More Poetry Month Activities

National Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets as a month-long, national celebration of poetry. The concept was to increase the attention paid-by individuals and the media – to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our poetic heritage, and to poetry books and magazines. National Poetry Month has been successful beyond all anticipation and has grown over the years into the largest literary celebration in the world. National Poetry Month has been celebrated every April since 1996.

Diamond Poems Across the Curriculum
Students build vocabulary skills, teach parts of speech, and have fun with diamond poems!

Haiku – Poetry of the Samurai Warrior
This unit teaches the beautiful simplicity of Haiku, and introduces the peaceful ways of the Samurai. The unit begins with Internet research encouraging students to learn about the ancient Japanese Samurai, and ends with a cultural day where students exhibit their Haiku writings.

Animating Poetry: Reading Poems about the Natural World
The purpose of this project is two-fold: first, to encourage students to make the reading of poetry a creative act; and, second, to help students appreciate particular literary devices in their functions as semaphores or interpretive signals.