April is National Poetry Month, but it doesn’t have to be April to introduce your students to novels in verse. Novels in verse appeal to students because they tend to move quickly and are told in rhythmic, interesting ways. Introducing your students to quality novels in this genre is a great addition to your poetry unit, and in my opinion, a great end-of-year reading unit.
What are Novels in Verse?
Novels in verse are, quite simply, novels that are told with poetry rather than prose. Here are some specifics:
They differ from epic poems (think Homer’s Iliad) in that epic poems are poems…just on a grander scale. It’s one long poem.
Novels in verse combine a narrative story structure along with the components and musicality of poetry.
Novels in verse usually use a series of poems instead of chapters to tell the story.
I would say this: Try not to get too hung up on the definition. There is always a controversy on this in the literary world (such scandal!)…as long as it is a story that your kids will love with poetic devices, you can and should use it.
Here are five of my favorite novels in verse for middle school. I’ve added the link to Goodreads.com in case you want to look further.
The character, although bullied, does have a good support system.
Like many novels in verse, this one moves quickly with a nice rhythm.
Poetic Device/Skills:
Repetition
Idiom
Personification
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia
Simile
Metaphor
Ideas for Classroom Activities:
This one is a must for literature circles or whole-class reading. The discussions will be very rich.
Have kids re-write Ellie’s “Fat Girl” rules. Re-name them as well.
Discuss the importance of the motif of water.
‘Students can create their own poems about water or about themselves using some of the poetic devices found in the book. It would be fun to put it in the shape of a starfish (calligram poem). If you need a “how to” for a calligram, see this blog post.
This is a must-read for your middle schoolers. The themes of acceptance and racism are doled out in a way for this level to understand. Jude and her mother are forced to leave Syria and go to America. It’s a beautiful story and one that will be eye-opening for many of your students.
Empathy is a must for this one. It would make a fantastic whole-class novel as well as a perfect literature circle selection.
Having a story with a serious nature in verse is refreshing. It moves quickly. Honestly, this book is perfection to me.
Poetic Device/Skills:
idiom
simile
metaphor
alliteration
onomatopoeia
Ideas for Classroom Activities:
This book is ripe with symbols. Kids could use my free symbol flip book and pick a symbol from the book. Ideas: windows, hijab, ocean, movie theater. Grab your free symbolism flip book here.
Do some research on the Syrian Revolution. I would keep this to a minimum, though…you could really get too involved here and spark some unwanted debate.
Have kids write a “welcome” letter to Jude. Include a little bit about your class, traditions that you have, and what she should know about the school. It would be sweet for them to offer her a seat at their lunch table or help with math.
Not enough time to read? Try the Podcast!
I recently started a Podcast for middle school language arts teachers. Check it out!
Listen here!
Any questions or comments? I’d love to hear about what novels in verse you use in your class. I can also help if you have specific questions. Drop me a comment below!