April is National Poetry Month! It’s when we celebrate poets and their works, but it’s also a time when we are educating little poets of our own inside the classroom! Having a unique set of poem ideas for students ready will ensure teaching poetry writing goes smoothly.
But why poetry? What makes it so important? Poetry is rich and complex and with exposure, students are developing their language skills, improving reading comprehension, enhancing critical thinking, and fostering creativity.
Today, I’ll be focusing on the fostering of creativity. With poetry, students are able to express their unique perspectives, emotions, and thoughts in a creative way. Included in that are the expansion of their already vivid imaginations and the development of those essential writing skills!
So, in order for them to gain a deeper understanding of poetry, they should not only read it but write it too! I want to share 7 poetry writing prompts that will ensure students are improving their fluency while having fun!
My number one tip for getting students started with poetry? Use visuals!
Visual aids help students understand a poem’s meaning and visualize what the poem is describing. This is not only effective for reading the work of poets, but it’s a huge motivator and companion activity for students when creating poems of their own.
I encourage visual representation throughout your poetry units, so with each poem, including a related craft is a great idea! Plus, those crafts make a wonderful display around the classroom boards.
Here are 7 student poem ideas with crafts!
{You’ll get a chance to see just how effective this can be with the FREEBIE poetry activity I’ve included below.}
The number one way you can get your students excited about writing poetry is to start with topics that they have a high interest in. This could be creepy crawly animals, sports, current events, etc.
The key is to ensure the topics truly resonate with them. Take a cue from some of the things you learned about your students at the beginning and during the school year.
I love having students write about creepy animals or reptiles – like snakes!
Using the cinquain poem format, students can describe the way they see or think about the slithering creatures.
To help “show” their thoughts, students can complete a snake craft! This is a super simple way to get them started with writing poetry.
What I love about this poem idea is that students get to use sensory language! They can really begin to connect their words with their senses and practice writing to show rather than tell readers.
If there is one thing I know, pizza is usually a kid’s favorite! Poems about pizza will be a hit in the classroom. Encourage students to think about how they feel when they smell it, what it feels like in their hands, the taste of each ingredient, etc.
To go along with their pizza poems, have students craft their own pizza slices. They can add the toppings just the way they like it!
Your students may have only been here a few short years, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have life experiences they can use in their writing!
One of my favorite poems to have students write about is a time they were hurt. Kids are prone to getting a little scuffed up from time to time, and they always remember. Why not take those memories and turn them into poem ideas for the classroom?
Have students create a short haiku poem, or any other that works best for your students, about a time they got hurt. To increase interest, have them craft a bandaid to pair it with!
Let your students choose! Seriously, even at their young age or maybe even because of it, they can benefit from having the freedom of choice.
Student-choice poems are the perfect starter poems, especially when using the acrostic model. Students can write about something that is meaningful to them which takes the pressure off of trying to figure out a certain topic.
Plus, acrostic poems are one of the most straightforward poems to create in my opinion! You could even work on them as a class.
Then, you can create a bulletin board showcasing their poem ideas! In this case, they can draw pictures to illustrate their topics.
There is nothing like a fun, furry friend to get kids excited! An easy way to make writing poetry slightly more enjoyable for your students is to have them talk about a certain pet or animal they love.
This kid-friendly poem idea has always been one of my go-to’s. It’s easy for students to describe and write vividly about animals they enjoy, especially when it’s one they see inside their homes… or even a classroom pet!
A haiku is great for this, and you can use a cute animal craft for them to show off their work! Like the kitten shown above.
By the time students reach 1st grade, they’ve been a part of some exciting things…like losing a tooth!
Use those experiences to help guide them during your poetry unit. Using this poem idea, students can create a list poem about the time they lost a tooth! And of course, for their visual, it will be the cutest toothy smile with that missing tooth front and center.
We include this poem template and craft inside our Poetry Writing Activities but I am giving you exclusive access to it for FREE! You’ll find a place below to get it delivered straight to your inbox.
When students experience something every day, it is easy for them to recount it in their writing. Weather is one of those things!
I especially love doing this poem idea in the Spring because there is just so much happening all around us. From more sunshine, flowers blooming, frequent rain showers, etc., the weather is such a beautiful thing to display in words.
You can make this a memorable experience by getting your students outside to jot down what they see, feel, hear, etc. Then, they can take those findings and put them into a weather poem.
But don’t forget the craft! A cloud, sun, raindrops, etc. will make the poetry even more meaningful to them!
Ready to kick off your poetry unit in a fun way? Try this memorable moment poem idea in your classroom for FREE! Students will write about a time they lost a tooth and craft the cutest toothy smile to go with it. Just let me know where you want it delivered!
Looking for even more poem ideas and activities? Everything included in this post can be found inside my Poetry Writing Activities pack in my TPT shop here.
Hey, y’all! My name is Amy Lemons and I am passionate about providing students with both engaging and effective standards-based Math and ELA lessons.
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