Since Robert Frost encouraged our founder Marie Bullock to “get poetry into the high schools” in the 1960s, we’ve been assisting teachers in bringing poetry into the classroom. Here, you’ll find poetry lesson plans, poems for kids and for teens, essays about teaching, a calendar of teaching resources for the school year, a glossary of poetry terms, and more. Our lesson plans, most of which are aligned with the Common Core, have been reviewed by our Educator in Residence with an eye toward developing skills of perception and imagination. 

Read more about Teach This Poem’s impact. 

Dear Poet 2025

Every National Poetry Month we present Dear Poet, a multimedia education project that invites you

Valentine’s Day: Poems for Kids

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the following classic and contemporary poems about love, heart, and friendship, are appropriate for young people.

Lesson Plans for Black History Month

To celebrate Black History Month in February—and the rich tradition of African American poetry al

Breakups & Heartbreak: Poems for Teens

Breakups and Heartbreak: Poems for Teens

Browse poems about difficult love, heartache, and the end of relationships.

Lesson Plans by Theme

Find poetry lesson plans organized by theme, occasion, and class subject, including lesson plans featuring poems about social justice, the environment, and many other topics.

Love: Poems for Kids

Read a selection of poems about love, friendship, romance, and devotion like “How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “Love Comes Quietly” by Robert Creeley, and more.