Dear Reader,

Poetry has always been a love of mine. Poetry has guided through dark times in my life,

allowed me to explore my identity, and learn about the identities and stories of others and the

world around me. To not only be able to finally write a unit for my future students, but to have it

focus on the power of poetry and narrative is a dream come true, and makes my heart so full.

Writing this unit’s lesson plans, crafting the unit calendar, and brainstorming meaningful and

engaging activities for students was so incredibly fun for me, and it brought me so much joy.

When I sat down to write this unit, I wanted to focus on creating a meaningful, engaging,

and exploratory culminating text/ activity that wasn’t a poetry slam. Let it be known that I love

poetry slams. I think they are wonderful and amazing for students to participate in. That being

said, poetry slams are done so frequently, and I wanted to give my students a new project that

allowed them to navigate their identity and find poetry they connect with, as well as, write their

own original pieces. The Build-your-own anthology truly fit the bill for this. Students are able to

explore their identity, practice their research skills, and create a piece that is meaningful to them

and close to their heart. This is absolutely a project that I plan on using in my future classrooms.

As with anything in life, this unit is far from perfect. As teachers, I think we always feel

the weight of knowing we could be doing something better, or differently. The thing I definitely

need to be cognizant when putting this unit into action is my management of time. I have a LOT

of things packed into each day, and as educators, we all know that things hardly ever go perfectly

to plan. This unit also falls right before winter break, so there’s bound to be some level of

struggle to keep students engaged and on task.

 Overall, I am so beyond proud of this unit, and if anything, it just got me more excited

about teaching. This process helped me hone my craft, prioritize, and truly reflect on the kind of

teacher I want to be. Although we are in uncertain times, I know one thing to be true: teaching is

my calling, this is only the beginning.

Warmly,

Danielle Parker