Art of Poetry

Poetry has inspired people for thousands of years, but many people today either avoid it, or feel confused by it. Spark a love of language and encourage students to use poetry to express themselves with this unique curriculum. Students will learn how to read a poem slowly and carefully; about the different forms poems can take; about famous poets; and how to construct their own poems. A wide spectrum of activities follows each poem, and range from comprehension activities to creative writing. The Art of Poetry may be used as an intensive 1-month study; teachers may also use two sections per month (or 2 weeks for each section), or even spread a few chapters over several years. Elements of poems are explained in beginning lessons, with real poems used to illustrate the concepts; following are additional poems with questions beneath. Chapters end with a page of activities and a list of vocabulary (many terms are bolded in context within the lesson).

Concepts covered include: elements of poetry such as images, metaphor, symbols, word, rhythm, shape, and tone; the history of poetry, including the history of form, movements, genres, verse forms, open verse, and case studies on Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman; and application ideas for growing student interest in poetry. The appendix includes short biographies of the poets included in this book.

268 pages, indexed, softcover. Middle-High School. Pages are not reproducible. Audio of the read poems is available on the publisher's website; purchasers may also contact the publisher for a free MP3 download.

This teacher's edition accompanies Classical Academic Press' The Art of Poetry student book. Student pages are reproduced, and after each chapter, there's a teacher's section with line listed answers and explications. Answers are detailed, with quotes and teaching points integrated where appropriate. 313 pages, softcover.

Bring the classroom dynamic into your homeschool Art of Poetry unit. Featuring the author teaching four thoughtful eighth-grade students. Proceeding chapter-by-chapter through the entire book, discussions capture the dynamic between a Socratic teacher and strong students as they discuss timeless works of literature. Focusing on becoming an accomplished close-reader and responding as a writer, the author demonstrates in real-time the end-of-chapter activities that are intended to teach students the practice of poem writing. 7 DVDs.