Literacy at Work: How to Write a Poem with Glenis Redmond

In this episode of Literacy at Work, teaching artist and poet Glenis Redmond helps students from Paul Robeson Community School for the Arts learn elements of poetry and write their own self-portrait poems. Watch the video below and use Glenis’s lesson to help your students find the poetry in their lives.

With this video and the resources below, students learn how to use alliteration, assonance, and anaphora. Students develop their unique voices as they write self-portrait poems about their emotions, talents, and the challenges they face. When they share their stories, they not only build literacy skills but also foster creativity and boost self-confidence.

Ready-to-Use Resources

Our free teaching guide and student worksheet can be used for whole-class instruction or completed by students outside of the classroom.

How to Write a Poem | Grades 6–8

Student Worksheet: Students identify and use three elements of poetry to write a self-portrait poem.

Teaching Guide: Use this guide to teach students how to write a poem using this episode of Literacy at Work. This lesson plan can be used with individual students or for whole-class instruction.

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Learn more about the Literacy at Work web series, an HMH effort to not only help students grow as readers and writers but also show them the lifelong role literacy plays in their lives.