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Poetry as Social Justice: Reading and Writing Poetry Lesson PlanPoetry as Social Justice: Reading and Writing Poetry Lesson Plan
Publisher
K20 LEARN
Resource Details
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Grade
9th
Subjects
English Language Arts
4 more...
Resource Type
Lesson Plans
Audience
For Teacher Use
Duration
3 days
Instructional Strategies
Collaborative Learning
3 more...
Year
2022
Usage Permissions
Creative Commons
BY-SA: 4.0
cc
Language
English, Spanish
Lesson Plan

Poetry as Social Justice: Reading and Writing Poetry

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Poetry as Social Justice: Reading and Writing Poetry lesson plan also includes:
  • Poetry as Social Justice (.pdf)
  • "A Small Needful Fact" by Ross Gay - English (.pdf)
  • "A Small Needful Fact" by Ross Gay - English (.docx)
  • "A Small Needful Fact" by Ross Gay - Spanish (.pdf)
  • "A Small Needful Fact" by Ross Gay - Spanish (.docx)
  • Eric Garner and Michael Brown: Deaths Without Indictments - English (.pdf)
  • Eric Garner and Michael Brown: Deaths Without Indictments - English (.docx)
  • Eric Garner and Michael Brown: Deaths Without Indictments - Spanish (.pdf)
  • Eric Garner and Michael Brown: Deaths Without Indictments - Spanish (.docx)
  • H-Chart Template - English (.pdf)
  • H-Chart Template - English (.docx)
  • H-Chart Template - Spanish (.pdf)
  • H-Chart Template - Spanish (.docx)
  • Officer Who Killed Tamir Rice Fired ... - English (.pdf)
  • Officer Who Killed Tamir Rice Fired ... - English (.docx)
  • Officer Who Killed Tamir Rice Fired ... - Spanish (.pdf)
  • Officer Who Killed Tamir Rice Fired ... - Spanish (.docx)
  • "Playground Elegy" by Clint Smith - English (.pdf)
  • "Playground Elegy" by Clint Smith - English (.docx)
  • "Playground Elegy" by Clint Smith - Spanish (.pdf)
  • "Playground Elegy" by Clint Smith - Spanish (.docx)
  • Activity
  • Join to access all included materials

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 and craft an elegy for this young man.

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Concepts

social justice, poetry, poetry analysis, stanzas, elegy

Instructional Ideas

  • Ask class members to craft a social justice poem in response to a news story and attach the news report to their poem 
  • Review the structure of free-voice poetry

Classroom Considerations

  • Requires a projection device for the poem 
  • Plan to make copies of an article and the poem

Pros

  • Provides learners with an opportunity to address social injustice
  • Links offer descriptions of the learning strategies used in the lesson

Cons

  • None

View 41,140 other resources for 9th Grade English Language Arts

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