Reading and Writing Workshop
Writing Poetry
Session 1: Inspiration and the Creative Process
Objective:
Students will explore how personal reflection, nature, and emotion can inspire poetry. They will brainstorm and draft original poems based on moments of observation or feeling.
Featured Poem:
“The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy
This poem explores despair and sudden hope inspired by a bird’s song in the bleakness of winter.
Read the poem here:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2030
Activities:
Session 2: Writing in Form
Objective:
Students will study rhyme, meter, and sound in traditional poetic forms and experiment with creating poems using structure and rhythm.
Featured Poem:
“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe
A masterful example of rhyme and trochaic octameter, with repeating refrains and sonic devices.
Read the poem here:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17192
Activities:
Session 3: Revising and Editing Poetry
Objective:
Students will analyze how revision enhances poetic meaning, pacing, and emotional depth. They will revise their drafts from earlier sessions.
Featured Poem:
“The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver” by Edna St. Vincent Millay
A touching narrative poem with strong imagery and emotional arc—ideal for examining pacing and revision choices.
Read the poem here (included in Second April):
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31621
Activities:
Session 1: Inspiration and the Creative Process
Objective:
Students will explore how personal reflection, nature, and emotion can inspire poetry. They will brainstorm and draft original poems based on moments of observation or feeling.
Featured Poem:
“The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy
This poem explores despair and sudden hope inspired by a bird’s song in the bleakness of winter.
Read the poem here:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2030
Activities:
- Close reading and annotation of “The Darkling Thrush”
- Class discussion: What sparked the poet’s reflection?
- Guided nature walk or visual prompts to gather inspiration
- Writing prompt: Describe a moment where hope emerged unexpectedly
- Begin drafting a personal reflective poem
Session 2: Writing in Form
Objective:
Students will study rhyme, meter, and sound in traditional poetic forms and experiment with creating poems using structure and rhythm.
Featured Poem:
“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe
A masterful example of rhyme and trochaic octameter, with repeating refrains and sonic devices.
Read the poem here:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17192
Activities:
- Read aloud for sound effect and rhythm
- Discuss internal rhyme, alliteration, repetition, and meter
- Practice identifying poetic meter and rhyme schemes
- Writing prompt: Create a short poem (3–4 stanzas) using a specific meter and rhyme scheme (e.g., ABCB or AABB)
- Peer workshop in pairs for sound and rhythm
Session 3: Revising and Editing Poetry
Objective:
Students will analyze how revision enhances poetic meaning, pacing, and emotional depth. They will revise their drafts from earlier sessions.
Featured Poem:
“The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver” by Edna St. Vincent Millay
A touching narrative poem with strong imagery and emotional arc—ideal for examining pacing and revision choices.
Read the poem here (included in Second April):
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31621
Activities:
- Discuss the arc and pacing of Millay’s poem
- Identify where emotional turns or pauses occur
- Mini-lesson on cutting lines, adding clarity, and refining imagery
- Use revision checklist: clarity, sound, imagery, tone
- Peer editing circles for feedback
- Final revisions and poetry share/read-aloud