Anyway, this is not about the common core. Haha! I know - I go on a lot of tangents... I can't help it. Eh! I want to actually talk about my English methods class and the focus we've been pulling on poetry. Some teachers love it and other hate it... I'm one who loves it! I know that not all of my students will feel the same initially, but my goal is to have them leave my class feeling that way when we're through with the unit I'm creating. I'm being a bit tricky in that I want to start off the unit not letting them know it's about poetry... There's a lesson plan below to start off my unit with and I'm hoping that it will be fun and effective. Let me know what you think!
Subject Matter/Grade Level | 7th Grade/English |
Standard | W3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. W4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. W5: With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. L4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. L5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. R4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. R5: Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning. RI4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. |
Learning Guide Objectives | - Students will know more vocabulary terms and proper writing structures. - Students will know the definition and purpose of figurative language, among other poetic conventions. - Students will know the different forms of poetry that exist. - Students will be able to use creative thinking skills and abstract thinking in writing. - Students will be able to write different forms of poetry for fun and to convey a message. - Students will be able to decipher conventions in poetic writing, understand word use and meaning, and deconstruct poetic structures. Students will be able to use technology to enhance their writing and presentation skills. |
Essential Questions | 1 – What makes a well-written, creative, intriguing poem? 2 – How can I use poetry as a tool of communication? |
Length | 90 minutes (10 minutes @ beginning of class for starter – 5 minutes at the end of class for reflection and clean-up) |
Prior Knowledge | Basic writing skills and knowledge of certain literary conventions (alliteration), though we will go into more depth within this unit/lesson. |
Phase I: Exploration and Explanation Approximate Time to Complete 20 minutes | - Give each students a blank piece of paper and have them draw their childhood “map” (or home) – what they remember from age five or six. - After they have been given adequate time, have students write at least five (but can be however many they would like) “I Remember…” statements about their childhood and/or where they grew up, using their drawing as inspiration. |
Phase II: Guided Practice Approximate Time to Complete 20 minutes | - Talk about/share some of the statements that were written and talk about literary writing tools. What they have written is a free-verse poem. Explain that not all poems need to rhyme or have a set structure, though many do. Poetry is simply about expression and can come in many forms. - If you're feeling brave, incorporate lines from your favorite (appropriate) raps or song lyrics. Use artists that students might be familiar with and talk about the ways this is bound or free verse. This can make poetry more relatable to students. Point out how an artist uses alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme, personification, etc. (If you need ideas, Jason Mraz can be a great example!) |
Phase III: Independent Practice & Assessment Approximate Time to Complete 35 minutes (Assessment: Due date for project and final draft of poem due at the end of the unit) | - - Rework and rewrite poems. If needed, you can have students write a few sentences for each “I remember” statement that feels incomplete, expanding on each individual statements idea. Have opportunities for peer-review time, teacher evaluations, and individual writing, etc. - When poem is complete the following project: put your poem to a visual – a video, dance, picture taken/drawn, write the poem into a form or image, etc. - Assessment: Rubric for project and poem - clear defined wants and needs to earn each grade. This will go into their final poetry book and portfolio. (I will attach the rubric later on the blog!) |
Accommodations | - Students must only write 3 “I Remember” statements - Make accommodations within the rubric section for the final poem – i.e. detail with literary conventions |
Materials for the 90-minute lesson | - Blank paper - Colored Pencils - Lined Paper - Literary Tool Hang-ups - Peer/teacher evaluation sheets (poem rubric) - Final Project rubric |
Materials for this lesson | - Blank paper - Colored Pencils - Lined Paper - Literary Tool Hang-ups |
Self-Reflection: Post-presentation (What went well? What would you change next time?) |
Thoughts? What are some things that you have done in your classroom to teach poetry, or increase student appreciation for poetry?
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