To celebrate 2025 National Poetry Month in April, NCTE will share a daily poem and a daily poet selected by author Charles R. Smith Jr., winner of the 2025 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, along with a classroom prompt. Be sure to follow us on social media to get each poem as it drops, and check back here throughout the month for the cumulative, up-to-date list.
Watch this introductory message to teachers from Charles R. Smith Jr.:
Tuesday, April 1
Daily poem: “Keep a-goin” by Frank Lebby Stanton
Classroom prompt: Do you like this poem? Why or why not?
Daily poet: Langston Hughes. Get resources from The Poetry Foundation for teaching Langston Hughes, “a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance, the flowering of black intellectual, literary, and artistic life that took place in the 1920s in a number of American cities, particularly Harlem.”
Wednesday, April 2
Daily poem: “If” by Rudyard Kipling
Classroom prompt: What stood out to you in this poem? Why?
Daily poet: Nikki Giovanni. Get resources from The Poetry Foundation for teaching Nikki Giovanni, “a world-renowned poet and one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement.”
Thursday, April 3
Daily poem: “Oh, the places you’ll go!” by Dr. Seuss
Classroom prompt: What does this poem make you want to do?
Daily poet: Robert Frost. Get resources from The Poetry Foundation on Frost, who, after publishing his first book around the age of 40, went on to win a record four Pulitzer Prizes.
Friday, April 4
Daily poem: “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks
Classroom prompt: What was your favorite word from this poem? Favorite line?
Daily poet: Carole Boston Weatherford says her mission is to “mine the past for family stories, fading traditions, and forgotten struggles that center on African American resistance, resilience, remarkability, rejoicing and remembrance.” Learn more from The Poetry Foundation.
Additional Resources:
- Whether you’re looking to celebrate National Poetry Month during April or engage students all throughout the year, NCTE has plenty of resources to help you get started.
- Get 30% off NCTE poetry books during April.