Check out the activities and materials we have created to celebrate National Poetry Month in April!
All Spanish Teachers Community members have access to these materials and hundreds of ready-made lesson plans and resources for the full school year! Click here to access our exclusive freebies for Spanish teachers.
How to Include Poetry in Your Spanish Lesson Plans
Activity ideas for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students featuring José Martí, Pablo Picasso, and Pablo Neruda.
Introducing Poet Elizabeth Acevedo Sub-Plan for Intermediate Students
Students will read a brief article about Elizabeth Acevedo in English. They will discuss what they learn in pairs before writing a verse of poetry in English in pairs. For the rest of the class, or for homework, they will translate their verse into Spanish to turn in for credit.
- Japanese Haiku Sub-Plan for Intermediate Students
Students will know how to write a haiku poem and understand the rules of haiku-writing. Students will also have a deeper awareness of how syllables work within a Spanish word. Students will have practice writing with Spanish nature vocabulary, applying basic verb conjugations in the present tense to the lines of the poem.
- Poetry Writing Sub-Plan for Intermediate-Advanced Students
Students will understand the concept of rhyme schemes and apply their knowledge to examples of poetic language in both Spanish and English. The students will have the opportunity to write their own short verse following a rhyme scheme of their own selection, in Spanish, and then translate it to English.
- La Poesía Ecuatoriana Scaffolded Activities – La belleza y la estética – Lenguaje y literatura (Ecuador)
With this listening comprehension activity, students are introduced to some poets from Ecuador and work by listening to the poem Tu cabellera by Humberto Fierro.
- “Patria” de Ricardo Miró Scaffolded Activities – La identidad privada y pública – La identidad nacional y étnica (Panama)
In this listening comprehension activity, students learn about Panamanian symbols and traditions by listening to a poem by Ricardo Miró.
Introducing Poet Elizabeth Acevedo Sub-Plan for Intermediate Students
Poet Biographies for Spanish 2, Spanish 3, and AP Spanish
These Google Slide biographies include a photo of the person, their name, country flag, biography, video, Fill-in-the-blank sentences (Práctica con frases), comprehension and discussion questions, extension activities, and a bibliography.
- Elizabeth Acevedo – República Dominicana
- Felipe Luciano (Poeta, activista, músico y periodista) – Puerto Rico
- Rubén Darío – Nicaragua
- Julia de Burgos – Puerto Rico
- Julia de Burgos: A Julia de Burgos – Presentation (AP Spanish)
- Nicolás Guillén: Balada de los dos abuelos – Presentation (AP Spanish)
