High School English Lesson Plan: Poetry

Introduction
Each lesson in the Adolescent Literacy Toolkit is designed to support students through the reading/learning process by providing instruction before, during, and after reading/learning. Note that lessons incorporate the gradual release of responsibility model. When this model is used ithin a single lesson and over several lessons, students are provided ith enough instruction and guidance to use the literacy strategies on their o n. The follo ing lesson includes some e!amples of e!plicit instruction and modeling, guided practice, and independent practice, but students need more practice and feedback than is possible ithin the conte!t of a single lesson. Bold print indicates a direct link to the Content Area Literacy Guide here readers ill find descriptions of literacy strategies, step"by"step directions for ho to use each strategy, and #uadrant charts illustrating applications across the four core content disciplines. The follo ing lesson plan and lesson narrative sho English teachers ho they can incorporate the use of literacy strategies to support high school students to learn content and concepts related to the study of poetry. The lesson is designed for one block period $%&'(& minutes) or t o traditional classes $*& minutes). Instructional Outcomes NCTE Standards+ ,. -tudents read a ide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions of human e!perience. .. -tudents apply a ide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate te!ts. Content Learning Outcome+ -tudents ill practice visuali/ing, analy/ing, and responding to poetic language, including ho poets use conventions like imagery, figurative language, and symbols to appeal to both the intellect and the senses. Literacy Support Strategies and Instruction Before reading/learning+ Visualization $modeling and hole group practice) and Save the Last Word or !e $modeling) 0aterials+ 1halk/markers and board/chart paper for students to rite on, chart paper for poetic conventions uring reading/learning+ Save the Last Word or !e $individual preparation and modeling) 0aterials+ 2nde! cards $or plain copy paper folded into four #uadrants), copy of the poem Abandoned !arm"ouse by Ted 3ooser, and te!t copy of poem on overhead After reading/learning+ Save the Last Word or !e $small group practice) 0aterials+ 2nde! cards, copy of the poem, and paper and pen for the note taker in each group

, The content for this component of 11--45s Adolescent Literacy Toolkit as provided by 6ublic 1onsulting 7roup5s 1enter for 8esource 0anagement, in partnership ith the 1ouncil of 1hief -tate -chool 4fficers $August .&&9). The content as informed by feedback from 11--4 partners and state education officials ho participate in 11--45s -econdary -chool 8edesign 6ro:ect.

Be ore "eading#Learning $.& minutes) Literacy outcome+ -tudents ill use visuali/ation to connect the po er of language to evoke images and aesthetic responses in relation to the reading of poetry. Teac"er facilitation+ ,) At the beginning of the poetry unit, tell students they ill be focusing on visuali/ation and personal response as they discuss poems. .) Tell students they ill be discussing a poem called Abandoned !arm"ouse. Ask students to close their eyes for ;& seconds and form a picture of hat an abandoned farmhouse might look like. 6rompt students to think about the sensory details<the sounds, smells, sights, things they might touch or taste<that come to mind hen they visuali/e an abandoned farmhouse. At the end of the ;& seconds, invite students to do a C"al# Tal#, silently taking turns riting a ord on the board that describes their images of an abandoned farmhouse. Then lead a short discussion of the C"al# Tal# to help consolidate thinking about this image and formulate a group prediction for the poem they are about to discuss. ;) 8evie these four poetic conventions+ figurative language, imagery, symbols, and tone, eliciting definitions and e!amples from students. 8ecord the terms, definitions, and e!amples on chart paper to be used as a reference throughout the lesson. 1larify terms and elaborate on e!amples as needed. $uring "eading#Learning $;* minutes) Literacy outcome+ -tudents ill read a poem closely, noting lines that prompted images or provoked a sensory response in them and articulating the reason behind the image or response. Teac"er facilitation+ ,) Tell students they ill be reading and then discussing the poem using a strategy called Save the Last Word or !e. -tudents ill be identifying lines that create a particularly strong image or response. =sing the overhead pro:ector, sho the first four lines of the poem+ >Abandoned ?armhouse> by Ted 3ooser @e as a big man, says the si/e of his shoes on a pile of broken dishes by the houseA a tall man too, says the length of the bed in an upstairs roomA .) 8ead the first four lines of the first stan/a aloud to the class. 0odel ho you ould identify a po erful image and a sensory response that resonated strongly ith you as you interpreted the four lines. ;) 8eveal the last four lines of the stan/a on the overhead. Ask students to read these lines and select one they think is easy to visuali/e in their heads or one that provokes some sort of emotional or sensory response in them. and a good, 7od"fearing man,
. The content for this component of 11--45s Adolescent Literacy Toolkit as provided by 6ublic 1onsulting 7roup5s 1enter for 8esource 0anagement, in partnership ith the 1ouncil of 1hief -tate -chool 4fficers $August .&&9). The content as informed by feedback from 11--4 partners and state education officials ho participate in 11--45s -econdary -chool 8edesign 6ro:ect.

says the Bible ith a broken back on the floor belo the indo , dusty ith sunA but not a man for farming, say the fields cluttered ith boulders and the leaky barn. C) Ask four students to come up to the front of the room ith their chairs and their note cards. Tell the four students they are going to help you demonstrate ho Save the Last Word or !e orks, sharing an image or sensory response that resonated ith them in the first stan/a. Tell the other students to atch closely because these students are going to help you model hat you ant everyone to do. *) Tap one student on the shoulder and ask him/her to read one of the vivid lines s/he selected but not to share hy the line as selected. Tap the student to the left and ask the student to respond to the line selected and read by the first student. -uggest that this might be a personal response, an interpretation of hat the line means, or the type of figurative language the line uses. Listen to the second person respond to the line selected by the first. Then ask the third and fourth students to each take a turn responding to the same line. E!plain that the person ho originally shared the line then e!plains $"y s/he selected it and ho s/he thinks the poet uses language to create the po er of the line. Ask the first student to do this and listen to the response. Thank the students and ask them to return to their seats. D) Tell the students that this is hy the protocol is called Save the Last Word or !e. E!plain that a EroundF is complete hen all four people have shared one of their cards and had the opportunity to have the last ord. 8einforce that it is okay if more than one student selects the same line because they might have different reasons to do so. 7roup members should add to their earlier comments, or repeat them if this is the case, and should discuss hy this line is so po erful. 9) Gebrief the student modeling to clarify the process for the class. %) Giscuss ith the class ho listening to the group use the strategy helped them make meaning of or get the gist of the first stan/a of the poem. Ask a fe students to share their thinking aloud ith the group. () @and out copies of the poem and four inde! cards. Ask students to record as they read, on one side of each card, a line or lines that generate a po erful image or sensory response like you :ust modeled ith the line you selected. Ask students to note the stan/a $. or ;) here the line is found. 4n the other side of each card, students should rite do n hy they selected that line and ho the author used figurative language, imagery, symbols, or tone to make this image po erful. Each student should fill out t o cards for each stan/a. Note that an image or reaction might be po erful because of a personal response, but ask students to also think about ho the poet uses language to provoke a response. ,&) Tell students they ill be using their cards as the basis for a conversation ith fello students in small groups of four using the Save the Last Word or !e protocol hen they have finished reading the poem and recording their thinking on the inde! cards. % ter "eading#Learning $;* minutes)

; The content for this component of 11--45s Adolescent Literacy Toolkit as provided by 6ublic 1onsulting 7roup5s 1enter for 8esource 0anagement, in partnership ith the 1ouncil of 1hief -tate -chool 4fficers $August .&&9). The content as informed by feedback from 11--4 partners and state education officials ho participate in 11--45s -econdary -chool 8edesign 6ro:ect.

Literacy outcome+ -tudents ill use a collaborative discussion protocol to share their responses to the poem in small groups and analy/e ho the use of poetic language in a poem enhances the intellectual or emotional po er of the te!t. Teac"er facilitation+ ,) Givide students into small groups of four and ask each group to follo the same protocol. The group should decide ho is going to start and they should complete t o EroundsF ith the cards. .) When the groups have completed their t o rounds $one round for stan/as t o and three, respectively), ask each group to select a note taker for the group to rite do n the lines selected for Save the Last Word or !e by group members $one line per person ith no repeats for each stan/a). Then the group should ork together to complete a group &uic' Write responding to the follo ing+ =sing the types of figurative language conventions listed on the board or chart paper earlier in the lesson, the group should discuss hat type of language convention each selected line represents. They should identify hich lines are e!amples of the four types of language convention. The note taker should record the group consensus for hat type of language convention is associated ith each selected line. The group should discuss hat they think is the gist of each stan/a< hat the poet is trying to convey. The note taker should record the group consensus for the gist of each stan/a. The group should discuss hat they think happened to the family. The note taker should record the group5s con:ecture as to E hat ent rong.F These completed &uic' Writes provide valuable data for teacher reflection and should not be graded. The student responses should be used to assess student learning and make decisions about ne!t lessons. ;) At the end of the class, bring students back together into the large group and elicit ho they liked using the Save the Last Word or !e strategy to ork ith a poem and ho the strategy affected their ability to understand or engage ith the poem. Suggested Su(se)uent Lessons -tudents can repeat the use of Save the Last Word or !e ith other poems to identify and discuss lines that provoke strong imagery or response and analy/e language use in increasingly difficult poems. Eventually, students should be able to identify on their o n ho poetic conventions contribute to the interest, imagery, and memorable impact upon the reader.

C The content for this component of 11--45s Adolescent Literacy Toolkit as provided by 6ublic 1onsulting 7roup5s 1enter for 8esource 0anagement, in partnership ith the 1ouncil of 1hief -tate -chool 4fficers $August .&&9). The content as informed by feedback from 11--4 partners and state education officials ho participate in 11--45s -econdary -chool 8edesign 6ro:ect.

High School English Lesson *arrative: Poetry

+eachers: As you read the lesson narrative, think about the follo ing #uestions. Hou may ant to discuss them ith fello English language arts teachers. %"at does t"e teac"er do to support students& literacy de'elopment and content learning before( during( and after reading/learning) %"at c"allenges do you anticipate if you $ere to implement t"is lesson in your o$n classroom) *o$ $ould you prepare to meet t"ese c"allenges) *o$ $ould you ma#e impro'ements to t"is lesson) 0s. -no ondered ho she could engage her students in visuali/ing and engaging ith poetry ithout making it seem like an academic e!ercise or classroom drudgery. -he had read Abandoned !arm"ouse last April during 6oetry 0onth and thought it might be intriguing to some of the reluctant students as it as short in length, used ordinary language, and had a pu//ling ending. -he thought it ould be a good ay to introduce the unit. -he could initially focus on visuali/ation and ho poets use language to create po erful lines. -he decided to try out a collaborative discussion strategy another teacher had mentioned called Save the Last Word or !e. Be ore "eading#Learning 0s. -no rote the ords abandoned farm"ouse on the board as her class filed in and sat do n. 4nce her students settled into their desks, she asked them to close their eyes and for ;& seconds form a picture in their minds of an abandoned farmhouse. E8emember to use sensory details to make the image more vivid. What do you see, hear, smell,F there ere a fe giggles, Efeel, and tasteIF -he paused in silence. E3eep that image and find a ord that describes the abandoned farmhouse you visuali/ed. We5ll do a silent C"al# Tal#. ?or the ne!t t o or three minutes, hen you see a free piece of chalk, you can go up to the board and rite your ord. 2f your ord relates to one that has already been ritten, dra a line that connects them.F After ards, 0s. -no led a discussion of the ords students recorded during the C"al# Tal#. -he asked students to note ords they particularly liked and to determine hy these ords provoked a positive response. Then she solicited student ideas as to hat a poem titled Abandoned !arm"ouse might be about. 0s. -no divided a piece of chart paper into four sections and rote one of these terms in each section+ figurative language, imagery, symbols, and tone. -he e!plained that each of these ords is a convention of something that poets use to create images in the reader5s mind or to prompt feelings in the reader. -he asked students hich terms ere familiar to them. -everal hands ent up and 0s. -no called on Erin, a ne student in her class. Erin said, EWe ere talking about symbols yesterday in my history class and symbols are things that represent another idea, like the flag represents your country and patriotism, or like a peace sign represents solving problems ithout the use of violence.F 0s. -no affirmed Erin5s definition and e!amples and recorded them on the chart paper. -he added that an important part of learning is to make connections bet een ideas, and symbols are used in all academic areas and throughout our culture. Bob, an avid gamer said, EHeah, like hen you see an apple ith a bite out of it, you al ays think of Apple computers or i6ods. 4h, and 2 think 2 kno hat imagery is, because the root ord is Jimage5 and that5s like a picture or visual, something you can see like a mountain or beach.F 0s. -no recorded Bob5s definition on the chart paper and continued the discussion until the chart as complete. 4nce all the terms had been discussed and clarified, she e!plained that the chart ould be posted on the all for reference throughout the lesson.
* The content for this component of 11--45s Adolescent Literacy Toolkit as provided by 6ublic 1onsulting 7roup5s 1enter for 8esource 0anagement, in partnership ith the 1ouncil of 1hief -tate -chool 4fficers $August .&&9). The content as informed by feedback from 11--4 partners and state education officials ho participate in 11--45s -econdary -chool 8edesign 6ro:ect.

$uring "eading#Learning =sing the overhead, 0s. -no pro:ected the first four lines of the poem on the all. -he informed the class that Ted 3ooser served as poet laureate for the =nited -tates, hich is the highest national honor for a living poet. -he ent on to read the first four lines aloud to the class. EAbandoned ?armhouse, by Ted 3ooser @e as a big man, says the si/e of his shoes on a pile of broken dishes by the houseA a tall man too, says the length of the bed in an upstairs roomA and a good, 7od"fearing man,F 0s. -no thought aloud, E@mmm, 2 see a big man ith big feet and he has talking shoes. No 2 am pretty sure that no has invented talking shoes, so the poet is giving the shoes human #ualities hich e call personification. 25m ondering hy the poet chose to make the shoes and bed talk. That5s curious and makes me ant to read on. Also, it says the man as a good, 7od"fearing man and that makes me think he is honest and ethical<that he has good values. That makes me feel like he must be a good person in the ay he thinks and the ay he acts. Go you see ho the language Ted 3ooser used helped me to visuali/e and respond to the poemIF 0ost students ere nodding affirmatively. EWe ill read the ne!t four lines and this time a fe students ill share ho they interpreted images and responses. No 25ll sho you the ne!t four lines and read them to you. Esays the Bible ith a broken back on the floor belo the indo , dusty ith sunA

but not a man for farming, say the fields cluttered ith boulders and the leaky barn. No 2 need some volunteers<3ara, Gan, 8aoul, 0ara, bring your chairs up to the front of the room. Hou are going to help me model the strategy e are going to use ith this poem. 2t5s called Save the Last Word or !e.F 8aoul said, E2 like the line Jbut not a man for farming, say the fields.5F 0s. -no stopped 8aoul. EGon5t say any moreA don5t tell us hy you chose that line. No 0ara, you have up to one minute to react or respond to this line. 0ara thought for a moment. EWhy ould someone ho5s not good at farming live on a farmI Why did he become a farmerI Why didn5t he fi! things like the leaky roofIF Ne!t Gan eighed in. E2t seems like they5re poor. 2s it because the farmer doesn5t ork hard enoughI 4r as his tractor brokenI 25m ondering if he as eak or sickly.F After 3ara ondered if the guy maybe inherited the farm, it as 8aoul5s turn again. E-o, 8aoul, hy did you select the lineI Hou get the last ord.F E2 like the fields talking part< having the fields talk like they5re telling on the guy. Like it5s the evidence that he is a guy ho
D The content for this component of 11--45s Adolescent Literacy Toolkit as provided by 6ublic 1onsulting 7roup5s 1enter for 8esource 0anagement, in partnership ith the 1ouncil of 1hief -tate -chool 4fficers $August .&&9). The content as informed by feedback from 11--4 partners and state education officials ho participate in 11--45s -econdary -chool 8edesign 6ro:ect.

isn5t a good farmer, but the poet doesn5t have to say it. 2 don5t kno , 2 :ust liked it.F E4kay, good. -o ho does the poet use language to help you Jsee5 that imageIF 8aoul ans ered, ETed 3ooser makes us see fields that have rocks in them instead of crops, and a barn that needs a ne roof because it has leaks in it.F 0s. -no nodded in agreement. E2 like the ay you noticed Ted 3ooser5s use of imagery, 8aoul, and hearing the group5s interpretations of the poem helped me to think about lots of different scenarios. 1an anyone try to sum up or give the gist of hat the first stan/a is aboutIF -tephen looked thoughtful and 0s. -no asked him hat he as thinking. -tephen said, EAbout my gro ling stomach or the poemIF 0s. -no said, ENo there5s an image e5re probably all having right no <a gro ling stomach, but 2 digress. Back to the poem, -tephen.F E2 think the first stan/a is about a big man ho lived on a farm and as not good at farming or chores, but that he as a good person.F Bob added, EAnd the bible said he as religious, too.F ENicely done. No , in the ne!t part of the period you are all going to use a strategy called Save the Last Word or !e. 2t is a t o part strategy<first you ork by yourselves and then you ill ork ith others in a group of four.F E@ere5s ho 6art , orks. 2 am going to ask you to select t o lines from each stan/a that strike you as particularly po erful. 2 ant to you to pick the line hich generates a strong image for you and a line that evokes an emotional reaction. There are t o more stan/as so you ill have four lines that you select. 2 am going to give each of you a copy of the poem and four inde! cards. 4n one side of each card you ill rite the line that strikes you. 4n the other, hy you find the line po erful<and this could be personal<and then 2 ant you to think about ho the author uses language to create the image and :ot do n a thought about that as ell. Hou might ant to use the terms e discussed<figurative language, symbols, imagery, and tone<or you might use the term personification or metaphor<:ust take a stab at it. No right or rong here< :ust some deep thinking about the imagery in t o po erful lines that you select<ho it strikes you, hy it strikes you, and ho Ted 3ooser, the poet, uses language to make it happen. Note hich stan/a of the poem contains the lines you selected. No do a good :ob on these<you ill be sharing them in small groups in a fe minutes hen e do 6art 22 of Save the Last Word or !e.F As the students began to select their #uotes and rite the reasons for their choices, 0s. -no circled the room to ans er #uestions and provide support. % ter "eading#Learning ENo 25d like you to form groups of four. 4ne person ill first read aloud a #uotation and ask others to respond. When they finish, that person gets the last ord.F -tudents began orking but there as some confusion about the process, so 0s. -no stopped by several desks and prompted students to only read the #uote, not the reason, before the group discussion. -lo ly the group discussions began to flo smoothly as students discussed the poem and she noticed that several had selected the same lines. As 0s. -no circulated around the room she heard students5 thinking out loud. E2 think Jand the inter5s cold, say the rags in the indo frames.5 2 don5t kno <for some reason, 2 can :ust feel the leaky drafts from the indo in that line and it feels sad and lonely to me. 2 like the image that is created. And the ay the rags are talking.F

9 The content for this component of 11--45s Adolescent Literacy Toolkit as provided by 6ublic 1onsulting 7roup5s 1enter for 8esource 0anagement, in partnership ith the 1ouncil of 1hief -tate -chool 4fficers $August .&&9). The content as informed by feedback from 11--4 partners and state education officials ho participate in 11--45s -econdary -chool 8edesign 6ro:ect.

0s. -no #uieted the groups, some of hom ere finished and some of hom ere still doing rounds of Save the Last Word or !e. E2 am sorry to interrupt those of you ho have not finished your rounds of discussion, but 2 need to give you directions on ho to finish up our ork before the end of class. The ne!t step is to ork together as a group to do a &uic' Write. Hou need to identify a note taker to record the thinking of the group for the &uic' Write. No listen carefully to these directions for the &uic' Write. ,) The group ill choose four lines in the poem hich are e!amples of the four types of language+ figurative, imagery, symbols, and tone. The note taker ill record the line of the poem and the type of language convention associated ith the selected line. .) The note taker ill record the group consensus for the gist of each stan/a $,';) by completing this sentence starter+ This stan/a as aboutK. ;) The note taker ill record the group consensus of hat happened to the family by completing this sentence starter+ -omething ent rong. We think it asK $and tell hy).F As the period ended, 0s. -no checked in to see ho they liked the Save the Last Word or !e discussion and complimented the groups. EHou have done some great meaning making and interpretation in your groups. Hour discussions of the #uotations clearly sho ed you grasped the author5s meaning. -o hat did you think of this strategyI @o did it affect your engagement ith the poem or your thinking about hat it meantIF A fe students shared+ E2 got a better sense of it hen 2 heard hat others think.F E2t as a lot better than 2 thought it ould be<2 hate poetry.F E2t as okay<2 liked that e could rite do n the lines e liked first.F Again, 0s. -no complimented them and told them they ould be using the strategy again the ne!t day ith a tougher poem no that they kne ho they could ork together to have a discussion about a poem. -he reminded note takers from each group to put the names of the group members on the &uic' Write and turn it in on the ay out the door. When reflecting on the class, 0s. -no thought the level of discussion and engagement for this poem boded ell for the poetry unit and she as glad she had tried the strategy.

% The content for this component of 11--45s Adolescent Literacy Toolkit as provided by 6ublic 1onsulting 7roup5s 1enter for 8esource 0anagement, in partnership ith the 1ouncil of 1hief -tate -chool 4fficers $August .&&9). The content as informed by feedback from 11--4 partners and state education officials ho participate in 11--45s -econdary -chool 8edesign 6ro:ect.