Study: Genre Poetry Schedule
Students have been writing in their Writer's Notebooks for three weeks now. Prior to this lesson, I have given them possible entries for their Writer's Notebook as well as a list of references of famous poetry and guides to help them become better poets. Drawing upon previous knowledge and the additional reading assignments I distributed will help students understand, analyze, and write their own poetry. Day 1 Introduction: Genre Study: Poetry In small groups students will be reading, "The Ruined Maid" by Thomas Hardy, "The Love Sons of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot. "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes, and "The Quicker to see you again" by Lois Wyes. A graphic organizer will be completed to assess their understanding. Then individually students will answer additional questions. Students will express any initial concerns or expectations for a unit of poetry. The teacher will circulate the classroom to help students interpret the various poems. Students will revisit their Writer's Notebook entries and find entries that they can expand on. Students will begin drafting a poem that triggers an emotional response from the reader. The teacher will explain that he/she does not expect mastery at this point but writing first will allow students to see where their writing needs improvement, and how it will progress throughout the unit. The teacher will hand out peer review criteria and a six-trait rubric for students to use for writing their own and assessing each others drafts. Homework: The students will peer review each other's first drafts.
Day 2
Day 3
The peer revisions and drafts will be handed in at the beginning of class. Mini Lesson: The Function of a Stanza Students will brainstorm the significance of stanza meaning "room" in Italian. Then they will brainstorm the requirements of a stanza. The teacher will lecture on the functions of a stanza and the students will take notes.
Day 4
Day 5 Day 6
Day 7
They will be given a blank verse poem and will write down ways a stanza might be useful to a less structured poem. Students will hand in their five sentence responses. A brief lecture on the origins of stanzas will follow. Homework: the students will read two haiku, one sestina, and one sonnet. Lesson: Poetic Form Students will respond to the poems they read for homework by free writing. Then the teacher will distribute guidelines for a haiku, and they will draft a haiku. The teacher will explain to students how form can be used as a tool in poetry. Students will return to the sestina they read for homework. They will reread the stanzas out loud and fill out a graphic organizer in pairs. Then the students will read an example of a free verse poem to themselves and reflect on the differences in strict and objective forms. Homework: Students will begin drafting a free verse poem. Students will continue drafting and revising their free verse poem. The teacher will be available for additional help. Homework for Day 6: Students will finish their free verse poem and will have read a Shakespearean sonnet, a heroic couplet, a villanelle and an octave poem. Lesson Two: Poetic Rhythmic Meter and Rhyme Scheme Students will free write on their initial reactions to the use of rhythm and rhyme. They will choose their favorite poem that they read for homework and discuss the rhythm and rhyme within the poem. The teacher will explain how rhythm and rhyme are tools of expression for poets/ Students will take notes on the different types of rhythmic meter and rhyme schemes. The teacher will lead them through an example on how to deconstruct a poems rhythmic meter and rhyme scheme, and students will continue to find the rhythmic meter and rhyme scheme within the poems they read for homework. Students will choose one of the four poetic styles they looked at for homework as a model to write their own. A graphic organizer will help them arrange their writings. Homework: Students will fill in the graphic organizer and begin drafting the poetic structure of their choice.
Day 8
Day 9
In addition, students will print out the lyrics of a favorite song. Students will discover the rhythmic meter and rhyme scheme of their favorite songs. They will continue writing and revising their chosen poetic form. Homework: Students will finish writing their chosen poem. Mini Lesson: The Process of Writing a Sonnet Students will free write a beginning line to a poem and will then rework the line so that it is ten syllables long. They will also decide on the rhythmic meter of the line. The teacher will lead a lecture on "What makes a sonnet a sonnet" and students will take notes. Students will brainstorm topic ideas for writing a sonnet. The teacher will be available for feedback as the students draft their sonnets. Homework: First draft of a sonnet. Students will use today's class to continue revising their chosen poem and their sonnet. The teacher will need a completed poem of the chosen poem if students have not previously handed it in by the end of class today. The teacher will reiterate how important student/teacher conferences are for creative writing and will be meeting with each student to observe their progress. Students will continue working their revisions of a sonnet for today's class. Again the teacher will circulate the classroom to witness student progress. Homework: Students will finish their sonnet and will read a sonnet, a free verse, a ballad, and may reread the villanelle they read in lesson one because it will be revisited in the next lesson.
Day 10
Day 11
Day 11
Day 12
Lesson Three: Poetic Imagery and Language Students will discover how language evokes emotion. Students will be separated into four different groups; each group will be assigned a different reading selection that they read for homework and will analyze the word choice, arrangement, and flow of that poem. A graphic organizer will be distributed to help them analyze the poem. Homework: The graphic organizer must be completed and ready to hand in for the next class. The teacher will provide students with free-write topics that show the value of figurative writing.
The teacher will distribute two of his/her own copies of poems. One, a sonnet, and one a free verse to be read as examples during class. Students will search for an item or image for inspiration. Homework: Students must have a selected item or image ready for next class. They may also start drafting a poem based on the models the teacher provided. Students will draft a poem that is triggered by an image or item. The teacher will reiterate the importance of images and language into poetry, so that a poem "shows" not tells a reader the situation. Homework: Students will finish a first draft of their illustration inspired poem. Students will rewrite and edit their illustration based poem. Student/teacher conferences will be provided. The student will select one of the poems they have written during this lesson. They will re-examine its form, rhythm, rhyme, and language to make sure that it adheres to all the rules of the genre. They may revise or edit this piece to get it ready for publication. Students will display their poems on a tag board poster. They will present their poem by first identifying the poems form, rhythmic meter, rhyme scheme, and images. Next they will read their poem aloud to the class and hang display in on the wall.
Day 13
Day 14 Day 14-Day 17
Day 17
Genre Studies Proposal: Poetry
Genre Study: 11th Grade Rationale: The majority of high school writing assignments taught in the English Language Arts classroom help students develop abilities to debate, support, and persuade readers. Writing a powerful essay in Standard American English is indeed crucial to student development. However, writing essays, biographies, book reports and the like do not allow students to express their own unique perspectives on issues that they care about. Poetic writing will encourage students to feel and experience the language, form, and rhythm of their own voices. Reading, interpreting and writing poetry in various forms will further encourage students to express their individuality and will trigger emotional responses from within each student. Thus, once students have familiarized themselves with standard prose conventions, a poetry lesson, which at first will continue to teach them strict rules of the written language, will then provide students with various and often limitless ways to express themselves through language. This lesson on poetry will expose students to an assortment of different poems, it will allow students to see language in a more challenging and playful way, and it will give students more creative say in the writing process.
Definition: Poetry uses various techniques to incorporate language devices and fictional conventions. Selecting words that captivate the reader and allow for different interpretations of
meaning makes poetry the most expressive, personable writing style. Deciding on an precise definition of poetry creates difficulties because poetry is an abstract and ever changing form. Still, attempts have been made: "Poets consider a word's emotive qualities, its musical value, and yes, even its special relationship to the page. The poet through innovation in both word choice and form, seemingly rends significance from thin air" (contemporarylit). This unit hopes to engage students' appreciation of language through reading and writing in various poetic styles. Students will be provided with a sense of structure to follow as they write their own poetry, but this unit will also give students a chance to make their own decisions in regards to topic choice and form. Writing a poem, unlike prose encourages freedom of expression, and it will encourage students to write about something that they themselves deem valuable.
What do poets do when they compose? Many poets carry around notebooks where they write favorite quotations, images, songs, questions or thoughts they have throughout the day. Returning to prior entries, a poet will expand on previous brainstorming ideas. Much like prose writers, a poet's writing also undergoes multiple drafts, revisions and editing. At first it is important to get the ideas and content of a piece written down. For poets, content decides form, rhythmic meter and rhyme scheme. Tone and the intended message a poet wishes to demonstrate can also pursued the poet to write in a certain form; for example, it is unlikely that a poet will choose to write using harmonious, rhythmic and a consistent rhyme schemes when they are presenting a somber or conflicting issue.
What do readers of poetry expect? Readers expect poetry to be captivating, challenging and personably relatable. Poetry often finds a unique way of saying something that perhaps the reader has thought before but hasn't been able to express with words. Certain forms, common rhythmic meters (like iambic pentameter), and inventive, imaginative language are expected and sought out by readers of poetry. Through a concise and carefully selected word order, readers of poetry want to be enlightened. They want to better understand themselves or the world around them through new images and inventive writing styles. Furthermore, a poem is expected to have a strong, confident voice that urges to read it out load. Most often readers expect poetry to be "catchy," controversial and even suggest a moral. Form and style are not necessarily important to the reader as long as the chosen form and style compliments the message and help shape different interpretations.
Writing Process: Why have students construct multiple drafts? Although poetry is more often shorter in length than prose, getting the "right word" can make a huge difference in a short piece. "Poetry grows the same way prose does. It is not a mysterious process" (Liner 150). Writing poetry requires drafting, revising and editing just as prose does. Writing multiple drafts will force students to re-examine their own work to improve it. The more they read and write poetry the better understanding they will have for the genre. Also, immature writers of poetry are egocentric so the teacher must give suggestions more carefully. But, it is only with this practice that students can "strive to reach their peers, and perhaps eventually a wider audience" (Liner 150).
Furthermore, because poetry has such concrete language and images, "every time [students] grapple with a different image, a subtle emotion, or an elusive rhyme or line ending and have to hunt for a word that fits, their language grows," as does their appreciation of vocabulary (Liner 152). Students will begin to value the significance of one word through continued drafting of poetry and will discover knew techniques for expressing themselves. Finally, when all drafts are complete, students will look at their final product and feel proud of their hard work. Multiple drafting will prove to students the value of putting forth time and effort to create a better poem.
How do you intend to integrate teaching process and poetry? Various examples will be integrated into the poetry unit. The unit will be centered around three parts: form, rhythm and rhyme, and image and language use. Students will be examining various types of poetry including the haiku, the sonnet, the heroic couplet, the villanelle, the octave, the ballad, and finally free verse. They will read in these sub-genres to get an idea of the form. Then the teacher will provide them with brainstorming questions and they will begin drafting in class. Throughout the unit, there are times for students to meet with the teacher individually, this is extremely important because it will help students develop a unique creative style in their writing. Furthermore, a minilesson dedicated to writing a sonnet will take students through the writing process step by step. The teacher will also provide personal writing examples to students to show how a poem changes and develops from brainstorming to publishing.
Assessment: Students will be assessed formatively by their participation in group and class discussions, by their answers and completion of graphic organizers, by their presentation skills, and by the progress they make between drafts as they reflect on the constructive criticism the teacher provides. The teacher will observe students as they write poetry within class; he/she will provide assistance when needed, but will also be checking to make sure everyone is on task. The students' summative grades will be based on their final drafts. A six-point rubric tailored to poetry will allow the teacher to assess a student's form, style, and language use systematically without commenting on the more suggesting creative elements of poetry.
Work Cited Flanagan, Mark. "What is Poetry" New York Times, 2006 <http://contemporarylit.about.com/od/poetry/a/poetry.htm>. Kirby, Kirby, and Liner. Inside Out Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2004
Poetry Assignment (Handout: A written assignment according to guidelines in the Soven chapter) Assignment/Prompt: In using your Writer's notebook, you have been expanding on new perspectives, new approaches and new ideas about the world around you and about yourself. Now you will have to focus these thoughts and images as you attempt to create your first draft of a poem. Remember that poetry evokes the senses, and a reader of poetry expects to relate personally to the piece. Thus, as you gather information from entries within your Writer's Notebook search for one instance where your emotions were particularly strong. I have given you a great deal of freedom in which to write your first draft of a poem. My hope is that once you have studied various styles of poetry you will be able to see an improvement in your writing from the beginning of the unit to the end. Skills: Assumed: The use of vivid images to express your idea. Taught: How to evoke an emotional response by showing not telling your reader of an experience or feeling. Due Dates: A draft of your poem will first be exposed to peer revision A 2nd Draft of your poem will be discussed and revised during a student/teacher meeting. Finished product, a revised copy of your poem. Suggestions for writing: Choosing your focus: Use the prompts for "Ways to Use Your Writer's Notebook for Poetry." These prompts will provide you with various topics and ideas you can return to later. I encourage you to use the Writer's Notebook" prompts several times. After you have written an entry, make notes in the margins about ways you might expand on this topic. How the topic makes you feel. Also I suggest that you star topics you wish to return to later. After you have a fair amount of entries, return to your stared selection and expand on your emotional state, thoughts and how you felt now as oppose to then. Revision concerns: Consider what you want to reveal about your topic before beginning. What types of language and images would grab your attention? What do you want your reader to feel after reading your poem? Also, word choice is extremely important and concrete. Avoid useless words. Use words that strengthen your voice and purpose. Remember poetry allows you to play with language; form compliments meaning, not the other way around. Use form as a tool.
Making Sense of Poetry: In Class group activity Hardy, "The Ruined Maid"
What topic is being addressed? Is this topic abstract or concrete? What is the main theme within the poem?
Eliot, "The Love Songs of J. Alfred Prufrock"
Hughes, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers"
Wyse, "The Quicker to see you again"
Describe the format of the poem. How are the ideas separated by format? What is the poet's relationship to the themes he/she expresses? What words did you have difficulty with? Looking at style, what characteristics do you notice from this example of poetry?
Peer Revision Checklist (Handout: Peer Revision Checklist formatted for poetry)
_______ 1. The poet's topic choice is engaging and makes you want to read on. _______ 2. The speaker expresses a unique perspective by vividly "showing" not "telling" his/her readers what to see. _______ 3. The format coincides with the appropriate poetic form. _______ 4. The organization complements the effect the poem has on you and its overall meaning. _______ 5. The poet grabs the reader's attention by the first line and enlightens the reader fully by the closing line. _______ 6. The Poet seems to be writing about a topic with which they are passionate. _______ 7. The poetic rhyme scheme and rhythm of the poem and consistent and contribute to the feeling the poem evokes. _______ 8. The language within the poem is challenging and/or compelling. _______ 9. The poet makes use of her/his five senses while describing the situation. _______10. Although the poet has adapted certain formal styles, the individuality of the work is not lost. The voice is particularly strong. _______11. The poem allows for personal interpretations. _______ 12. The reader can relate personally to the poem.
Ways to use your Writer's Notebook for Poetry
Make a list of themes or issues that particularly interest you. Write a vivid description of your favorite place. Write about someone who has made a difference in your life. Write about your hopes and dreams for the future. Write a list of emotions that you experienced during an event in your life. Make a list of your favorite "little things" in life. Make a list of your fears. Write about an event in your life from someone else's perspective. Describe a moment that changed your life. Describe the appearance of something dear to you. (It may be a person or an item) Describe various natural images that fascinate you. Write about someone you were close with that is no longer a part of your life. Make a list of emotions you feel right now. Tell what you would want people to remember you by. Write about your favorite holiday experience. Describe someone you know using all five senses. Describe an item in full without providing the name of that item. Describe how a historical event has affected you. (i.e. 911) Write a list of what you value most. Create a passage in which you mimic a favorite writer, actor or speaker's voice. Make a list of the stresses in your life. Describe your ideal climate. Embellish on a time you felt particularly happy or somber by using colors to express your mood. Make a list of reasons that you like a certain sport. Describe your favorite food by using each of the senses. Make a list of characteristics that make you unique from other people. Make a list of possible poem titles. Describe your thoughts about poetry and about writing poetry. Quote your favorite song lyrics and discuss the impact the words have on you. Make a list of things that annoy you. Describe your favorite pet. Write about a job you held. Write about a time a sibling or parent made you upset. Describe your favorite childhood memories. Make a list of your favorite quotations. Write a portrait of someone using sensory details that highlight your feelings of this person without making your feelings explicitly known. Describe what love or hate feel like for you. Pick an insignificant item and embellish on its qualities to make it sound important.
Describe a memorable summer by using your five senses.
Reading Poetry: Group Work Designed to Determine Basic Features of Poetry
Reading Assignments: (to be read in class) "The Ruined Maid" by Thomas Hardy "The Love Songs of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes "The Quicker to see you again" by Lois Wyse
* In addition, students will be drafting a response to each poem in their Writer's Notebooks and will be using these poems as models that they can refer back to for voice in particular. Reflection Assignment: Complete the above reading assignments by answering the following questions. Remember that poetic styles differ according to their use of rhyme scheme , rhythmic meter, stanzas, images and language and the depths of literal and metaphorical interpretations. The poem may be personal to the speaker or globally experienced. The important function of a poem is to concisely and vividly display a central topic in a new way; thus, word choice is extremely specific and powerful. For each above poem, answer the following question in your Writer's Notebook. 1) What key theme is highlighted in the poem?
2) In what way does the poet present a unique perspective?
3) Which of the five senses are used, and how are they used, to convey the mood and tone of the poem?
4) What structural and formal styles does the poem adher to. How does the structure of the poem contribute to your interpretation? (i.e. rhyme scheme, syllable length, stanzas, etc.)
Traits
Ideas: The fundamentals of poetry. A poet's reasoning, thoughts, and choice topic shape the form and the language use of a poem. The purpose of writing a poem starts with ideas that make the reader think about life in a new way. Voice: The speaker's ability to be challenging but relatable, engaging the reader. Organization: A poet's use of a concise, appropriate form that provides structure to ideas. Word Choice: The poet's use of Carefully selected concrete words that have an appropriate, engaging rhythm, rhyme and/or syllable amount. Line / Stanza Fluency: The flow, rhythm and sound the poet creates within the piece. Conventions: The poet's use of punctuation, or lack of punctuation to further
6
- Enlightening, specific, and unique life observation. - Inventive approach with a global audience in mind.
5
- Explicit and focused observation. - Issues are clearly definable. The poet reveals a personal insight.
4
- Clear and thoughtful topic choice. - Reiterates and expands on common themes or issues.
3
- Contains a central topic but needs a clearer moral or message that the poet can experience. - Understandable images but do not encourage challenging thought. - Periodically suggests am individual persona. - Arranged and ordered but provides little connection to the purpose of the poem. - Challenging words that are used do not enhance meaning.
2
- Regardless of the poet's effort, the main purpose for writing the poem is difficult to observe. - Difficulty understanding the poet's thoughts and intention. - the poet is distant and often undistinguishable. - Organization in parts but often confusing for the reader to follow. - Somewhat appropriate words read without insight or challenge.
1
- No attempt to connect content. No unified theme or message. - No new insights are gained about life or the poet's unique perspective.
- Personal and engaging, adds to the meaning, and begs to be read aloud. - makes a thorough, engaging connection with the poet's purpose. - Concrete, vivid, compelling words that enlighten the poem by providing rhythm, rhyme, and syllable agreement. - Smooth, harmonious flow, inventive and engaging style. - Unique and enthusiastic punctuation that adds to the ideas and the
- Original and distinctive, supports meaning. - Understandable and focused, enhances ideas. - Concise, effective words that strengthen stylistic approaches.
- Often shows individuality and usually relates to meaning. - Appropriate and functional but gives nothing extra. - The right amount of accurate, descriptive words.
- Lacking any connection, and unable to comprehend. - Careless structure that pays no attention to format. - Words are randomly chosen, with little thought. Rhyming and rhythmic patterns are inadequate and disrupt meaning. - No consideration of reading the poem aloud. In need of revision. - Editing is needed. Poor conventions impend on a fluent reading.
- Easy to read transitions, pleasing when read aloud. - A clear understanding and usage of the rules without errors.
- Reads naturally but without considering a flowing sound. - Standard or no punctuation that helps to organize ideas.
- Sometimes choppy or mechanical. Helps to conceal voice. - Used when appropriate and necessary.
- Often disconnection from the previous idea. - Misused punctuation or used periodically.
express a unique style.
reading of the poem.
Mini Lesson (One of the six traits of Poetry: The function of a stanza) Teacher Christina Emerson___Class ______ Date _________ Grade Level ___11th__ Room Number ____________ Period _____ Unit ____Poetry: Genre Study________ Lesson Number ___________ and Topic __The Function of a Stanza____ Objectives Short Range Objectives: Students will practice their listening and writing skills in this mini lesson. Stanzas are within many different forms of poetry. Discovering the functions of a stanza will segue into a lesson on poetic form in its entirety. Long Range Objectives: Students will observe the value of separating ideas into stanzas, much like prose separate sections into paragraphs. Also, examining a stanza will help students look at stanzas separately as they deconstruct poetry. Rationale The stanza is the backbone to many forms of poetry. Even free verse poets have used the format of a stanza to help separate their ideas. Learning not only how a stanza works as a form within poetry, but how poets divide their information among stanzas will be beneficial for students. If students have difficulty learning where to break in paragraphs while writing prose, examining the concrete and usually shorter, more manageable, stanza might help them to project their knowledge from one genre to another. Procedure This mini lesson will begin the unit on poetry. Examining a stanza separately and then collaboratively will help students progress in a coherent manner. Anticipatory set 1) The word "stanza" in Italian means "room." Brainstorm three ways in which a stanza in poetry is like a "room". 2) Students will then be called on randomly to provide their answers. Guided Practice The teacher will ask the students to brainstorm the requirements of a stanza. Then volunteers will share their ideas in a brief discussion.
5 minutes 3 minutes
6 minutes 3 minutes
Independent Practice Students will take notes as the teacher lectures on "the function of a stanza" They will then be given an example of blank verse from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. They will use this as a model to answer the following question: If blank verse, which does not rely on stanzas as many poems do, represents the casual everyday dialogues and language of people, what might a stanza represent? Students will respond and answer this question in their notebooks by writing a minimum of five sentences. Closure Students will hand in their responses. The teacher will tell them how the origin of the stanza comes from music, and that stanzas were unconsciously being used orally before they were written. Special Notes and Reminders to Myself: Materials and Equipment needed: lecture notes on the function of a stanza copies of Julius Caesar passage overhead projector
10 minutes
10 minutes
2 minutes
Accommodations for students with Special Needs: Any student with special needs will be accommodated fully in this mini lesson. Most of this lesson requires students to speculate and voice their own opinions, however, so this should be inclusive to various developmental levels. Still, the teacher will be available for consultation, so just ask! Reflection on or Evaluation of the Lesson:
The Functions of a Stanza
Rhythmic The stanza incorporates reoccurring meter, rhyme and often repetition of sounds. Combining The relationship is shown between each stanza separate ideas through repetitious rhyming. A flow stems from stanza to stanza, and often the style of the stanza is consistent throughout the poem. Progression Stanzas allow the poem to build up. Reading a stanza makes the reader feel like there is more to come. Highlight Where a stanza stops and picks up often shows tensions tension for the speaker.
Three types of stanzas
Isometric stanza Heterometric stanza Quasi-stanzaic
Made up of lines of all the same length
Made up of lines of all different lengths
Made up of a loose grouping of lines and paragraphs of verse
Lesson Plan
(Lesson: one of three separate lessons for developing three of the main features of the genre)
Teacher Christina Emerson___Class ______ Date _________ Grade Level ___11th__ Room Number ____________ Period _____ Unit ____Poetry: Genre Study________ Lesson Number ___________ and Topic __Poetic Form_______ Objectives: Short Range Objective: Students will use listening, speaking, reading, and writing to classify and analyze various forms of poetry. In this unit students will examine the forms of haiku, sestinas, sonnets and free verse poems, and they will become more familiar with the structure each form adheres to or, in the case of Free verse, rejects. Long Range Objective: Examining the number of stanzas, lines, and the length of lines that each poetic form encompasses will expose students to a structured writing style in contrast with a Free verse less defined writing style. Students will see how different forms trigger different sensory responses, and they will begin to write poetry consciously aware of the stylistic decisions of their own writings. Rationale: By examining the poetic form from the highly structured sonnet to the less-structured free verse, students will be less intimidate by reading and writing poetry. They will first be exposed to the most strict form and will examine its' concreteness, the value of word choice, and the length of each line, then the free verse will be introduced to show that the rules of form are meant to be guidelines or tools; they are not indefinite. Procedure: Prior to class students will have read including two haiku, one by Kijo Murakami and the other by Nick Avis, Miller William's "The Shrinking Lonesome Sestina", and Thomas Hardy's sonnet, "The Ruined Maid". Anticipatory set 1) Students will brainstorm and free write in response to each form's use of conventions, number of stanzas, and the number of syllables in each line. 2) Then the students will be asked to quickly draft a Haiku according to the guidelines they have observed. 3) The teacher will reiterate the guidelines for the Haiku form on the chalkboard and ask students to volunteer their Haiku. Instruction The teacher will explain to the students that poetic forms
10 minutes 15 minutes
help to dictate the way the poem's meaning is perceived by its readers. Some forms promote visual responses, some audible, and most forms are chosen by how well they will complement the poet's message. The teacher will then direct the students' attention back to the Miller Williams's Sestina "The Shrinking Lonesome Sestina" Students will take turns re-reading the stanzas of this poem aloud.
4 minutes
6 minutes
Guided Practice The teacher will break students into pairs. Together they will use a graphic organizer to further analyze the unique form of this Sestina. A brief discussion will then commence on the students' observations and reactions to the poem. Independent Practice Now that students have been briefly introduced to a sonnet and looked have more closely at a Haiku and Sestina, the teacher will introduce the class to the form, or rather lack of form, in a free verse poem. Walt Whitman's "I Dream'd in a Dream" will serve as an example. Students will read this poem quietly to themselves. They will then reflect on the differences between strict forms and the more objective form of free verse in their notebooks, having positive and negative commentary on both but they may prefer one. Closure A class discussion will then begin in which students vocally share their reflections. Finally, students will begin drafting their own free verse poem.
10 minutes 5 minutes
2 minutes 8 minutes
5 minutes 25 minutes
Special Notes and Reminders to Myself: Tell that the haiku originated in Japan, and if students need inspiration many Japanese haiku writers looked to nature for inspiration. Especially why students are writing their haiku, circle the classroom to make sure that everyone understands the format. Also, write your own haiku while students are writing theirs to share with the class. Materials and Equipment needed:
Guidelines for a haiku Copies of Miller Williams's sestina "The Shrinking Lonesome Sestina" and Walt Whitman's "Drem'd in a Dream" Graphic organizer on Sestina Notebook Chalkboard / Chalk
Accommodations for students with Special Needs: Any student who required extra time or help with this lesson will be accommodated thoroughly. The teacher will also pay closer attention to make sure such students understand the rules of the form as they draft their own. During free periods for both the teacher and the student, students are encouraged to ask for extra help, and if any further assistance is needed just ask! Reflection on or Evaluation of the Lesson:
Guidelines for writing a Haiku
Traditionally, haiku do not have a titles Traditionally, haiku do not rhyme Traditionally, haiku relate nature to human nature
Traditionally, haiku are written in the present tense Seasons and everyday observations are often choice topics
Japanese haiku differs from American haiku in syllable length (Japanese 5-7-5) (American 3-6-3, 2-3-2, or even 7-10-7) Noticeably the structure for Americans is not as strict.
Graphic Organizer on "The Shrinking Lonesome Sestina" By Miller Williams
How many stanzas does the poem have, and how many lines are in each stanza? Analyze how the ending rhyme scheme also impacts the poetic form. (A)What is the significance of the title "The Shrinking Lonesome Sestina". (B)What effect is the poet trying to create by entitling the poem as such? (C) Is he successful? 1) Analyze two ways in which the poem adheres to your senses of sight and sound in relation to form. 2)
"The Shrinking Lonesome Sestina" Miller Williams
Somewhere in everyone's head something points toward home, a dashboard's floating compass, turning all the time to keep from turning. It doesn't matter how we come to be wherever we are, someplace where nothing goes the way it went once, where nothing holds fast to where it belongs, or what you've risen or fallen to. What the bubble always points to, whether we notice it or not, is home. It may be true that if you move fast everything fades away, that given time and noise enough, every memory goes into the blackness, and if new ones come-small, mole-like memories that come to live in the furry dark--they, too, curl up and die. But Carol goes to high school now. John works at home what days he can to spend some time with Sue and the kids. He drives too fast. Ellen won't eat her breakfast. Your sister was going to come but didn't have the time. Some mornings at one or two or three I want you home a lot, but then it goes. It all goes. Hold on fast to thoughts of home when they come. They're going to less with time. Time goes too fast. Come home. Forgive me that. One time it wasn't fast. A myth goes that when the quick years come then you will, too. Me, I'll still be home.
Free Verse Example
-The form is original and not restricted by conventions-
"I DREAM'D in a dream"
(From Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass)
I DREAM'D in a dream, I saw a city invincible to the attacks of the whole of the rest of the earth; I dream'd that was the new City of Friends; Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust love--it led the rest; It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of that city, And in all their looks and words.
Lesson Plan
(Lesson: two of three separate lessons for developing three of the main features of the genre)
Teacher Christina Emerson___Class ______ Date _________ Grade Level ___11th__ Room Number ____________ Period _____ Unit ____Poetry: Genre Study________ Lesson Number ________ and Topic Poetic Rythmic Meter and Rhyme Scheme Objectives: Short Range Objective: Students will use listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills to analyze the rhythmic meter and rhyme scheme within various poetic forms, including a Sonnet, Heroic Couplet, Villanelle, and an Octave, or eight-lined piece. Examining each style separately and then comparatively will further student understanding and appreciation of the structured rhythm and rhyme. Long Range Objective: By reading each poetic form in relation to specific rhythmic and rhyming structures, students will become more aware of the different standards that constitute poetic styles of rhythm and rhyme, and they will also be capable of implementing structured verse in their own writings of poetry. Rationale: By examining the various examples of poetry, students will observe different suggestive, rhythmic and rhyming forms that poets use to strengthen their voice, tone and meaning. This lesson will show the significance in choosing each rhythmic and rhyming style to compliment a poems meaning. The topic of each poem will also further expose students to various historical and personal experiences. Procedure: Prior to class, students will have read the Shakespearian Sonnet, "My Mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun," the Heroic Couplet, "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning, the Villanelle, "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," by Dylan Thomas, and Phyllis Wheatley's Octave, "On Being Brought from Africa to America". Anticipatory set 1) Students will brainstorm and quick-write first their initial reactions on how rhythm and rhyme are used in each example, and then they will choose their favorite exemplary poem. (During this time the teacher will be writing the title of each poem on the chalkboard in columns. 2) Next students will write three reasons why they prefer the rhythmic meter/ rhyme scheme of a particular poem under the correlating column on the chalkboard.
6 minutes
4 minutes
Instruction Explain to students that the concrete rhythmic meter and rhyme scheme of a poem is a tool the poet uses to express a social situation, personal emotion, global theme etc. The structure is not constraining, as it may initially seem, but instead complimentary construction. Students will take notes on the different types of rhymes including a perfect rhyme, near rhyme, eye-rhyme, internal rhyme, and end rhyme (which will be most important for the purpose of this lesson). Students will take notes on the rhythmic meter variations of Iambic, Anapestic, Trochaic, and Dactylic pentameter. In addition inform students that Iambic pentameter will be the most commonly used rhythm found within this lesson and throughout the unit. Guided Practice In the class remind students how to uncover the rhyme scheme and rhythmic meter of a poem by deconstructing the first example "My Last Duchess" together. Then allow the students independently to continue finding the rhyme scheme of other poems. Finally, in pairs, have students compare answers and collaboratively decide on the rhythmic meter. Independent Practice Have students choose one of the four poetic styles as a reference to write their own. Students will use their selected poem to draft a model of a Heroic Couplet, Sonnet, Villanelle, or Octave poem, and they will finish drafting their poem for homework. A graphic organizer will be provided to help them arrange their writing. Also have students print out or copy the lyrics from one of their favorite songs. - Have them brainstorm the rhythmic meter and rhyme scheme of the work. *Note: Song lyrics must be appropriate. Closure In their notebooks, students will reflect on how analyzing the rhythmic meter and rhyme scheme of a favorite song helped in their understanding of the value of rhythm and rhyme. Have students further examine how the rhythm and rhyme of their song choice intensifies the voice, tone and meaning that is interpreted by the listener, just as a poem's rhythm and meter impact the reader's interpretation.
2 minutes
6 minutes
7 minutes
5 minutes 10 minutes 5 minutes
23 minutes
7 minutes
5 minutes
Special Notes and Reminders to Myself: Also you can tell students that the rhythmic and rhyme structure of a poem also reflects the time period as well as the poet's personal choice. For example the Heroic Couplet was extremely popular in the 18th century, when Robert Browning composed "My Last Duchess." Materials and Equipment needed: Notes reviewing the different rhythmic meters and rhyme schemes. A Graphic organizer that will help them stay organized as they write their drafts. Copies of the poems Chalkboard / Chalk Notebooks Accommodations for students with Special Needs: Any student who requires extra time or help with this lesson will be accommodated thoroughly. During free periods when the teacher and student make an appointment, the teacher will be available for further assistance if needed. Just ask! Reflection on or Evaluation of the Lesson:
The Different Types of Rhymes in Poetry
Perfect Rhyme: When two or more words begin with different consonant sounds but have the same vowel sounds and ending consonant sounds. - wine, line, shine, mine Near Rhyme: When the ending consonant sounds of two or more words are similar but the consonant and vowel sounds preceding the ending sound differ. - oil, soul, foul Eye Rhyme: When words appear similar but when they are pronounced they do not rhyme. - fiend, friend; sew, blew Internal Rhyme: When rhyming occurs within a single line of a poem. - "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I ponder weak and weary" Edgar Allan Poe End Rhyme: The most common type of Rhyme in poetry. When the words ending a line rhymes with another word ending a line in verse.
The Different Types of Rhythmic Meter in Poetry
Iambic- (The most common meter) an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed (u / ) - about Trochee- a stressed syllable followed by a non-stressed ( / u ) - that is or drops Dactyl- a long stress followed by two short stresses ( / u u ) - happily Anapest- two short stresses followed by a long one (u u / ) - in a tree Spondee two long stresses ( / / ) - humdrum
An example of a Heroic Couplet My last Duchess
by Robert Brown That's my last duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive. I call That piece a wonder, now: Fr Pandolf's hands Worked busily a day, and there she stands. Will't please you sit and look at her? I said "Fr Pandolf" by design, for never read Strangers like you that pictured countenance, The depth and passion of its earnest glance, But to myself they turned (since none puts by The curtain I have drawn for you, but I) And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, How such a glance came there; so, not the first Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, 'twas not Her husband's presence only, called that spot Of joy into the Duchess' cheek: perhaps Fr Pandolf chanced to say "Her mantle laps "Over my lady's wrist too much," or "Paint "Must never hope to reproduce the faint "Half-flush that dies along her throat": such stuff Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough For calling up that spot of joy. She had A heart--how shall I say?--too soon made glad, Too easily impressed; she liked whate'er She looked on, and her looks went everywhere. Sir, 'twas all one! My favor at her breast, The dropping of the daylight in the West, The bough of cherries some officious fool Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule She rode with round the terrace--all and each Would draw from her alike the approving speech, Or blush, at least. She thanked men--good! But thanked Somehow--I know not how--as if she ranked My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name With anybody's gift. Who'd stoop to blame This sort of trifling? Even had you skill In speech--which I have not--to make your will Quite clear to such an one, and say, "Just this "Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss, "Or there exceed the mark"--and if she let Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set Her wits to yours, forsooth, and make excuse, --E'en then would be some stooping; and I choose Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt, Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands As if alive. Will't please you rise? We'll meet The company below, then. I repeat, The Count your master's known munificence Is ample warrant that no just pretense Of mine for dowry will be disallowed; Though his fair daughter's self, as I avowed At starting, is my object. Nay we'll go Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though, Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity, Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!
Directions:
Choose from the following forms and begin your own draft of that form. Heroic Couplet Sonnet Villanelle Octave *Remember to refer back to your notes and the exemplary poems for any help.
Mini Lesson (The writing process of a Sonnet) Teacher Christina Emerson___Class ______ Date _________ Grade Level ___11th__ Room Number ____________ Period _____ Unit ____Poetry: Genre Study________ Lesson Number ___________ and Topic __The Process of writing a Sonnet____ Objectives Short Range Objectives: Students will use listening and writing skills in this mini lesson. Paying closer attention to the guidelines of a sonnet and taking notes to refer back to will help prepare students to write their own sonnets. Long Range Objectives: Students will become more active listeners. This lesson will help them practice following direct instruction, and writing a sonnet will exemplify the importance of writing with a conscientious eye to form and word choice, which can be later applied to the students' prose writing. Rationale The sonnet is among the most structured, concrete poetic styles. Forcing students to adhere to a sonnet's strict conventions will help them appreciate the language and construction of a poem. Teaching students the process of writing a sonnet will challenge them, but it will also give them an opportunity to "play around" with language creatively, as they would when writing any poetry. Furthermore, the final polished version of a sonnet will make students feel highly accomplished. Procedure Students have read two examples of sonnets in lessons one and two, "The Ruined Maid" by Thomas Hardy and "My Mistress eyes are nothing like the sun" by Shakespeare. This mini-lesson proceeds lesson two because students have an option to write a sonnet in that lesson, and this will give them further guidance if they choose that option. Anticipatory set 1) The teacher will ask students to free-write a beginning line of a poem. Then students will rework that line to make it ten syllables long. 3) The teacher will explain to students the value of choosing the right words not only for meaning but for syllable length when writing a sonnet as well. 4) Finally students will determine the rhythmic meter of the line by marking a stressed or unstressed symbol above each syllable.
6 minutes
3 minutes
Instruction The teacher will lead a lecture on "what makes a sonnet a sonnet" as students take notes in their notebooks. The two kinds of sonnets will be highlighted in this lecture. Once the teacher has gone over the criteria for writing a sonnet, the teacher will be taking students through the writing process. Following the lecture, the teacher will ask students if they have any questions pertaining to sonnets. Independent Practice Following the lecture, the teacher will ask students to brainstorm important personal or global topics that they might choose to write about. They will need to come up with three different possibilities. After brainstorming students will begin their first drafts of a sonnet. During this time the teacher will be calling students up to meet with him/her to discuss the process and receive feedback. After receiving feedback students will continue to rework their sonnet in class and for homework until they and the teacher are proud of the piece and believe it to be polished. Closure Individual student/teacher conferences are extremely important when teaching writing as a process for the first time. Thus, as the student work to create a polished sonnet, which will be published, the teacher will be readily available
7 minutes
3 minutes
12 minutes 34 minutes
5 minutes
Special Notes and Reminders to Myself: For the majority of the class, if not the entire class, this will be their first attempt at writing a sonnet so it is important continually check in with students to make sure there are no questions, and that each one of them understands the criteria. Materials and Equipment needed: Lecture notes on "what makes a sonnet a sonnet?" Accommodations for students with Special Needs: Any student who is eligible to receive extra time or help because of special needs is urged to meet with the teacher. Accommodations will be made to ensure students receive every opportunity to do well on this lesson. If I can help just ask!
Reflection on or Evaluation of the Lesson:
What Makes a Sonnet a Sonnet? Criteria
Fourteen lines in length Split into stanzas Usually in Iambic Pentameter Set Rhyme Scheme The sonnet can usually be divided in half. The first half presents a theme and brings up the idea of doubt The second half resolves the problem.
Petrarchan Sonnet (Italian)
- Where the sonnet originated - Split into two parts: (An Octave followed by a Sestet) An Octave a b b a a b b a A Sestet c c d or d e c
Shakespearean Sonnet (English)
Shakespeare took the Italian sonnet and with a few modifications made it popular in England in the 16th century ( Three quatrains followed by a heroic couplet) Quatrain a b a b c d c d e f e f Heroic (Rhyming) Couplet g g
Lesson Plan
(Lesson: three of three separate lessons for developing three of the main features of the genre)
Teacher Christina Emerson___Class ______ Date _________ Grade Level ___11th__ Room Number ____________ Period _____ Unit ____Poetry: Genre Study________ Lesson Number ___________ and Topic __Poetic Imagery and Language_______ Objectives: Short Range Objective: Now that students are familiar with the various forms, rhythmic meters and rhyme schemes, students will use listening, speaking, reading and writing to further analyze how the language of poetry and the images a poet creates makes poetry even more appealing to the senses. Long Range Objective: When students read poetry in the future, they will analyze the symbols, similes, metaphors and styles more closely. This unit will advance their abilities to analyze and deconstruct poetry and to write by showing, not necessarily telling, what they see. Rationale: Like details are of prose, language choice and images are vitally important contributors to poetry. Asking students to close read passages of poems will help them to think more critically about themselves and the world around them. Students have spent a great deal of the unit on various forms and styles of the genre; this lesson will provide students with a deeper appreciation of word choice, metaphors, similes and symbols. Procedure: Students will have read E.E. Cummings's Sonnet, "next to of co...