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Tips and ideas for teaching high school ELA

Poetry can be one of the hardest things to get students excited about. Some students overanalyze every line, others give up halfway through, and a few are just waiting for it to be over. One of the easiest ways I’ve found to shift that dynamic is through poetry pairings—giving students two texts to compare so they have something concrete to think, discuss, and write about.

 

I first started really thinking about poetry pairings and paired poems during a unit with my 9th graders. We analyzed a photo essay on the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC alongside Alberto Ríos’ poem “The Vietnam Wall”.  The ability to see the actual memorial helped bring the poem to life. 

 

Looking to add some paired poems to your next unit? Keep reading for 18 poetry pairings you can use today. 

paired poems - death

Poetry Pairings #1 - Topic: Death

Because no poetry unit is complete without at least a little existential reflection/crisis, right? 

 

  1. “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson
  2. John Donne + Dylan Thomas
  3.  “Crossing the Bar” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson 
    • Paired with: “Sea Fever” by John Mansfield 
    • On the surface? Simply about the sea. Beneath? Mortality and transition 
  4. Robert Frost poems 
paired poems image of lake; text reads nature

Poetry Pairings #2 - Topic: Nature

Nature poems are a great entry point into poetry. Students tend to get them more quickly, giving them the confidence they need to tackle more complex poems. 

 

  1. Robert Frost poetry 
  2. “Nothing Gold Can Stay” 
  3. Edgar Allan Poe poems
paired poems; image of helmet; text reads World War I

Poetry Pairings #3 - Topic: World War 1

I took a class on WWI literature in grade school; over a decade later (🤯), some of those poems still stick with me. Disillusionment anyone? (They don’t call it the “Lost Generation” for nothing). 

 

  1. WWI core set 
  2. Pre vs. Post WWI 
    • “The Soldier” by Rupert Brooke (1914) 
    • “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats (1919) 
    • How to use: Examine the mood leading up to WWI as well (Brooke) as well as the aftermath (Yeats). Trace the mindset and popular opinion shifts. 

 

paired poems; image of misty mountains; text reads Fleeting Life

Poetry Pairings #4 - Topic: Fleeting Life

Macbeth said it best: “Life is but a walking shadow.” AKA – Carpe diem. 

 

  1. “Nothing Gold Can Stay” (really, this can be paired so many ways)
  2. “Crossing the Bar” + “Sea Fever” – revisit this pairing, focusing more on the brevity of life than death itself. 

 

paired poems; image of red hearts on a string; text reads Love

Poetry Pairings #5 - Topic: Love

You can’t skip love poetry – that’s basically a requirement. 

 

  1. Edgar Allan Poe – and the death of a beautiful woman (kinda his MO)
  2. “The Raven” 
    • Pair with: “Sonnet 18” by Shakespeare
    • How to use: compare and contrast how love is portrayed across time periods and styles, and how love changes the speaker 
  3. The “classic love starter pack”
paired poems; image of a moon with a ladder; text reads Misc.

Poetry Pairings #6 - Topic: Miscellaneous

These paired poems don’t fit neatly into a specific category – but they’re too good not to include. 

 

  1. Harlem Renaissance + Identity 
  2. Victorian poetry 
  3. Unfulfilled dreams 
  4. Voices of strength (particularly Black voices) 
    • “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes + “Women” by Alice Walker 
    • How to use: focus on the resilience and lived experiences of Black women (also great for a Harlem Renaissance unit)

How to use poetry pairings

Thinking This is great, but I don’t have time to reinvent the wheel? Great news – you don’t have to. 

 

Try this simple structure: 

  1. Read the paired poems. 
  2. Ask 3-4 focused comparison questions. 
  3. Have students discuss (partners or small group). 
  4. Wrap up with a quick written response (this can be as simple as summarizing their peer discussion)

 

If your poetry lessons have been feeling a little flat, using paired poems is one of the easiest ways to shift things. 

 

What are your favorite poetry pairings? I’m always looking to add new ones – drop your suggestions in the comments. 

Looking for more paired poems ideas? Check out: 11 Poetry Pairings to Add to Your Classroom Today. 

 

Or, if you want a ready-to-use list (including poem + short story and poem + novel pairings), grab your free Poetry Pairings Cheat Sheets by joining the newsletter. 

 

Want some ready-to-go poetry pairings? Check out Paired Poems Poetry Analysis Mini Unit: Mother to Son, Women, & Still I Rise  and Caged Bird, Hope is the Thing with Feathers, Sympathy Analysis, Paired Poems

poetry pairings cheat sheets

If you’re looking for some ready-to-use poetry pairing resources, check out these two poetry pairing resources:

“Sympathy”, “Hope is the Thing with Feathers”, & “Caged Bird” Poetry Pairings and “Women,” “Mother to Son”, & “Ain’t I a Woman?” Poetry Pairings.