Poetry Writing Lesson Plans
created by Kansas's first Poet Laureate, Prof. Jonathan Holden, KSU 

These lesson plans:

• offer basic fundamentals that support writing successful contemporary poetry
• challenge students to reach for and demonstrate a higher level of thinking ​
• provide a learning opportunity for a range of grade levels
      -- all are appropriate for college level study
      -- most are suitable for high school classrooms, especially grades 11 & 12
      -- some plans are also appropriate for elementary and middles school students​

View Poetry Lessons
​These lesson plans are provide in PDF format - select below to view or download.
​Scroll Down to view Grade Level and related Objectives

• ​Poem of Instruction
• Sound & Sense​

• Storytelling
• Indirection​

• Language
• Persona

• Sonnet
• Mosaic

Teachers utilizing these plans should first familiarize their students with specific literary terms and usages related to poetry. A list of such words, often referred to in these plans, as well as several thought provoking poetry related questions, can be found on this page:

• Getting Started   |   Getting Started (PDF)

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Getting Started

• Grades: All levels
• Objective: Define and become familiar with specific literary terms associated with poetry. Discussion questions related to poetry are also provided.

​
​Poem of Instruction

• Grades: 5-12 > College Level
• Objective: Write a free verse poem utilizing the skill of providing instructions/directions.

 
Sound & Sense​

• Grades:  9-12 > College Level
• Objective: Write a free verse poem utilizing prosody - sound and sense.

 
Storytelling

• Grades: 11,12 > College Level
• Objective: Write a free verse poem that tells a story about a specific, real person.

 
Images & Indirection

• Grades:  9-12 > College Level
• Objective: Write a free verse poem containing imagery and elements of emotion utilizing concrete words.

 
The Language of Poetry

• Grades: 11,12 > College Level
• Objective: Write a free verse poem that is metaphorical in meaning and delivers a message of wisdom.

 
Persona

• Grades: 11,12 > College Level
• Objective:  Write a free verse poem from the perspective of the first-person ("I") persona that provides specific "insights" and properly utilizes irony.

 
Sonnet

• Grades: 11,12 > College Level
• Objective: Write a sonnet that provides an extended metaphor.

 
The Mosaic Format

• Grades: 11,12 > College Level
• Objective: Write a poem in the mosaic format, one poem made of multiple smaller poems, that together provide one overall metaphor.