ED3601- CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION FOR ENGLISH MAJORS
UNIT PLAN WORKSHOP ORGANIZER
Due: At midnight on Saturday after the workshop
Group Members: Aidan Brouwer, Keigan Earl, Ethan Hutchison, Matthew Morrison, Anjalee
Saggu
Grade: 8
Genre Focus: Poetry Writing Workshop
Focused
Outcomes
2.2 Respond to texts
Experience various texts
● experience oral, print and other
media texts from a variety of
cultural traditions and genres,
such as magazine articles,
diaries, drama, poetry, Internet
passages, fantasy, nonfiction,
advertisements and
photographs
2.3 Understand Forms, Elements, and
Techniques
Experiment with Language
● identify creative uses of
language and visuals in
popular culture, such as
commercials, rock videos and
magazines; explain how
Activities
Language Demonstrations of
Learning
Arts
Reading Group Research: Students
will choose a poetic form
Writing and put them into groups
to research this poetic
Speaking form. Research can be
done from the library,
Listening online, or other sources
the students might find.
Viewing Research will be compiled
into a document for the
Representing group and assessed by the
teacher.
Group Presentation:
Students will present their
groups research findings in
whatever way they choose
(Within reason - poster,
powerpoint, podcast,
paper, etc.). The
presentation should be
 imagery and figurative
language, such as hyperbole,
create tone and mood
2.4 Structure texts
Create original text
● choose forms or genres of oral,
print or other media texts for
the particular affects they will
have on audiences and
purposes
3.2 Select and Process
Use a variety of resources
● Obtain information from a
variety of sources, such as
artifacts, debates, forums,
biographies, autobiographies,
surveys, documentaries, films,
CDROMS, charts and tables
when conducting research
4.1 Enhance and Improve
Appraise own and others’ work
● Share draft oral, print and
other media texts in a way that
will elicit useful feedback
5.1 Respect Others and Strengthen
Community
Relate texts to culture
● talk about other times, places
and people after exploring oral,
print and other media texts
from various communities
5.2 Work Within a Group
Work in groups
● Contribute ideas, knowledge
and strategies to identify group
around ten minutes and
students should be
prepared to receive
questions from their
classmates. The
presentation will be peer-
assessed.
Portfolio: a collection of all
of the students working
from this unit. Most of the
writing (daily poems, in
class work, idea
generating) will be
collected in this portfolio
and handed in at the close
of the unit. The portfolio
will be assessed as a
complete item with all of its
contents, but the majority
of assessment will come
from three of their daily
writing practices and one
type of each of the chosen
research poems.
Exit-slips: Students will fill
out the occasional exit slip
following a given prompt.
These are for the teacher
to see where students are
at and to assess what
instruction the class might
require. On occasion,
these exit slips might be
short poems that students
will include in their
portfolio.
 information needs and sources

Resources:

Student Resources:

Poetic forms (https://www.theyellowsparrow.com/traditional-forms-of-poetry/):

● Ode - Greek - mentor text “Ode on a Grecian Urn” -John Keats

● Ghazal - Arabic - mentor text “Ghazals on Ghazals” - John Hollander
● Limerick - Irish - mentor text “Book of Nonsense” (anthology of limericks) Edward Lear
● Haiku - Japanese - mentor text “The Old Pond” - Matsuo Basho
● Villanelle - French - mentor text “One Art” - Elizabeth Bishop
● Viator - Canadian - mentor text “When People Speak” - Robert Lee Brewer

Research sites:

- https://www.britannica.com/
- https://bookriot.com/different-types-of-poems/
- https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/childrens-article/different-types-of-poetry-for-kids
- https://www.poetryfoundation.org/

https://www.poem-generator.org.uk/

Teacher Resources:

https://www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca/blogs/post/indigenous-life-in-poetry-and-prose/

Writer’s Block strategies: https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-exercises/writer-s-block/

Editing strategies: https://wac.colostate.edu/repository/resources/writing/guides/editing/

Norton Anthology of Poetry

Literary Learnings:

Poetic form

-rhyme, meter, stanza

Figurative Language

-metaphor/simile
Key Activities:
Opening
[Romance]
Introduction to the portfolio:
Students will keep and
develop all of their work
within this unit in their
portfolio. It will be handed
in at the close of the unit.
Spoken word poem lesson:
A Blackfoot speaker will
join the class and talk
about oral traditions and
oral poetry. Students will
then, as a class, craft a
spoken word poem.
Poem generator: As a
class, students will fill in the
poem generator “madlib” to
create a computer
generated poem. This will
be repeated a few times
with various poetic forms
(Haiku, Acrostic, Limerick)
Assessments:
Formative:
Research Draft
Presentation Draft
Exit Slips on various days
Peer review
Developmental Culminating
[Precision] [Generalization]
Daily writing practice (DWP) Gallery Walk: Students will
- 5-15 minutes: start with choose one or two of their
students writing free verse favorite or best poems that
where they just write what they have written throughout
they think poetry is, then try the unit and post them
different stipulations like around the classroom.
rhyming pattern, or meter, Students will then use the
etc… class time to wander and
read their classmates
Poem type research project: poems and share their
Looking at poetic forms poems with each other.
from different cultures and
their significance within that Dramatic Reading: Students
culture. who feel confident (not all
students are required to
Exit Slips: Students will do participate) will provide a
an exit slip on the days their reading of their chosen
peers present and will give poem to the classroom.
peer feedback and highlight
a new thing they learned.
Summative:

Portfolio - 70%

Presentation of “Cultural Poetry Research Project” - 15%

Research on “Cultural Poetry Research Project” - 15%

M T W Th F

Opening DWP: write a DWP: write free Developing DWP: pre-write a

poem (whatever verse poetry. poem instead of
Have music you think makes DWP: write in actually writing a
playing when a poem). Mini Lesson: response to the poem.
students enter Figurative quote “Poetry is
class. Talk Lesson: What language, what the language of Mini Lesson:
about how do we already is a metaphor, love and war How do we work
music is related know about what is a simile? alike, often at the well in a group?
to the art form of poetry? How do same time.”
poetry. we experiment Teacher models Daniel Heath Library walk:
Compare and with language? research project: Justice. Students will
contrast classic Talk about Canadian peruse the
and rhyming and Indigenous Mini Lesson: Pre- library to begin
contemporary meter and poetry. Writing, how do their research for
poetry to show stanzas briefly. we organize our their research
how poems -Blackfoot guest thoughts before group project.
have evolved Introduce free will be invited to we begin writing? Students will
over time. verse, which share about oral browse books,
they will be tradition in Introduce poetry
Use random using for daily Indigenous “Cultural Poetry collections or
generator to writing practice. culture, and Research anthologies and
break up share an Project” other cultural
lecture: madlib example. texts/resources.
style using Make groups for
poetry generator Students will poetry research
website. This learn about the project
will be a class importance of
discussion
activity with orality in poetry.
students
choosing the
words that are
input into the
generator.
SLOs:
SLOs:
SLOs: 2.2 Experience SLOs: SLOs:
2.2 Experience various texts
2.3 Experiment 3.2 Use a variety 3.2 Use a variety
various texts
with language 5.1 Relate texts of resources of resources
2.3 Experiment to culture
2.4 Create 5.1 Relate texts 5.1 Relate texts
with language
original text to culture to culture

5.2 Work in
groups

DWP: Write free DWP: Write free DWP: Free DWP: Write free DWP: Free verse
verse or verse or verse except verse or try the except with the
practice the practice the with the type the group restriction that it
style you are style you are restriction that it you paired with must be in 3
researching. researching. must be in an was researching. stanzas.
AABB rhyme
Mini Lesson: Mini Lesson: scheme. Mini Lesson: Mini Lesson:
Drafting, the Rhyming, what Stanzas, what Meter, what are
importance of are common Mini Lesson: defines a stanza common meters
getting ideas rhyme patterns Revising, how to in poetry, why do
down, include in poetry, why give and receive Work time for we use them
writer’s block do we use them good feedback Cultural Poetry
activities Project Work time for
Research time Groups are Cultural Poetry
Research time for Cultural paired up to Project
for Cultural Poetry Project, share where
Poetry Project, teacher is they are at, and Practice
teacher is available to help what they’re Presentations
available to help answer question struggling with,
answer question or guide and practice
or guide research feedback skills
research
 SLOs:

SLOs: SLOs: 5.1 Relate texts

to culture
SLOs: 3.2 Use a 4.1 Appraise SLOs:
variety of own and others’ 5.2 Work in
3.2 Use a resources work 5.1 Relate texts groups
variety of to culture
resources 5.1 Relate texts 5.2 Work in
to culture groups 5.2 Work in
5.1 Relate texts groups
to culture 5.2 Work in
groups
5.2 Work in
groups

Presentation Presentation Mini Lesson: Mini Lesson: Mini Lesson:

Day Day continued Editing, why is it Editing continued Portfolios, how
important to edit, do we make
Exit Slip: Peer Exit Slip: Peer what are Write other types portfolios? What
Assessment, Assessment, strategies we of poems (from are the
and what is one and what is one can use to help presentations). requirements of
thing you thing you edit. your portfolios?
learned from a learned from a Peer feedback;
presentation presentation Start writing their share draft of Write other types
today? today? other types of poem. of poems (from
poems (from presentations).
presentations). Work time to
revise, and edit. Peer feedback;
Peer feedback; k share draft of
share draft of poem.
poem.
Work time to
Work time to revise, and edit.
revise, and edit.

SLOs:
SLOs: SLOs: SLOs: SLOs:
2.3 Experiment
2.2 Experience 2.2 Experience 2.3 Experiment 2.3 Experiment
with language
various texts various texts with language
5.1 Relate texts 5.1 Relate texts 4.1 Appraise 2.4 Create with language
to culture to culture own and others’ original texts
work 2.4 Create
5.2 Work in 5.2 Work in 4.1 Appraise own original texts
groups groups 5.2 Work in and others’ work
groups 4.1 Appraise
own and others’
work

Mini Lesson: Teacher Culminating Mini Lesson: Portfolio final

Publishing as conferencing Publishing into work day
creating final Gallery walk: the real world (publishing) and
work. Time to work on hand-in.
creating their -Students will -Get students to
Teacher portfolios, and choose 1-2 select one or
conferencing. responding to poems of their more of their
teacher choice to share poems to submit
Time to work on feedback from for the Gallery to an actual
creating their conferences. Walk poetry journal.
portfolios, and
responding to -Use graffiti
teacher sheets for
feedback from feedback.
conferences.
Dramatic
readings of
poems
(volunteers).

SLOs: SLOs: SLOs:

SLOs: SLOs:
4.1 Appraise 2.2 Experience 2.2 Experience
own and others’ 4.1 Appraise various texts 2.2 Experience
own and others’ various texts various texts
work
work 2.3 Experiment 4.1 Appraise
with language own and others’
work
4.1 Appraise
own and others’
 work

Portfolio Requirements

● 3 Daily Writing Practice of their choice

● One starting Free Verse poem
● One Ode
● One Ghazal
● One Limerick
● One Haiku
● One Villanelle
● One Viator
● Are all the poems titled?
● Is it organized from the start of the unit to the end?
● Demonstrates self reflection on progress (What is your best piece? Why? Which pieces
demonstrate growth? Describe your revision process. Which piece do you think
benefited from revision? What forms and genres were your favorite? )
● Demonstrates a reflection on the cultural influence of poetic forms