Teaching poetry is a great way to introduce literary elements and test reading comprehension! Read and Understand Poetry provides all the materials you need to successfully teach poetry to your students! The units included in the book provide background information, vocabulary, elements of poetry, the poem itself, and comprehension activities. Keep reading for a free download of a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poetry unit from the book!
About the Poets
This unit from the book presents a short biography of each of the poets featured in the workbook. Poets like Lewis Carroll, Henry Livingston Jr., William Shakespeare, and Robert Louis Stevenson are all featured within their own units. This unit also includes a cover sheet, so students can create their own poetry anthology! The variety of poets provided in the book give a well-rounded view of different types of poems, like haikus, sonnets, and more!
Read and Understand Poetry grades 1-2
“Ladybug, Ladybug” by John Himmelman
This unit pairs the rhyming poem with poetry element lessons about innovation and personification. The unit encourages students to compare real and imaginary ladybugs, like the poem. Following the poem is comprehension questions about language used, content of the poem, and figurative language so students fully understand the poem!
“July” by Lana Krumwiede
“July” recalls the festivities of the fourth of July using imagery! Students will talk about their own favorite fourth of July memories before reading the poem, and learn about the involved literary devices, like onomatopoeia and internal rhyming. After reading the poem, students will practice comprehension questions and activities.
“Limerick Collection” by Edward Lear
Teach your students about limericks, a different type of poetry, with this unit! Students will learn new vocabulary before they read the poem, and then learn about the limerick form of poetry and its elements, like hyperbole! Students will also get a chance to write their own limerick as part of the unit comprehension!
“The Swing” by Robert Louis Stevenson
This poem is written by famous poet, RLS! Students will learn about rhyme scheme and hyperbole in this unit, and will practice using imagery by describing with great detail the experience of swinging.
“Concrete Poem” by Beverly McLoughland
Concrete poems are another type of new poem for students to learn about! This concrete poem, which describes a child going down a slide, is written in an illustration. Students will learn about concrete poems, diction, and alliteration in this unit, and then will get to practice writing their own concrete shape poems!
Read and Understand Poetry grades 3-4
“A Visit from St. Nicholas”
This unit focuses on the classic Christmas poem, whose authorship has been contested for years. This unit focuses on the use of similes in poetry, and includes comprehension activities like multiple choice, sequencing, and a simile writing activity. The unit also teaches about ballad poetry, this poem being a great example of a ballad!
“The Walrus and the Carpenter” by Lewis Carroll
This poem, written by the famous author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, is paired with teaching about rhyming verse, dialogue used in poems, and Carroll’s use of nonsensical poetry. The unit provides the background, poem, and comprehension questions and short answer questions.
FREE Download of “Hiawatha’s Childhood” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This narrative poem tells the story of a Native American tribal leader, and also teaches about using contractions to obtain the correct syllables. It also includes lots of vocabulary to help students understand the poem better. The reading comprehension section asks questions about the poem and then asks students to identify what happened in each stanza. Get the free download here!
“My Father’s Eyes” by Sonia Sanchez
This haiku poem features a connection with heritage, and is the center of this unit that teaches about haiku and the use of capitalization in poetry. The haiku also features a fantastic illustration, to aid with understanding the poem, and reading comprehension questions about ancestry.
“Who Has Seen the Wind?” by Christina Rosettei
This poem about nature’s mysteries teaches students about personification and repetition, two essential literary devices used in poetry. This unit features the short poem, background information, teaching materials, and reading comprehension questions. It also features an activity where students can write their own poem using repetition and personification.
Read and Understand Poetry grades 5-6
“Seeds” by Javaka Steptoe
This metaphorical poem introduces students to new vocabulary and new poetry elements, like metaphors, similes, and enjambment. After, students will answer comprehension questions, practice identifying similes and metaphors, matching idioms with their meaning, and identifying enjambment in the poem.
“Youth, do I adore thee” by William Shakespeare
Challenge students with a classic Shakespeare lyric poem, which introduces new vocabulary words to students and reinforces metaphors and similes. As part of comprehension, students will practice matching antonyms, writing synonyms, and identifying similes and metaphors.
“Haiku Collection” by assorted authors
Introduce the haiku form to your students with this unit! The unit gives students four nature-based haikus to read, paired with activities to help students understand the haiku form and the importance of detail in poetry. Along with reading comprehension questions, students will practice splitting up syllables in lines of poetry.
“The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Before reading this famous poem, students will read background information about Tennyson’s inspiration for this work. Then they will learn new vocabulary from the poem before reading it. After, students will learn about dactylic meter and practice identifying the meter pattern along with other comprehension questions.
“You Are Old, Father William” by Lewis Carroll
In this unit, students will be introduced to dialogue used in poetry. They’ll learn some unfamiliar vocabulary used in the poem before reading it, and after they’ll learn about dialogue and parody as poetic elements. Paired with reading comprehension questions, students will practice matching synonyms, rhyming words, and identifying elements from the poem.
All of these units and more are featured in Read and Understand, available here on Evan-Moor.com. This workbook is also made for other grade levels, and all feature a similar format that encourages students to not just read poetry, but understand the elements that make a great poem!
Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.