April is the month we start to see signs of spring. As the weather warms up, the colors begin to peek through, and everything starts to awaken from the cold winter. Emerging green leaves and blooming bulbs and flowers are the perfect inspiration for National Poetry Month—which happens to be April. It’s a great month to read, write, and explore poetry.
While poetry is something enjoyed throughout the year, this is the month it can take center stage. It is also a great way for students to express themselves.
Word Choice
One way to get students thinking about how to really show their voice is to think about word choice. Words are the way to show the passion or feelings they are trying to express when writing poems. Encourage students to try several different words when expressing a feeling or description.
Here are a few activities to get students thinking about word choice.
Start with the Discovery Education Experience Poetry Channel. You can choose resources and activities geared to your grade level. It’s an easy starting point for any educator!
Strong Words Activity: This activity can be found in Discovery Education Experience and gets students thinking about words that convey more meaning and a stronger description. This would be a good activity to spark creativity with words.
Poetry Slam: Students create and perform Haiku poems, drawing inspiration from a video and sound effect related to the current unit of study.
Voice
You can usually recognize someone by the sound of their voice. Voice is a personal and distinct sound. Voice in poetry is also very distinct and personal. A person’s feelings and word choice show their voice. A way to deepen students’ voices in poetry is to let them explore and express themselves through poetry. Have students try different styles of poetry and explore different word choices. A poetry teacher I had in college always made us write at least 4 versions of a poem. She wanted us to really focus on how to get our voice into a poem.
Inspiration
A good way to get students started is to inspire them. After you have read examples and discussed strong words and how to convey feelings, it is time to pick the style of poem and subject. The best way for students to get started is to study the subject closely, brainstorm words or recall a memory or feeling, and list words that come to mind. Some great themes are: nature, places, pictures, memories, key moments in life, or loved ones.
- Nature – It is easy for students to sit and observe something as small as an ant or as big as the sky.
- Places or Pictures – They can easily be observed and described with vivid adjectives.
- Memories, key moments, or loved ones – Students usually have strong feelings they can use to describe these.
Students’ voices can be deepened with word choice, topic, and the passion they put into writing poetry. The key is to give them the freedom and opportunity to explore and express themselves. Discovery Education Experience has so many resources to make sure your students’ voices are heard.
