The Poetry App

The Poetry App is designed to educate users about famous poets and their literary works. To begin, users may first tap the “Explore Poems” tab from the main menu, and they will then be able to select a poet and gain access to the poet’s biography. Users can then select a poem, read it silently, listen to an audio recording of the poem, or share it using email or social media. Furthermore, when returning to the main menu, users may also select the “Actors” tab to explore the narrators of each poem. Also, users may select the “My Poems” tab to write their own poems, which can be typed and recorded directly into the app. Lastly, users should be on the lookout for hidden poems and recordings made available by tapping on discrete objects located within the room shown on the main menu.

Instructional Ideas for The Poetry App

1. After engaging this app and reviewing the many poets and their literary works, teachers can have students create their own poems using the “My Poems” tab. Teachers can have their students model their work after a particular poet they admire or studied. In their creative poems, students must make it clear which poet they are using as a model. They can also write a short justification to explain how their poem mirrors the famous poet’s work. After composing their poem, students can record themselves narrating the poem and/or share it over email.
2. While engaging this app, teachers can break their class into small groups of students (three to four students per group). Each group will be assigned a different poet to study, and the group is to investigate two to three poems by the poet and his or her biography. Each group must take notes about the poet and on his or her works using an app such as Notability or Quick Office. Next, one student from each group will join another group so each group will be composed of students who studied different poets. It will be the responsibility of the students in their new groups to teach their classmates about the poet they were assigned.
3. While engaging in this app as a class, the teacher may choose one poet and play the reading of a poem aloud for the class. The students must follow along with the recording. Next, students may engage in a close-reading activity to uncover various deeper meanings within the poem. Some general questions teachers can use in their close-reading activity include: (1) What did you like or not like about this poem?, (2) What poetic devices did you notice in this poem?, and (3) How is the poet’s life reflected or not reflected in this poem?
4. Students can do short research projects using this app. To do so, each students must be assigned one specific poet listed in this app to study. Next, students are to find three to five interesting facts about the poet’s life and explain the legacy of the poet’s work. Students can present their work by writing a short paper with Grammarly, completing an infographic using Thinglink, or creating a presentation with Biteable.

Screenshots of the Poetry App