5 Poetry Activities for Your Classroom

Let’s face it: some students love poetry while others loathe it. Getting your students excited about poetry can be tough, so we’ve gathered a list of interactive activities that you can incorporate into your curriculum to help encourage some excitement in the classroom.

Let’s take a look at five poetry activities for your classroom.

1.) Locate a poem that relates in some way to the novel. Read the poem to the class, and explain why it reminds you of the novel. 

2.) Locate a poem that relates in some way to the novel. Record the poem and the author’s name, and write a paragraph that explains why the poem reminds you of the novel. 

3.) Write a poem that relates in some way to the novel and reflects your feelings about it. Consider the characters, conflicts, and themes in the book as you decide on the subject of your poem.

If you’re working closely with a novel and want to incorporate a poetry activity, then check out these other two options:  

4.) Assume you are one of the characters in the novel. As the character, write a poem that expresses your thoughts and feelings about your life or about life in general.

5.) Locate a passage in the novel that seems very poetic to you. Record the passage, and then make a list of the poetry devices at work in the prose. Give an example of each one you find in the passage.


Looking for more interactive classroom activities? Check out our ongoing series “Activities for your classroom”.