The following are two classroom activities that work well with the poetry unit to engage students in critical thinking, writing, and collaboration.

Write a Class Poem

Start by handing out five slips of paper to each student and have them write five sentences that start with “I am… ” They can write a single word or a short phrase to finish each line.

Once they are finished, collect all the slips and re-distribute them randomly.  Have students get in groups of three.  Have each group write a five line poem together.  They must attempt to use all 15 words/phrases (if there is a group of four, they can write 6-7 lines).  The first sentence of their poem should start with “We are…”  After that, they can add any other words they want.

This could be the most awesome thing ever or it could be an epic fail.  Take the risk for the sake of art!

Once all are finished, have each group read their poem aloud.  Each group’s five line poem becomes a stanza for a larger class poem.  Collect the poems, merge them into one document, and share.

Here is a sample of what the final product might look like:

We Are 

We are…each unique.

I am devoted, but I am exhausted.

I am enough, but I am still struggling to find the words.

I am timid, but I know that I am strong.

I am not afraid anymore because I know I am loved.

I am looking forward to the future by manifesting new things.

We are exhausted.

We are students.

We are social work, psychology, and CITE majors.

We are juggling school and work.

We are stressed.

We are tired.

But we are humans

Happy and anxious at the same time

Smart and determined, teachers and artists

We are all these things which make us beautiful and perfectly imperfect.

We are college students who are determined.

We are stressed, tired, and sometimes reach our limit.

We come from different places, are older siblings and also hungry.

We are future teachers, sports journalists, and overall hardworking.

We are passionate, dedicated, but also still tired.

We are strong.

We are passionate, intelligent, and kind.

But, we are tired. We are exhausted.  We are sad.

We are struggling.  We are fed up.

But, we are fighting.

We are survivors.

We are the next generation

With independence and intelligence, we are unstoppable

Chasing towards our goals with resilience and a little bit of caffeine

We are worthy of love and opportunity.

WE ARE HUMAN.

Poetry Gallery Walk

To prepare for this activity, print out ten poems from this unit that represent women writers from various backgrounds and time periods.  Shorter poems work best.  Be sure to leave plenty of space in the margins.  I use different fonts and cut out the poems and paste them on colored cardstock to make them look more artsy for the “gallery.”

Before class, hang the ten poems around the classroom (or in a hallway if you need extra space).

This classroom activity should take about 30ish minutes.  Have students walk around the gallery with a writing utensil.  Ask them to leave comments on at least three poems (they can definitely leave more!).  These comments might include things they find intriguing, questions that linger, connections they’ve made, etc.  Have them sign their comments using first name or initials.  In this activity, everyone gets to participate without the stress of talking out loud.  It’s great for the quiet students!

In the background, play classical music by female composers (of course) to give it a sophisticated gallery feel.

Once the walk is over, come together and talk about what they found interesting or reoccurring themes they spotted.  One key theme you can bring up (if they don’t) is identity.