How to Annotate Poetry
“We’re going to read and analyze a poem today!”
“Yay! We can’t wait. This is going to be so much fun!” My students cheer as they dig for their colorful pens and highlighters. “Let’s do this!”
Oh. Wait. That’s my fantasy middle school classroom. 😂
In my experience, it’s more like…
“Ugh. We hate poetry. It’s so hard! I can never understand it!”
To be honest, this is a fair response. Analyzing poetry does take effort and it is a skill that has to be taught.
Although there are exceptions, interpreting poetry is not something that comes naturally to middle schoolers or adults. It is totally understandable to be hesitant to teach poetry. Without an analyzing framework, it can be a daunting task.
It only took one time to learn that if I just gave my students a poem and told them to read it, they would try to read it (maybe), but not really understand it. They needed specific actions to do while reading in order to derive meaning, so I came up with eight actions for my students to do while reading a poem.
These annotations have helped my students become active readers (which always increases comprehension and helps them feel a little more confident when analyzing a poem.)
Scan: Underline words that you do not understand. Search for a synonym you do know and write it on the poem near the word.
Read: Do an initial reading of the poem. Jot questions that pop in your head in the margins.
Analyze: Analyze the structure of the poem. Identify the rhyme scheme, type of poem, and repetition.
Identify: Circle all of the figurative language used. Determine what it means, a plausible purpose, and the impact.
Think: Circle words and phrases that are impactful and interesting. Think about how this shows the author's attitude about a subject (the tone) and the mood created through word choice. Jot thoughts in the margins.
Determine: Determine the theme of the poem. Think about what the author wanted you to learn or take away from the poem.
Write: Write your personal reaction to the poem. What stood out to you? Did you like it or not like it? Why? What did it make you think about? How did you feel after reading it?
Reread: Reread the poem. Jot down new insights, questions, and thoughts. Put a box around the title and write your thoughts as to why the author selected that title.
When first introducing this, I would model on a sample poem. Show your students how to markup the text. Actually circle figurative language and write what it could mean on the side, highlight lines that are repeated, circle words, etc. Have your students follow along with you so they will have a model when they have to analyze a poem independently.
RESOURCES TO HELP YOU
Printable Reference Poster
To help you and your students, I have made this printable annotating poetry poster! You can hang it in your class for a reference point and print one on cardstock for students to keep in their notebook. Just fill out the form below for your freebie!
ELA Unlimited
The hub where you can download this resource plus many more!
