POETRYThis unit will take six weeks to finish (twelve 100-minute classes and six 50-minute classes). Each student will create their own poetry anthology focused on a specific theme. The anthology will include student-chosen poems and analysis, as well as responses. The anthology will also include original poems written by the students. The final aspect of the anthology is creating a book including a Dear Reader Letter, a works cited, a glossary, a table of contents and an About the Author blurb.
We will begin the unit with a week of spoken word poetry, before diving into the idea of speaker, form, tone and mood, figurative language, and sound devices. A slam poet will come perform for the class during this first week. This tactic should help tear down the walls so many students have already erected against poetry.
After the first week, students will choose a theme. Each period we will then discuss a different aspect of poetry. I will give examples and then the students will have time to find poems related to their theme. I will bring in one hundred poetry books from different libraries so the students can have a large selection to choose from. Once a week, students will have time to browse the poetry books and select poems that relate to their theme. We will also take a few trips to the computer lab so students can find poetry on-line that suits their topic. Every Friday, the students will write their own poem in a form we discussed in class. During the last week of the unit, we will work on the Dear Reader Letter and the other aspects of the anthology. Students will then present their anthologies to the class.
What enduring understandings are desired?
Student will learn to think critically about poetry and theme. Students will learn to analyze poetry as well as write original poetry to express themselves. Students will understand why and how poets use different poetic elements and forms to express meaning in their poetry. They will also learn about theme and how theme is expressed in poetry.
What essential questions will guide this unit and focus teaching and learning?
• Essential question: How do writers use poetry to communicate theme?
• The Big Question from the book: Does all communication serve a positive purpose?
What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?
Students will know:
How poets use the following elements to express theme through their poetry:
Speaker
Purpose (including audience)
Form (including rhythm and rhyme)
Tone
Mood
Imagery
Personification
Hyperbole
Metaphor
Simile
Alliteration
Assonance
Consonance
Onomatopoeia
Students will be able to:
• Analyze and interpret poetry
• Recognize poetic elements and devices
• Express themselves through writing their own poetry
What evidence will show that students understand?
Performance Tasks:
The students will create an anthology focused on a specific theme of their choosing. The anthology will include student-chosen poems and analysis, as well as response. The anthology will also include original poems written by the students. The final aspect of the anthology is creating a book including a Dear Reader Letter, a works cited, a glossary, a table of contents and an About the Author blurb.
This is the handout, complete with rubric, explaining the Poetry Anthology Project my students completed during the first six weeks of the second semester.
POETRY ANTHOLOGY
THEME
Essential question: How do writers use poetry to communicate theme?
You will be creating a poetry anthology over the next few weeks. An anthology is a collection of literary pieces tied together by some common quality. Your anthology will include selections of poetry all tied to the theme you choose. This project is divided into three parts: the poetry of selected authors including your analysis/reaction, your own poems, and the anthology components.
Theme:
You will choose one theme as the focus of your anthology. This theme will be apparent in the poetry you pick to analyze as well as the poetry you write. We will discuss theme in class and I will provide you with a list of ideas to choose from. If you would like to choose a theme not on the list, please let me know so I can approve it. No two anthologies can include the same poems.
You must choose your theme by the end of the first week of the poetry unit. If you decide to change your theme, you must do so by the end of the second week. You can change your theme ONCE!
Anthology requirements:
PART 1 – POETRY ANALYSIS and REACTION
ANALYSIS: You must choose FIVE poems written by various authors to include in your anthology. Each poem must represent your theme. You will write a short analysis for each poem using the format below. Each poem must be from a different book, and by a different author, and must be a minimum of ten lines long.
T = Title
A = Author
P = Paraphrase / Interpretation
E = Element (Figurative Language)
T = Theme
S = Sources Cited
Your first sentence should give the title and author of the poem.
Your next two or three sentences should paraphrase, summarize, and interpret the poem.
The next sentence (or more) should be a direct quote from the poem identifying the poetic element. Select your poetic element from the list below. Each poem must represent a different element.
The next two or three sentences should explain how the author uses the poetic element to convey meaning.
The next sentence (or more) should explain how the author develops the theme.
At the bottom of the page, you should cite your source in MLA format for the poem you selected.
Poetic Elements Include:
Speaker
Purpose (including audience)
Form (including rhythm and rhyme)
Tone
Mood
Imagery
Personification
Hyperbole
Metaphor
Simile
Alliteration
Assonance
Consonance
Onomatopoeia
REACTION: You must select TWO additional poems for this section. Choose one of the following for each poem:
Art – Express your reaction artistically (draw, paint, collage). Include a short explanation (5 sentences) of why you chose to represent your reaction to the poem in this way.
Poem – Write an echo poem in response to the original poem. Include a short explanation (5 sentences) of why you wrote what you did.
Writing – Write a short paper (2 paragraphs with 5 sentences each) about how this poem made you feel or think of. Include why you think the poem made you react this way.
Journal as the Author – Pretend you are the author of this poem and write a journal entry (2 paragraphs with 5 sentences each) about what the poem means to you, why you wrote it, and how you used poetic elements to express yourself.
Review – Write a short (two paragraphs with 5 sentences each) review of the poem. Express why you did/didn’t like the poem and why. Write whether you would recommend the poem and why.
PART 2 - WRITING YOUR OWN POEMS
The second part of the anthology project is your opportunity to write and explain your own poetry. You will write five poems about your chosen theme to include in your anthology. You must choose five different forms from the list below. Each poems must include one of the poetic elements we discussed. The poems must include a short analysis/response (five sentences) describing the poetic element and how it is used to convey meaning.
Note: Your poems are a reflection of you! Please use this project an opportunity to express yourself! But: maintain your dignity. Do not demean yourself, and do not insult or offend me or your classmates!
Poetic forms – choose FIVE
Acrostic
Haiku
Tanka
Couplets (One poem of 2 stanzas)
Quatrains
I am
Diamante
Impression
Slam poetry
Other rhyming pattern
PART THREE - BOOKLET FORMAT:
Your booklet will begin with a DEAR READER LETTER:
Dear Reader Letter
This is the preface to your anthology. It will explain why you chose your theme, what you learned about that theme and the poetry connected to it. This letter gives you a chance to explain what you have learned, how your views have changed and why your anthology is important. The letter should be a reflection of the entire project. It needs to be at least three paragraphs long, with a minimum of five sentences in each paragraph.
Table of Contents
Please include a table of contents with the title, author, and page number of each poem.
Glossary
At the end of your anthology, you will include a glossary, or definition of terms. You will define all the poetic devices we discuss in class.
Works Cited
You need to include a bibliography citing all of the books or web sites where you found your poems. The bibliography will be in MLA format.
About the Author (On the inside of your back cover, or the last page in your booklet.)
You will write a short paragraph about yourself for the back of the anthology.
Decorated Covers – Front and Back
You need to decorate the cover of your anthology. The cover needs to include your name, the title of the anthology and its theme.
Presentation
Once the anthology is finished, we will do a peer and self-assessment. You will choose one poem (it doesn’t have to be one you wrote) to share with the class. You will also explain your theme and talk about what you learned.
Your final anthology must be hand written in dark blue or black ink on white typing paper, or word-processed. It must be bound. It will be graded on the following:
____ Decorated front cover (5pts)
____ Dear Reader letter (40 pts)
____ Table of contents (5 pts)
____ Analysis of 5 poems you chose (10 pts each – total of 50 pts)
____ Reflection of 2 poems you chose (10 pts each – total of 20 pts)
____ Original Poems and Response - 5 (10 pts each – total of 50 pts)
____ Glossary (10 pts)
____ Works Cited (10 pts)
____ Neatness of anthology overall (30 pts)
____ About the Author (5 pts)
____ Decorated back cover (5pts)
____ Presentation of one poem (20 pts)
____ 250 TOTAL POINTS
You will also be given grades each class period throughout the unit based on meeting deadlines and participation. You will be given time in class to find poetry related to your theme and write your own. You will keep a folder of all your poems and writings in the classroom during the unit. During the last week of the unit, you will be given time to write your Dear Reader Letter, Works Cited, and put together the anthology.
It is very important that you stay on schedule. If you are absent from class, you must come in at lunch the following day to catch up on the work you missed.
NM STANDARDS:
STRAND I: READING
Content Standard I: Students read and understand a variety of materials.
Benchmark I-B: Use comprehension strategies to understand the meaning of a text.
Benchmark I-D: Use meta-cognitive strategies to increase comprehension.
STRAND III: Communication
Content Standard III: Students communicate effectively through listening and speaking.
Benchmark III-B: Make oral presentations with a logical structure appropriate to the audience, context and purpose.
STRAND IV: Writing
Content Standard IV: Students write effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Benchmark IV-A: Demonstrate proficiency in producing a variety of compositions.
STRAND IX: Literature
Content Standard IX: Students read and interpret a variety of literature to develop an understanding of people, societies, and the self.
Benchmark IX-A: Demonstrate knowledge of significant literary works from around the world.
Benchmark IX-B: Interpret significant literary elements across all forms of literature; use understanding of genre characteristics to allow deeper and subtler interpretations of texts.
Benchmark IX-D: Demonstrate knowledge of the common elements of poetry: metrics, rhyme, rhythm, structure, diction, devices, and other conventions.
Benchmark IX-F: Analyze works of literature for what they suggest about the time period and social or cultural context in which they were written. Slam Poetry lesson plan
SLAM POETRY LESSON PLAN
90 minute class session
Objective: This lesson introduces students to the spring unit on poetry using spoken word and Slam poetry. Students will learn about spoken word as a genre of poetry, and will respond to many different varieties of poems. They will be able to determine what classifies this genre and what components are commonly found in spoken word in comparison to other forms of poetry. Students will learn about the Albuquerque Slam poetry team and the rules of Slam poetry. They will understand the history of Slam competitions.
Materials:
Slam Poetry Textbook with CD: The Spoken Word Revolution: Redux, edited by Mark Eleveld
Handouts from textbook
Timeline, cut into years
Large construction paper
Markers
Procedure:
Show students 13 minute clip of 2005 National Slam Competition hosted in Albuquerque, NM.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8723097898466379752#
Ask them to make a list of what they notice about the poetry. What things do the poems have in common? How is slam poetry different from other poetry?
Think, pair, share.
Have the students become familiar with the rules of slam poetry, its conventions, and how it is carried out.
Have students listen to some slam poets reciting their poetry on CD.
Ask them to respond to the poetry in different ways.
-“My name is not Rodriguez” ask students to write about what their names mean before playing the track. Then have them write what their name is not
Handouts with lyrics:
“Thick” – students list three things they notice/observe/think about when they hear the poem. Pull out one image she paints with her words, write the quote, explain why you thought she choose this image to communicate her message
“Labeling Keys” – ask students to respond to poem, then have them write what they would label a key to…
Timeline: Cut out each event on the timeline and pass out to small groups of students. Have each group of students create a picture for the event and write a short paraphrased explanation. Make sure they put the date on their paper. Have each group present their paper and post it on the wall.
Resources:
Rules of Slam poetry:
What is poetry slam?
Simply put, poetry slam is the competitive art of performance poetry. It puts a dual emphasis on writing and performance, encouraging poets to focus on what they're saying and how they're saying it.
• What is a poetry slam?
A poetry slam is a competitive event in which poets perform their work and are judged by members of the audience. Typically, the host or another organizer selects the judges, who are instructed to give numerical scores (on a zero to 10 or one to 10 scale) based on the poets' content and performance.
• Who gets to participate?
The vast majority of slam series registered by Poetry Slam, Inc. are open to everyone who wishes to sign up and can get into the venue. Though everyone who signs up has the opportunity to read in the first round, the lineup for subsequent rounds is determined by the judges' scores. In other words, the judges vote for which poets they want to see more work from.
• What are the rules?
Though rules vary from slam to slam, the basic rules are:
• Each poem must be of the poet's own construction;
• Each poet gets three minutes (plus a ten-second grace period) to read one poem. If the poet goes over time, points will be deducted from the total score.
• The poet may not use props, costumes or musical instruments;
• Of the scores the poet received from the five judges, the high and low scores are dropped and the middle three are added together, giving the poet a total score of 0-30.
Forms and Types of Poems Lesson Plan
Two 90 minute class sessions
Definitions (overhead): free verse, acrostic, impression, I am
Free verse poems (overhead):
Acrostic
Edgar Allen Poe acrostic poem
I am
Definition and example on overhead (I am War)
Diamante
Overhead with structure and examples
Impression
I am offering this love poem to you EofL P. 555
Just another love poem EofL P. 551
E.E. Cummings – Grasshopper and Leaf overheads
Spoken Word (quick review)
Haiku
Definition EofLit P. 939
Haiku as a Japanese form of poetry is over 300 years old and means “moment” or “now.”
Examples on overhead
Tanka
Definition of Tanka – PHLit P. 671
Tanka as a form of Japanese poetry is over 1200 years old and usually describes feelings. Although Tanka’s usually don’t have a title, a “topic” word is usually supplied for the reader. Tankas usually use metaphors and figurative language (unlike Haikus).
Examples:
“The clustering clouds…” by Minamoto no Toshiyori PHLit P. 680
“When I went to visit…” by Ki no Tsurayuki PHLit P. 680
“One cannot ask loneliness…” by Priest Jakuren PHLit P. 688
“Was it that I went to sleep…” by Ono Komachi PHLIt P. 688
Examples on overhead
Structured and Rhyming Poems
Define: verse, stanza, rhyme scheme, Sonnet, Quatrain, Couplet from overhead
Example on overhead “Sonnet 130” by Will Shakespeare and Sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Example “Sonnet 18” by Will Shakespeare PHLit P. 687
Echo poems
Form overheads (3 pages)
Discussing title, position on page, layout, etc.
Figurative Language and Sound Devices Lesson Plan
Two 90-minute classes
Review definitions: figurative language, simile, metaphor, personification, sensory language, imagery
Review of terms EofL P. 506 (or PHLit P. 715)
Introduce and define: hyperbole (not in book)
“True Story” by Shel Silverstein (read out loud to class)
Metaphor and simile examples:
Review - “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes EofL P. 508
“Courage” by Anne Sexton EofL P. 512
“Metaphor” by Eve Merriam PHLit P. 722
Personification examples:
“Conscientious Objector” by Edna St. Vincent Millay PHLit P. 726
“Abandoned Farmhouse” by Ted Kooser EofL P. 504
Review - “Heart! We will forget him!” by Emily Dickinson EofL P. 569
Review - I Am poem format (verbal)
Review definitions: sound devices, alliteration, assonance, consonance
Introduce and define: onomatopoeia EofL P. 589 (or PHLit P. 733)
-Explain that the word has Greek roots: ónoma meaning name, and poi meaning to make (the same root for the word poet)
Examples of sound devices:
“The Bells” by Edgar Allen Poe (handout)
“The Weary Blue” by Langston Hughes PHLit P. 737
“Jazz Fantasia” by Carl Sandburg PHLit P. 739
“Meeting at Night” by Robert Browning PHLit P. 744
“Reapers” by Jean Toomer PHLit P. 746
