As we close out National Poetry Month, keep the celebration going by using poetry as a way to continue developing writing skills and an awareness of language on a regular basis. As students begin to learn the rules of writing, allowing them to tap into their natural creativity through different forms of poetry gives them an opportunity to practice their new skills in a way that feels familiar. The assignments in this playlist represent a sampling of some of the best online resources to support poetry writing. They can be used on their own or in whatever combination you choose. You’ll find interactive resources for generating work and additional assets for supporting students in the creative process.
Build-a-Poem
Inspiring Resources for Young Writers
Generating Content
Acrostic Poems Interactive | ReadThinkWrite
Acrostic poems are a great tool for personal expression as well as exploring content and assessing comprehension. This interactive allows students to decide on a topic (or you can assign a topic) before brainstorming a list of words or phrases associated with that topic. Then they are guided to create an acrostic poem using their brainstormed words for inspiration. Grade 2 students can probably perform this task independently but younger students may need some assistance. Requires Flashplayer.
Theme Poems | ReadThinkWrite
To recreate this form of poetry, students are presented with a list of themes and can choose one object such as an apple or a cloud to use as inspiration. Then they’ll write a poem about the object. Because of its simple set up, even younger students may be able to do this on their own. Requires Flashplayer.
Poetry Idea Engine | Scholastic
In this interactive, students can choose to explore 4 different poetic forms: haiku, limerick, cinquain, and free verse. The Poetry Engine generates a template to work with and students can choose from a word bank to complete the poem. The simplicity makes it suitable for all ages and is a great way to explore poetic form without the intimidation. Requires Flashplayer.
Poetry Machine | Creative Communication
There are so many topics and forms of poetry to choose from that students could spend quite a bit of time on this site. The format puts a mad-libs spin on writing poems. Students are responsible for filling in missing words or phrases to complete a pre-written template. We especially like the “Emotional Animal Poem” and the “List Poem” templates. Younger students may need more assistance using this resource.
Writing Aides
Word Finder | JogLab
This resource assists by supplying users with a list of words they can use when creating an acrostic poem or other mnemonic phrases. Simply type in the word and the program identifies a number of words for each letter in the word. This is a fun way to explore new vocabulary as students create their acrostic poem.
Rhyming Dictionary for Kids | Poetry4Kids.com
Although poems don’t have to rhyme, many young writers love playing with rhyme schemes because they’re already familiar with nursery rhymes and song lyrics. If they get stuck searching for rhyming words or simply want to explore other options, this rhyming dictionary is easy to use. They can type in the word they want to rhyme, click the Show Rhymes button, and they’ll be shown a list of words that rhyme with their word.
Story Starters | Scholastic
Although this resource is designed to provide inspiration for storytelling and narrative writing activities, we think it can also be used to get inspired when writing poetry or performing any other sort of creative writing tasks. Students can select from 3 genres or one that combines them all. They’ll pull the lever on a slot machine and watch as a fun writing prompt is generated. They can alter small parts of the prompt to generate more ideas.
Poetry Writing with Jack Prelutsky | Scholastic
The first U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate, Jack Prelutsky, shows students how to turn words and ideas into visually descriptive poems in this interactive writing workshop. Prelutsky shares his poem “Louder Than a Clap of Thunder” and walks students through the process of writing a poem, from brainstorming to publishing online.
Shel Silverstein Learning Resources | shelsilvertsein.com
Explore poetry with the wizard of wordplay, Shel Silverstein. Your students may have already dabbled in Silverstein’s quirky, irreverent world so it makes sense to re-engage them in his work in other ways to celebrate Poetry Month. This page includes many links to lessons, kits, printables, and activities to share with your students.
Eboni Hogan
Content Specialist
Eboni has extensive experience in curriculum development, with a focus on culturally-responsive and arts-based approaches. Having spent years creating academic content and providing professional development to teachers, she now curates themed playlists meant to provide educators with valuable, time-saving resources.
Common Core Standards
K.W.6 With Guidance And Support From Adults, Explore A Variety Of Digital Tools To Produce And Publish Writing, Including In Collaboration With Peers.
1.L.5 With Guidance And Support From Adults, Demonstrate Understanding Of Figurative Language, Word Relationships And Nuances In Word Meanings.
1.W.6 With Guidance And Support From Adults, Use A Variety Of Digital Tools To Produce And Publish Writing, Including In Collaboration With Peers.
2.W.6 With Guidance And Support From Adults, Use A Variety Of Digital Tools To Produce And Publish Writing, Including In Collaboration With Peers.
Want to create your own themed teaching playlist?
Search by standard, subject, grade, or publisher to quickly create a themed blended learning playlist with the Kiddom content library.
