A study of Rudyard Kipling's poem, "If," launches a lesson about theme. Class members read Kipling's poem and poems by other seventh graders to identify the themes.

Concepts

literary themes, universal themes, poetry, poetry analysis, tone, personification

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the unit during April's Poetry Month
• Conduct a mini-lesson that models for learners the difference between a poem's topic and its theme

Classroom Considerations

• Fifth of 12 lessons in a unit plan designed for seventh graders
• Projection equipment is required for the videos

Pros

• The other poems used in the lesson are by seventh-grade GP winners

Cons

• The lesson does not distinguish between the topic of a poem and the poem's theme, what the poet wants readers to understand about the topic

Common Core

RL.7.2 RL.7.4 RI.7.1 RI.7.2 RI.7.4 W.7.4 SL.7.1.a SL.7.1.b SL.7.1.c SL.7.1.d