5th Six Weeks Unit: Contemporary Poetry
This six weeks we will be focusing on poetry. Students will understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Every student will have the opportunity to present a poem of their choice to the class. Students will also use visual literacy to stimulate learning by providing an image to pair with their poem.
Three Major Grades: All six of the poems created in-class will be one major grade, the texting poem will be another, and lastly, the final essay will account for 20% of students' final grade for this six weeks.
Important Dates: April 3/4 Rough Drafts Due for a Peer Editing Workshop, April 9/10: Final Essays Due
Every student will have the opportunity to present a poem of their choice to the class. Students will also use visual literacy to stimulate learning by providing an image to pair with their poem.
Three Major Grades: All six of the poems created in-class will be one major grade, the texting poem will be another, and lastly, the final essay will account for 20% of students' final grade for this six weeks.
Important Dates: April 3/4 Rough Drafts Due for a Peer Editing Workshop, April 9/10: Final Essays Due
In ClassFeb 22/25:
Read/Discuss: Introduction to Reading Poetry Consider: What does poetry do? What does it look like? Billy Collins' "Introduction to Poetry" TED Talk: Spoken Word Poetry Introduction to Procedures Composition 1/6: Where I'm From In her poem "Where I'm From", George Ella Lyon lists people, places, and things that link her to her past. Create a list of sayings, foods, people, and places that link you to your past and then create your own "Where I'm From" poem. February 26/27: Tim & Samantha F., Kourtney & Natalia Using COWS to research poetic devices. Each group will be assigned 2 figures of speech that they must present to the class. They must define the figures of speech, find 1 example of each in popular culture (an advertisement, a song, a speech, the newspaper, a TV show... plan on showing us the source from which you find your example either online or bring a hard copy we can put on the Doc Cam), and create 2 original examples of each being used. Feb 28/Mar 1: Chance M., Chance B. & Gabriel Presenting Poetic Devices Flocabulary Lecture: Poetic Devices Creating Visual Aides March 4/5: Phoebe, Luis & Tristan Activity: Quiz, Quiz, Trade (Just B-Day): Practicing Poetry Out Loud Composition 2/6 Playing With Definitions Choose any word from the dictionary and read its definitions. Write a poem using only the language of these definitions. Try repeating them in different combinations and using line break to create unexpected phrases. Experiment with how far you can push the limits of the language you're working with. Use the word you've chosen as the title of the poem. 6/7: Eliza & Johnny, Jake & Victoria Quiz: Poetic Devices Texting Poem Assigned 8: Omar & Lauren Practicing Poetry Out Loud Three Levels of Reading Poetry SPRING BREAK March 9 - 17 18/19: Final Essay Prompts Introduced Looking at Contemporary Genre Poetry Group Work: Each group will be assigned a contemporary genre to research using the COWS. +5 points to the first group ready to present today 20/21: Presenting Contemporary Genres 22/25: Taylor & Betsy, Luke & Chase Remaining Groups Present Composition 3/6: Back Then In his poem “Refrigerator, 1957” (originally published in the New Yorker, July 28, 1997), Thomas Lux writes about a jar of “lit-from-within red” maraschino cherries that, as a boy, he never ate from. Write a poem about something that you longed for when you were younger, but was always off-limits. Texting Poems Due Using COWS to research final essay prompts 26 (B-Day): Diego & Kelsie Practicing Poetry Out Loud 10 Students choose one of the three poems we have written in class to share. Three Levels of Reading Poetry 27/28: Ashley & Samantha A., Sabina & Cody & Ben (A-Day: 10 Volunteer Students to receive extra credit for sharing one of the three original poems we have written in class.) Composition 4/6 Write a poem that begins with a description of a photograph you have in your possession. Delve into the memories evoked by the photograph, or reveal what personal significance the photograph has for you. For inspiration, read Natasha Trethewey’s “History Lesson.” Using COWS to research final essay 29: HOLIDAY April 1/2: Mikayla & Amber, Kristen & Vincente Composition 5/6 Erasure Poem Find a text that is completely unrelated to what you normally read—a how-to manual, a 1950s interior design book, an old encyclopedia, a white paper on social media— and use it as the source of an erasure poem. Read through several pages and underline words and phrases that appeal to you and that relate to each other. Using a marker or Wite-Out, begin to delete the words around those you underlined, leaving words and phrases that you might want to use. Keep deleting the extra language, working to construct poetic lines with the words you’ve chosen to keep. Writing Workshop for Poetry 3/4: Zolon & Natalie, Brad & Melissa & Madison Peer Editing Final Essays 5/8: Michael & Gilbert, Derek Composition 6/6 Record the advertising slogans and advertising copy that you encounter throughout the day. Pick one slogan/catchphrase or a brief selection of advertising copy and incorporate it into a poem, without mentioning the object or service being marketed. Practicing Writing Thematic Statements 9 (A-Day): Final Essays due Quiz: Thematic Statements 10 (B-Day): Alex R. & Ciera & Gabriella & Taylor* Final Essays due Finish watching "Louder Than A Bomb" 11 (A-Day): Drew & Angel & Joseph Peer Editing Poems/Watching a Documentary: "Louder Than A Bomb" 12 (B-Day): Quiz: Thematic Statements (With this quiz you will have the oppertunity to replace a lower quiz grade) 15/16: Tiffany, Ross & Stephen Computer Lab - Publishing Poems. ALL 6 POEMS ARE DUE! 17: Jeremy & Samantha B. & Haven Finish watching "Louder Than A Bomb" 18/19: Ms. Cooney's Last Days at Bowie! |
At HomeFebruary 22/25:
Students should become familiar with the day they are to present their poem/picture pairing as well as my expectations regarding late/make-up work for this assignment. You may review the procedures by clicking on this link. Feb 26/27: Be ready to present with your group next class! March 4/5: Be ready for your quiz next class! 18/19: Be ready with your group to present next class. Also, bring 1 copy of the texts you and your partner shared to create your poem, as well as each of your rough draft versions of the poem. 20/21: Every student who comes to the next class with either one thoughtful question regarding the CONTENT (not format) of the final essay or with a general idea/outline of what they will be researching will receive 5 bonus points on their essay. 22/25: 10 Volunteers to present their original poetry (1 of the 3 poems we have written in class) for extra credit should prepare their poem of choice. Also: (see below for the 25th) 25/26: Students should bring with them a photo from their childhood (either a hard copy or be able to access it on your phone) to write their next poem about on the 27th/28th. Students should also bring all three of the poems we have written to work on in class on the 27th/28th. 27/28: Bring all four of the poems we have written in class with you next time (April 1/2) so we may work on them all together in class. April 1/2: Bring a rough draft of your final essay to the next class. I will be taking a quiz grade for it. 5/8: BRING YOUR FINAL ESSAYS NEXT CLASS. No exceptions. Even absent students will need to email me a copy at: [email protected] to "bookmark" their place. That email will save your essay from being late, however next time you come to class please bring me a hard copy to grade. 11/12: All 6 of the poems we have written are due next class. |