Who doesn’t love poems with imagery? Amazing imagery. Stop in your tracks imagery. And what if you could pair those poems with back to school? Sounds like a win if you ask me. So here are 10 of my favorite poems with imagery for back to school season plus 10 ideas for how to use them this fall.
10 Poems with Imagery for Back to School
I selected these poems with upper high school students in mind. Though many of them are perfect for all levels of students, some have more sensitive subjects, so please preview before making a plan to use these with your students.
The Sun Goes Down on Summer (Steve Lawhead)–the speaker cherishes the last moment so summer break while worrying about what the new school year will bring with it.
Did I Miss Anything? (Tom Wayman)–a tongue and cheek response to that question from a student. I think of this poem anytime a student asks this question.
Metaphor by Eve Merriam—uses a blank sheet of paper as a metaphor for new beginnings. My favorite poem to get Poem of the Week started. (Get Your Free Poem of the Week Package here)
A Thing that Happened (Matt Mason)–the speaker reflects on learning that his young daughters practiced an active shooter drill in school that day, and that they don’t think anything of it.
Moonlily (Marilyn Nelson)–the speaker uses the metaphor of a playing horses at recess with other kids who look like her and then the change that happens as she returns to class, the only “bay in a room of palominos.”
The Student Theme by Robert Wallace—a fun play on grammar through personified parts of speech
Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins–a teacher reflects of reading poetry with his students
The Grammar Lesson (Steve Kowit)–a grammar analysis of a nonsense sentence in poetic form
Trouble with Math in a One-Room Country School (Jane Kenyon)–the speaker gets punished for asking her neighbor a question about the math that she hasn’t understood
Coach Losing HIs Daughter (Jack Ridl)–a coach watches as his teenage daughter becomes involved with the players he coaches
How to use Poems with Imagery for Back School Fun
One. Stations
Choose 5-6 of the poems to use as individual stations. Then have the students respond in a different way as they make the rounds.
Two. Reader Response
Introduce your students to Reader Response Theory and then have them practice using the poems listed. Since they all have experience with school in some way, these poems with imagery for back to school are a perfect choice.
Three. Poetry Boot Camp
Head right into poetry analysis with a poetry boot camp. Choose the poems. Choose the skills and then practice one to two skills per poem, per day for 5-10 classes. For how to set up a boot camp, check out this post on how to set up a short story bootcamp.
Four. Introduce 5 Steps to Close Reading
I often tout that close reading is the most important skill we can teach our students. These 5 steps to close reading help students to focus and are easily introduced early in the year with poems like these.
Five. Task Cards
Use task cards to review terms like setting, characterization, or point of view.
Six. Start Dialectic Journals
Poetry is a great place to start dialectic journals. For more on teaching students to write dialectic journals, check out this post. Poems with imagery make it easy for students to pick lines to focus their discussion. So it makes these back to school poems logical choices.
Seven. Collaborative Annotations
Collaborative annotations are a fun way to engage in any text. Poems are easy entry point into trying it out. For more, read this post.
Eight. Work on Thesis Skills
Nailing the idea of contrast in literature to set up a strong thesis is one of the most important skills (after the close reading itself) we can teach our AP® Literature students. Check out this post for more.
Nine. Use them as Bellringers
Bell ringers are the perfect way to establish the tone of the room. And weekly poetry analysis is a great way to do this. Poems with imagery are perfect for introducing students to Poem of the Week.
Ten. Introduce Routine
Since these are poems for the start of the school year, it is a great time to use these poems with imagery to introduce other things you want to incorporate throughout the year like Jamboard, collaborative docs or Poem or the Week.
Poems with Imagery for Back to School
No matter how you decide to use these back to school poems with imagery, make sure that you share some or ALL of them with your students this fall. They are perfect for all your poetry needs.
Related Articles
Teaching Students How to Write Reader Response
How to Encourage Students to Master the AP® Lit Thesis
Teaching Students to Write Amazing Double Entry Journals
Five Easy Steps for Close Reading in High School
Collaborative Annotations for High School English
The Great Bell Ringer Activity List for High School English
5 Back to School Units for High School English
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