Poetry Units: Stand Alone or Year Long? [S5 E148]

Listen to the full episode below:

Do you prefer to teach poetry as a standalone unit or sprinkled in throughout the school year? We think both options are valid, and in this episode we’re considering the merits of each!

One thing is for sure. It’s important to be intentional about when and where poetry is taught in the curriculum. When you can take a step back and look at the bigger picture, you can create meaningful and impactful experiences for your students.

You’ll hear us discuss the different options for incorporating poetry into a curriculum, the challenges that come with teaching poetry, skills that are specific to poetry, and more. We hope it inspires you to enhance what you’re already doing with poetry and feel empowered to make the decisions that are best for you and your students!

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • What the benefits and pitfalls are to having poems read and analyzed in succession vs. having poetry experiences spread out throughout the year

  • The confidence that students gain when they can analyze and understand a poem independently 

  • Different options for how and when to approach poetry

  • Challenges of incorporating poetry into a curriculum 

  • Identifying the skills you’re going to focus on before teaching a poetry unit

  • The issue of administrators who push for excerpt-only teaching

Resources Mentioned:

Related Episodes:

More about Brave New Teaching:

Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

Tune in on your favorite podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

Amanda Cardenasunit, planning, advice