Lesson 1: Intro to Poetry

ELA POS Outcomes

1.2.a acknowledge the value of the ideas and opinions of others in exploring and extending
personal interpretations and perspectives
2.2.a 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.c discuss how techniques, such as word choice, balance, camera angles, line and framing,
communicate meaning and enhance effects in oral, print and other media texts

Objectives
By the end of the lesson, SWBAT…
● Discuss how literary devices influences a poem and its meaning
● Identify literary devices within poetry
● Explain what poetry and spoken word is
Texts
● Verses vs Verses :
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mJNI07ZSamD8uKbypM-HNM-sH0K4RrMfY
HACizberrQ/edit
● Powerpoint Link:
https://www.canva.com/design/DAGBTZhTiGg/8Aw8Pfv6Hjld-IW84KYz2Q/edit?ut
m_content=DAGBTZhTiGg&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_
source=sharebutton
● https://www.canva.com/design/DAGBTZhTiGg/zE6jc0oljFsJjsHIDJYeZg/view?utm_c
ontent=DAGBTZhTiGg&utm_campaign=share_your_design&utm_medium=link&ut
m_source=shareyourdesignpanel
● AI Policy:
https://www.canva.com/design/DAGBY3BRUdg/m8yw0zOfWwX-dIv0Mr2AJw/edit?
utm_content=DAGBY3BRUdg&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&ut
m_source=sharebutton
● Link to poem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDaoeKwHzMA
Activities
1. Intro (20 minutes)
● Students read their “one book” (10 mins)
● Talk about things you liked about the essays, things to focus on
○ Personalized learning — lots says it good, but I liked that someone used it a bad in
education as it lacked the human touch, over reliant on data, not always addressing the
socio-emotional, cultural, and psychological factors that influence learning
 ○ Go over AI expectations for Japan Unit – need to know your learning it not
just memorizing it
● Go over AI policy
2. Poetry Intro & Activity (30 mins)
● Play Poetry Intro Video: What makes a poem … a poem? - Melissa Kovacs
● What is poetry: “means to create”
○ Do you write poetry?
○ Do you know any poets?
○ Is music poetry?
○ Spoken word VS Poetry: poetry is meant to be read, while spoken word is
meant to be performed and heard
● Summarize what poetry/spoken word is –
○ Types of poems: free verse, haiku, limerick, sonnet
○ Contain Verses: refer to a single line, stanza or poem in its entirety
○ Common Themes: identity, nature, memories, love, friendship, personal
experiences
○ Literary devices: often lots of metaphors, alliterations, similes, allusion,
repetition, rhyming, symbolism

3. Activities
● Hand out and Explain Verses vs Verses assignment
● Share “Fear and Fridays” poem Zach Bryan – preface that it is a mature poem and I am
trusting you with this poem as the “almost adults you are”
○ Singer/songwriter from oklahoma – Folk and outlaw country music
○ He believes that who you are only extends to the person you are today, an
ideology reflected in everything he creates.
○ Born in Okinawa, Japan, on April 2, 1996, while his parents where stationed
there
● Have students fill out Verses vs Verses assignment
○ Share my thoughts too on theme, literary devices, & lines
● Theme:
■ Reflection of authentic personal experiences
■ Being present
■ Fear and the ability to confront it -- fear should not hinder your growth
● Literary Devices
■ Metaphor: "I think fear and Fridays got an awful lot in common"
● Comparing fear and Fridays suggests that both are overemphasized
and often leave people feeling unsatisfied.
■ Repetition: “And I think fear and Fridays got an awful lot in common,
they are overdone and glorified and always leave you wanting" x2
 ■ Imagery: clear descriptions that appeal to the senses, such as "walked
countless coastlines," "awoken on mountain tops," and "taken my
motorbike down to Pacific 101."
■ Alliteration: Fear and Fridays “f”
■ Irony?: The statement "I've ridden in fear, although, I was afraid every
single time" is ironic as it suggests a contradiction in the speaker's
experiences of fear.
■ Allusion: “Empire State building” - cultural reference
■ Paradox: (contradictory terms appear in conjunction): “I am unhinged,
unworthy, and distasteful to mostly everyone I meet, however I am loyal to
a fault to anyone I find kindness in" contains an oxymoron by juxtaposing
negative qualities with loyalty and kindness.
● Stand out lines:
○ “I have ridden in fear, although I was afraid single every time”
■ Have the courage to move forward even when there is fear
○ "I've learned that every waken moment is enough"
■ Value in living in the present moment
○ The comparison between fear and Fridays as being "overdone and
glorified and always leave you wanting"
■ Invites the reader to reconsider common perceptions and societal norms
about always wanting more
■ Ultimately overhyped and ultimately unsatisfying
○ "And I got no hate in my heart for anything, anywhere, or anyone"
○ Message of love and acceptance. A statement of unconditional love that
promotes empathy and understanding in a world often characterized by conflict
and division.
○ "I am unhinged, unworthy, and distasteful to mostly everyone I meet,
however I am loyal to a fault to anyone I find kindness in"
■ This line stands out for its honesty and vulnerability. Revealling the
self-awareness and complexity, portraying him as flawed yet loyal and
compassionate.

Assessment
Assessment:
● Versus vs Versus page 1 filled out
● Class discussion
Lesson 2: Making a Haiku
ELA POS Outcomes
2.2.a 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.c discuss how techniques, such as word choice, balance, camera angles, line and framing,
communicate meaning and enhance effects in oral, print and other media texts

2.4.d choose forms or genres of oral, print or other media texts for the particular affects they
will have on audiences and purposes

Objectives
By the end of the lesson, SWBAT…
● Express how a Haiku can impose a particular effect on the reader
● Create their own haiku
Texts
● Verses vs Verses
● Powerpoint Link:
https://www.canva.com/design/DAGBTZhTiGg/8Aw8Pfv6Hjld-IW84KYz2Q/edit?ut
m_content=DAGBTZhTiGg&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_
source=sharebutton
Activities
1. Intro (10 mins)
● Read their “one book”

2. Versus VS Versus (10 mins)

● Play a poem: “Touchscreen” Touchscreen - Marshall Davis Jones.docx
● “Touchscreen” by Marshall Davis Jones (Classroom Friendly) (3 mins)
● Do Verses vs Verses sheet

3. Haiku making (30 mins)

● Share my experience from my trip to Japan
○ Talk a bit about why travel is so important to expand worldview and learn
■ And why is it so important to you
● Go over what a Haiku is – ensure they know what a syllable is
○ One sound that form the part(s) of a word - one beat or sound
○ Relay the idea that lower grade haikus are the correct syllables, grade ⅚ haikus
have that imagery, then grade 8 haikus have a plot twist at the end
● Have them make Haikus
Assessment
Assessment
● Hand in their Haikus
● Verses VS Verses continues to be filled in