There’s nothing wrong with a little competition, right? In today’s episode, Caitlin and Jessica share a super-engaging March Madness Poetry activity that you can use in your classroom to inspire your students to analyze and enjoy poetry! As always, the lesson ideas are both rigorous and engaging, helping your students to not only learn the standards but enjoy the process of learning.
Tune in now to hear:
- [:47] Caitlin and Jessica introduce today’s Poetry March Madness episode by discussing their love and excitement around March Madness college basketball.
- [1:50] Caitlin describes how this activity will hook your students as they learn to analyze, read, and enjoy this genre of literature.
- [2:36] EB Teachers’ Club members will have access to a March Poetry Bracket resource on March 22 that gives you everything you need to use this strategy in your classroom.
- [2:55] Jessica elaborates on what a March Madness Poetry competition looks like in the classroom and how it can be adjusted for your individual needs and students.
- [4:27] Next, Caitlin walks you through practical steps on setting up a March Poetry Bracket, and she lists 16 poems you can use in your own classroom:
- “Dreams” by Langston Hughes
- “He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” by W.B. Yeats
- “Sympathy” by Paul Lawrence Dunbar
- “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou
- “Dust of Snow” by Robert Frost
- “After the Winter” by Claude McKay
- “A Loaf of Poetry” by Naoshi Koriyama
- “An Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins
- “I Am Offering this Poem” by Jimmy Santiago Baca
- “What Love Isn’t” by Yrsa Daly-Ward
- “Identity” by Julio Noboa Polanco
- “Willow and Gingko” by Eve Merriam
- “I Ask My Mother to Sing” by Li Young-Lee
- “Unfurling People” by Elizabeth Acevedo
- “Love and Friendship” by Emily Brontë
- “Since Hanna Moved Away” by Judith Viorst
- [5:38] Jessica and Caitlin detail what each round of the Poetry Bracket activity includes, what students will be learning, and any prep required for these fun and engaging lessons.
- [12:32] To really go above and beyond with these lessons, Caitlin offers some bonus ideas that will make this poetry activity truly memorable.
- [15:27] After your bracket is complete and the champion is chosen, Jessica encourages you to allow your students to reflect on the poems and the ultimate winner of the bracket.
- [16:55] Don’t miss next week’s episode where Caitlin and Jessica will be back with more poetry! In particular, you will hear about an interactive activity that will help your students analyze poems.
Click here to watch on Youtube!
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