In this unit, students will be introduced to poetry. Students will learn about the different types of poetry characteristics through the use of poetry books, prezi presentations, music, and spoken word.
This unit is focused on figurative language, covering common core standards in language, literature for reading, and speaking and listening with the final assessment. It is designed to be used with a workshop model, where there is some form of opening for brief instruction, partner and/or independent work time, and a closing time for sharing within each lesson.
The 7th grade poetry unit gives an in depth approach to poetry involving the four strands within the core. I've included worksheets, rubrics, and answers keys where applicable. I have also used literature examples from the core.
Given the secondary position of persons of African descent throughout their history in America, it could reasonably be argued that all efforts of creative writers from that group are forms of protest. However, for purposes of this discussion, Defining African American protest poetrysome parameters might be drawn. First—a definition. Protest, as used herein, refers to the practice within African American literature of bringing redress to the secondary status of black people, of attempting to achieve the acceptance of black people into the larger American body politic, of encouraging practitioners of democracy truly to live up to what democratic ideals on American soil mean. Protest literature consists of a variety of approaches, from the earliest literary efforts to contemporary times. These include articulating the plight of enslaved persons, challenging the larger white community to change its attitude toward those persons, and providing specific reference points for the nature of the complaints presented. In other words, the intention of protest literature was—and remains—to show inequalities among races and socio-economic groups in America and to encourage a transformation in the society that engenders such inequalities. For African Americans, Some of the questions motivating African American protest poetrythat inequality began with slavery. How, in a country that professed belief in an ideal democracy, could one group of persons enslave another? What forms of moral persuasion could be used to get them to see the error of their ways? In addition, how, in a country that professed belief in Christianity, could one group enslave persons whom Christian doctrine taught were their brothers and sisters? And the list of “hows” goes on. How could white Americans justify Jim Crow? Inequalities in education, housing, jobs, accommodation, transportation, and a host of other things? In response to these “hows,” another “how” emerged. How could writers use their imaginations and pens to bring about change in the society? Protest literature, therefore, focused on such issues and worked to rectify them. Poetry is but one of the media through which writers address such issues, as there are forms of protest fiction, drama, essays, and anything else that African Americans wrote—and write.
Exploring poetic and speaking & listening techniques and devices in the poem - 'Ain't I a woman?' by Sojourner Truth and Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' speech. Worksheets and resources focusing on the lexical choices in the texts, and the effects of these.
Students begin this lesson with a mini lesson on writing a summary in which they revise the summaries written on exit tickets in the previous lesson (RL.4.2).
In this lesson, students continue reading Love That Dog to analyze what happened in those pages and how Jack felt about it (RL.4.1, RL.4.3). Students then read "The Tiger" by William Blake to identify characteristics of poetry (RL.4.5).
Note that in this lesson, students do not determine the theme of "The Tiger" as only one stanza is read. Without seeing the rest of the poem, students would find it very difficult to determine the theme.
At the end of this lesson, students compare poetry to prose using the characteristics of poetry (RL.4.5).
Writing instruction has been carefully designed across the module. In this unit, the focus is on writing a paragraph summarizing a poem. Then, in unit two, the focus shifts to writing a full essay--an introduction paragraph, two proof paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. These basic structures are introduced to students in this module and built upon throughout the school year.
This lesson is the final in a series of three that include built-out instruction for the use of Goal 1 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation (adapted from Michaels, Sarah and O'Connor, Cathy. Talk Science Primer. Cambridge, MA: TERC, 2012. Based on Chapin, S., O'Connor, C., and Anderson, N. [2009]. Classroom Discussions: Using Math Talk to Help Students Learn, Grades K-6. Second Edition. Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions Publications). As the modules progress, Goal 2, 3, and 4 Conversation Cues will be gradually introduced. Goal 1 Conversation Cues encourage all students to talk and be understood. Consider providing students with a thinking journal or scrap paper.
Students practice their fluency in this lesson by following along and reading silently in their heads as the teacher reads Love That Dog aloud during Work Times B and C.
The research reading that students complete for homework will help build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to poetry and creative writing. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of it.
Following the traditional form of the haiku, students publish their own haikus using Animoto, an online web tool that creates slideshows that blend text and music.
The purpose of this project is two-fold: first, to encourage students to make the reading of poetry a creative act; and, second, to help students appreciate particular literary devices in their functions as semaphores or interpretive signals. Those devices that are about the imagery of a poem (metaphor, simile, personification, description) can be thought of as magnifying glasses: we see most clearly that upon which the poet focuses our gaze. Similarly, those poetic devices that are about the sound of the poem (alliteration, consonance, enjambment, onomatopoeia, and repetition) can be thought of as volume buttons or amplifiers: we hear most clearly what the poet makes us listen to most attentively.
This lesson leads students to work with a partner to compile sentences, typing them on the computer.
The Bedouins of ancient Arabia and Persia made poetry a conversational art form. Several poetic forms developed from the participatory nature of tribal poetry. Today in most Arabic cultures, you may still experience public storytelling and spontaneous poetry challenges in the streets. The art of turning a rhyme into sly verbal sparring is considered a mark of intelligence and a badge of honor. Students will learn about the origins and structure of Arabic Poetry.
This reader, written specifically for adults, contains eight chapters about Langston Hughes' family history and personal life. It includes excerpts from many of Hughes' poems and is designed to accompany the BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English - Course Pack 2. This level 2 reader, one of a series of six readers, is roughly equivalent to grades 1.5 to 3 in the K-12 system. Font size and line spacing can be adjusted in the online view, and have been enhanced for the print and PDF versions for easier reading. This reader has been reviewed by subject experts from colleges and universities.
This reader, written specifically for adults, contains eight chapters about Langston Hughes' family history and personal life. It includes excerpts from many of Hughes' poems and is designed to accompany the BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English - Course Pack 2. This level 2 reader, one of a series of six readers, is roughly equivalent to grades 1.5 to 3 in the K-12 system. Font size and line spacing can be adjusted in the online view, and have been enhanced for the print and PDF versions for easier reading. This reader has been reviewed by subject experts from colleges and universities.
In this lesson, students will consider the many kinds of communities that exist, and reflect on their own special ties to a community they are a part of. After watching the video for "Sunday Candy," and hearing the poetry of Chicago-based Kevin Coval, students will hold their own poetry slam featuring poems about community.
In this lesson, students will discuss how the ideals of the Harlem Renaissance and Locke's New Negro were exemplified by the poetry of Langston Hughes. Specifically, they will examine how Hughes incorporated the vernacular tradition of the Blues in his work, and identify the literary techniques Hughes employs to make his poetry so vivid.
Reading Robert Browning's poem "My Last Duchess," students will explore the use of dramatic monologue as a poetic form, where the speaker often reveals far more than intended.
In this lesson, students work in pairs to write a two-voice poem about an event/situation that they analyzed the characters' reactions to in the first half of the unit (RL.5.3, W.5.3, W.5.4, W.5.9a). The purpose of this activity is to help students more deeply understand the character and to compare and contrast the two character reactions in preparation for writing an essay over the next few lessons (RL.5.3, W.5.2).
The research reading that students complete for homework will help build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to human rights. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of it.
In this interdisciplinary seminar, we explore a variety of visual and written tools for self exploration and self expression. Through discussion, written assignments, and directed exercises, students practice utilizing a variety of media to explore and express who they are.
Subject focuses on fiction, drama, and poetry and possibly films inspired by these topics mostly of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. This semester, Contemporary Literature (21L.488) deals with Irish literature, a subject broad and deep. To achieve a manageable volume of study, the course focuses primarily on poetry and prose, at drama's expense, and on living writers, at the expense of their predecessors. Each class session follows a discussion format, often with students assigned to lead-off or summarize the day's topic.
Emily Dickinson's poetry often reveals a child-like fascination with the natural world. She writes perceptively of butterflies, birds, and bats and uses lucid metaphors to describe the sky and the sea.
Emily Dickinson's poetry often reveals a child-like fascination with the natural world. She writes perceptively of butterflies, birds, and bats and uses lucid metaphors to describe the sky and the sea.