Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Thousands of Teacher-reviewed Resources!

Celebrate Poetry & Writing in the Classroom

Browse our collection of poetry and writing tools, just in time for National Poetry Month! The resources below cater to all grades and include our CurriConnects reading lists and a number of exciting digital tools.

Grades 5-12

Poem in Your Pocket

Poem in Your Pocket Day is April 26th. The website provides background information about this day and ways to participate. Find a variety of unique activities, lessons, and ideas for your class. Don't miss the classroom use ideas in our review.

Grades 5-12

The Music in Poetry

Challenge your students to listen to poetry with this site featuring real life sounds of poetry in both ballads and the blues. Skim the lesson plans provided. Use this tool to teach about meters (both iambic triameter and iambic tetrameter) and more!

Grades 2-8

Diamante Poems

Describe a central topic or two opposing topics like night and day, using a diamante poem. Share all about the diamond-shaped poems that use specific types of words for each line. Edit as needed and then download as a PDF, save, print, or email the poem.

Poetry & Writing Resources via TeachersFirst

Don't miss this triple decker from TeachersFirst, which includes an OK2Ask® virtual workshop archive spotlighting digital storytelling. Discover writing tips and more! We've also featured a poetry booklist as well as our editor's TOP PICKS for poetry resources for all grades.

Grades K-12

OK2Ask: Introduction to Digital Storytelling

View this archive to learn the basics of digital storytelling. Skim the resources shared. Learn tips and ideas from the moderators, as well as the pedagogy behind digital storytelling. Get started on your virtual writing journey with this resource!

Grades K-12

CurriConnects Booklist: Poets and Poetry

CurriConnects thematic book lists include ISBN numbers for ordering or searching, interest grade levels, ESL levels and Lexiles® - making it perfect for differentiating reading in your class. Look through this collection about poets, poetry, and writing.

Grades K-12

Poetry Month Editor's Choice Resources

This collection features the top picks of poetry resources reviewed at TeachersFirst. Each review includes grade level recommendations, a description, and classroom use ideas. Find tools that you can use with your students during Poetry Month.

Poetry Month + Digital Storytelling = WOW!

Have you ever tried Lucidpress, Ourboox, or Alice? These three tools are all excellent for digital storytelling adventures. Learn more about each tool and decide which one would work best in your classroom. Share poetry writing with one of these digital storytelling sites. 

Grades K-12

Lucidpress

Important: start at the Educators link to access your FREE educator account. Create and share beautiful digital content. The easy drag and drop features allow you to personalize flyers, posters, presentations, and more. See the review for class ideas.

Grades 2-12

Ourboox

Sign up with email and get started writing. Click Create, add a title, and choose the style of your book. Publish digital stories in any language. Keep track of how many readers you have and read their comments. Find tech integration ideas in the review.

Grades 6-12

Alice

Enter wonderland with this innovative 3D programming environment, ideal for middle and high school students. Direct a movie, design a video game, create digital storytelling masterpieces! Engage your older students with this enlightening resource.

This Week at TeachersFirst

Here's a National Library Week (next week) inspired question: How often do your students visit the library? Share your responses with us and read the responses of others. OK2Ask is on a brief Spring Break hiatus but shall return before you know it. Use this time to view insightful archives from past sessions you may have missed. And for middle school educators, we have a blog post especially for you!