If your middle school poetry unit feels flat, you're not alone. Most students see poetry as irrelevant, difficult, and frankly, boring. But Love That Dog by Sharon Creech changes everything.
This novel teaches poetry analysis through a relatable character, Jack, a reluctant poet who starts hating poetry but discovers its power. Using Love That Dog as the framework for your poetry unit will boost engagement because students see themselves in Jack. They connect. They engage. They actually want to write poetry.
In this post, I'll show you exactly why this novel works and how to implement a poetry unit around it.
Why Love That Dog Is Your Secret Weapon for Teaching Poetry Analysis
Both Love That Dog and Hate That Cat are written from the perspective of Jack's poetry journal for Miss Stretchberry's class. Each book follows a similar plot, with Jack's opposition to poetry (and cats) being resolved with Miss Stretchberry offering some motivation using high-interest poems.
Jack's reservations about poetry, his grief for his beloved dog, his annoyance at the cat, and, ultimately, his discovery of the power of words to heal and express make him a character students can relate to. Everyone can see a part of themselves in Jack's shoes, which helps us as teachers to better connect our poetry discussions.
Variety of Poets and Styles
Through Jack's eyes, students get introduced to a variety of poets and poetic devices. Instead of telling students, “We are going to read this poem because…” the storyline naturally introduces poets like William Carlos Williams and Walter Dean Myers. Connecting poets to a broader story that students can relate to makes it much easier to spark student engagement.
Encouraging Creativity
For students, Jack's initial reluctance to write poetry and eventual realization that he can use words in his own unique way is an empowering tale for our new poets. It sends the message that poetry doesn't have to follow strict rules to be impactful. It is not easy to motivate middle school writers, and having an answer to the standard “I can't write poetry” is a big unlock for teachers.
Meaningful Poetry Discussions
The themes in these books, like loss, family, and self-expression, give us the perfect seeds for meaningful classroom discussions. Talking about what a poem means is never the most popular discussion topic, but having Jack's story in the background gives students another way to share their thoughts and feelings without making any personal references.
Poetry + Reading + Book Study
Poetry units are often squished into a tight window of time. And if you wait until April (National Poetry Month) to teach poetry, then you probably have the pressure of state testing on your mind at the same time. Using Love That Dog and Hate That Cat as the foundation for your poetry unit makes it easy to review literature concepts, plot elements, and character analysis at the same time. Any time you can tackle multiple literacy components simultaneously is a big win!
Love That Dog vs. Hate That Cat
If you only had time to choose one of Sharon Creech's books, then I would select Love That Dog. Hate That Cat is essentially the sequel, so it makes sense to start with the first story. Love That Dog is also more closely tied to the “frustrated poetry student” theme your students will connect with.
If you are looking for a print-and-go PDF novel study to teach Love That Dog, click here or on the image below to check out my done-for-you novel resource.
What About Hate That Cat?
In Hate That Cat, Jack continues on his quest to write and love poetry. He also takes a new perspective on a neighborhood cat. Through some twists and turns, Jack realizes that he is a true poet who is able to express emotion through his poetic words, even to his hearing-impaired mother. A must-read for the middle to upper elementary grades!
Click here (or the image below) to learn more about my Hate That Cat novel study.
Incorporating Love That Dog and Hate That Cat into your poetry unit is an easy way to drive student engagement while building more appreciation for poetry. If you are looking for a new way to introduce poetry to your students, then these books offer a unique approach to a topic that is rarely easy to “sell” your students on.
I like to supplement these books with my own unit on poetic devices and poetry analysis to cover everything. This covers some of the gaps in poetry terminology that Sharon Creech does not cover in her stories. You can get all of my poetry units in one affordable bundle on my TPT store. Here is the bundle link.
