Try Two-Voice Poetry and Figurative Language in Song Lyrics for National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month!  Are you ready to do something fresh with your poetry unit?  Then my Two-Voice Poetry Packet and my Figurative Language Using Song Lyrics packet !


Two-Voice poetry is so inviting for students of all ages.  There's something so inviting about working with a partner to create poetry.  This Two-Voice Poetry Packet can be used at a poetry station or to help the whole class write a two-voice poem.  It includes:

Teacher instructions including:
~Book suggestions

Student instructions including:
~Graphic organizer
~Suggested Topics
~Example Two-Voice poems

Upper Elementary Two-Voice Poetry book suggestions:

Upper Elementary or Middle School Two-Voice Poetry book suggestions:

If you or your students like songs and lyrics, try my Figurative Language Using Song Lyrics packet!

This packet includes:
~A teacher direction page
~A student direction page
~A lyric sorting page
~5 pages of lyrics
~A color-coded answer key

This is an activity in which students are looking for similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification in various song lyrics.  They sort the lyrics according to what type of figurative language they represent and then draw a representation of their favorite lyric.

Do you have any mentor text suggestions for two-voice or figurative language in poetry?  I'm always looking for more ideas!

Winter Poetry and a FREEBIE

Want some ideas on how to keep the writing curriculum fresh, even on those long Winter days?  Then check out my Winter Poetry Unit and Winter Poetry Freebie: Haikus!  Poetry + Figurative Language = FUN during your writing block that will keep the creative juices flowing. 

It doesn't matter if you're in elementary school or middle school when it comes to poetry.  Everyone loves poetry!  You can dig pretty deep into figurative language and writing structure with something so simple as a poem.


This unit is designed to have writers use the following strategies to vary their writing and use descriptive terms:
~"Show, Don't Tell"
~Figurative Language: Onomatopoeia, Metaphors
~Creating rhythm in poetry: Alliteration, Rhyming
~Types of poems: Cinquains, Limericks, Haikus

What's poetry without some really cool forms of figurative language?  My Winter Poetry packet includes:
Onomatopoeia
Metaphors
Personification

And NOW.... a FREEBIE!

Haikus are a wonderful way to dig deep into word choice and the writing process without a lot of pain.  This FREEBIE includes:

~Description and rules for writing a Haiku

~An example Winter Haiku

~Instructions for writing and editing a Winter Haiku 

What are your favorite ways to get the students to buy into figurative language and the writing process?  I'd love to hear how!

Winter Poetry and a FREEBIE

Want some ideas on how to keep the writing curriculum fresh, even on those long Winter days?  Then look no further!  Poetry + Figurative Language = FUN during your writing block that will keep the creative juices flowing. 

It doesn't matter if you're in elementary school or middle school when it comes to poetry.  Everyone loves poetry!  You can dig pretty deep into figurative language and writing structure with something so simple as a poem.  Here are some of my favorite forms of poetry:
Cinquains
Limericks
Haikus
Freestyle

What's poetry without some really cool forms of figurative language?  Let's not forget about:
Onomatopoeia
Metaphors
Personification

I designed a unit to explore these concepts further.

This unit is designed to have writers use the following strategies to vary their writing and use descriptive terms:
~"Show, Don't Tell"
~Figurative Language: Onomatopoeia, Metaphors
~Creating rhythm in poetry: Alliteration, Rhyming
~Types of poems: Cinquains, Limericks, Haikus

Standards of Learning/
Objectives addressed:
2.12 c:
~Expand writing to include descriptive detail
4.8 f:
~Incorporate adjectives
5.7 f
~Use precise and descriptive vocabulary to create tone and voice.
Grades 2-5
~Research, plan, compose, and revise for a variety of purposes
Grades 5-8:
~Use specific word choice, descriptive and/or figurative language, and selected information purposefully to craft a message, create tone, and enhance the writer’s voice.
~Includes sentences of various lengths and structures, resulting in a rhythmic flow.

If you'd like to pick up a copy, click here.


And NOW.... a FREEBIE!

Haikus are a wonderful way to dig deep into word choice and the writing process without a lot of pain.  This FREEBIE includes:

~Description and rules for writing a Haiku

~An example Winter Haiku

~Instructions for writing and editing a Winter Haiku 

What are your favorite ways to get the students to buy into figurative language and the writing process?  I'd love to hear how!

Two-Voice Poetry

What is two-voice poetry?  Well, it's poetry that written from two different points of view.  It's read aloud by two different people, each representing one of the points of view.  I ran across this idea recently when I was cleaning out my student teaching files.  Sad, right?

I want to incorporate more poetry into my writing station this year.  Then I found this baby.  As they say on The Big Bang Theory, "Bazinga!"

This is a customizable PowerPoint that can be used at a poetry station or to help the whole class write a two-voice poem. It includes:

• Instructions
• Suggested Topics
• Examples

You can pick up a free copy of this activity at my TpT store.

Do you use literacy stations?  How about a poetry station?  I'd love to hear your examples!

Teaching Figurative Language Through Poetry

One of my favorite writing units comes at the beginning of the year for me.  How lucky am I?  Actually, I make it that way so I'm kind of creating my own luck ;)

I love poetry, music, and figurative language.  When you put all those together, what do you get?  MUSIC!

I created an activity that involves looking at song lyrics to find figurative language.  It focuses on hyperbole, similes, metaphors, and personifications.  You can check it out by clicking here.

Do you explicitly teach figurative language using poetry or music?  I'd love to know how.

Winter Poetry Unit

Part of this unit was inspired by Becky at Dots-n-Spots (the haiku part).  Check out her post on this at http://www.dots-n-spots.com/?p=718.

If you'd like to pick up a FREE copy, go to my TPT store:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Winter-Poetry-Unit