Poem of the Week: Poetry Activities to Make Learning Fun

Using poetry in the classroom is a simple way to teach kids about voice, perspective, inflection, and speech patterns. It’s also a fantastic tool for reading fluency and comprehension during small or whole-group lessons.

A Poem of the Week Improves Fluency

Reading fluency relies on consistency and tons of repetition. Therefore, one of the easiest ways to help students build their confidence is to provide texts and fun poems they can read repeatedly. Then, provide follow-up activities that work on key ELA skills, such as reading comprehension.

Find out how a poem of the week can be easily implemented in the classroom for your poets during small or whole-group lessons. Select fun poems and let kids use fun pointers while reading to make it even more fun.

Common Challenges

Scenario 1

Imagine this: Your emergent reader, Bethany, doesn’t like to read the exact text repeatedly. So when you pull out a new book, she proclaims, “I’ve already read that.” You remind her that rereading things is okay because it helps with understanding, but she won’t listen.

We’ve been there.

Students like Bethany need reminders that repetition in reading is what makes them fluent. Making homework repetition fun is the key to getting students to re-read their text. They need a purpose for reading, and that’s where the poem activities come in.

Scenario 2

Imagine this: Each week, you try to find something new to do that will keep your kids engaged while they dive into reading. It’s challenging to find something they all enjoy and look forward to. It can be time-consuming, and you wish there were something already created you could use.

Don’t worry; I have you covered.

When you have a classroom of students who thrive on consistency, take advantage. And let’s be honest; most classrooms are this way. Utilize a poem of the week to get kids excited about reading new topics. They will love the seasonal poems and the activities that come with them. You’ll love that everything is prepared for you. Just print and add to your poetry journal, word work station, or literacy centers each week!

What is a Poem of the Week

A poem of the week is a strategic literacy tool and a way to teach poetry allowing students to re-read one text. As they read each time, they focus on different elements of the poetry and complete activities that help them understand the poem on a deeper level.

The key to reading fluency is understanding the text, not simply being able to read the words and the high-frequency words they contain. A poem of the week gives students a purpose as they read and consistency so they can grow as the school year progresses.

What Does Poem of the Week Include

The Poem of the Week Bundle includes 85 poems with six differentiated activities to go with each. Sixty-five of the poems are original poems with sight words and decodable text, and 20 of them are fun nursery rhymes.

The differentiated activities range from illustrating the poems to filling in the blanks and so much more. That’s what makes interactive poetry activities so fun; there’s a little bit of something for every child.

Activity 1 – Rewrite the Poem

In this activity, students are provided a piece of lined paper to copy the words of the poem. They will use the printed poem to rewrite it on their own sheet. This activity helps kids learn sentence structure and punctuation and to be concise.

Activity 2 – Rebuild the Poem

Using strips of paper with sentences from the poem, students will build the poem. This allows students to put the events of the poem in order to work on comprehension and retention.

Activity 3 – Complete the Sentences

This activity provides students with the start of each sentence. Students must complete the sentences to recreate the poem on their papers. This activity helps kids learn sentence structure and organization skills.

Activity 4 – Complete the Tasks & Draw

Students are given a brief list of tasks to complete with the poem. This might include highlighting certain words or circling phrases related to grammar and meaning. Once they complete the tasks, they draw a picture to represent their poem to show their understanding.

Activity 5 & 6 – Fill in the Blanks (& Draw)

Students fill in the blanks on the poem to complete it. They are provided with a word bank to help them. Once they are done, they draw a picture to represent the poem.

How and When to Use Poems

A poem of the week is the perfect opportunity to dive into text packed with sight words, CVC and CVCe words, new vocabulary, and seasonal topics. There are so many ways to use them. That’s what teachers love about them, their versatility.

Use the poems during morning routines to get students ready for the day. Introduce them in writing centers and allow students to write their poems as part of the writing activity. Make time for the poetry of the week at the start of each literacy block to build fluency. Then, work them into your small group centers for extra practice. They are also perfect for homework assignments, assessments, independent practice, fast finishers, and more.

Try a Digital Poem of the Week

If you want to save paper, the poems are also available as digital resources. This makes it super easy to assign in Google Classroom or Seesaw. Students can complete the activities during literacy centers, at home for homework, or when you have a sub!

What Teachers are Saying

I couldn’t praise this resource more– I use this every week with my students and they practice past poems daily! This has helped with fluency, reading engagement, reading stamina and growing a love for literacy! Thank you so much for this! – Sydney F.

I love this poem resource. It has everything you need to teach whole class poetry. I’m excited about the update with google classroom activities. Thank you! – Carolyn H.

We used this resource every week as part of our shared reading each week. Students got a copy to add to their books they could continue to read during their independent reading time. – Tiffany B.

I have been printing this resource as homework and the feedback I have gotten has been great! It was about how it’s different from other types of homework and engaging. – Elizabeth R.

I incorporated these poems into our morning meeting routine and the additional worksheets as homework and small group work! My students LOVED them! It was a great supplement for our phonics lessons. – Deanna P.

I use this resource every day and I love it! The poems are great and my students like the topics. I love the follow up activities that go with them as well. – Melissa M.

3 FREE Poems and Activities to Try

Try 3 of the weekly poems and activities in your classroom with this free resource!

Click the image below to grab a copy.

Poem of the Week Year-Long Bundle

Try the Poem of the Week Bundle by Proud to be Primary. It includes everything you need to practice reading fluency each week with your students. There are 85 poems in this bundled pack, each with six differentiated activities kids will love.

Here are the 4 individual poetry resources you get in the year-long bundle.

• September to January Poem of the Week – This pack covers the winter holidays, Santa Claus, back to school, pumpkins, healthy eating, skip counting, and more fun topics for fall and winter.
• February to June Poem of the Week – This pack covers holidays like Valentine’s Day, Groundhogs Day, Mother’s Day, Earth Day, Easter, shapes, plants, and more engaging topics for winter, spring, and summer.
• Supplemental Poems for the Year – This pack includes a variety of topics from the school year, focusing on losing a tooth, Veteran’s Day, firefighters, time, dinosaurs, gingerbread cookies, and more.
• Nursery Rhymes of the Week – This pack covers familiar nursery rhymes like Itsy Bitsy Spider, Mary Had a Little Lamb, and more!

More Poetry and Reading Fluency Ideas

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