I love teaching poetry in all of my high school English classes. But I also know that poetry can be intimidating for teachers and students alike. Not just in picking what to teach in class but also what to do with poetry. That is why three high school English teachers are sharing our three best poems for high school students. Plus, we’ve included a bunch of options for each of our selections. We hope to make poetry a little less intimidating and a little more likely to be added to your classroom plans!
Smith Teaches 9 to 12’s Best Poem for High School
Picking a favorite poem to teach for me is a tough task. My love of poetry contributes to forever uncovering more and more poems to explore personally and academically! You can check my free e-book with year-long suggestions for poems and activities. But “Perhaps the World Ends Here” by former US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo is a poem that works on so many levels beyond just being an amazing poem. This is the poem I would happily teach to any grade at any time of year!
The poem, in free verse, is accessible to both new and experienced readers of poetry. There’s something for everyone to get from it whether it’s a ‘surface’ reading or some deep-dive analysis. This poem can be used for a variety of grades and it’s one to revisit; it’s not a one-and-done poem!
How to use this poem
This poem can be used for many grade levels because of its versatility. Here are four options:
- Explore living poets, particularly Indigenous poets. Joy Harjo’s story is fantastic. Here are two profiles about her including this one from Heavy.com and this OnBeing podcast episode.
- Combine non-fiction and poetry with this article from the BBC – “The Hidden Meaning Within Your Furniture”. about the significance of furniture with a focus on contemporary art. Discuss the role of the table in the poem. Why this particular piece of furniture?
- Use it in a novel study in practicing analysis of a symbol, in this case the kitchen table. This short article is a great background piece about the kitchen table across history and what it represents. What does the table represent beyond a table? How do we understand this symbolism in the poem? This is good practice for reading a longer text and analyzing symbols and symbolism.
- Make it a creative writing opportunity in writing a free verse poem about a symbol. This symbol can be student choice or based on a particular symbol in a work of fiction. Give students a chance to explore the symbol or even to write an ode to the everyday object from their own perspective or that of a story’s character.
Check out this ready-made ode writing lesson that takes students through a brief history of the form, to analysis of classic and contemporary odes, before they write their own!
McLaughlin Teaches English’s Best Poem for High School
When asked to pick “THE” poem to share, Jeanmarie from McLaughlin Teaches English immediately thought of “The Writer” by Richard Wilbur. She has loved this one since college (*cough* *cough* 25+ years) and has literally shared with hundreds of students.
“The Writer” is such an accessible poem. It is about a father overhearing his daughter struggle with writing a story. The imagery of the poem is easy for students to understand. They can visualize the father standing outside his daughter’s door listening as she works away at her typewriter. He begins with a metaphor of travel, likening the daughter’s room to the prow of a ship. Then the father/speaker falls into a metaphor of a starling that has somehow gotten into their house. They open a window and listen outside the door as the bird struggles to extricate itself from the house.
How to use this poem
This poem is so rich that you can use it to address lots of ideas. One of Jeanmarie’s favorite ways to begin is with Reader Response. (For more check out this post about Reader Response.) Have students create a double entry journal by drawing a line down the page (or by providing a template). Then they copy favorite lines in the left column and respond in the right column. From there, take your students in a number of directions for close reading: focus on the metaphors, on the relationships or on the point of view.
Read more about double entry journals here and more about poetry and point of view here.
A Better Way to Teach’s Poetry Twist for High School
Missy from A Better Way To Teach loves using songs in her discussion of poetry with her students.
One powerful pairing is “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson and “Glory” from the Selma film soundtrack performed by John Legend and Common.
Both songs have similar themes and powerful, yet accessible language. For students who may find poetry more daunting, this is a great entry point.
How To Use The Pair of Songs
Missy loves to start the class with some open-ended discussion questions like “Does art influence society or does society influence art (or both)?”
After a brief discussion, give students the lyrics to “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and have them write observations in the margin about how the poem reflects the society from which it came. Students can also make observations about imagery and general observations about anything that stands out to them.
Then, have students watch the compelling video of John Legend and Common singing “Glory.” They performed this at the 2015 Oscars and again at the Democratic National Convention in 2020. Although this is a current song, it also reflects the struggles of the 1960s, as it is featured in the movie Selma.
Give students a copy of the lyrics for this song as well, and have them make observations about what particular lines reflect the society from the 1960s and even now. At this point they may see overlapping themes between the two songs.
It can be powerful to end the class period with a discussion about whether or not art (like poetry and song) has a responsibility to reflect society and what our responsibility as the listener/reader is.
If you’re interested in reading about more ways to include black voices in your classroom, check out these posts from Missy “5 Ways to Celebrate Black Voices In Your ELA Classroom” and “15 Mentor Sentences From Black Authors.”
Teaching Amazing Poetry
Poems like “The Writer” and “The World Ends Here” along with songs “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “Glory” are full of possibilities. Above are just a few of the reasons that we think that these are the best poems for high school students.
Thank you to Missy Davis of A Better Way to Teach and Jeanmarie McLaughlin of McLaughlin Teaches English for joining me to share our best poems for high school students.
Collaborative Post Series on Texts for High School English:
The 3 Best Short Stories for High School Hosted by McLaughlin Teaches English
The Best Nonfiction Texts For Teaching ELA Hosted by A Better Way to Teach
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