Poetry Unit
Main Goal/ Focus: For students to
demonstrate an understanding of how figurative language is used to
create vivid images within an audience.
Secondary Goal: For students to
demonstrate an understanding of figurative language through a variety
of poetic mediums.
Secondary Goal: Analyze meaning through
the author's use of figurative language, make connections to past and
present life experiences.
Poetry is a complex and many times
daunting subject for middle schoolers, especially teenaged boys whom
loathe the thought of having to share their “feelings” through
poetic mediums in front of the class. Because of this, my poetry
unit takes on a more humorous tone to ease tensions, create trust,
and ultimately get students ready to take on the task of analyzing a
poem through the use of figurative language on the PSSA exam.
To ease student fears that all poetry
is “roses are red, violets are blue...” I could use the video
Post War Poetry: Stream of Consciousness, to introduce the unit. As
my school's demographic contains a large section of military families
that travel to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, set in rural York
County, many students might be able to make connections to the
artists poems and images of a simple, beautiful life after seeing the
horrors of war. A class discussion could center around why many of
these American Poets who were involved in the war chose to idolize
and capture the beauty of the American Landscape. As my district is
set in a farming community, students could make connections to their
own lives, property, and any relatives and family members that were
once in the service.
Discovery Education also provides many
different videos that help define and give examples of figurative
language. My only issue with many of them is that they would be low
interest videos to middle school learners. Before Discovery
Education Online, I have a video tape (yes, VHS) of a Discovery
Education Video called “Quack”. This video outlines the
different types of figurative language used in writing with humorous
examples. This video infuses movie clips, music, and mock interviews
in a short 15 minute presentation. Though this video is older, as it
was given to me by my Co-Op at the end of student teaching, it is one
of those videos that is so cheesy it is memorable and fun.
Discovery Education provides great
videos about the emperor penguin, and Boris, the Lifeguard Dog, that
tell stories infused with figurative language about these animals.
Not only are students supposed to pick out when an element is used,
but at the end of the video, the author or narrator explains to the
students why they chose to use the figurative language they did.
This, believe, is one of the most important aspects of teaching a
poetry unit. Its not just that the students should be able to
identify and create, but also understand why figurative language is
so powerful, and can create better connections wit their audience.
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