The Foundation of Writing: Writing Free Verse Poetry
Learning Module
- Creator(s):
Poetry is the foundation for writing techniques and skills. Poetry allows the writer to express themself through the nuances of words, figurative language, and imagery. Beginning the year with this unit allows students to understand the power of the written word and the beauty that arises when they are put together. In the learning module, The Foundation of Writing: Writing Free Verse Poetry, students will break down the facets of poetry in order to create their own free verse poem intertwining poetic devices.
The module is designed for learners to express their differences in a transformative learning environment. They will have the opportunity to express themselves through a topic of choice to represent a deeper message.This entire module should take about two to three weeks, dependent on student understanding. Teachers have the flexibility to provide students with extended time on each update in order to differentiate learning and for quality product creation. After the module, students will be able to:
This module is designed for a multi-age gifted learning environment. The students in the classroom are the top 1% of learners in the district and learning is based on the inquiry model. Being a multi-age program, students loop with their teacher from year to year, making this a two-year program. Each year students begin with poetry, therefore, some students have extensive background information in the content. The lessons are designed for natural differentiation, where students have choice in their product and how they express themselves. Students who have been in the program, help provide new insights and support to those who have not been exposed to the learning targets. The standards are aligned to a fifth grade learner, however, the content is elevated to a middle school level. Students will engage in problem solving skills, critical and complex thinking, and analyze various resources to answer the following essential questions.
Learning Target:
Throughout the learning module, students will learn the key facets of free verse poetry in order to express their differences through poetry. Students will apply all four knowledge processes: experiencing, conceptualizing, applying, and analyzing, to transform their understanding of how to analyze and write poetry. They will use their understanding of poetry and technology to create a digital poem that emphasizes the theme. They will have access to a variety of multimedia to engage in collaborative discussions between teacher and peers and create original updates on essential questions.
Standards:
The standards listed below will be addressed throughout the entirety of the learning module.
Literacy Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2: Determine a theme of a poem from details in the text, including how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.5: Explain how a series of stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.5: Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Technology Standards:
ISTE 6b: Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.
ISTE 6c: Students communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.
ISTE 6d: Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.
Key Vocabulary:
*Poem, Poetry, Free Verse, Figurative, Literal, Symbolic, Stanza, Line Break, Poetic Breath, Imagery, Metaphor, Simile, Golden End Line, Dissection, Analysis
Objective: I can identify the purpose of poetry in order to gain a deeper understanding of this particular form of writing.
Interest Survey
Through CGScholar, your teacher will push out an engagement survey about poetry. The survey is to gather information about your experiences, comfort level, and mindset. Please answer the survey honestly as it will allow you to have an open mind and to grow academically throughout the unit. At the end of the unit, we will take the same survey and analyze how we have grown in our perception of poetry.
Gathering Schema - Shifting Our Mindset
Poetry is the foundation of the written language. It is defined as "writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm" (Merriam-Webster, 2019). Poetry comes in many different shapes and forms. It can have a specific rhyme scheme and meter, varying lengths of lines and stanzas, an abundance of figurative language, and endless opportunities for images to be created.
Poets express their views on life, thoughts, feelings, and emotions through words. Their words are artistically morphed, placed, and transformed together to provide new perspectives to life. Poetry can be written by any individual who expresses themselves in the written language.
However, are poets the philosophers and literary scholars of the world? Are they only those who are masters of words and sounds and look at the world through an artistic lens, watching it come to life through words? Are poets only those who have spent years studying the works of the masters?
Or matter of fact, are poets innovators? Are they mathematicians, engineers and scientists who meticulously hypothesize, test, examine, and analyze the information presented to them?
In your literacy notebook, record your thoughts on the following question, How are poets and scientists alike?
When you are done recording, share your findings with your assigned partner. When listening to their perspective, verbally share one celebration and one new insight from their partners work. *(Remember, celebrations and insights are feedback on how the author effectively answered the question intertwining various thinking skills and habits. The comments should focus on one's thinking in order to reflect on one's self and apply it to their own work.)
Read the article, Pondering Poetry below. Read with an open mindset, re-evaluating your perception of poetry. Feel free to record any new findings, questions, or thoughts in your literacy notebook.
Comment: For the next few weeks, we will be studying free verse poetry. We will do this through reading various poems and analyzing their structure and use of poetic devices. Throughout our study, we will be investigating the following essential questions:
Respond with your initial perspectives and thoughts on each essential question. Intertwine new insights that you have after reading the PDF, Pondering Poetry. Respond to a peers posting on how their response provided new insights on the concept of poetry.
Knowledge Process: Students will analyze functionally throughout the update. They will use this process when analyzing the role of a poet. They will have to use prior knowledge to determine the role of a poet and the role of a scientist and how the two professions are interconnected. Also, they are asked to comment on the essential questions of the unit. They will have to analyze the question by activating schema and developing new inferences.
Objective: I can identify the purpose of poetry in order to gain a deeper understanding of this particular form of writing.
Essential Question: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Duration: This lesson will take about one, 60 minute class period to complete.
Teaching Tips: This lesson is the first lesson in the literacy curriculum for the year. It is setting the foundation for descriptive writing as well as reading for a deeper meaning by shifting students mindsets. Often, students have a negative mindset on what poetry is. They believe that it is written in Old English and uses "big fancy words." This is quite intimidating and they are quickly deterred from this style of writing. However, the purpose is to shift their thinking by seeing how words can be creatively combine to provide new perspectives and insights.
Students have had lessons in poetry since Kindergarten. They are aware of what a poem is, who poets are, a few types of poems, and types of poetic devices. Their engagement with the content will vary drastically, but they have enough prior knowledge to draw conclusions on the topic.
The purpose of the lesson is to shift students mindsets on poetry. They will reevaluate the purpose and the creation by reading an article adapted from Michael Clay Thompson. The article focuses on how poets are like scientists. They have to find the perfect formula to have to convey the desired message and to bring stong imagery to life. Teachers may want to consider even reading this out loud as a class as it will provoke a deep and inspiring conversation.
Differentiation: Teachers can differentiate their instruction by having students work in pairs to post the comment. This will allow them to bounce ideas off one another and activate schema about the topic of poetry, since students may have varying degrees of experience on the topic.
Resources:The resource below can be introduced prior to beginning the poetry unit. The "netiquette" infographic that identifies how to appropriately write and respond on the internet. This is a good refresher for students and provides a correct mindset on how to act in a digital world. This will set the expectations when going throughout the learning module and will allow students to feel safe and to take academic risks.
Reporting Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing
Essential Questions: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Objective: I can identify the facets of a poem.
Gathering Schema:
Watch the video, What Makes a Poem, independently. Consider what you read yesterday in the "Pondering Poetry" article and new perspectives that the video is brining up. Feel free to record any new insights in your literacy notebook.
Mind Map Activity:
In order to activate schema on the concept of poetry, you will create a digital mind map of the facets of poetry. A facet is a smaller component of a larger topic. Consider all the elements that make up poetry and how they are interconnected.
Using the website, Coggle, create a digital mind map. Feel free to format the mind map however you would like and incorporate the essential questions. This will help guide your creation. Make sure to use the features of the program by connecting topics with lines and making subtopics. Challenge yourself to think deeply about the topic to extend your understanding.
Pin this webpage to your Chrome browser by dragging the lock symbol to the bookmark bar. We will be editing this mind map throughout the unit, therefore it will be helpful to have quick access to this document.
Gallery Walk:
Read each of the three poems below. Record any new insights or questions on the Poetry Gallery Walk Padlet that you have about the poem. Consider the following when posting about the poem:
After you have written about each poem, respond on Padlet to at least one of your peers. You may comment on their insights, questions, or the identification of a poetic element. Describe why you liked their perspective on the poem and add on to their response. Make sure to use "netiquette" when posting.
Comment: Write down your reflections and questions about poetry. Use the following questions to guide your thinking:
Respond to one peers post on new insights they have provided you on poetry.
Extension Opportunity: You are to create an update about a famous poet in history. Begin by choosing a poet of your interest from the site. The poets are arranged alphabetically, but are represented from various time periods and cultural groups. Follow the guidelines below when creating your update:
Knowledge Process: In the update, students will use the knowledge process conceptualizing by naming. They will identify the facets and key components of a poem. This will be done throughout the module to understand the complexity of the topic.
Objective: I can identify the facets of a poem.
Essential Question: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Duration: This update should take about 2 to 4 days. Teachers should provide their students with at least two days to create their mind maps and engage in the gallery walk. This will promote students to think deeply and analytically about the poems. Teachers may choose to have all students complete the extension opportunity on researching a poet. They should provide their students two to three extra days to complete the project.
Teaching Tips: Begin by having students watch the video, What Makes a Poem. Teachers may want to show this as a whole class to create an opportunity to have a whole class discussion. After watching the video, show students the tutorial on how to use Coggle: Coggle Tutorial. Coggle is a Google App that allows them to create interactive and digital mind maps. It is easy to use and automatically saves their work. Explaining the nuances of the app will provide students with new insights that will allow them to be successful.
Before students complete the digital gallery walk, discuss what it means to write about poetry. Students should not be writing one word and moving on. They should be reading the poem with an analytical mindset. They should be identifying powerful lines, strong images, the theme, and use of poetic devices. This begins to create an environment where students are reading like writers.
The teacher may choose to have their students read the poems on paper so that they can have the power to write on the paper, annotate, and highlight as they see fit. This will help them to gather ideas and make connections as well as provide them with physical copies of the poems. It is important to provide students with a toolbox of poems that they can continue to go back to.
Differentiation: The first differentiation opportunity students can have is that they complete the mind map on paper. This may be for students with learning differences so that they can manipulate their mind map with authentic images and their own work. Another differentiation opportunity is that students can be partnered up to complete the gallery walk. This will allow them to bounce ideas off another person and practice reading with an analytical, writers mindset.
Extension: For those students who feel comfortable with the topic and want to continue their learning, have them complete the extension opportunity. This has students inquire about various poets from different time period, cultural backgrounds, and differences. They will be exposed to different types of poems and how poets use their life experiences to create written art. Teachers may want to have students post their work to CGScholar or have a presentation on their poet. A presentation could also be used for the speaking and listening reporting standard.
Resources:
*The Road Not Taken Poem Analysis
*Dream Variations Poem Analysis
Reporting Standards:
ISTE 6c: Students communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.5: Explain how a series of stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Essential Questions: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Objective: I can identify the components of a free verse poem.
Gathering Schema:
Free verse is derived from the French word, vers libre, meaning free of meter and rhyme. The poetic structure of this form tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech. In free verse, poets have the freedom to integrate their own word choice, poetic breaths, thought patterns, and structure.
Watch the video below to gather schema on the type of poetry, free verse. Record the key components of free verse in your literacy notebook. We will be sharing out as a class the components and how they are used when writing this form of poetry.
Reading Free Verse:
Read the poem, A Noiseless Patient Spider, by Walt Whitman. Prior to reading the poem, read the biography on Walt Whitman. This will allow you to gain an understanding on the time period Whitman was living in, his experiences, and his professional accomplishments. Understanding the experiences of a poet will further allow you to understand their experiences and overall, the message that they are trying to convey.
After reading the biography of Whitman, read the free verse poem with your table groups, A Noiseless Patient Spider.
Discuss the following questions with your group to help you continue your investigation of free verse. Write down the answers to the questions on a sheet of chart paper provided by your teacher. We will share out your findings together at the end of the class period.
Writing Free Verse:
As a class, we will collaboratively write a free verse poem titled, Truck. Throughout the lesson, you will be instrumental in creating the poem. You will share ideas, words, and phrases that your teacher will combine to create a descriptive free verse poem. This will allow you to go through the process of writing a free verse poem and the mindset you should take when constructing, revising, and editing a poem. Some key components that are included in a free verse poem are listed below. We will further investigate the topics in future updates.
After the poem is written, your teacher will post it within the shares area of CGScholar. This will allow you to refer back to the poem and help guide you through the writing of a poem. In the shares area, you will also be able to find the recording of the lesson in order to allow you to review key discussion points.
Lastly, be sure to update your mind map with any new insights on the facets of poetry.
Update: Write your own free verse poem titled, School. This poem should be free of a rhyme scheme, be written in stanzas, be free of literal images, and incorporate a golden end line. To help begin with this process use the tip sheet below.
Post a link or a copy of the text to CGScholar. Comment on two peers updates. With your comment, make sure to include the following information:
Feel free to respond to another's peers perspectives and how it allowed you to understand the poet's writing.
Knowledge Process: Students will engage in the knowledge process, applying creatively. Students will apply their understanding of the concept of free verse and the key components in order to write their own free verse poem. This will allow them creatively apply their understanding while intertwining their own experiences and perspectives to their work.
Objective: I can identify the components of a free verse poem.
Essential Question: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Duration: This lesson will take approximately two to three days. It is suggested that students do the background information and analysis of the poem, A Noiseless Patient Spider in one day. This will provide students ample time to analyze the poem and the components of free verse.
The second portion of the lesson, writing a class free verse poem, should take one day. It is important that students get the experience of writing a free verse class in one sitting. It is highly encouraged that the lesson goes over the typically allotted time frame in order for students to experience the lesson of writing a poem from start to finish. Students should then write the poem by themselves for homework.
Teaching Tips: This is a lesson that focuses on the process, not the product. Students are learning to think like a poet and understand the power of the written word. Begin by reviewing what a free verse poem is, the components of a free verse, and how to compose a free verse poem. Go through the class poem together. Encourage students to ask questions, share perspectives, and take risks. This allows them to be comfortable in taking risks, which in essence, will allow them to be successful when writing poetry. Make sure to record the lesson by using screencastify or another system so that students can go back and review when writing on their own.
Students are writing a poem that is titled the same in order to promote diversity and perspective among students. Students will all have the same poem, but will be able to see the experiences and perspective of their classmates.
Differentiation: Writing poetry is a challenging task that students may not be comfortable with. Students may be initially hesistant and have a fixed mindset when engaging with the process. Poetry is multi-faceted concept and has many layers that it is almost impossible to be proficient in all components as a beginner. Providing students with a specific focus will allow them to not become as overwhelmed with the process and feel as if they know where to begin. For those who are brand new to poetry should strive to incorporate a golden end line and strong images by avoiding literal images.
Extension: This activity provides a natural differentiation for extension opportunities. Students who are more proficient with figurative langauge, theme, and structure of a poem can focus on their proficient skills. Also, the teacher can encourage students to focus on enhancing specific elements based on their own abilities.
Resources:
A Noiseless Patient Spider Analysis
Below is an anchor chart that describes the key components of free verse. This is additional information that will help the teacher when going through the lesson.
Below are two examples of a free verse poems that were written by my own personal classes. This can be used to help guide the teacher through the class lesson and used as additional references for the class.
Reporting Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2: Determine a theme of a poem from details in the text, including how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Essential Questions: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Objective: I can use descriptive verbs and details to create imagery within my poem.
Gathering Schema:
Look at the quote below. Think about the message and if you agree or disagree. After you have come to your own conclusion, turn to a partner and discuss the following questions. We will be discussing these as a whole class after you have had a few minutes of discussing with your partner.
What is Imagery?:
Imagery is when a writer creates a descriptive piece in writing that utilizes the five senses. The five senses are: visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and tactile. Intertwining these senses allows the writer to create a specific tone of their piece and for the reader to create vivid images in their mind that allows the story to come to life.
Watch the video below to gain a deeper understanding on how writers purposefully choose a sense to create a strong image for the reader.
Writers can incorporate imagery into their writing through the use of figurative langauge. When poets use similes, metaphors, and personification, the writing becomes descriptive and allows the readers to create vivid images. Writers can also incorporate imagery into their poems in the following ways:
1) by using action verbs and
2) through writing with close attention to detail.
Imagery Through Action Verbs:
Verbs are words that describe an action or state of being to a subject. There are various types of verbs such as: action, linking, and auxiliary (helping) verbs. Verbs allow the writer to show what they mean, rather than tell. It provides a degree to their writing, allowing the tone and mood to be set. Verbs that are placed at the beginning of a line in a poem, allow for a sense of momentum to develop.
The video below demonstrates the power of verbs in writing. Watch to see how sentences are quickly transformed. Take any notes in your literacy notebook in order to refer back to.
Try It Out!: Below are three examples of simple sentences that lack strong verbs. In your literacy notebook, rewrite the sentence in order to incorporate strong verbs. What was the effect of the verbs on the sentence?
Imagery with Descriptive Details:
Poets also create imagery in their poems through the use of descriptive details. These details are created by using the senses. More specifically, they consider the size, shape, feel, color, function, texture, and movement associated with the idea. This allows the piece to come to life.
Try It Out!: Choose a place or object. Carefully describe the subject by describing it in detail. Begin by closing your eyes, picturing it in your mind, and creating an idea splash. This will help to create a list of details that can later be enhanced with word choice and verbs.
Imagery with Strong Verbs & Descriptive Details:
The poem below demonstrates the power of descriptive details and action verbs to create a poem that comes to life. While reading, activate metacognition and create an image in your head. Try to imagine if the verbs and descriptive details were missing. Would you still enjoy this poem? Would your images disappear?
Lastly, be sure to update your mind map with any new insights on the facets of poetry.
Comment: Describe the effect on the world if imagery was no longer present in written and verbal language. Respond to two peers posts.
Update: Read the excerpt from the novel, Silverwing. Collect examples of where the author used imagery to help the reader experience Echo's (the main character) journey. Use the examples to create a digital or physical image of the scene. Respond to one peer's post. Identify how their drawing and perception of the poem created an image that differed from your own.
Knowledge Process: Students will experience the new when viewing and analyzing different pieces of poetry. Students will see the impact descriptive details and strong verbs have on a piece of writing and how it can drastically transform a piece.
Objective: I can use descriptive verbs and details to create imagery within my poem.
Essential Question: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Duration: This lesson will take approximately one day or 60 minute class period.
Teaching Tips: This lesson could be completed with partners so that they can share new perspectives. The teacher may want to consider bringing in poems that are lacking imagery and as a class incorporate descriptive details and verbs to transform the piece. The piece can be written by the teacher, a sample from online, or if a student wanted to experience the revision process, a student piece.
Differentiation: This lesson can be differentiated in a variety of ways based on student engagement, experience, and comfort levels. One way to differentiate would be for students to write a poem using one of the strategies taught. This would allow them to put their learning into practice with the genre of poetry. Otherwise, if students are having difficulties with this concept they can try it with prose and slowly transition to poetic form as they get more comfortable with the structure of poetry.
Extension: If students are proficient with using descriptive details and strong verbs in their writing. They should go back and create a copy of a past poem written. Creating a copy is important because students should never erase or edit a poem, as that was who they were at that time and how they viewed the world. With the copy, they should go back and revise by incorporating stronger verbs and descriptive details to allow the piece to come back to life. This would also be an excellent opportunity to utilize the revision reporting standard.
Resources:
Below are a list of auxiliary and action verbs that can be placed on the shares area of Scholar or hung as an anchor chart in the classroom.
Reporting Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing
Essential Questions: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Objective: I can identify the similarities and differences between literal and symbolic images.
Gathering Schema:
This update will focus on how words can be combined to convey new meanings. It will compare and contrast literal language vs. symbolic language. Record the following definitions in your literacy notebook.
Literal language is when words are taken verbatim without the use of a metaphor or allegory.
Symbolic language is when the words are not taken verbatim and have an alternative meaning that is usually conveyed with a poetic device.
Watch the video below to learn about how poems use symbolic meaning to convey ideas. Record any new findings or insights from the video in your literacy notebook.
Analyzing Poetry:
Listen to the teacher read the poem, "Eating Poetry." Consider the following questions to help you bring your understanding from literal to symbolic.
.png?Expires=1713897893&Signature=WvYkMlIeI5j2R4Pc7vV-XVfFnEBgZoeK4syFaUCc47U9t-vaLhAgorHcrLVU5LUjQT1hzRkJNLcmfsvC2yP9~2JYPTRked45nt~vJsgr9H-zTeQeTepHBHhMGhTRwVnW3mX-FDpk6B~Dxn3of25vwn0GAxTUZPvvvs7OO7z0057XUySKHZZAahOTjWr76OlVIcQlJOdos4PabWWvFmQ3Z2~gkdFrqUfuQHCPnnkK94KxoRJfzfFv9XlLt~RAvnnqZdcFtzmRvsLpnWCk3qVwsy0iUI2PoKs3AqkHpjntejkORLqPY5XNH5aqyY9diXxJNDg~cLpTonIyj1WkyE~FGw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJELYXGUCCDL7FUQA)
Reading Poems with Fresh Eyes:
Read the following poems with your group. How do the authors take something and look at it with fresh eyes? Identify the symbolic meanings in the poem. Answer the following question on your mind map: How are literary devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? Make sure to use specific evidence from the update.
Lastly, be sure to update your mind map with any new insights on the facets of poetry.
Comment: How can poets move beyond the literal when creating free verse poetry? Use examples from real life experiences and poems that you have read. Respond to at least two peers.
Update: Write a symbolic poem about a mundane object that has a deeper, symbolic meaning. Feel free to illustrate the poem as well. When you are done, upload it to CGScholar. Respond to a peer on how their poem went beyond the literal and provided a deeper symbolic meaning.
The poem must follow the guidelines below:
Knowledge Process: Students will engage in two different knowledge processes: experiencing the new and analyzing critically. They will initially experience the new when identifying the symbolism and figurative meaning of a poem. Students understand what a symbol is and their purpose. Additionally, they have experience identifying metaphors and their purpose. However, when poets artistically intertwine descriptive language to convey a different meaning about a mundane object is a new experience. They will have to analyze the structure of the poem and the word choice the author used to convey their message.
Objective: I can identify the similarities and differences between literal and symbolic images.
Essential Question: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Duration: This lesson will take approximately one to two days. The lesson can take two days if the teacher wants to begin by watching the video and analyzing the poem, Eating Poetry. The discussion may be high level and provide new insights. Depending on student engagement, the discussion could take the whole period. If it does, the teacher can have students analyze the symbolic meaning of various poems about the mundane. The teacher can use the book, All the Small Poems and Fourteen More to find additional poems that bring the literal to the symbolic. This can be done as a jigsaw activity and will allow students additional experience working with literal vs. symbolic language.
Teaching Tips: Analyze the "Eating Poetry" poem together as a class. Create a t-chart on the board that says literal meaning and symbolic meaning. Go through the poem together as a class, line by line in order to analyze the meaning of each line and the literal meaning and how it was brought to a symbolic meaning. Describe the different message the poems provide if read literally or symbolically. Identifying key words, phrases, and poetic devices that are key to symbolic meaning will help students be cognitively aware of the author's purpose and how to identify the symbolic meaning of other poems.
Differentiation: Students may have difficulty identifying the symbolic meaning of a poem. Reviewing poetic devices such as metaphor and simile with the students will reground them in the poetic technique and how poets artistically intertwine this throughout their poem. Support the student by teaching them strategies on how to annotate the text and to bring their thinking to a conscious level. This will let them be aware of their thought process and the mindset that they have when analyzing a poem.
Extension: For students that are proficient in identifying the symbolic meaning of a poem, have them write about an object that is more abstract. This will be more challenging to identify the literal and symbolic meaning as it is not concrete. This will engage students in complex and higher level thinking.
Resources:
*Literal Vs. Symbolic Language
Reporting Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Essential Questions: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Objective: I can purposefully intertwine poetic breaths in my poems to create rhythm and flow.
Gathering Schema:
Begin by going to the Line Break Explorer activity on the website, ReadWriteThink.org. Go through each step and consider the following questions. We will be discussing the questions as a whole class after you have had time to go through the activity on ReadWriteThink.org.
Line Breaks Defined:
A line break is when a line of poetry comes to an end or when a new stanza is formed. It provides a natural pause in the poem. Line breaks allow the poet to control the pace, focus, and overall meaning of the poem. It changes the way the reader reads and what parts that they pay specific attention to.
The image below provides a visual example of where a line break comes in a poem and how to incorporate them within a poem.
Line Breaks in Poetry:
Below is an excerpt of the poem, "To a Poor Old Woman" by William Carlos. Listen to how the changing of the line-breaks emphasize words and changes.
Be sure to update your mind map with any new insights on the facets of poetry.
Comment: Answer the following questions in the comment section below. Respond to two peers responses and expand on their perspective.
Update: Below is an excerpt from the poem, Foul Shot, by Edwin A. Hoey.
...with two 60s stuck on the scoreboard and two seconds hanging on the clock the solemn boy in the center of eyes squeezed by silence seeks out the line with his feet soothes his hands along his uniform gently drums the ball against the floor then measures the waiting net raises the ball on his right hand balances it with his left calms it with fingertips breathes crouches waits and then through a stretching of stillness nudges it upwards the ball slides up and out lands leans wobbles wavers hesitates plays it coy until every face begs with unsounding screams--and then and then and then right before ROAR-UP drives down and through.
Without rearranging the order of the text, create meaningful and purposeful line breaks with the excerpt. Consider the message and tone you want to portray within the poem. Post your revised poem of "Foul Shot" to CGScholar.
Next, read how the author organized the poem. Analyze the differences in the line breaks and how it impacted the message of the poem.
Explain in the post with your version of "Foul Shot" about how your poetic breaths compared to the author’s created a different tone and message.
Knowledge Processes: Students will engage in two knowledge processes throughout this update. The first process is analyzing functionally. Students will use digital and print sources to analyze the purpose of line breaks within a poem. They will create their own version and then compare it to the author's to see how the tone, message, and rhythm changes with each version. Students will then apply the concept of line breaks to their own works to create a specific message and flow.
Objective: I can purposefully intertwine poetic breaths in my poems to create rhythm and flow.
Essential Question: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Duration: This lesson will take approximately one, sixty minute class period.
Teaching Tips: Teachers may want to teach this lesson together out loud with the class so that they can hear the difference of each line. The gathering schema activity allows students to watch and listen how a poem can transform with the structure of a line. However, as they go off independently, they may not appropriately pause, misunderstanding the use of line breaks. Teachers also may want to consider showing them poems where there are lines with single words. This will show them the effect and emphasis on the word and the tone it brings to the work.
Differentiation: If students need support with creating line breaks, have them continue to practice with a variety of sentences. They can break apart the sentence and create an image to go with each sentence. That will allow them to see how the pause creates a different meaning, tone and flow to the work. Learning can then be scaffolded to apply this to prose and then eventually to written poetry.
Extension: Have students take a sample of their writing written in prose. Transform the writing sample into free verse by creating line breaks and adding poetic devices. Have the student write an analysis of each piece. The first analysis should be on the purpose and overall theme of the work and the second analysis should be the new theme and how it was developed through the use of line breaks. This will provide students with a deeper understanding of the concept and its purpose when writing poetry.
Resources:
https://literarydevices.net/line-break/
Reporting Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing
Essential Questions: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Objective: I can identify the difference between a simile and a metaphor and its purpose within a piece of poetry.
Similes:
A simile is a figure of speech when two unrelated subjects are being compared. Similes are compared using the terms "like" and "as". Poets use similes within their poems to identify a relationship while incorporating a sense of rhythm and sound. If a simile is not appropriately used, it can seem forced, confusing, or disrupt the tone and flow of the piece.
The video below provides examples of similes within movies. Be aware of the simile and the purpose that it has in a piece of media.
Try It Out!: Complete each of the phrases by writing a simile. Compare your similes with a partner and how it can provide imagery to a piece of writing.
Metaphors:
Have you ever heard the expression, there is an elephant in the room? Turn to a partner and discuss the following questions:
A metaphor is the direct comparison of two unrelated subjects that does not use the words "like" or "as". The metaphor technique is a super studly way to compare two nouns. Creating a metaphor is at a higher inferential level than a simile, because the comparison is not always obvious immediately.
Some common examples of metaphors are:
Its raining cats and dogs
Fork in the road
Apple of my eye
The video below provides examples of metaphors within pop culture. Be aware of the metaphor and the purpose that it has in a piece of media.
Try It Out!: Complete each of the phrases by writing a metaphor. Compare your metaphors with a partner and how it allows the poet to convey a deeper message and theme to their work.
Similes & Metaphors:
After studying each poetic device in isolation, watch the video below. The video compares the two types of poetic devices and their purpose.
After watching the video and investigating the poetic devices: simisimiles metaphor, find a partner and answer the questions in your literacy notebook. This will be a resource that you can refer back to when writing poetry in the future.
Comment: Find an example of similes and/or metaphors in the media. This can be an example from a poem, a song, a television show, or a movie. Provide the link to the piece and write an explanation of your media. Describe the type of poetic device used, how it was incorporated within the work, and the power it added to the work. Respond to two peers media. Describe what you liked about their example and how it deepdeepenedr understanding of the poetic device.
Update: Create a free verse poem on a topic of your choice. The poem must follow the guidguidelinesow:
Upload your poem to CGScholar when you are finished. This will allow others to view your work and learn from each other.
Knowledge Process: Students will be using the knowledge processes, analyzing functionally and applying creatively in this update. They will use the process of analyzing functionally when determining the role of each poetic device in media. They will then creatively apply their understanding to a free verse poem of their own.
Objective: I can identify the difference between a simile and a metaphor and its purpose within a piece of poetry.
Essential Question: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Duration: This lesson should take approximately two days. The first day can be spent identifying similes and metaphors and their role in media. The second day can be spent writing the poem in class so that students can have support from their peers and the teacher.
Teaching Tips: Students are learning the foundations and components of the poetic devices and their role in poetry. These are quite difficult concepts for students to apply to their own writing. With similes, students often go back to incorporating literal images. Comparing to literal images, does not provide new insights and can take away from the depth of ones work. Encourage students to choose an abstract concept and apply to a noun. This will force them to use descriptive language within their work. Also, students often want to put in a metaphor or simile that does not necessarily fit with the tone or mood of their work. For example, they may be writing a symbolic poem about the difficulties of school. The poem uses strong descriptive language and then puts in homework is as hard as a rock. It takes away from the flow and symbolism of the poem. Conference with students to create a metaphor that is more abstract and descriptive in nature.
Differentiation: Students may need additional support when incorporating the poetic devices within their work. Teachers can support their learners by having them identify similes and metaphors within other poems. Having models will allow them to see how they are used in real poetry. Next, have students practice writing similes and metaphors in isolation to gain confidence and experience. Lastly, to purposefully place a metaphor or simile in their work, have them choose a line that is more literal in nature. Have them describe it and help them determine words to choose. This provides a scaffold approach to using metaphors and similes.
Lastly, teachers may want to consider making this lesson double the time, focusing solely on similes and applying similes in poems and then moving on to metaphors and applying metaphors in poems. This will allow them to become secure in their understanding.
Extension: Students can create a teaching video on each poetic device. This will allow students new insights and how to appropriately incorporate them within a poem to enhance their work.
Resources:
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/whats-the-difference-between-a-simile-and-a-metaphor/
Reporting Standards:
Essential Questions: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Learning Target: I can create an original poem and have it come to life through the medium of technology.
Gathering Schema:
A digital poem is a way to intertwine the art of technology with the science of computers. Poets utilize computers to provide new meaning to their poem. Digital poetry can be created using a variety of platforms and media. Below is an example of a digital poem.
Writing the Poem:
Students will begin the digital poem by writing an original poem on an abstract topic of their choosing. Poem must include the following elements:
Digital Poem Creation:
Students will have choice in the platform that they use when creating their digital poem. They may use iMovie or WeVideo. They will use this platform to creatively incorporate images and audio to enhance the overall message and theme of their poem. They must follow the guidelines below when creating their digital poem.
Peer Review:
There will be two peer revision processes throughout the work. The first process will be peer reviewing a peer's poem. This will be prior to them creating their digital story. This is to provide immediate feedback that can be changed prior to using technology.
Secondly, you will peer review a peers digital poem. Follow the guidelines on the rubric and provide specific feedback to enhance their work.
Revisions
Create revisions based on peer review suggestions and comments from both the poem and digital poem stages. Once all revisions and edits are made, complete a self-review analysis of your work. Identify what suggestions you took and how it increased your understanding of the essential questions.
Reflection:
You will engage in two reflections. The first reflection will be the same survey that you took at the beginning of the course. This will allow you to compare your results and identify how your mindset has shifted from the beginning of the unit. The second reflection is on the essential questions. Reflect on the essential questions of the unit in the comments area of the update. How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Describe how the updates and the digital poetry project provided you new insights on free verse poetry and how it will allow you to continue to grow as a writer and as a thinker. Respond to at least two peers reflections.
Knowledge Process: Students will activate all of the knowledge process to create an original poem and bring it to life through media. Students will apply their knowledge from the previous learning modules to create an original free verse poem. The poem will be converted into a movie format in order to creatively enhance the author's purpose and message.
Objective: I can create an original poem and have it come to life through the medium of technology.
Essential Question: How are poetic devices used to enhance poetry and its meaning? How have themes been utilized by poets?
Duration: This project will take approximately four weeks to complete. The first three to five days will be the process of writing an original free verse on an abstract topic. This will allow students to go through the entire writing process. Once approved by the teacher, they can then begin to incorporate images, text, music, and their voice. This will take about a week to a week and half to incorporate all the necessary elements. The remainder of the time will be spent on revising their work and peer reviewing. At the end of the project, students will have a digital poetry coffee hour where they watch all of their peers final products.
Teaching Tips: It would be beneficial for students to create a goal for themselves in order to divide and time manage their project. This can be identifying the purpose of their poem, the time they will use to write their poem, what types of images they want, the music, and the tone they will portray. Planning by backwards design will allow them ease and success throughout the process. Providing students with a checklist and continually checking in will support them through the process.
Prior to the peer review process, have a mini lesson that models how to review someone's work to a rubric, providing feedback, and using the feedback to make revisions and edits. This is a difficult task for students and the more you can model the more successful they will be. Make sure to emphasize how this is a process and we can learn from each other. Setting a tone where learning is always occurring and the score does not matter will make a safe environment where students take risks.
Differentiation: To provide students additional supports the teacher can differentiate the process and the product. The process can initially be differentiated by helping students choose a topic. Topics that are less abstract will be easier to write about and allow them to be more focused. Secondly, helping students throughout the writing process. Continually conferencing with them and supporting them with writing a piece that is symbolic will increase their attitude and engagement with the project. Last, students can incorporate less media within their work if they do not have the experience. For example, less images and choose only to audio record their voice. This still allows them to have a final product, without the extra add ons.
Resources:
Reporting Standards:
Poems & Readings:
Frost, R. (n.d.). The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken
Horvath, M. (2012, January 10). Unfolding Bud. Retrieved from http://ghpoetryplace.blogspot.com/2012/01/unfolding-bud.html
Hughes, L. (2017, July 22). The Negro Speaks of Rivers. Retrieved from https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/dream-variations
Oppel, K. (2007). Silverwing. Oxford: David Fickling Books.
QuestioVerum2010. (2012, November 07). The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost (HD). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUaQgRiJukA
Smith, W. J. (2014, October 02). The Toaster. Retrieved from https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-toaster-2/
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian, & Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. (1999). In the Rain. In When the Rain Sings (pp. 45-48). New York, New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Strand, M. (n.d.). Eating Poetry by Mark Strand. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52959/eating-poetry
Thompson, M. C. (n.d.). A World of Poetry (2nd ed.). Unionville, New York: Royal Fireworks Press.
Thompson, M. C. (2006). Some Elements of Poetry [PDF]. Unionville: Royal Fireworks Press.
Tucker, S. (2001). Writing poetry. Place of publication not identified: Good Year Books.
Williams, W. C. (n.d.). To a Poor Old Woman by William Carlos Williams. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51653/to-a-poor-old-woman
Movie & Video Clips
DeBoyace, B. (2013, April 23). Similes in Movies. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syv4x-09luY
Howcast. (2010, July 15). How to Analyze a Poem. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L45u0yoGTtw
Learning, C. (2015, April 29). Simile vs. Metaphor. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soP7d3e212k
Learning, C. (2015, April 29). What is Imagery? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoNl1Ue5ZtQ&t=6s
Shmoop. (2015, February 11). What is Poetry? by Shmoop. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x7saqOf6_Q&t=47s
TED-Ed. (2017, March 20). What makes a poem ... a poem? - Melissa Kovacs. Retrieved April 13, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwhouCNq-Fc
TED-Ed. (2012, September 24). The art of the metaphor - Jane Hirshfield. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0edKgL9EgM
Wordz, A. O. (2015, April 28). Blank & Free Verse, #PoetryDefined. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgM9wu3MaD0&t=45s
Other:
Poetry. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poetry