Middle School Language Arts, Poetry for Middle School

Teaching Poetry to Middle Schoolers in 5 Simple Steps

Linda Asaro
January 5, 2023

Teaching poetry to middle schoolers might seem complicated, but there are so many ways to do this simply and effectively. I have found that my kids (and I) enjoy this unit more than any other unit. And, I love to incorporate poetry throughout the year so that kids will understand it better and see how valuable it is. If you’re ready to get started, keep reading!

*Be sure to read to the end to grab your two free poetry resources!

blog post on teaching poetry to middle schoolers — Read here for easy and meaningful ways to incorporate poetry in your middle school classes.

Why Teaching Poetry to Middle Schoolers is Important

There are so, so many reasons for teaching poetry to middle schoolers. For starters, it’s required. Kids need an understanding of poetic devices so that they can navigate them when reading and use them in their writing.

Poetry also gives kids a needed break from longer and more difficult writing units. I love saving my poetry unit for the end of the year, because the pieces are quick and direct without high-stakes rubrics for grading.

More importantly for me, kids need to express themselves. Writing poetry is the BEST way for kids to put their feelings into words without the constraints of longer writing pieces. I never see more heartfelt sentiments than I do when I teach this unit. Once kids see that poetry is actually a song (and they all love songs), they do buy into it.

Teaching Poetic Devices and Figurative Language

We often confuse poetic devices and figurative language. In fact, you will get many different answers if you look into this topic. I honestly don’t feel the need to drill down to the differences because they both have a place in poetry.

Teaching poetic devices and figurative language can be as complicated or as simple as you’d like to make it. My goal is to always keep things as simple and as personal as possible.

First, you will need to decide which poetic devices and figurative language you will teach this year. Some you will want students to master, and some will just be introduced. That will come from your school’s curriculum or your own understanding of your students. For example, in my school, we definitely have to teach devices such as simile and metaphor, but I love introducing ideas such as assonance as well.

Next, decide if you are doing a full poetry unit. You will definitely want to incorporate all of your skills into this unit. You should also look closely at your other reading and writing units and see where you can incorporate poetry as well. Many novels and writing pieces are great places to insert poetry. Keep reading for more information.

Using mini-lessons will make your life so much easier. Check out my Poetry Mini-Lessons, available on TPT!

Incorporating Poetry Throughout the Year

At some point, I truly believe in doing a poetry unit for both reading and writing. I will get into that in a moment. But teaching poetry can/should be incorporated into just about any reading or writing unit. When you start a new unit, consider how you can naturally incorporate poetry. For example, if you are doing a character study, you could have kids create similes about their character. If kids are writing personal narratives, you could have them include onomatopoeia and a metaphor.

There are many other ways to incorporate poetry that are fun and easy to insert into daily learning. I really enjoy using the “Question” portion of my Google Classroom (go to the “Classwork” tab, “Create” button, and choose “Question”) to post interesting, thought-provoking, but quick questions that can be used as an anticipatory set (AKA “do now’ or “bell ringers”).

If you don’t have Google Classroom, you could simply use a document, or write it on the board and have kids write on post its and post them next to it. And…be sure to participate! Kids love to see your answers, and they provide a great model.

Easy Examples to Incorporate Poetry into Your Day:

Have a timely song playing when kids come in. Ask them to identify a simile.
After a break, have kids describe their break in 3 words, but use alliteration.
Ask kids to describe their lunch table using hyperbole.
Have kids describe the character in their current novel using a metaphor.
Have kids use onomatopoeia to describe the sounds they heard when entering the building today.

The possibilities are endless! If you need more ideas, I have two free resources:

Click here for your free “Examine a Poem” activity! Your kids will be able to not only navigate through a poem but appreciate it as well.

free resource to examine any poem for teaching poetry to middle schoolers

Click here for your free set of poetry discussion questions! There are two weeks of great prompts for your kids.

free resource for teaching poetry to middle schoolers — Grab your free copy and get 2 weeks of free poetry questions!

Unique and FUN Ways to Teach Poetry to Middle Schoolers

If you are teaching poetry to middle schoolers, you know you are going to have to get really, really creative. There is nothing worse than middle schoolers rolling their judgemental eyes at you when you being a unit that you are so passionate about. Like many things with middle school, it’s all about the presentation. Here are some ideas that have worked well for me:

Escape Rooms

Creating escape rooms, although not easy to do, has huge pay-offs. I especially like them for topics (like poetry) that seem intangible for students. There are lots of YouTube instructional videos out there. I have a poetry escape room in my store if you are short on time; it’s especially designed for Black History Month, but could be used anytime:

Escape room for teaching poetry to middle schoolers

Competitions

If there’s one thing middle schoolers like, it’s a good competition. Selecting high-interest poems and having them compete to see who liked what the most is really, really fun. I created a “March Madness” style competition for poems…check it out here.

Poetry competition for teaching poetry in middle school

Choice Boards – Perfect for Teaching Poetry to Middle Schoolers

We all know that giving kids choice is the name of the game. Writing poetry is personal, and it helps to give kids a variety of styles to choose from. Here is my version of a poetry choice board.

Choice board for teaching poetry to middle schoolers

Poetry Units for Both Reading and Writing

Kids will need to read poetry as well as write it. As a reading unit, my class reads Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse as it is written in verse. We analyze it and also use the many poetic devices in our lessons. From there, kids write their own poems.

There are many other high-interest novels in verse. Kids love them because they are catchy, and they also tend to be quicker reads. Some of my favorites include The Crossover by Kwame Alexander and Brown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson.

I would recommend starting with a novel in verse and seeing which skills you can incorporate. A nice way to bridge this into a writing unit would then be to use a song with the same poetic devices, and have kids write a poem that utilizes that same skill.

I do think middle schoolers need some direction for the writing portion. For example, you could ask them to write a bio poem and include a simile, if that is the skill that you are teaching. They then have a framework, and can be as creative and expressive as they’d like within that framework.

Although this is not hard to do, it does require some planning. If you are interested, I have a resource for a novel study as well as poetry writing lessons available on my TPT store:

Out of the Dust Novel Study

Writing Poetry for Middle School

Sharing Poetry in Middle School

I don’t think you should have a poetry writing unit without giving kids the opportunity to share it. After all, it’s one of the most important reasons to write!

I have kids do a series of poems. As I said above, I make the requirements very specific because it helps guide them. Then, they select their favorite. I create a digital class poetry slideshow for each class I teach, and then I put all the classes into one slideshow.

I do this at the end of the year, and send it out to teachers, administrators, Board members, and parents. We dedicate a day for kids to share their poems by reading them aloud (I also project them for kids to see as they add visual elements).

I definitely have snacks and set up the room with battery-operated candles, soft jazz music, and some décor to make it a real celebration!

Note: I don’t force kids to share out loud if they don’t want to…some of these poems get personal and it might be too difficult, but I do require them to publish a poem that they are comfortable sharing in print.

If you are looking for an easy way to share your students’ poems, check out my “Poetry Share”, which is available on TPT: Middle School Poetry Share for End of Unit Celebration

Help for ELA Teachers: “Teach My Class” YouTube Channel!

I recently started a YouTube channel with ELA lessons and First Chapter Friday readings. I have one specifically to teach poetic devices. It’s FREE, so I hope you will take a look.