Celebrating National Poetry Day: Two Engaging Lessons for Middle and High School By Laura Swilley

National Poetry Day is more than just a calendar event—it’s a vibrant opportunity to help students connect to the power of words, self-expression, and social awareness. This year, I created two imaginative and standards-aligned poetry lessons: one for middle schoolers discovering their voices, and one for high schoolers ready to make some noise.

Whether you teach sixth grade or seniors, these lessons will ignite creativity, deepen literary understanding, and give your students a meaningful way to celebrate poetry in the classroom.

Middle School: “Poetry Selfies” – Who Are You in Metaphor?

For my middle school students, I designed a lesson around the idea of a “Poetry Selfie.” But instead of snapping a picture, students use figurative language to paint a poetic portrait of themselves.

We start with a few prompts:

• “If I were a sound, I’d be…”

• “My heart beats to the rhythm of…”

• “I come from a place where…”

Students craft free verse poems that use metaphor, personification, and vivid imagery to explore their identity. The final result is a poetic “selfie” that reveals more than any photo ever could.

Want to go big? Students can decorate their poems with abstract doodles or symbolic illustrations and we host a gallery walk to celebrate our poetic selves.

This activity not only reinforces key ELA skills, it also fosters emotional intelligence and confidence.

Skills covered:

• Figurative language

• Imagery and sensory detail

• Personal narrative

• Creative thinking

High School: “Poetry Protest Posters” – Finding Voice Through Activism

With high schoolers, I took a bolder approach. Students explore poetry as protest, examining powerful works like Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” or Langston Hughes’ “Let America Be America Again.”

We discuss how poetry has always been a tool of resistance, healing, and power—and then students write their own protest poems, slam-style.

Once the poem is written, students select a key line and transform it into a visual protest poster using art, color, symbolism, and powerful design. The final product is a fusion of language and visual rhetoric—and they’re always stunning.

Want to elevate it further? Host a school-wide poetry reading or display the posters in a public space. Some of my students even record themselves performing their work and attach a QR code to their poster for an interactive twist.

Skills covered:

• Tone, diction, and figurative language

• Rhetoric and persuasive writing

• Visual literacy

• Civic awareness and social-emotional learning

Why It Matters

Both of these lessons put students at the center of their learning. Whether they’re exploring who they are or what they stand for, poetry becomes a tool for expression, reflection, and empowerment.

So this National Poetry Day, ditch the dusty rhyme scheme worksheet. Instead, let your students write their truths. Let them color outside the lines. Let them be seen—and heard.

Poetry isn’t just for English class. It’s for every student with a heart, a voice, and a story to tell.