The months of the year make great ideas for poetry lesson plans. After all, many poems have been written about the months and seasons. We can all relate to various times of the year. When we think of a month, we think of very specific things. This association will spark student creativity.
Before Writing the Poem
Start out this lesson in poetry writing with a brainstorming session. Bring some seasonal items to class and hold them up. Ask the students which month of the year the item makes them think about. You could bring a valentine, an umbrella, a pair of mittens, a Christmas ornament, and a plastic pumpkin. Bring items that are associated with specific times of the year. Students can call out the month they associate the item with. Now name a month, and have students say things they think about when they hear the name of the month. For example, say “March”, and let the students name things that remind them of March. You might hear, “St. Patrick’s Day, green, Spring, or kites”. This brainstorming exercise will help students prepare for the poetry writing assignment.
Objective
Students will write a rhyming poem with 12 stanzas describing each of the 12 months of the year.
Procedure
This poem should describe each month in a single, two line stanza. The poem will be a total of 12 stanzas, or 24 lines in length. Each poem will begin with the month of January and end in December. Have students think about each month. What are some things that stand out about the month? What kind of weather occurs during this month? Are there any special holidays or occasions associated with this month? For example, when thinking about January, we think of snow, ice, “New Year’s Day”, and cold, chilly days. Students can start creating this poem by listing each month on a piece of paper, then brainstorming what sort of things are associated with that month. List those thoughts beside each month.
Now have students create their months of the year poem. Using the ideas they brainstormed, they will put together a poem that describes each month. The end of each first line describing a month should rhyme with the second line. For example:
January is the month for snow,
Now is the time the cold winds blow.
Students will do this for each month. When finished, students can read their months of the year poem to the class.
