Looking for FRESH and diverse poems to teach tone? Teacher friends, I’ve rounded up a good one today!
Below, I have 7 poems to teach tone that are not typically taught in the mainstream ELA curricula (but should be!). They are all written from diverse authors and publishing dates range from 1995 to 2022.
Want to know the best part? These poems are totally teacher-approved through CommonLit, and you can access them for free. You don’t need a district-paid account to access the poems, guiding questions, and other basic features.
7 Poems to Teach Tone
Before you dive in, using daily poetry bell ringers and/or an introductory video like this one might strengthen your student’s understanding of tone analysis in poetry.
You can also use the engaging activities in this stellar poetry bundle to introduce, reinforce, and assess their poetic learning. Or check out more poetry teaching tips & resources at this post!
To access the poems, click on their titles below.
Summary snippet from CommonLit:
✨ “Shihab Nye was born to an American mother and a Palestinian father. In this poem, she writes about prayer.”
Other poetic devices and/or teaching ideas:
✨ Alliteration
✨ Imagery
Summary snippet from CommonLit:
✨ “In this piece of docu-poetry, a Hawaiian speaker describes his feelings as he cares for an elderly person who is suffering from dementia, a disease of the brain resulting in loss of memory, cognitive functioning, and abstract thinking, and often causing personality change.”
Other poetic devices and/or teaching ideas:
✨ Metaphor
✨ Speaker’s POV
I dare you to pair any poetry lesson with the teacher-loved Poetry Digital Escape Room. Your students will thank you!
Summary snippet from Carina:
✨ The speaker sits and observes a loved one who is hospitalized in the ICU, or Intensive Care Unit.
Other poetic devices and/or teaching ideas:
✨ Metaphor & simile
✨ Theme
Summary snippet from CommonLit:
✨ “Much of Alvarez’s work focuses on her experiences as a Dominican in the United States. In this poem, the speaker discusses the experience of learning a new language.”
Other poetic devices and/or teaching ideas:
✨ Characterization
✨ Diction
Looking for other diverse poems? Read these 5 LGBTQ+ authored poems!
Summary snippet from CommonLit:
✨ “In this poem, a speaker shares a moment when their family hears the 1970s American soul group, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.”
Other poetic devices and/or teaching ideas:
✨ Imagery
✨ Repetition
✨ Enjambment
Summary snippet from CommonLit:
✨ “In this poem, Mexican-American Poet Laureate Ada Limón reflects on the connection between humans and the rest of the universe.”
Other poetic devices and/or teaching ideas:
✨ Imagery
✨ Diction
Summary snippet from CommonLit:
✨ “Teri Ellen Cross Davis is a contemporary poet whose work is known for using small, personal moments to explore more universal themes. Her poetry also focuses readers on the experiences of women and people of color in America.”
Other poetic devices and/or teaching ideas:
✨ Symbolism
✨ Imagery
In need of more creative poetry lessons? I’ve got 13 for you on this blog post!
Wrapping Up
Whether you implement any or all of these poems to teach tone, I hope your unit is a huge hit!
Teaching literary devices and figurative language using SHORT STORIES? Here is a GOLD-MINE of a resource for you!
If you’d like to see more round-ups, like this one, please let me know what I can research for you via the comment section below!
Happy teaching, friends 💛
