Teaching Literary Elements Using Poetry: Engaging Poems Paired With Close Reading Lessons That Teach Key Literary―and Help Students Meet Higher Standards

Boost students' reading skills and deepen their understanding of literary elements through poetry-based lessons and engaging activities.

Boost students' reading skills and deepen their understanding of literary elements through poetry-based lessons and engaging activities.

Boost students' reading skills through poetry-based lessons and engaging activities presented by poet and teacher Paul Janeczko. Students will gain a solid understanding of key literary elements, including:

• character
• setting
• theme
• plot
• metaphor
• simile
• and more!

This knowledge will help students readily identify these elements not only in poetry but in all types of literature, allowing them to have a deeper comprehension of what they read. Each lesson includes background information, tips for reading the poem aloud, an opportunity for writing, reproducible activity sheets, and more. By completing the lessons in this book, students will also meet the Common Core State Standards that address literary elements and the genre of poetry.

For use with Grades 4-8.

Paul B. Janeczko is a noted teacher, anthologist, and poet, and has written five books for Scholastic Teaching Resources. His most recent poetry anthology is Firefly July And Other Short Poems, published by Candlewick Press. He lives with his wife in western Maine.