Best Poetry Homeschool Curriculum for High School

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Top Picks for Homeschool Poetry Curricula:

While poetry was once considered an essential component of any child’s complete education, the subject has been all but abandoned in many contemporary language arts programs. Although many homeschool English curricula do include some poetry study, many homeschooling families are eager to study poetry in greater depth. If you’re looking for a homeschool poetry curriculum that will educate and inspire your high school student, you’ll be happy to know that there are several great options to choose from! While some focus more on the craft of writing poetry, others explore the biographies of famous poets and introduce students to the best of poetry in the English language. 

In this article, we’ll tell you about some of our favorite homeschool poetry curricula for high school students. If you are homeschooling a younger child, check out our articles, Best Poetry Homeschool Curriculum for Middle School and Best Homeschool Poetry Curriculum for Elementary. And if you are looking for other language arts programs for your high school student, you might be interested in our related articles, Best English Homeschool Curriculum for High School, Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum for High School, and Best Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum – High School. 

For more on poetry curricula, check out our recommendations below!

Grammar of Poetry

Matt Whitling

If you’re looking for a poetry curriculum that focuses on the craft of writing poetry rather than on studying poets and their works, we recommend Matt Whitling’s Grammar of Poetry. Although this program is published for students in the middle school grades, it is also very appropriate for high school students. In fact, it is an excellent curriculum for teaching about the English language itself and could be used in conjunction with any good high school language arts program (for our recommendations, click here LINK). 

Grammar of Poetry is a full-year curriculum structured around fundamental poetic devices such as rhyme, meter, and simile. Lessons do an excellent job of clearly teaching what each of these poetry building blocks is and how it is effectively used in poetry. Famous poems are woven into the lessons as examples, exposing students to quality poetry. A variety of exercises are included to teach students how to use these concepts in their own writing.

Most high school students will be able to work through Grammar of Poetry independently, especially those who are self-motivated and have strong language arts skills. The Teacher’s Edition provides support to parents who want to guide their kids through the program and check answers for the exercises.

To begin Grammar of Poetry, you’ll need the Grammar of Poetry student text and the Grammar of Poetry: Teacher’s Edition. A Grammar of Poetry DVD Course is also available and provides an excellent supplement for students who do well with video learning.

The British Tradition

Memoria Press

If you’re looking for a comprehensive, rigorous poetry curriculum focusing on the greatest poets in British history, consider Memoria Press’s three-volume series The British Tradition. Like Memoria Press’s other programs, this one uses a classical framework in its approach to the material, focusing on vocabulary, comprehension, and critical analysis. Students will learn about the most important poets in British history, read examples of their works, and also gain a fuller understanding of the periods in which they lived. 

This series is organized chronologically, with each volume focused on a different era. Detailed histories and background information are provided, making this an excellent course to pair with your student’s history studies. Within the chronological structure of this series, the material is broken down into various periods, then further organized into lessons about particular poets and their works. The first volume, Poetry, Prose, & Drama from the Old English & Medieval Periods (449-1485 A.D.), covers British poetry of the Middle Ages, including both religious writing from figures like St. Augustine and the popular poetry of the people, such as the legends of Robin Hood. The next volume, The British Tradition II: Poetry & Prose from the Elizabethan to the Neoclassical Age (1485-1784 A.D.), considers British poetry from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, including such poets as William Shakespeare, John Milton, and Jonathan Swift. The third volume, The British Tradition III: Poetry from the Romantic to the Victorian Age (1785-1901 A.D.), explores Romantic-era poets such as William Wordsworth and Lord Byron along with Victorian poets like Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Louis Stevenson.

Each volume of The British Tradition takes 10-12 weeks to complete. To get started with the first volume of this series, you’ll need to purchase the Poetry, Prose, & Drama anthology, Student Book, and Teacher Guide. These are available individually at Christian Book or can be purchased as a set at the Memoria Press website. For a similar program that focuses on American poetry and short stories, check out Memoria Press’s American Poetry & Short Stories curriculum.

Cottage Press Poetry Readers

If you’re looking for a homeschool poetry curriculum that is gentle, flexible, and focuses on poetry appreciation rather than analysis and writing exercises, consider the multi-volume Poetry Reader series published by Cottage Press. Like Cottage Press’s other programs, this one is inspired by the philosophies of Charlotte Mason, who advocated a gentle, nature- and art-based approach to teaching. For Mason, the purpose of poetry was to uplift and delight its readers, and students who use this curriculum will undoubtedly be inspired toward that same ideal. 

While six volumes are planned in this series, only three have yet been published. Each focuses on three famous poets, providing extensive biographical information and featuring at least a dozen examples of his or her work. Burns, Tennyson, and Herbert are the focus of the first volume; Wordworth, Milton, and Longfellow are featured in the second; and Keats, Donne, and Scott are explored in the third. Each volume also includes selections from Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets. 

Each of these poetry readers can be used over a full school year, ideally in the family setting. Kids of all ages, as well as their parents, will enjoy these poems and the poets’ biographies. The poems are intended to be read one by one and savored for the beauty within them. There are no tests or other assessments. Students who work through this series will no doubt develop a rich foundation in poetry that will last a lifetime.

Moving Beyond the Page High School Poetry

If you are looking for a shorter, unit-study approach to teaching poetry to your high schooler, consider the poetry unit study offered by Moving Beyond the Page. Known for its interdisciplinary, unit-based approach, Moving Beyond the Pages caters to kids who are self-motivated and creative. Its poetry unit is one of many curriculum options available at the high school level; it can be paired with other Moving Beyond the Page language arts curricula, used with another language arts program, or used on its own for an excellent high school introduction to poetry.

This unit study is divided into 11 lessons based on poetry themes such as sound and rhythm, figurative language, and poetry recitation. Students will read poetry within the unit and complete corresponding comprehension activities. They will also complete a final project. 

This program can be purchased at the Moving Beyond the Page website and is available in both digital and hard-copy formats.

Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization

Andrew Pudewa/Institute for Excellence in Writing

Founded by Andrew Pudewa, the Institute for Excellence in Writing (I.E.W.) is known for its solid writing curricula for homeschooled students of all ages. These programs are inspired by a sight-sound approach, wherein students hear language and its rules at the same time that they see them on paper. This approach also informs the IEW’s wonderful poetry program, Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization, which we highly recommend to homeschoolers who want their kids to acquire a lifelong knowledge of famous poems.

This curriculum is informed by the idea that memorization is a powerful learning tool that has been overlooked in many contemporary educational philosophies. The goal of this program is for students to memorize a series of important poems in a manner that will ensure they remember these poems for years into the future. During the course of this program, which takes more than a single school year to finish, students memorize more than 100 famous poems and speeches. Much of this is done through repeated listening to the audio portion of the curriculum, in which the poems are read aloud by a narrator. Because students can listen to these throughout the day in the car or on their own devices, this curriculum is very easy to fit into your normal daily life. The teacher’s manual provides helpful instructions in leading your student through the memorization process.

Because this curriculum can be used by students of any age level, it’s an excellent option if you have younger students that you’d also like to learn poetry alongside your high schooler. It can be done at your child’s own pace and is an excellent supplement to any other language arts curriculum you may be using.

To have your student begin Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization, you’ll need to purchase the Student Book, Teacher’s Manual, and audio CDs. 

The Art of Poetry

Christine Perrin/Classical Academic Press

If you are looking for a comprehensive homeschool poetry curriculum for your high school student, consider The Art of Poetry by Christine Perrin and Classical Academic Press. This program offers a thorough, organized approach to teaching poetry in the homeschool setting. Students will learn the essential elements of poetry, such as image, symbols, and rhythm. They will also be guided through a history of poetry that includes both the development of poetic forms and case studies of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Along the way, they will be introduced to many classic poems and poets, developing a greater appreciation for poetry as an art form and a deeper grasp of how to read and understand a poem.

Because this curriculum includes a DVD course, it is an excellent option if your student learns well through video demonstration. Most students will be able to work through this course independently, especially with the aid of the video lessons. 

Depending on the speed and depth at which your student works through this program, it can be used for either a semester or a full school year. To have your student begin this curriculum, you’ll need to purchase The Art of Poetry consumable student book and The Art of Poetry Teacher’s Edition. Additionally, we highly recommend The Art of Poetry DVD Set.

Conclusion

Poetry is an essential component of a complete language arts education. If you’re homeschooling a younger child, be sure to check out our articles on poetry curricula for middle school and elementary students. Also check out our other articles on high school language arts homeschool curricula, Best English Homeschool Curriculum for High School, Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum for High School, and Best Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum – High School.