Every middle-school student I've taught has loved this poem written by Kobe Bryant when he anticipated announcing his retirement from basketball.  Since his tragic death, reading this poem is even more bittersweet.

Written as a love letter to basketball, Bryant's poem is perfect for teaching students several poetic elements, such as personification, metaphors, tone, and theme.

I begin the class by showing students the Oscar-winning animated short-film in which Bryant recites the poem.  We then look at the written word and annotate the different poetic elements.

My classes are highly interactive as I allow time for each student to share his/her thoughts and feelings about the poem.

Basketball fan or not, students are sure to enjoy this class.