Connecting with the Theme of “The Bells”

Sometimes, it is difficult for students to connect with themes in poetry until they put them into a real-world context. Consider the following activity for students to storyboard with "The Bells".

”The Bells” follows a common example of depicting the life cycle from beginning to end, and it captures the very real fear of growing old and dying that most people face throughout their lives. Have students envision something that scares them: it could be moving on to college, public speaking, forgetting the lines to their part in the school play, or spiders. Have students write a poem about their fear, incorporating elements of repetition and onomatopoeia to enhance their topic .

Student Instructions

1. Click "Start Assignment".
2. Think of something that scares you, and write it in the title box.
3. Write a poem in 4 parts, each part in a description box.
4. Illustrate each part of the poem using appropriate scenes, characters, and items.
5. Save and Exit