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Poetry Unit Middle School Harlem Renaissance Unit Written by: Deborah Dennard ELA Coordinator 6-12 Bibb County School District Unit Focus and Direction This unit of study focuses on the Harlem Renaissance. Students are to be immersed in the literature, art, dance, and music of this period. The short stories and literature is meant to be used for the literary standards. The essays and speeches are meant to be taught, using the reading informational standards. Students are to demonstrate mastery of the standards by writing poetry or analysis of the works. Speaking and listening is also an intricate part of this using. While it is important to include poetry in every unit of study, at times, it can be fun to focus solely on poetry. During this unit (2-4 weeks), students are immersed in poetry. They speak, listen to, write, and read poetry – individually and in groups. This sample unit framework can be used for middle and high school. Links are embedded at the end of each piece of reading. To build engagement, please play the videos beforehand to build schema and background knowledge. Poetry is meant to be read, heard, and enjoyed, rather than “studied.” Throughout the unit, read poems aloud daily and encourage students to read aloud poems of their choice. Ask students to respond to the words they hear and read in poems, and to picture the images that the words create. Students may say, “I don’t get it,” and say that they do not like poetry because they are fearful that they do not understand the “correct meaning.” For some of us as teachers, we share the same fear. However, you are free to choose poetry of your own as long as it meets the needs of the standards. Encourage discussion about the poems and the students’ responses, making it clear that all responses are valid, and that each reader/listener makes meaning according to his or her own experiences and prior knowledge about poetry and the topic of the poem. Poetry Immersion: Students will be introduced to a new poet daily or every two days, depending on the skills that are being taught. The teachers will tell students a few facts from the poet's biography as well as read some of his or her poetry. As the teacher reads the poems, he or she will introduce figurative language and poetic devices and forms. For example, if the teacher reads Langston Hughes, "Mother to Son," in addition to some of his biographical facts, the teacher may teach metaphor, dialect, and repetition. The class would discuss analyze how the poem would be different if those elements were not included in this poem. Additionally, when teaching haiku, a teacher may read the students a haiku and teach the structure of a haiku and imagery together. Students would, then, have to write their own haikus based on the criteria taught to them. It is a very good idea to write poetry with your students as it is assigned. For example, if students are to write a poem using rhyme scheme, alliteration, repetition, and metaphors, then the teacher should also bring in a poem that he or she has attempted to write to share with students. This tends to motivate students even more. Harlem Renaissance Unit written by Deborah Dennard pg. 2 Writing Poetry: Use models of various types of poetry and have students experiment with writing each type. Some types of poetry include haiku, limerick, lyric, sonnet, diamante, concrete, ballad, and free verse. Encourage students to go through the writing process just as they do when writing other genres. Meet the Poet: Students will highlight the accomplishments of two poets, one who is assigned to them and one of their choice. Teachers will assign each student a famous poet to research. Students will create a pamphlet, brochure, poster, billboard, radio or video commercial or some other creative mode to showcase the poet's biography. Students will do this without plagiarism and will include at least citations from at least three sources. The teacher will read a selected poem and discuss it with the class. The teacher will, then, analyze the poem step by step WITH the class. Click the following link for directions: (https://www.teachforamerica.org/teacherpop/how-analyze-poem-6-steps). Students will also take an assigned poem and critically analyze it, using a graphic organizer. After completing the graphic organizer, the students will write the literary analysis. In this poetry analysis, students will identify the use and effect of figurative language and poetic devices like alliteration, similes, metaphors, allusions, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, symbolism, refrain, repetition, personification, hyperbole, etc. Students will write an analysis of each line or stanza. After exposing the students to several different poets, have students select several poems by their favorite poet, then research the poet and share their findings with the class in written, oral, and/or visual form. Students will write a proposal on the poet on researched information using at least three references. Students will write and present a proposal explaining what makes the poet great. The student must write a formal report and synthesize his or her findings from that research to a PowerPoint presentation. The students will choose from the following two topics: Why Students Must Read My Poet Proposal for My Poet to Become Poet Laureate Local/Georgia Poets: Students will be exposed to local poets from their own classroom and throughout the state of Georgia. Harlem Renaissance Unit written by Deborah Dennard pg. 3 Culminating Activity: The class or cluster will have a poetry slam to showcase original poetry. A poetry slam is a competition in which poets get up in front of the audience, perform an original poem and receive "Olympics" style scores from a group of judges. This lesson plan brings the excitement of a poetry slam to the classroom. This lesson plan will involve students in defining, composing, practicing, performing and judging poetry. It will help them realize that poetry is a living art form--not just words on a page. Once students are introduced to various poetry devices, techniques, and forms, they are exposed to the origin, rules, judging, performance skills, and scoring involved in a poetry slam competition. Culminating Product: Poetry Anthology will be the product. Because the anthology is comprised of several sections, the teachers should probably have certain deadlines for certain projects to be completed, so that students don't wait until the last minute and become overwhelmed. Harlem Renaissance Unit written by Deborah Dennard pg. 4 Unit Standards Following are standards that can be used with this unit. The speaking and listening standards are not included in this list; however, if you decide to do a poetry slam, spoken word, or an oral presentation, please include the speaking and listening standards as well. Highlighted standards are actually in pacing guide. Sixth Grade Standards ELAGSE6RL1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. ELAGSE6RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. ELAGSE6RL4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. ELAGSE6RL5 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot. ELAGSE6RL7 Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see” and “hear” when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch. ELAGSE6RL9 Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics. ELAGSE6RI1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. ELAGSE6RI2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. ELAGSE6RI6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text. ELAGSE6RI7 Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue. Harlem Renaissance Unit written by Deborah Dennard pg. 5 ELAGSE6RI9 Compare and contrast one author’s presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written by and a biography on the same person). ELAGSE6W9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. a. Apply grade 6 Reading Standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres [e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories] in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics”). ELAGSE6L5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context. ELAGSE6SL1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.

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