Poetry in Middle School: An Opportunity for Students and Teachers to Learn and Grow Cooperatively MADISON CLOUATRE

Teaching middle school, in all its glorious awkwardness, is not where I anticipated to find myself in my education career. Nor did I anticipate developing a love for teaching poetry to said middle schoolers. Much like the soon to be young adults sitting before me, poetry in the classroom offers an unbelievable amount of opportunity for student input, connection, and discussion.

Our poetry unit is embedded into our fictional text unit of study, where we cover the elements of fiction through plot structure, theme analysis, narrative perspective, character development, and the use of literary devices. We take the first several weeks of school to build background in the areas necessary for fictional text analysis before shifting to the elements specific to poetry. We begin with theme - defining, identifying, and supporting the various messages and lessons authors convey in their writing. We then move to literary devices - specifically, defining, identifying, and creating figurative language as well as noticing and explaining symbolism, irony, and mood. Subsequently, we spend time digging into plot structure, the impact of narrative perspective, and character development. Once we are confident our students have a clear understanding of these features, we shift into analyzing poetry.

Our poetry study begins with identifying the transitions that occur from fictional text to poetry. For example, the “narrator” being referred to as the “speaker,” and how the visual structure of a poem will help dictate the author’s intended phrasing versus relying solely on punctuation. We then begin our poetry analysis, introducing several poems from authors and poets such as Gary Soto, Earnest Thayer, Emily Dickinson, and Robert Frost.

With the introduction of each new poem, we first dive into the background of the poet. My favorite way to do this is to split the class into small groups or pairs and have them peruse the internet for important information about our poet including time period, family life, and additional works. Through a group share, we compile a fairly thorough picture of our poet and the influences on their writing. I then provide any other impactful background they might have missed and help connect the dots for my students on Individual Educational Plans (IEPs).

We then begin reading our poem following the “Three Read Rule.” The first read is strictly to listen to the poem read aloud. I prompt my students to just listen and take note of what stands out to them. This means they could be looking for repeated words, noticing there is an absence of or oddly placed punctuation, the mood is clearly dark or sad or happy, odd words are capitalized, there is indication of age of the speaker, or clues as to the message the author is trying to send. Anything they notice about the features or content of the poem is appropriate. Following our first read, I simply ask, “What do you think?” leaving the floor completely open for their own interpretations. With unlimited time, I would ask them all to share their thoughts, but with the time constraints of the day, I ask students to volunteer to share their notations.

The second read is an opportunity for students to identify features of the poem that indicate the theme through the prose and vocabulary chosen by the author. During the second read, I will ask students to mark a star next to examples of figurative language, repeated words, and lines that make the listener understand the author’s message. This prepares them for our discussion following the second read. In discussion, we move through each stanza, or in shorter poems, each line, highlighting, identifying, and annotating figurative language, words that give the reader an understanding of the mood, and clear and inferential indicators of the poem’s message.

Finally, we approach the third and final read. The writing prompt is shared with students prior to this, and students are prompted to search for the evidence they will use to support their written response relating to theme and word choice. Much of this is covered in the discussion following the second read, but in this thought process, students are thinking about how they will explain the evidence found in the poem in their own words.

To conclude each poem analysis, students respond to the writing prompt. The writing prompt is always very similar, including a variation of, “How does the author’s word choice and use of literary devices contribute to the theme of the poem?” This allows the repeated practice across a variety of poems for multiple exposures, and an opportunity to reach a level of mastery and independence. Students are expected to restate the answer to the question, identify and explain the theme of the poem with evidence, identify and explain the word choice or literary devices with evidence, and conclude their thoughts.

This poetry instructional practice gives an incredible opportunity to get to know my students as well as see their ability to interpret and analyze a written piece before moving into our short story unit that follows. The discussion that arises around their initial thoughts and reactions is always surprising and insightful. Poetry is meant to be open for interpretation by the listener, and hearing the impressions the text makes on middle schoolers as well as what brought them to that conclusion is profound. The connections and ideas a room full of 12-, 13-, and 14-year-olds can make and bring up, and are willing to share with both me and their peers, never ceases to amaze me.

About The Author

Madison Clouatre is a seventh-grade, special education teacher at Dudley Middle School in Dudley, MA. She has worked with children of all ages in various academic and extracurricular settings for over 12 years. She received her bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater State University in Early Childhood Education in 2016 and is actively pursuing her master’s degree as a Reading Specialist from her Alma Mater.

A Bug! A Bug! MARK WEAKLAND

A bug! A bug! Get it off me, I beg. Get it off, get it off!

It’s right there on my leg!

When I caught a quick glimpse

It looked wrinkled and thick, Like some crinkly beetle

Or a weird kind of tick.

Now I can’t stand to look

As it crawls and it creeps;

As its tiny mouth grins and its buggy eyes peep.

It’s just squatting there quiet; That means something’s not right.

Oh gosh! What’s it doing?

Do you think it will bite?

I’m sure it will sting me

Or fly up in the air, And with a loud buzz

Build a nest in my hair and…

It’s... what? Not a bug?

Is that what you said?

Do you think that I’m crazy

And it’s all in my head?

Well, if it isn’t a bug

Perched there brash and so brazen it’s a raisin.

Then what is it, pray tell?

Oh!... you’re right...

Editors’ Note:

This poem was originally selfpublished by the author in his poetry collection, The Delicious Chocolate Donut (and Other OffKilter Poems) (Weakland, 2011, March 20, p. 7, Happy Hummer Press). The illustration is by Mike Owens. This poem and illustration are reproduced in MRA Today 2023 with permission from the author.

About the Author

Mark Weakland is a consultant, teacher, writer, and musician. The author of teacher resource books, award-winning writing and music projects, and more than 75 books for children, his latest book, How to Prevent Reading Difficulties, PreK-3 (2021) is published by Corwin. Visit his website (www.MarkWeaklandLiteracy. com); follow him on Twitter @ MarkWeakland