Taylor Swift or a Tortured Poet?

Is it lyrics from a Taylor Swift song or lines by a tortured poet? 

Your students will love trying to figure out the answers on my latest interactive activities and bulletin board! It shows students that poetry comes in a variety of packages, such as their favorite song lyrics. It is a great way for them to buy into your poetry unit. 

You can use this resource in a variety of ways, such as:

1. Student Handout: Distribute the student handouts right away and have them guess the answers. They can work in groups, partners, or individually. Let them know it's NOT for a grade, but just for fun! The handout has 44 questions for students. Give them 10 (or more) minutes to guess the answers. After they have all had enough time to guess, either show the presentation (#2) or go over the answers orally (answer sheet included; however, the presentation identifies which song and the name of the poet & poem for each line).

2. Presentation: After (or while) students have filled out the handout, show the presentation. It includes 134 slides with the lines and the answers on separate slides. I offer it in PPT and PDF formats (you may transfer the PPT to Google Slides if you prefer that format). They can follow along with their handouts and you can discuss whether they were surprised by the answers or not. You can take it a step further and have them look up the poems afterward. All of the poems are readily available and in the public domain on Project Gutenberg or popular sites like Poets.org. 

This display only uses 26 of the 44 display cards.

3. Bulletin Board: You can display the bulletin board as a stand-alone activity or in combination with the previous two activities. The bulletin board includes 44 display cards (2 per piece of paper that you will cut in half and fold). Students love to keep looking at the lyrics and lines of poetry even after they've seen the answers. You can also display them in the hallway for students from other classes. It is a great way to promote poetry while having some fun! @MHS_MediaCenter on Instagram shared photos of how they created a display in their library. It was a huge hit!

No matter how you use this resource, your students are sure to be engaged! ALL of the lyrics in this bundle are from Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Anthology double album.

I never use the same poetry quote or lyric quote twice, so even if you have my other packs, they will all be original! I offer numerous additional poetry/musician packs in my bundle, found here:

It will always be 20% off OR MORE! I will continue to add new titles to it each year. Drop me a message on my TPT page, on Instagram, or on Facebook with any suggestions for new packs!

Thanks for reading!

-Tracee

 

Fun Poetry Bulletin Board Ideas

Do your students have a negative attitude about poetry? Do you wish you could change that?
One way to combat this is by showing students that poetry is cool (or whatever the latest term is for being awesome). 

My interactive bulletin board displays–which also come with presentations and a fun quiz handout–show students that the music they may listen to is similar to classic poetry. Plus, they are sure to pique your students' interest and challenge them. I offer these packs on TpT; click on the images or links below to learn more about each in my store.

IS IT GREEN DAY OR WALT WHITMAN?
Your students will be surprised by how much lyrics from a Green Day song and lines from a Walt Whitman poem have in common. Whitman is the father of free verse and lover of retrospect and while Green Day loves a rhyme, they also go deep and reflective. Here are a few samples:

So, how did you do? 

This pack contains 45 quote cards, 134-slide presentation, student quiz (45 questions--same as the quote cards), and teacher answer key. It also includes a brief bio of both Green Day and Walt Whitman to give your students some background information on both.

IS IT QUEEN OR EMILY DICKINSON?
Again, the similarities are very surprising! Dickinson's lines are lyrical and Queen's are creative and sometimes a little out there. A perfect pairing. See for yourself:

What did you think about those?

Like my other packs, this pack contains the same presentation, quiz, answer key, and 40 bulletin board cards. 

IS IT TUPAC OR SHAKESPEARE?
Tupac made it known that he loved reading (and acting in) William Shakespeare plays. Some of his lines in his rap music are taken straight from the Bard:

It's guaranteed to bring a new appreciation for both Shakespeare AND rap music! 

This pack includes 40 bulletin board quote cards, student quiz, teacher key, and a 122-slide presentation. Use whichever you like to suit your students. It's a fun way to introduce Shakespeare or to bring awareness any time during the school year!

What other pairings would you like to see? Drop me a suggestion in the comments and if I create it, I'll send it to you free!

FREE DISPLAY:

POEM IN YOUR POCKET DISPLAY
This free download features short poems that are easy to print, cut, and have available for students to take. I provide a fun pocket display in which you can stick the poems. I like to keep this up all year long so students always have poetry available.

You can find additional ideas at poets.org for Poetry Month or any time of the year. Also, check out my poetry Pinterest boards:

POETRY/LYRICS

POETRY in SONG LYRICS

NATIONAL POETRY MONTH RESOURCES collaborative board

I hope these help your students connect more with poetry and have a great attitude about it. Thanks for reading! -Tracee