either the blackboard or a large piece of paper to work with.

As they work, type what they come

up with onto a slide, so the whole audience can see. Let the volunteers suggest what to write.)

• First, let’s think of a topic we really care about. What topic should our poem be about?
• What do you think about this topic or issue? What do we want the reader to understand?
• Whose voice can we speak from? Do we want to try personification?
• Can someone think of a good first line? Some more details?”
• Who has a simile or metaphor? What about a rhyme?”
• Do we have assonance? Alliteration? Is there a place for humor in our poem?
• Do we have a powerful conclusion? What about a title?
• Is there anything we should add or take out?
Have one of the students read the poem aloud to the audience, and celebrate the group’s
authorship. End the lesson with a question period.

Erasure Poems

Activity adapted by Debbi Brody. Materials: Magazines, sturdy paper in 12 X 12 sheets, glue,
scissors, black markers

• Flip through the magazines until you find an article that appeals to you. Choosing a topic
you’re unfamiliar with may lead to exciting possibilities.
• Tear out an entire page of the article. Skim over it with a black marker, crossing out
words and phrases that don’t particularly interest you, and leaving the ones that do. Don’t
worry too much about how they fit together.
• If desired, copy over the remaining words and phrases to a fresh sheet of paper,
preserving their original layout on the page. Credit the original article and author by
writing down the source.
• Collage magazine cutouts into the background of the poem. It works well to choose a
common color that you think fits with the emotional theme of your poem.
Guided Freewrite: collecting material for a poem

List:
• your favorite colors
• your favorite time of day
• your favorite sound
• anything that you collect
• a few things you love to do
• someone you care about
• a memory you have with that person
• something you’d like to say to them
• a place that’s meaningful to you
• things you do there
• what you can see there

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Poetry Workshop

Note: The following is one example of how to lead a small-group workshop to help middle- or
high-schoolers revise their poems.

10 minute “Getting into character” write to get ideas flowing:

You are going to get into character as the speaker of your poem. Write whatever comes to you in
response to these prompts.
-What does the speaker of your poem want or hope for?
-What do they fear?
-What is their favorite: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch?
-What does your character’s voice sound like? Who are they speaking to?

Workshop: Arrange chairs in circle. Have students read their poems aloud one by one.

Explain: The goal of a workshop is to support the writer by helping them make their piece of
writing the best it can be. We consider a work in progress and offer specific ideas, feedback, and
questions.

Because of the trust involved in workshopping, we owe each author honesty and kindness.
Honesty means we should be as specific as possible about what we like and what we think could
be improved. Kindness means we are encouraging and respectful of the writer, and try to be
helpful in our comments.

As a workshop leader, keep the conversation going, but let students comment first. The writer
should mostly listen and write down ideas, then ask questions at the end.

• Opening: each comment on a strength of the poem that has stuck with you. This can be a
specific point or detail.
• What were the most interesting parts, and what really rang true to you?
• What is the poem about and what is it trying to do? Is anything unclear?
• What’s the heart, or most important part, of the poem?
• What does this poem need to be more powerful and captivating? Was there any point
where you didn’t feel connected to the poem? Could anything be improved or changed?
Some things to consider are character, voice/perspective, imagery and detail, structure.
• Is there anything you’re curious, as a reader, to hear more about?
‘Sharpening’ activities:

Great first lines and powerful endings.

• Consider how you can pull the reader in right away with a ‘hook’, and leave them at the
end of the poem with a powerful image that will stay with them.
Line editing: “Zoom in” to consider your poem line by line, including line breaks.
• Poetry is about the specificity of images and words. Looking at your poem line by line
helps you decide if there is anything you want to take out or change.

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High School Workshops

Note: the following workshops can be adapted for either high school students or adults. Many
were designed for events led at Edgewood Village. It works well to bring a variety of traditional
and contemporary poems as examples, and the workshops will be enriched if participants are
invited in advance to bring their own favorite poems relating to the theme.
 
Poems of Place: Homes, Journeys and Maps
Materials: Paper, pens, markers and colored pencils. Printouts of these example poems:
• “Grand Central” by Billy Collins
• “So This is Nebraska” by Ted Kooser
• “The Two Fires” by Margaret Atwood
• “Up-Hill” by Christina Rossetti
*All these poems are available online except “The Two Fires,” which is included here.

Introduction: Around the circle say names and where we are from.

Read aloud and discuss poems that participants and I have brought.
• What do you especially connect with in each poem?
Discuss what “home” and “journey” mean to us:
• Home may change throughout someone’s lifetime.
• Journeys can be tangible in terms of miles on a map, or can be more emotional in terms
of personal growth.
• Quote: “Where we come from, where we live now, the particular places that are ours,
help to define us, and influence and inform our poetry” – The Poet’s Companion, by Kim
Addonizio and Dorianne Laux.
Guided writing warm-up:

-List some places that have been significant to you throughout your life.
-List some important trips or journeys you have been on.
-Write about the place you consider home at this time.
-Write about your favorite place you’ve visited.
-Write about a journey that was hard for you to take.

Writing activity:

Choose one of these places and write a poem that shows us what it means to you. Bring us there
by using strong sensory details in your writing (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch.) Feel free to
accompany it with a sketch or drawing.

Share!

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