Produced for K-12 educators, Teach This Poem features one poem a week from our online poetry collection, accompanied by interdisciplinary resources and activities designed to help teachers quickly and easily bring poetry into the classroom. The series is written by our Educator in Residence, Dr. Madeleine Fuchs Holzer, and is available for free via email.
Featured Poem
Listen to Alberto Ríos Read His Poem
Classroom Activities
- Ask your students to get in pairs and share a time they gave something that they thought was meaningful to someone. Then ask them to share a time when someone gave them something that was meaningful. Ask them to discuss how they knew it was a meaningful gift.
- Hold a large group discussion about what makes giving meaningful.
- Have your students listen to the audio recording of Alberto Ríos reading his poem “When Giving Is All We Have.” Next, ask one student to read the poem and then another. Ask the students who are listening and reading along to jot down what jumps out at them each time they hear the poem.
- What is Alberto Ríos saying about giving? What words and phrases does he use to help us understand what he means?