Explore Poetry and Language with Free Online Resource

CHICAGO — Poetry comes to life in the classroom with the Poetry Everywhere Collection, the latest addition to Teachers’ Domain, an online library of K–12 resources including lesson plans, background essays, and customizable features for introducing media resources into the classroom. Drawn from the PBS Poetry Everywhere series and produced in partnership with the Poetry Foundation, this free web-based teaching tool of videos, background essays, and lesson plans helps teachers and students explore the power of language and build reading and writing skills. The ten videos capture some of the seminal voices of poetry, past and present, from Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson to Seamus Heaney, Marie Howe, and Yusef Komunyakaa. Preview the collection at http://www.teachersdomain.org/exhibits/pe08-ex/index.html.

The Poetry Everywhere Collection contains videos of ten poems either read by the poets themselves or noted interpreters (actress Mary Louis Parker, playwright Tony Kushner, poet Robert Hass), or presented in animated form (Emily Dickinson). Two sample poetry lesson plans are available, and each selection includes a background essay, teaching tips, and relevant NCTE standards. The poets represented in this collection are:

Philip Levine
Seamus Heaney
Billy Collins
Kobayashi Issa
Yusef Komunyakaa
Marie Howe
Emily Dickinson
Mark Strand
Walt Whitman
Lucille Clifton

After reviewing the site, Eric Selinger, Teachers’ Domain project advisor and Associate Professor of English at DePaul University, noted, “I’m thrilled to see the new Poetry Everywhere collection on Teachers’ Domain. The videos offer students firsthand introductions to how poems are read and performed, and the discussion questions and lesson plans offer much-needed support for teachers, as well as lively writing prompts to inspire students to write poems of their own.” Poetry Everywhere is suitable for use inside or outside the classroom.

Complete access to the collection and its resources is available after completing a free registration process at www.teachersdomain.org/. Produced by WGBH Boston and David Grubin Productions, in association with the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Everywhere is designed to take a fresh look at poetry using a variety of production approaches. To read more from and about the featured poets, please visit the Poetry Foundation at www.poetryfoundation.org.

About Teachers’ Domain
The award-winning Teachers’ Domain supports educators in their quest for materials and new media applications that go beyond static textbook presentations, engaging students by providing media-rich resources infused with practical real-world applications. Developed from high-quality, critically acclaimed and trusted information sources such as the award-winning PBS science programs NOVA, ZOOM, and A Science Odyssey, the free Teachers’ Domain collections currently include nearly 1,000 resources for students and teachers covering the sciences and history. Additionally, Teachers’ Domain has developed online professional development courses that assist K–12 life and physical science teachers in effectively utilizing the collections, which are available by license to educational service agencies, districts, schools, and universities for delivery to the K–12 teachers they serve. For more information about Teachers’ Domain, please visit www.teachersdomain.org.

About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcasting producer, the source of nearly one-third of PBS’s prime-time lineup as well as many public radio favorites. Its production menu is diverse, including NOVA, Frontline, American Experience, Antiques Roadshow, Masterpiece, Arthur, and ZOOM on PBS and The World and Sound & Spirit on public radio. WGBH-produced Web sites generate 25 percent of the traffic to pbs.org, the most-visited dot-org on the Internet. WGBH is a pioneer in educational multimedia and in technologies and services that make media accessible to the 36 million Americans who rely on captioning or video descriptions. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors, including Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards, and two Oscars. In 2002, WGBH was honored with a special institutional Peabody Award for 50 years of excellence. For more information, visit www.wgbh.org.

About Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine and one of the largest literary organizations in the world, exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative literary prizes and programs. For more information, please visit www.poetryfoundation.org.

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