt 2: The Heroic in Literature
English teacher Diane Flint reflects on “the heroic” and “the hero’s journey” as a central theme taught in most English curricula.
Coloring Page Poems: The Dandelion by Vachel Lindsay
Our coloring page poems series brings the fun stress relief of coloring pages and poetry together, today with Vachel Lindsay’s “The Dandelion.”
How to Write an Epic Poem: Infographic
Help our noble hero fight good and evil with an epic poem. Our colorful epic poetry infographic will show you how. (And maybe make you laugh along the way.)
How to Write a Poem in Every Classroom!
We’re on a mission to get How to Write a Poem (and How to Read a Poem) into classrooms in every state. Join the challenge!
Common Core Picture Poems: Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall”
Engage with poems from the Common Core with a dose of humor, beginning with our Picture Poems. Today we consider Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall.”
The Shakespeare Files: Sonnet 104 (Annotated)
The Shakespeare Files is a collection of annotations and exclamations on the poetry of William Shakespeare. Today, it’s Shakespeare’s Sonnet 104.
Understanding Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen’s Shin Bone
Why Mark Twain (and countless high school students) wants to dig up Jane Austen and find her shin bone. Love it or hate it, Pride and Prejudice still tops the charts.