Ahmed Knowmadic Ali lecturing at Peter Lougheed College

Resources

Lesson plans, prompts, and a place to start.

You shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel to teach poetry. Here is how I plan a visit, how I teach, and how the work links to your curriculum.

Educator resources

Peter Lougheed College

How I teach.

Ahmed Knowmadic Ali leading a poetry workshop at Dickinsfield School

Poetry belongs in my classroom. I use it to build critical thinking, identity, emotional intelligence and civic participation. The work moves through four stages: questioning what we think we know, reading language closely, finding your own voice, and acting on what you wrote.

Read more in the philosophy summary on the About page.

For educators

Planning a visit.

Before I visit, we pick the right workshop, line it up with your curriculum and talk through what to expect. Ask me for the materials your class needs and I’ll send them.

Planning guide

Which workshop, which grades, how many classes, the room setup, your school’s goals, and whether the visit is part of a longer residency.

Assessment rubrics

Rubrics focused on voice, specificity, metaphor, revision, and oral sharing, connected to classroom outcomes.

Curriculum links

Poetry work mapped to Language Arts, Health, Social Studies, Science observation, Visual Arts, and career reflection. See Curriculum Alignment.

Professional development

PD for teachers, help bringing poetry into your curriculum, and full-day training. Past engagements include the Alberta Teachers’ Association, the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation Annual General Meeting (Keynote Speaker, March 2023), the Chilliwack Teachers’ Association TLC Conference (April 2024), and MacEwan University’s Black History Month programming.

Ask, and I’ll send the planning guide and rubrics that fit your class.

Ask for materials

For artists