The English Teacher Blog

Poetry Hangman

Wednesday, April 2nd by Carla


Poetry Hangman To what purpose, April, do you return again?” wrote Edna St. Vincent Millay. Today, of course, we know the answer: it’s to celebrate National Poetry Month! I’m planning to blog about poets, poems, and teaching poetry a little more often than usual this month, and I’d like to start with something completely offbeat: Poetry Hangman.

You teach poetry terms to your kids, but just how well do you know them yourself? Here’s a chance to find out.

It works like the game of Hangman that got us all through boring classes when we were students (and maybe through the occasional faculty meeting now). Select from the letters at the base of the scaffold. Get it right, and the definition of the term appears as reinforcement. Hang yourself, however, and a frowny face scowls down from the scaffold.

The database is limited to about 15 fairly basic words. I’d like to see them add more words for figures of speech or for metrical feet. But if your kids have 5 minutes at the end of class and Web access, this would make a great sponge activity!

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