Read Poems and Lesson Plans for Valentine's Day, Black History Month, & More

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend February 2017 Celebrating Valentine's Day with Poetry   This February, read poems about love and friendship and share them with your students:   "Your Catfish Friend" by Richard Brautigan "How Do I Love Thee?" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning "Resignation" by Nikki Giovanni "This Morning I Pray for My Enemies" by Joy Harjo "The Awakening" by James Weldon Johnson "To a Friend who sent me some Roses" by John Keats "Having a Coke with You" by Frank O'Hara "Red Brocade" by Naomi Shihab Nye

Lesson Plan: "Love as a Two-Way Street"   This lesson plan for Valentine's Day features poems by one of poetry's most famous couples, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, alongside classroom activities and a writing exercise.   Also, browse this selection of poems for kids about love. Resources for Black History Month   Take a look at the lesson plan "The African American Experience," which was developed in collaboration with the poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths and a group of  public school teachers. This lesson plan focuses on Toi Derricotte's poem "The Weakness" as well as poems by Elizabeth Alexander, Langston Hughes, and Yusef Komunyakaa, among others.   For more ways to celebrate Black History Month with poetry, take a look at this collection of lesson plans and this selection of poems, audio poems, essays, and archival letters.  Lesson Plans about Immigration Friendship Poems for Kids A Reading Guide to Langston Hughes Presidents' Day & World Day of Social Justice   This year, February 20 is both President's Day and the World Day of Social Justice. Read a selection of Abraham Lincoln's favorite poems and browse a list of poems about social justice. Essay: "Poetic Sensibility: What It Is and Why We Need It in 21st Century Education"   In this new essay, Educator in Residence Madeleine Fuchs Holzer discusses the importance of fostering poetic sensibility in students, and she shares methods and classroom activities to help them engage deeply with poetry. Read more. Plan Ahead for National Poetry Month 2017   As April quickly approaches, sign up to receive your free National Poetry Month poster, watch videos of our chancellors reading their work in this year's Dear Poet Project, and save the date for Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 27. Teach This Poem   Sign up for Teach This Poem and receive a poem, related interdisciplinary resources, and classroom activities in your inbox weekly this school year. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038