Published: March 28, 2022
This resource originally appeared on NEA.org
Poetry has the power to evoke emotions and build relationships. It can provide solace, strength, and joy. When read or shared, poetry creates a sense of community.
To help students discover the role of poetry in their lives and to inspire them to write and perform their own words in the service of positive change, award-winning writer and inaugural poet Amanda Gorman shares her thoughts, recommendations, and resources to help educators make both performance and written poetry more accessible to all.
Resources for sharing Amanda Gorman’s poetry
Amanda Gorman Community Read Discussion Guide
Explore the vision of Change Sings, The Hill We Climb, and Call Us
What We Carry with these discussion questions and community activity ideas.
Educator’s Guides
Resources for sharing and teaching Amanda Gorman’s poetry.
Teach this Poem
This Academy of American Poets’ resource features “In This Place (An American Lyric)” by Amanda Gorman, a primary source from the Library of Congress, a lesson plan, and related resources.
Learning for Justice
Use the inaugural poem, “The Hill We Climb,” to talk with students about creative expression as a commentary on democracy.
10 Questions with Amanda Gorman
Catch up with the wordsmith, change-maker, and inaugural poet.
Recommend Poetry
Amanda Gorman’s Picks
- Change Sings by Amanda Gorman & Illustrated by Loren Long
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
- The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
- Love by Matt de la Peña & illustrated by Loren Long
- Life Doesn’t Frighten Me by Maya Angelou; edited by Sara Jane Boyers; and illustrated by Jean-Michel Basquiat
- The Day you Begin by Jacqueline Woodson & illustrated by Rafael Lopez
- Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
- Voices in the Air: Poems for Listeners by Naomi Shihab Nye
NEA’s Read Across America Selections
These titles and resources can help students use poetry to explore how people and places shape their identity, their feelings about where they live, and how they connect with the world around them.
- Change Sings: A Children's Anthem
- Kiyoshi's Walk
- The Poetry of US: More Than 200 Poems That Celebrate the People, Places, and Passions of the United States
- Say Her Name
- Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals
- They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poems
- With a Star in My Hand: Rubén Darío, Poetry Hero
- Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice
More Resources for Poetry Month
- Living Nations, Living Words, the signature project of U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo
- The Poetry Foundation
- Poetry Out Loud
- Poets.org
- Reading Rockets National Poetry Month Resources
- Teach this Poem
More from NEA
Great Poetry to Read Aloud
The list includes poems and collections of poetry from different cultures, introductions to a variety of poetic forms, and playful language for lots of read aloud fun.
Learn More
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