The Best Poem I Ever Taught [S5 E146]

Listen to the full episode below:

We love to share our favorite resources and activities that we’ve used in our classrooms here with you on the podcast. We’ve done a series on “The Best Thing I Ever Taught” in the past, and we’re bringing it back today. 

This time, we’re getting into the best poems we’ve ever taught. Now, we have a lot of favorite poems, so let’s just say that we had a really difficult time choosing only one. But we reflected on how specific poems were received by our students and were able to narrow it down. Push play to hear us divulge the details about each of our choices!

Without further ado, here are our choices. Drumroll, please…

Marie’s Choice: A Short Note to My Very Critical and Well-Beloved Friends and Comrades, by June Jordan 

Read the poem here.

Amanda’s Choice: Let America Be America Again, by Langston Hughes

Read the poem here.

Do you have a favorite poem that you’ve taught? Share your picks with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching!

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • Our individual choices for the best poems we’ve ever taught, and why we’ve chosen to highlight them

  • Various ways to teach and discuss poetry with your students

  • Challenges that come up when teaching poetry (for students and teachers!)

  • How to approach and break down a long poem

  • An example of how to get all students to share their interpretations, even when they feel intimidated and vulnerable

Resources Mentioned:

Related Episodes:

More about Brave New Teaching:

Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

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