GRADES 6 - 8
Teacher Toolkit
APRIL 2024
Introducing our first Middle School Teacher Toolkit! We are thrilled to bring you
supports this month around your poetry unit, How to Eat a Poem: Analyzing
Craft and Structure. Our hope is to provide you with three high-leverage tools
that you and your students can use again and again across the unit.
LENSES FOR STUDYING POETRY
At the beginning of this unit, students will conduct an inquiry by
making concrete observations about poetry. Introduce these
lenses to support your students as they study a variety of
poems, noticing what they look like, what topics they cover,
and other elements of the writing. As the unit continues, you
might encourage students to use these lenses when analyzing
and discussing poems both alone and with peers.
CENTERS TASK CARDS
Poetry Centers are a great way to boost
engagement! They can take on many different
structures and aims--the sky’s the limit! You might
opt to build traditional centers that focus on looking
at poetry, listening to poetry, reading poetry, and
writing poetry. Print and laminate these task cards
to keep at each center to support students in
working with independence and agency.
POETRY TECHNIQUE CARDS
Close Reading of poems will give students the opportunity to
practice interpretation, attend to craft, and become more fluent
at reading and thinking about poetry. You might introduce these
Poetry Technique Cards for students to reference as they read,
think and discuss poetic structures and craft moves. If you
introduce the Lenses for Studying Poetry above, these Poetry
Technique Cards are a nice next step in lifting the level of the
work!
© 2024 BY THE READING AND WRITING PROJECT NETWORK, LLC
Lenses for
Studying Poetry
What kinds of subjects do poets write
about?
people places things animals nature
Where does poetry appear? Where is it
published?
books social media TV newspapers phones
© 2024 BY THE READING AND WRITING PROJECT NETWORK, LLC
Lenses for
Studying Poetry
What does poetry sound like when read
aloud?
onomatopoeia
rhyme
repetition
hop
pop
top alliteration
stop rhythm
How does poetry look on the page? What’s
the structure of the text?
length poeti
stanza of c
s shape form
capitalization s
poem
font si tion line
white ze ctua
and st pun break
space yle s
© 2024 BY THE READING AND WRITING PROJECT NETWORK, LLC
Looking at Poetry
Station Inquiry: At this station, consider the
way poets make purposeful decisions on
the page.
How do the visual choices of poets
influence the meaning of their poems?
How do the visual choices contribute to
or change the meaning of their poems?
What are all the different ways that
poets might play with visuals (hint: think
beyond pictures)?
© 2024 BY THE READING AND WRITING PROJECT NETWORK, LLC
Listening to Poetry
Station Inquiry: At this station, listen to the
ways in which spoken poetry influences
your experience as a consumer of poetry.
How does the speaker's tone, mood,
inflection, rhythm, and pace affect you?
How do those same elements create
meaning?
How is the spoken poem different than
the written piece?
You might first listen and then use the
printed copies as a reference.
© 2024 BY THE READING AND WRITING PROJECT NETWORK, LLC
Reading Poetry
Station Inquiry: At this station, read through the poems
that your classmates have begun curating. As you read,
investigate important poetic elements like figurative
language, symbolism, rhyme, rhythm, repetition,
alliteration, and onomatopoeia.
Which of these did the poets choose to utilize?
Why might they have chosen one element versus
another?
How do the particular elements that are present
highlight certain parts of the poem?
Why would the poet want those parts highlighted?
After sharing with your team, spend some time reflecting
on the poems.
Which ones had an impact on you?
Which will you add to your own anthology?
© 2024 BY THE READING AND WRITING PROJECT NETWORK, LLC
Writing Poetry
Station Inquiry: At this station, spend some
time writing out possible poetic attempts—
drafts if you will or just simply playful
attempts at verse.
You might choose some poems we’ve
studied and be inspired by them.
Or you might try something completely
new and from your own voice.
As you work, use your team members as peer
reviewers.
Ask them for specific feedback that can
guide your poetic decisions.
© 2024 BY THE READING AND WRITING PROJECT NETWORK, LLC
Poets Use Techniques Such As...
Line Breaks Stanzas White Space
1
the
sun 2
shines
3
Similes/ Metaphors Personification Rhyme Pattern/
Her is as bright I’m
Rhyme Scheme
as the hu s
ng o
ry
! Roses are red, A
Her is like the
Violets are blue. B
Sugar is sweet, C
Her is the Ad so are you! B
Syllable Patterns Alliteration Imagery
I wanted candy. (5)
crisp clouds
I really wanted candy. (7)
(5)
completely cover
I got some apples.
the cloudy sky
The night sun glowing
as it sank across the mountains.
The shimmering colors vibrating
while the birds sang goodnight.
Speaker’s Inner Symbolism Repitition
Thinking
The sun was out
The sun was shining
The sun was warm
The sun was soothing
© 2024 BY THE READING AND WRITING PROJECT NETWORK, LLC
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