10th graders at AHS are currently in a poetry unit, where students are able to write and share poems with their classmates and teachers. Poetry is a versatile form of literary expression that allows students to delve into the realms of imagination, emotion, and creativity.

The English 10 teachers have collectively been teaching their students about poetry not only how to interpret it but also deep diving into writing and organizing it. Teachers have used different forms of poetry and many kinds of figurative lounges to teach their students how to evolve their poetry writing skills.

Some of the poetry formats used were MORERAPS (Metaphor, Onomatopoeia, Rhyme, Emotion, Alliteration, Personification, and Simile), Simile of Myself (an extended simile comparing items with yourself), and Bio-Poems (describing deeper levels of a character). Students’ overall comments showed evidence that the MORERAPS format was the most helpful in truly creating a poem of their own with only a simple template as their jumping-off point.

“We started the unit off with writing MORERAPS formatted poems. The assignment had a good outline that helped me and my peers with writing and setting up a plan to succeed in our future poem writing,” said sophomore Kate Hanlen.

Throughout the unit, students have been able to express themselves in the poems that they have written. Teachers have given their students the academic freedom required to write about whatever they want, while also making sure that struggling students get the help they need. Students’ poems empower themselves to express their thoughts, emotions, and experiences in a unique and personalized manner. This freedom fosters a sense of individuality and creativity in the classroom.

“My classmates and I were able to use the class time provided to collaborate with each other this was especially helpful because you could hear what the other students were writing about and were able to get a really cool idea of how everybody writes and thinks differently” said sophomore Thomas Nields

During the poetry unit to help students engage more. The 10th-grade English teachers decided to put on the appearance of a three-course meal full of different snacks such as pretzels, skittles, and cranberry juice as just some examples. “The Atomic Diner’s” purpose was to have “menus” with different food-themed poems on them and have the students read through the “menus” to find the different forms of figurative language hidden in each. After finding the figurative language they were to try the foods that attempted to correlate with the themed poems on the “menus” and come up with descriptive words of their own for the food. Then, once fully completed they combine everything together into their own poem that they were more than welcome to use either as inspiration for a future poem or as a final poem for the summative.

“I really enjoyed the Atomic Diner because it allowed me to eat in class and had great service with Mr. Maglisceau!” said Sophomore Ava Sewall.

For each 10th-grade English class, the end-of-unit summative assessment varied. Students had to write 3-5 of their own poems and had to write author’s notes about their poems. The author’s note allowed students to explain to the reader what their poem was about and why they wrote it. Each author’s note allowed students to reflect on what they learned throughout the unit and see how they have grown as writers.

Overall, the 10th-grade poetry unit was a great success that allowed students to share they’re unique perspectives with their classmates and teachers. Students underwent the creative writing process and were able to go in-depth not only into their own writing but into others as well.