artifact poetry unit plan

8/3/2019 Artifact Poetry Unit Plan

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POETRY UNIT PLAN

by

L. Alicia Monroe

EDEN G4913 The Teaching of English

Dr. Mark Letcher

Spring 2006


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INTRODUCTION

CONTEXTStudents

I designed this poetry unit for four eighth-grade language arts classes. Each class consists of 20-

25 students and meets for 50 minutes every day. Many of the students fall within the realm ofaverage, and several have various special needs, two of which include IEPs.

Unit

Aimed at bridging the gap between students and poetry, this unit follows the reading ofLoveThat Dog by Sharon Creech and Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge, during which

students glimpsed the value of poetry in the lives of the young narrators who, like many of them,

approached it with caution at first.The lessons within the unit offer little flexibility regarding the order in which they are taught.

The first lesson launches the unit with a look at poems about reading and writing poetry. Thesecond invites artistic response to a poem. The third prompts discussion on what makes a poem a

poem and allows for teacher demonstration of the process of modeling a poem. The fourth eases

students into writing poetry by working collaboratively on a group piece modeled after anotherpoem. The next few lessons offer opportunities for students to loosely model and write poems

individually. Then, students respond to poems written by their peers and revise poems for

publication in writing workshop. Finally, students learn about the use of common HTML,prepare hypertext poems for posting on the class Web site, practice reading poetry out loud, and

celebrate their accomplishments in the unit finalea class poetry reading.

RATIONALE

Most secondary students would be perfectly content to throw poetry overboard and hit the

throttle, all too glad to leave the genre marooned on a deserted island rather than risk stammering

in a sea of stanzas. After all, poetry, as they see it, is better left for to the chosen few blessed withpowers of interpretation. Thus, I compiled these modern poems to introduce them to works they

can relate to written in voices that reflect their own and will help them find their own, and to

show them that they, too, are blessed with powers of interpretationwe all are. While scholarlyinterpretations may be more authoritative, in the context of secondary education, secondary

students interpretations are equally valuable. As they gain their sea legs and learn to embracepoetry, they will be far better equipped for future study of classic works and scholarly

interpretations thereofand perhaps far more interested.

OBJECTIVES

Generally and ideally, reading and discussing these works will open students minds to poetry.

Their experience with the titles will teach them that poetry is accessible and enjoyable; that

words are carefully chosen and arranged on the page to entertain, intrigue, and enlighten; andthat poets want readers to decide what their poems mean to them, to interpret the poems for


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themselves rather than relying on the interpretations of critics, scholars, and teachers. Also, bywriting their own poems, they will begin to analyze as writers, not just readers, becoming

increasingly receptive to and appreciative of poetry.

Specifically, a number of Oklahomas PASS standards for eighth-grade language arts and

intermediate-level instructional technology will be met, as indicated on each daily lesson plan.

MATERIALS

Literature

Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins How To Eat a Poem by Eve Merriam Young Poets by Nicanor Parra (translated by Miller Williams) Your Poem, Man by Edward Lueders The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams 32 Reasons Why The Red Wheelbarrow is a Poem by JoLinda Collins Whats in My Journal by William Stafford The Garden Hose by Beatrice Janosco The Builders by Sara Henderson Hay The Three Little Pigs retold by Patricia Seibert The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

Technology

Overhead projector Interactive whiteboard (or other computer projection device) Computers with Internet access, Web browsers, and Microsoft Notepad Floppy disks (or other medium for saving and submitting student work electronically)

Forms and Rubrics

Peer Writing Conference Record (see Appendix B) Request for Permission to Publish on the Internet (see Appendix C) Hypertext Poem Rubric (see Appendix D) Poetry Reading Rubric (see Appendix E)

Miscellaneous Supplies

Paper Pens and/or pencils Colored pencils, crayons, and/or markers

ASSESSMENT

Student learning will be determined through a balance of formal and informal assessment

methods indicated on each daily lesson plan, which range from credit for participation to pointsbased on detailed evaluative rubrics.


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LESSON PLANS

POEMS ABOUT POETRY ................................................................................................4THE RED WHEELBARROW (DAY ONE)...................................................................5

THE RED WHEELBARROW (DAY TWO)..................................................................6

WHATS IN MY JOURNAL..........................................................................................7

THE GARDEN HOSE.....................................................................................................8

THE BUILDERS .............................................................................................................9

I REMEMBER POEMS ....................................................................................................10

THE GIFT OF WORDS....................................................................................................11

WRITING WORKSHOP (DAY ONE).............................................................................12

WRITING WORKSHOP (DAY TWO)............................................................................13

INTRODUCTION TO HTML ..........................................................................................14HYPERTEXT POEMS (DAY ONE)................................................................................15

HYPERTEXT POEMS (DAY TWO)...............................................................................16

READING POETRY OUT LOUD ...................................................................................17

POETRY READING.........................................................................................................18


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POEMS ABOUT POETRY LESSON PLAN

OBJECTIVES

Listening as others read aloud

Reading, responding to, analyzing, and discussing what poets have to say, throughpoetry, about how the reading and writing of poetry should be approached

Oklahoma PASS standards for eighth-grade language arts met:o Reading/Literature: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1.a, 4.3

MATERIALS

Overhead projector or interactive whiteboard Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins How To Eat a Poem by Eve Merriam Young Poets by Nicanor Parra (translated by Miller Williams) Your Poem, Man by Edward Lueders

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Display each poem individually on the overhead projector or interactive whiteboard. Read each

poem aloud to students. Then, ask students do a jump-in reading (spontaneously jump in andread aloud, one stanza per student). After reading each poem, lead discussions that encourage a

personal relationship with the poem first. Then, direct students to more analytic interpretation.

(For sample questions, see Appendix A.)

Students will:

Listen as the teacher reads, take turns jump-in reading, and participate in class discussion.


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THE RED WHEELBARROWLESSON PLAN (DAY ONE)

OBJECTIVES


Reading, responding to, analyzing, and discussing a poem Responding to a poem artistically Oklahoma PASS standards for eighth-grade language arts met:

o Reading/Literature: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1.a, 4.3o Visual Literacy: 3.1

MATERIALS

The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams (photocopied for each student) Paper Pens and/or pencils Colored pencils, crayons, and/or markers

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Distribute copies of the poem. Read it aloud to students. Then, ask a student volunteer to read it

aloud a second time. Ask students to read the poem silently a third time and draw a picture ofwhat the poem means to themwhat they see as they read and reflect on the poem, how they

feel it should be visually represented. Allow 10-15 minutes for students to complete their

drawings. Circulate around the room monitoring activity. Divide students into small groups toshare and discuss their drawings. Follow up with a class discussion of the drawings. What do the

drawings in each group have in common? How are they different? Ask each group to share one

drawing from the group with the class and discuss why they chose it. Finally, prompt furtherdiscussion that encourages a personal relationship with the poem. (For sample questions, see

Appendix A.)

Students will:

Listen as the teacher and a fellow student read aloud. Draw pictures in response to the poem.

Participate in small group and class discussion of drawings. Turn in drawings at the end of class.If not finished with drawings, finish them for homework and turn them in the next day.

ASSESSMENT

Students will receive participation credit for drawing in response to The Red Wheelbarrow.


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THE RED WHEELBARROWLESSON PLAN (DAY TWO)

OBJECTIVES


Reading, responding to, analyzing, and discussing a poem Oklahoma PASS standards for eighth-grade language arts met:

o Reading/Literature: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1.a, 4.3MATERIALS

Overhead projector or interactive whiteboard 32 Reasons Why The Red Wheelbarrow is a Poem by JoLinda Collins (photocopied

for each student)

Photocopies of The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams distributed theprevious day

Paper Pens and/or pencils

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Revisit the poem, directing students to more analytic interpretation. (For sample questions, seeAppendix A.) Then, ask students: What makes The Red Wheelbarrow a poem? As students

cite reasons, note them on the overhead projector or interactive whiteboard. Distribute copies of

32 Reasons Why The Red Wheelbarrow is a Poem. Read aloud and discuss point-by-point.Discuss and demonstrate the process of modeling a poem on the overhead projector or interactive

whiteboard, from brainstorming to writing/revising.

Students will:

Participate in class discussion. Watch and listen as the teacher models a poem after The Red

Wheelbarrow.


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WHATS IN MY JOURNALLESSON PLAN

OBJECTIVES


Reading, responding to, analyzing, and discussing a poem Collaboratively writing a poem modeled after another poem Oklahoma PASS standards for eighth-grade language arts met:

o Reading/Literature: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1.a, 4.3o Writing/Grammar/Usage and Mechanics: 1.1, 2.4

MATERIALS

Overhead projector or interactive whiteboard Whats in My Journal by William Stafford Paper Pens and/or pencils

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Display the poem on the overhead projector or interactive whiteboard. Read it aloud to students.

Then, ask a student volunteer to read it aloud a second time. Lead discussion that encourages apersonal relationship with the poem first. Then, direct students to more analytic interpretation.

(For sample questions, see Appendix A.) Instruct students to follow Staffords model and write

two lines each about whats in their journals. Allow 5-10 minutes for students to do so,circulating around the room to monitor progress. Ask each student to read his or her lines aloud,

transcribing them on the overhead projector or interactive whiteboard to form a collaborative

poem. Read the poem aloud.

Students will:

Listen as the teacher and a fellow student read aloud. Participate in class discussion. Write twolines about whats in their own journals. Participate in the composition of a class poem.

ASSESSMENT

Students will receive credit for participation.

SOURCES

This lesson plan is adapted from a mini-lesson described by Nancie Atwell on pages 349-51 of

the second edition ofIn the Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning.


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THE GARDEN HOSE

OBJECTIVES


Reading, responding to, analyzing, and discussing a poem Writing a poem modeled after another poem Oklahoma PASS standards for eighth-grade language arts met:

o Reading/Literature: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1.a, 4.3o Writing/Grammar/Usage and Mechanics: 1

MATERIALS

Overhead projector or interactive whiteboard The Garden Hose by Beatrice Janosco Paper Pens and/or pencils

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Display the poem on the overhead projector or interactive whiteboard. Read it aloud to students.

Then, ask a student volunteer to read it aloud a second time. Lead discussion that encourages apersonal relationship with the poem first. Then, direct students to more analytic interpretation.

(For sample questions, see Appendix A.) Discuss personification. Instruct students to brainstorm

objects they could personify in poems of their own, jotting lists if they wish. Ask them to writepoems that personify an object, showing it through a different lens as Beatrice Janosco shows

The Garden Hose. Circulate around the room monitoring progress and conferring with

students. If students finish writing with time to spare, divide them into small groups to sharewhat they have written. Afterward, if theres still time, invite a few students to share with the

entire class.

Students will:

Listen as the teacher and a fellow student read aloud. Participate in class discussion. Write

poems modeled after The Garden Hose. If time permits, share poems in small groups. Turn inpoems at the end of class. If not finished with poems, finish them for homework and turn them in

the next day.

ASSESSMENT

Students will receive participation credit for writing modeled poems.


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THE BUILDERSLESSON PLAN

OBJECTIVES


Reading, responding to, analyzing, and discussing a poem Comparing and contrasting points of view Writing a poem loosely modeled after another poem Oklahoma PASS standards for eighth-grade language arts met:

o Reading/Literature: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4.c, 3.4.d, 3.4.e, 4.1.a, 4.2, 4.3o Writing/Grammar/Usage and Mechanics: 1

MATERIALS

The Builders by Sara Henderson Hay (photocopied for each student) The Three Little Pigs retold by Patricia Seibert The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka Paper Pens and/or pencils

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Distribute copies of the poem. Read it aloud to students. Then, ask a student volunteer to read it

aloud a second time. Lead discussion that encourages a personal relationship with the poem first.Then, direct students to more analytic interpretation. (For sample questions, see Appendix A.)

Read The Three Little Pigs and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs aloud to students. Discuss

the different points of view. Instruct students to write a poem loosely modeled on The Builder

from the point of view of one of the first two little pigs who built their houses out of straw andtwigs. Circulate around the room monitoring activity. If students finish writing with time to

spare, divide them into small groups to share what they have written. Afterward, if theres still

time, invite a few students to share with the entire class.

Students will:

Listen as the teacher and a fellow student read aloud. Participate in class discussion. Writepoems loosely modeled after The Builder from another pigs point of view. If time permits,

share poems in small groups. Turn in poems at the end of class. If not finished with poems, finish

them for homework and turn them in the next day.

ASSESSMENTStudents will receive participation credit for writing loosely modeled poems.


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IREMEMBER POEMS LESSON PLAN

OBJECTIVES

Brainstorming and sharing ideas

Watching and listening as the teacher models the poetry writing process Writing poetry Reading aloud Listening as others read aloud Responding to the writing of peers Oklahoma PASS standards for eighth-grade language arts met:

o Reading/Literature: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1.a, 4.3o Writing/Grammar/Usage and Mechanics: 1

MATERIALS

Overhead projector or interactive whiteboard Paper Pens and/or pencils

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Instruct students to quickly jot down lists of memoriesimportant or trivialon a piece of

paper, each line starting with I remember Make a list alongside students. Share lists briefly.Then, choose the lines from the teachers list that will become part of a poem. Draft a poem on

the overhead projector or interactive whiteboard, using the chosen line or lines, adding to them

as necessary, and editing in the process. The poem can be about different memories that are

related somehow or expand upon a single memory. After modeling the process for students, askthem to write I remember poems of their own. Circulate around the room monitoring progress

and conferring with students as needed. If students finish writing with time to spare, divide them

into small groups to share what they have written. Afterward, if theres still time, invite a fewstudents to share with the entire class.

Students will:

Jot down I remember lists. Share lists briefly. Watch and listen as the teacher composes an I

remember poem. Write I remember poems. If time permits, share poems in small groups.

Turn in poems at the end of class. If not finished with poems, finish them for homework and turnthem in the next day.

ASSESSMENT

Students will receive participation credit for writing I remember poems.

SOURCES

This lesson plan is adapted from an activity recommended on pages 161-62 of the third edition of

Inside Out: Strategies for Teaching Writing by Dan Kirby, Dawn Latta Kirby, and Tom Liner.


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THE GIFT OF WORDS LESSON PLAN

OBJECTIVES

Brainstorming

Watching and listening as the teacher models the poetry writing process Writing poetry Reading aloud Listening as others read aloud Responding to the writing of peers Oklahoma PASS standards for eighth-grade language arts met:

o Reading/Literature: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1.a, 4.3o Writing/Grammar/Usage and Mechanics: 1, 2.8

MATERIALS

Overhead projector or interactive whiteboard Paper Pens and/or pencils

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Discuss the idea of giving the gift of wordswriting poems or poetic pieces for others. Draft a

poem on the overhead projector or interactive whiteboard or share a gift of words poem alreadywritten. Discuss for whom it is/was written and why. Instruct students to brainstorm persons to

whom they might like to give the gift of words, jotting lists if they wish. Ask them to write gift

poems of their own. Circulate around the room monitoring progress and conferring with

students. If students finish writing with time to spare, divide them into small groups to sharewhat they have written. Afterward, if theres still time, invite a few students to share with the

entire class.

Students will:

Watch and listen as the teacher discusses giving the gift of words and composes a poem or shares

one previously written. Decide on recipients and write poems for others. If time permits, sharepoems in small groups. Turn in poems at the end of class. If not finished with poems, finish them

for homework and turn them in the next day.

ASSESSMENT

Students will receive participation credit for writing poems.


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WRITING WORKSHOP LESSON PLAN (DAY ONE)

OBJECTIVES

Reading aloud

Listening as others read aloud Responding to the writing of peers Revising poetry Oklahoma PASS standards for eighth-grade language arts met:

o Writing/Grammar/Usage and Mechanics: 1, 2.8, 2.10, 3.1MATERIALS

Poems students have written during the unit Peer Writing Conference Record (photocopied for student use) (see Appendix B) Request for Permission to Publish on the Internet (see Appendix C) Paper Pens and/or pencils

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Explain the writing workshop is a time for revising drafts of poems they have written over the

course of the week, polishing their pieces for publicationgiving to others, posting on the class

Web site, and sharing during the class poetry reading. Emphasize the importance of workingquietly without disturbing others. Distribute copies of the Peer Writing Conference Record.

Instruct students to confer quietly in pairs. Explain that each student should respond to his or her

partners piece by filling out the Peer Writing Conference Record. Then, instruct them to begin

revising individually. Circulate around the room to monitor activity and confer with students.Before the end of class, distribute the Request for Permission to Publish on the Internet and

briefly discuss.

Students will:

Work in peer-response pairs, filling out a copy of the Peer Writing Conference Record for their

partners. Give the record to the writer for whom it was filled out. Then, revise individually. Takepermission slips home for parents signature and turn in the next class day.

SOURCES

This lesson plan is fashioned after workshops described by Nancie Atwell in the second edition

ofIn the Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning.


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WRITING WORKSHOP LESSON PLAN (DAY TWO)

OBJECTIVES

Revising poetry

Oklahoma PASS standards for eighth-grade language arts met:o Writing/Grammar/Usage and Mechanics: 1, 2.8, 2.10, 3.1

MATERIALS

Poems students have written during the unit Peer Writing Conference Record (filled out by peer responders the previous day) Paper Pens and/or pencils

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Remind students the writing workshop is a time for revising drafts of poems they have written

over the course of the week, polishing their pieces for publicationgiving to others, posting on

the class Web site, and sharing during the class poetry reading. Emphasize the importance ofworking quietly without disturbing others. Instruct students to continue revising individually.

Circulate around the room to monitor activity and confer with students.

Students will:

Continue revising individually. Finish revisions for homework.

SOURCES

This lesson plan is loosely modeled after workshops described by Nancie Atwell in the secondedition ofIn the Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning.


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INTRODUCTION TO HTML

OBJECTIVES

Gaining familiarity with the structure of HTML documents and the elements used within

Oklahoma PASS standards for instructional technology met:o Intermediate Level prior to completion of grade 8: 4

MATERIALS

Computer with Internet access, Web browser, and Microsoft Notepad Interactive whiteboard (or other computer projection device) Paper Pens and/or pencils

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Compose a simple HTML document in Notepad, displaying the screen on the interactive

whiteboard or through another computer projection device. Discuss each step. View the resulting

Web page in a browser. Add and change attributes, discussing each addition or change andviewing the results in a Web browser. Discuss elements such as , , ,

headings, paragraphs, and breaks. Discuss attributes such as ALIGN. Discuss file names.

Caution students about the use of characters such as quotation marks, dashes, and ampersands.

Print out the HTML document created at the end of class for photocopying and distributing tostudents.

Students will:

Watch, listen, and take notes as the teacher discusses and demonstrates the use of common

HTML.

SOURCES

This lesson plan is adapted from activities described by Katherine Nowak Kellen in her articletitled Expanding Our Reach: Writing HTML Commands to Create Student Hypertext Writing

Projects, which appeared in the January 2002 issue ofThe English Journal.


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HYPERTEXT POEMS LESSON PLAN (DAY ONE)

OBJECTIVES

Composing simple HTML documents


MATERIALS

Previously written and revised poem Printouts of the HTML document created previously in class (photocopied for each

student)

Hypertext Poem Rubric (photocopied for each student) (see Appendix D) Computers with Internet access, Web browser, and Microsoft Notepad Floppy disks (or other medium for saving and submitting student work electronically)

PROCEDURESTeacher will:

Ask HTML-savvy students to spread out and sit among those who are new to working with

HTML. Distribute floppy disks, printouts of the HTML document created in class the previousday, and the Hypertext Poem Rubric. Briefly discuss the rubric. Walk students through launching

Notepad and beginning composition of HTML documents following the example on the printout.

Circulate around the room monitoring activity and helping students as needed. Ask studentsfamiliar with HTML to assist their less familiar peers as well. As students complete their

documents, walk them through launching a Web browser and opening their documents in the

Web browser. Help them troubleshoot should anything not appear correctly in the Web browser.

Students will:

Compose HTML documents. View HTML documents in Web browsers. Turn in floppy diskswith saved HTML documents in progress at the end of class.

SOURCES

This lesson plan is adapted from activities described by Katherine Nowak Kellen in her article

titled Expanding Our Reach: Writing HTML Commands to Create Student Hypertext Writing

Projects, which appeared in the January 2002 issue ofThe English Journal.


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HYPERTEXT POEMS LESSON PLAN (DAY TWO)

OBJECTIVES

Composing simple HTML documents


MATERIALS

Previously written and revised poem Printouts of the HTML document created previously in class (from the previous day) Hypertext Poem Rubric (from the previous day) Computers with Internet access, Web browser, and Microsoft Notepad Floppy disks (or other medium for saving and submitting student work electronically)

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Ask HTML-savvy students once again to spread out and sit among those who are new to

working with HTML. Distribute floppy disks. Instruct students to pick up where they left off the

previous day with their HTML documents. Circulate around the room monitoring activity andhelping students as needed. Ask students familiar with HTML to assist their less familiar peers as

well. Help students troubleshoot should anything not appear correctly in the Web browser.

Students will:

Continue composing HTML documents. View HTML documents in Web browsers. Turn in

floppy disks with saved HTML documents at the end of class. If not finished, complete forhomework and turn in the next day, or make arrangements with teacher for time to complete

them on computers in the classroom or elsewhere in the school.

ASSESSMENT

Student work will be evaluated according to the Hypertext Poem Rubric (see Appendix D).

SOURCES

This lesson plan is adapted from activities described by Katherine Nowak Kellen in her article

titled Expanding Our Reach: Writing HTML Commands to Create Student Hypertext WritingProjects, which appeared in the January 2002 issue ofThe English Journal.


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READING POETRY OUT LOUD

OBJECTIVES

Developing understanding of and appreciation for oral recitation of poetry

Reading aloud Listening as others read aloud Oklahoma PASS standards for eighth-grade language arts met:

o Oral Language/Listening and Speaking: 1.2, 1.3, 2.3MATERIALS

Computer with Internet access and Web browser Interactive whiteboard (or other computer projection device) Poetry Reading Rubric (photocopied for each student) (see Appendix E) Previously written and revised poems students have chosen for the poetry reading Paper Pens and/or pencils

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Display How to Read a Poem Out Loud by Billy Collins (http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/

p180-howtoread.html) on the interactive whiteboard or through another computer projection

device. Read and discuss with students. Distribute Poetry Reading Rubric and briefly discusswith students. Divide students into small groups to practice reading the poems they have chosen

for the poetry reading. Circulate around the room monitoring progress and conferring with

students.

Students will:

Participate in class discussion. Practice reading and listening to others read in small groups.


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POETRY READING LESSON PLAN

OBJECTIVES

Reading aloud

Listening as others read aloud Oklahoma PASS standards for eighth-grade language arts met:

o Oral Language/Listening and Speaking: 1.2, 2.3MATERIALS

Previously written and revised poems students have chosen for the poetry reading

PROCEDURES

Teacher will:

Call students one by one to stand at the front of the classroom and read their poems to the class.

Sit at the back of the room, watching and listening as students read their poems.

Students will:

Listen respectfully as others read their poems. Read aloud when called upon.

ASSESSMENT

Student readings will be evaluated according to the Poetry Reading Rubric (see Appendix E).


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APPENDIX A

SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION OF POETRYQuestions that encourage a personal relationship with the poem:

Do you like it? What does the poem remind you of? What did you think about while listening to it? Where did your mind go? Has anything been said in the poem to remind you of something in your life? What pictures did this poem give you? And what feelings do you get from those pictures? Does the poet bring up ideas youd like to ask him or her about? Ideas youve often

thought about yourself?

Questions that direct students to more analytic interpretation:

What do you notice about the rhythm of the poem? What do you notice about line lengths? Why are some lines different? How does the length of the lines affect the way you read the poem? What would happen if the lines were shorter? Longer? Are there repeated sounds? Do the sounds direct attention? Do the sound patterns connect images?

Which images affect you most? If you were writing this poem, what would you change? What would you keep?

SOURCES

Taken from Poets on Teaching Poetry, which appeared in the September 1994 issue ofThe

English Journal


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APPENDIX B

PEER WRITING CONFERENCE RECORD

Writers Name ____________________________________ Date _______________________

Responder ______________________________ Title of Piece _________________________

Writer, before you ask for a conference, consider what you want help with: ideas, language,images, organization, coherence, a part of the piece, a sense of the whole? Tell the responder

what you want response to:

Responder, help the writer think and make decisions about the writing:

Ask what he or she needs help with. Listen as the writer reads, try to understand the writing, then tell what you heard. If there are parts that you dont understand or youd like to know more about, ask the

writer about them. It will help you and the writer if you jot down your questions duringand after the reading in the space below.

Ask the writer what he or she plans to do next. Give this record of the conference to the writer.

Adapted from the second edition ofIn the Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading,

and Learning by Nancie Atwell


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APPENDIX C

REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO PUBLISH ON THE INTERNET

Dear Parents/Guardians,

During our poetry unit, students will be developing and publishing Web pages on the class Web

site. Each student will have one page dedicated to an original poem he or she has written, which

will include the students first name and last initial. No last names will be published.

School web pages are public documents welcoming the outside world to the school. Before

displaying student material on the Internet, I am requesting your permission to include your

students poem and name in the manner indicated. If you have not visited the class Web site, Iencourage you to do so at [insert URL here].

Sincerely,

L. Alicia Monroe

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I grant permission for my students poem and name (first name and last initial only) to be

published on the class Web site on the Internet.

Students Name ________________________________________________________________

Parents Signature __________________________________ Date ______________________


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APPENDIX D

HYPERTEXT POEM RUBRIC

Students Name ____________________________________ Date __________________

Poem

Student wrote original poem (10 points participation credit). 0 10

HTML Usage

Point rating system: 2 = correct use of element or attribute, 1 = incorrect use of element orattribute, 0 = no use of element or attribute

The documents title appears in the title bar (use of

element).

0 1 2

Thepoems title appears and stands out in the Web browserwindow (use of element).

0 1 2

The poem appears in the Web browser window (use of

element).

0 1 2

Lines are separated (use of
element), and, if the poem has

more than one stanza, stanzas are separated (use of

element)in the Web browser window.

0 1 2

The authors name (first name and last initial only) appears in theWeb browser Window and is aligned the same as the title and the

poem, either all centered or all on the left-hand side of the Web

browser window (use of ALIGN attribute in

element).

0 1 2

Score

Total number of points earned (out of 20 possible).

Comments:


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APPENDIX E

POETRY READING RUBRIC

Students Name ____________________________________ Date __________________

Point rating system: 1 = Poor, 2 = Satisfactory, 3 = Good, 4 = Very Good, 5 = Excellent

Student is prepared.

Student has a copy of poem to read and appears to have rehearsed.

1 2 3 4 5

Student is enthusiastic.

Students tone and expression reflect interest in the assignment.

1 2 3 4 5

Student reads slowly.

Student reads at an easy pace, pausing for a few seconds between

the title and the first line.

1 2 3 4 5

Student reads in a normal, relaxed tone of voice.

Student reads naturally, following the rhythm of the poem, andspeaks clearly.

1 2 3 4 5

Student projects his or her voice.

Student reads loudly enough to be heard throughout the classroom.

1 2 3 4 5

Score

Total number of points earned (out of 25 possible).

Comments:

artifact poetry unit plan

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