We’ve had requests for how to grade poetry in homeschool high school. Here are our thoughts.
How to Grade Poetry for Homeschool High School
I simply wanted them to gain the communication skills that poetry can give them:
- Better use of vocabulary. (We are limited in what we think and how we communicate by the number and usability of our words.)
- Increased confidence in their creativity. (Creativity is a necessary component of problem solving skills.)
- More fun with high school writing! (Poetry, well presented, is SO much fun!)
My goals for teaching poetry did not include:
- Turning homeschool high schoolers into world-class poets
- Making them hate poetry by using a pretentious, busywork-filled curriculum
- Intimidating them by expecting them to churn out deep poetry full of lofty ideas
The curriculum that met all these goals, of course is 7Sisters Poetry Writing!
This series of downloadable poetry-writing guides take teens from the *I never wrote a poem in my whole life* stage to the *I’m feeling some confidence in my poetry-writing skills* stage. Here is the progression we used (1 per year):
- Introductory Guide to High School Poetry Writing (9th grade- although some 10th graders with no poetry-writing experience joined us each year)
- Intermediate Guide to High School Poetry Writing (10th grade or 11th grade- if they started poetry writing in 9th grade)
- Advanced Guide to High School Poetry Writing (11th grade or 12th grade- if they started poetry writing in 9th grade)
For the homeschool high schoolers who discovered that they LOVED poetry so much that they wanted more, we added:
- British Poetry (reading and understanding poems)
- American Poetry Reading and Writing (a fun guide to reading and writing different poetry styles)
- World Poetry Reading and Writing (a fun guide to reading and writing different poetry styles)
- Poetry Analysis (Who should do Poetry Analysis? Those who have completed several poetry guides and want more skills)
We have found that sometimes homeschool moms feel intimidated by grading poetry produced by their high schoolers. It is such a different writing genre than essays or research papers! So, here 3 ways to handle it!
How to Grade Poetry for Homeschool High School
Grading Poetry Version 1:
- For beginners you should aim more for encouragement than *being amazing*.
- For more experienced poetry writers who are writing for the sheer love of poetry, most of their work is extra credit and you want to reward initiative.
Grading Poetry Version 2:
Have your homeschool high schoolers grade their own poetry. Have them assign a grade and explain how they earned the grade. This is a good way for you and your teens to understand their thinking about their poetry writing. As they examine their own poetry, they will improve their own skills!
Grading Poetry Version 3:
Use (or freely adapt) this rubric.
Rubric for the Poetry
Score 0-4
0-2 little or no evidence of that requirement being attempted
3-5 a clear attempt at the requirement made, but very poorly done
6-7 requirement met, much improvement could be made
8 requirement met, some improvement could be made
9 requirement met, almost perfect!
10 perfect job!
_____Assignment turned in on time
_____Assignment neatly prepared
_____Directions followed
_____Utilized poetic language (according to the style of poem being studied)
_____Utilized descriptive vocabulary (according to the style of poem being studied)
_____Included at least a first and second draft of the poem
_____Correct spelling
_____Exhibits creativity
_____Total points earned (give 2 points extra credit for illustrations) 80 Total points possible
_____Percentage of possible points (Final Score) Comments
Also, for teens who get excited and want a full year/full credit of poetry, here’s a syllabus for a poetry credit to walk them through the process.
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How to Grade Poetry for Homeschool High School