Writing Genres: Poetry

Background

I created this unit as part of an elective English course focused on using literary models as a starting point for creative writing. It is focused more on student creative writing than on types of poetry, rules, or the study of literature. I developed this unit during the 2013-2014 school year. Our class periods were 72 minutes long.

Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11–12 CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3d Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Learning Targets

I can…

  • Determine the meaning of figurative language as it is used in text.
  • Analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
  • Analyze how the structure of a text contributes to its meaning and aesthetic impact.
  • Read and comprehend poems at the 12th grade complexity level.
  • Use models to learn new techniques and write original poems.
  • Use precise words, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture in poetry.

Lessons and Materials

Day 1:

Daily Learning Targets: 

  • Analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
  • Analyze how the structure of a text contributes to its meaning and aesthetic impact.
  1. Students begin with a write-pair-share. They write about their previous experiences and opinions of poetry. Then, they talk to a partner about what they wrote. Then, each group shares out with the class in a whip around.
  2. Students read “First Ice” silently (First Ice) and I hand out a guide for the days activities (First Ice Activities Handout)
  3. I choose 12 students. They stand in front of the class, and each one reads one line of the poem aloud in order, first in a happy or excited voice, and then in a sad or depressed voice. I lead the class in a discussion of which one sounds like it fits, and we talk about why. They record their thoughts on the guide.
  4. I ask students what they think is going on in the poem. We brainstorm a list of possibilities on the board. Then, they record their best guess on their guide and explain why they think that.
  5. I choose two or three volunteers. I call them out into the hallway and give them instructions to imagine what the actions and emotions in the poem look like and try to think of a way to act it out while one reads it aloud. Then, they show they class in a mini-skit.
  6. After the skits, we discuss their choices and how they relate to the text of the poem.
  7. Students to draw a picture representing the poem as a whole. They can do a literal representation or use symbols to represent what is going on. After drawing, I ask for student volunteers to share their work.
  8. For a wrap up, I ask students to think directly about the learning targets we worked on. I ask them to respond aloud to two questions: 1) How did the word choices in this poem help you understand the tone and meaning? 2) Think about the structure, especially how it sounded when different people each read a line. How did the structural features like line breaks help you to understand the meaning and tone? Then, after discussing these questions, I have them record their final thoughts in their writer’s notebooks.

Day 2:

Daily Learning Targets:

  • Determine the meaning of figurative language as it is used in text.
  • Read and comprehend poems at the 12th grade complexity level.
  • Analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
  • Analyze how the structure of a text contributes to its meaning and aesthetic impact.
  1. Students will begin with a review of the term metaphor. We will discuss the definition, and review examples from past lessons.
  2. Next, I will read the poem “Introduction to Poetry” aloud. Then, we will discuss the metaphors in the poem and complete the activities in the handout for the day (Introduction to Poetry Reading Guide)
  3. We will watch several videos of Spoken Word Poetry on YouTube. This strategy helps build student interest in writing poetry by showing them a different side of it that many are not familiar with. With each video, we will also record and discuss interesting word choices, metaphors, and the tone of the piece as a whole to reinforce the concepts we have been working on.
  4. To wrap up, I will have students go in to their writer’s notebooks and record several cool or interesting word choices or metaphors they encountered today that they can use for later inspiration.

Here is one of my favorite poems to show:

Day 3:

Daily Learning Targets:

  • Analyze how the structure of a text contributes to its meaning and aesthetic impact.
  • Read and comprehend poems at the 12th grade complexity level.
  • Use models to learn new techniques and write original poems.
  • Use precise words, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture in poetry.
  1. Students will have a writing warm up. I will ask them, “What do you wonder about? What questions do you have about life, the universe, and everything?”
  2. Next, I will hand out the assignment guide for the day. (Q and A Poetry).
  3. We will read “Did I Miss Anything?” by Tom Wayman together as a class. We will discuss how he uses a rhetorical question to get started, and how he uses hyperbole and understatement to achieve a sarcastic tone.
  4. Then, we will read my poem, “Why Are We Doing This?” I used the original as a model. We will discuss similarities and differences, and how using a model works.
  5. Students will then write their own Question and Answer poems based on these models. They can use questions from their warm up as a starting point, or develop questions as they go.
  6. Finally, volunteers will share their work, and we will discuss their own word choices and tones.

Day 4:

Daily Learning Targets: 

  • Analyze how the structure of a text contributes to its meaning and aesthetic impact.
  • Use models to learn new techniques and write original poems.
  • Use precise words, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture in poetry.
  1. Students will have a writing warm up. I will give them a list of words and phrases, and they will have five minutes to compose a poem using as many of those words or phrases as possible. Then, we will share some aloud.
  2. Students will read “This is Just to Say” and complete several questions about the poem (Sorry Not Sorry), which we will also discuss as a class. The questions give them a chance to practice the skills we have been working on that correspond with the learning targets.
  3. Students will make several lists to brainstorm possible topics for a poem modeled after “This is Just to Say.” We will also share ideas aloud as a class and record them on the board.
  4. Students will write poems modeled on “This is Just to Say.” Then, volunteers will have the opportunity to share aloud.

Day 5:

Daily Learning Targets: 

  • Use models to learn new techniques and write original poems.
  • Use precise words, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture in poetry.
  1.   To warm up, I show a picture on the projector and ask students to write about it in any way that they choose for five minutes.
  2. Then, I define ekphrasis, the process of writing from visual art. I show students examples from The Poet Speaks of Art. Usually, I show “Winter Landscape” by John Berryman, and then let them pick another one that sounds interesting.
  3. After looking at and discussing two models, I show the students the painting “The Nightmare” by Henry Fuseli. Then, as a group, we write a poem about what we see.
  4. Finally, I take students to the computer lab or use a laptop or tablet cart. They look up pictures, choose one, and write a poem about it. If time allows, we share our poems.

Examples of student ekphrasis poems can be found on the student work page.

Day 6-8: Assessment

Daily Learning Targets: None–all will be assessed

Students will create a personal poetry anthology to showcase their work and their learning in this unit. These are the directions and rubric:

Personal Poetry Anthology Project

Here is an example of my work that I provide for students:

Smiths Personal Poetry Anthology