Celebrate National Poetry Month with Storyworks 3!

Although April is officially National Poetry Month, here at Storyworks 3, we celebrate poetry all year long! Every issue of our magazine includes an engaging poem we’ve selected especially for our readers. Explore our poetry archives and choose some poems to dig into. Each poem is accompanied by a suite of educational resources.

Here are five simple steps for teaching any Storyworks 3 poem:

✏️  First, read the poem aloud.

Most poems are meant to be seen and heard. Hearing the poem is an important first step toward getting to know the poem and unpacking its meaning.

✏️  Second, go over any challenging references or vocabulary words to break down the meaning.

Reduce obstacles to understanding the poem by guiding students in restating each line in their own words.

✏️  Third, have your students read the poem alound.

This gives your students a chance to relish the poem’s special language and rhythm while practicing fluency.

✏️  Fourth, use our lesson plan's Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions.

Help your students interpret the poem and understand its figurative language.

✏️  Fifth, follow up with a Skill Builder.

Reinforce the featured skill and explore how it's used in the poem.

✏️  As a bonus, challenge your students to write their own poems!

Encourage them to use the same format or poetic device used by the poet.  

For more tips, check out Poet.org’s “30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month in the Virtual Classroom.”