March Madness with Poetry

http://www2.ncte.org/blog/2018/03/lines-court-lines-poem-march-madness-poetry-analysis/

Highly recommend doing this in class. Some conversations I overheard as students were picking their poems included, "Read this. Is it me?" "I like the simile in this one." "Oh, I read that one last night." "I feel like this one will be popular because of the second stanza."

My kids were asked to pick any poem they liked including song lyrics, original poetry, and children's books. I put the students in a traditional bracket. Two students battle it out and the class votes for their favorite. The votes seem to be based on the poem itself, the speaker's relationship to the poetry, and the enthusiasm of the reading. 

The class authentically discussed the effect of the language on the audience: Aristotelian triangle poetry-style.