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Lesson Plan
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Utah Education Network (UEN)

8th Grade Poetry: Catalog Poem

For Teachers 8th Standards
After conducting a close reading of Billy Collin's poem "Forgetfulness" and responding to questions on a worksheet, young poets craft catalog poems and share their work with a partner. The lesson plan ends with the partner using the...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Utah Education Network (UEN)

8th Grade Poetry: Narrative Poem

For Teachers 8th Standards
The first lesson of a five-lesson unit designed for eighth graders has class members reading and watching a video of Edgar Allen Poe's narrative poem, "The Raven." They then craft their narrative poem, illustrate it, and share their work...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Abigail in Childbirth

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Childbirth has never been easy and is not without risk, even in the 21st century. Young historians gain insight into the travails of 18th-century childbirth as they read letters between Abigail Adams and her husband about their loss of a...
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Activity
PBS

Write a New Year Poem Inspired by Amanda Gorman’s "New Day’s Lyric"

For Students 6th - 12th
Here's a new take on a new year. After watching and discussing the video of Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman performing her "New Day's Lyric," young poets craft poems that reflect their feelings about the past year and their resolutions...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Speak Your Truth: Techniques in Spoken Word Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
As part of a study of Spoken Word Poetry, class members watch a series of performance videos and note where poets get their ideas and the performance techniques used by the poets. Pupils then draft and share their poems.
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Poetry as Social Justice: Reading and Writing Poetry

For Teachers 9th
Words can be a powerful tool in the hands of a poet. Class members examine a poem written by Ross Gay in response to the death of Eric Garner and a news report of the same death. They then read an article about the death of Tamir Rice...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Spiders, Spiders, Everywhere: Poetry Analysis - Theme And Metaphor

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Walt Whitman's poem "A Noiseless Patient Spider" provides high schoolers an opportunity to reflect on the importance of perseverance and fortitude. After drafting a Quick Write about a time they tried and tried again to accomplish...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

If You're a Bird, I'm a Bird: Symbolism

For Teachers 8th - 9th Standards
Would a bluebird be as scary as a vulture? Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" is the central text in a lesson about symbolism. After a close reading of the poem, learners consider what the raven might represent to the narrator. They then...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The History of Spoken Word Poetry: Historical and Cultural Perspectives In Literature

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Spoken word poetry, more than almost any other form, reveals the historical and cultural perspective of the poet. High schoolers listen to various spoken word poems, select one to research in-depth, and then apply what they have learned...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Memory Haiku: The Great Gatsby and the Sense of Smell

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
Scholars learn how smells evoke early childhood memories and apply that knowledge to a character from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. After finding a passage from the novel that references smells, they craft a haiku and a...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

You Think You Have Problems: Perspective in Multi-Genre Literature

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
Young scholars are asked to reflect on how personal experiences might influence points of view and perspectives. They read poems and biographies of the poets and then match the poem to the poet. To justify their matches, learners...
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Activity
Curated OER

Celebrate Joy Harjo: The First Native American Poet Laureate

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Introduce middle schoolers to Poet Laureate Joy Harjo with a lesson that not only explains the role and duties of the Poet Laureate but also contains a video in which Harjo explains what she sees as her responsibility as a Native...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Thanksgiving with Richard Blanco's "América"

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Traditions, like the times, are a-changin'. Middle schoolers conduct a close reading of Richard Blanco's poem "América" and consider how Blanco's family approached his suggestions for adopting a new approach to their Thanksgiving meal.
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Teach This Poem: “Thanksgiving” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Victor Laredo's painting "On the Beach" and Ella Wheeler Wilcox's poem "Thanksgiving" allow young scholars to use their noticing skills. Class members identify elements of the painting the artist uses to create the feeling of his work....
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The New Colossus: Determining Author's Perspective

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Introduce young scholars to the concept of the author's perspective with a lesson that uses Emma Lazarus's poem, "The New Colossus," as the anchor text. Groups use a T-chart to identify words that reveal the author's point of view of The...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Teach This Poem: “Home” by Bruce Weigl

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
A poetry instructional activity takes a close look at home. Scholars discuss with partners what they are most grateful for at their homes. A timelapse video showcases potato tubers growing. While watching, pupils write down what they...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Power of Poetry: Perspectives in Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
What do Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Amanda Gordon have in common? They all believe in the power of words—the power of words to create change. After analyzing the rhetorical strategies in several poems and speeches,...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Where I'm From: Poetry

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
We carry memories of where we're from; tweens and teens can capture these memories by first listening to several memory poems and then crafting their own. They analyze literary devices other poets use, brainstorm a list of images they...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Texture Poetry: The Great Gatsby and the Sense of Touch

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
To prepare for crafting a descriptive poem about a character in F. Scot Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, groups describe the texture of objects hidden in small bags. Individuals then select a character from the novel and an object...
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Unit Plan
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Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 6: The Genius of the Harlem Renaissance Teacher Guide

For Teachers 7th Standards
Introduce your seventh graders to the Harlem Renaissance with a unit that explores this dynamic period's music, literature, and ideas. The 160-page guide includes a unit calendar, an introduction to the unit, 10 richly detailed lessons...
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Unit Plan
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Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 5: Realms of Gold - Vol. 2 Poetry and Short Stories Teacher Guide

For Teachers 7th Standards
Seventh graders have a golden opportunity to learn how to read poems and short stories with a unit that introduces them to the techniques writers use to craft their works. They examine poems by William Carlos Williams and Edgar Allen Poe...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s “Learning to Read”

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper's poem "Learning to Read" is the focus of a lesson that teaches middle schoolers how to do a close reading of a text. The lesson introduces them to a brief biography of the poet, includes a video reading, and...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Teach This Poem: "Tamales on Christmas" by Christian Robinson

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
A lesson spotlights the poem "Tamales on Christmas" by Christian Robinson. Scholars discuss their favorite foods and then examine a lively picture of a family preparing tamales. After listening to the poem twice, learners participate in...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

On "El Florida Room" by Richard Blanco

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Scholars of all ages examine Richard Blanco's poem, "El Florida Room." Looking closely at pictures, pupils look for details that stand out to them, then read the poem. A whole-class discussion allows learners to reflect on what they...