Lesson Plan: Poet Poster Project
By Elizabeth Odermann, Beulah High School
Summary: The poet poster is a creative project to introduce students to doing good research, finding quality sources, and doing independent investigation of poetry with the tools we’ve learned in the unit. After going through the research and writing process, they report back to class about what they have learned.
I use this lesson with sophomores (of course, it is adaptable to any grade) as part of our entire poetry unit. We study poetry, model styles of poems, and compile a poetry portfolio of original poems. I teach the six+1 traits with this unit as well and we really focus on word choice and voice. The entire unit takes about 3-4 weeks. I’ve assigned this during different parts of the unit. I still haven’t found a spot that I like the best. It’s nice at the beginning because they have more time to research while we are reading, but they don’t know about all the techniques yet. I also like doing it at the end because they know more about poetry, but then they tend to feel overwhelmed with having the portfolio and the poster.
I’ve also included the entire poetry schedule I do with my students so you can see how I structured my unit this past year.
Standards: (Broken into the benchmarks, which my school selected as essential outcomes)
Standard 1: Students engage in the research process
10.1.2: Students know a variety of ways to effectively search electronic databases.
10.1.6: Students use an MLA style sheet for citing primary and secondary sources with no significant errors.
10.1.3 & 10.1.4: Students gather reliable information to support a thesis and use relevant information
Standard 2: Students engage in the reading process
10.2.1: Summarize information from nonfiction genres; determine credibility, accuracy, reasonableness, and support in an informational text
Support an opinion with information from the text
Standard 3: Students engage in the writing process
10.3.6: Drafting: Students write for a variety of audiences.
10.3.11 Revising and Editing: Identify and apply the Six + One Traits of Writing. Edit and revise compositions with attention to content
Standard 4: Students engage in the speaking& listening process
10.4.1: Students identify a specific audience and appropriately and insightfully tailor messages to fit the purpose.
Supplies needed:
Computers and printer
Books on poets/poetry (I have ones in my classroom to share with my students; the library works well too)
Poster paper (I use the 11.5 X 14 size)
Markers
Colored construction paper
Scissors or paper cutter (I bring in fancy scrapbooking scissors as well as the small cutting boards you can get at Hobby Lobby or Wal-Mart)
My Method:
1. Handout Poet Poster Project with the rubric attached (they need to save this when they turn the poster in)and take time to explain each expectation. Depending upon what you have studied, your expectations will vary.
2. I give students the rest of the hour to use the computer and books to begin researching the poets. I leave it up to them to select a poet and let me know; it is a first come, first serve basis. I write down the poet so that there aren’t duplicates in one class.
3. I point out the research/work days and presentation days in the calendar so the students know what we are working on when.
4. Previous to this, I spend time teaching MLA format, but you can take time to show students in the span of a day how to cite internet and book sources easily. I show them the OWL at Purdue website and usually they catch on quickly. I’ve found some websites for students to look at if they are stuck. I usually don’t give sites to them right away. They need to determine what is credible. I also suggest our library online resources.
5. I explain to the students that after they have gathered information they need to decide what is important (answering the several of the questions I provided in the assignment) and compile that information in a creative and attractive manner. I require them to use the computer to type their information because handwriting doesn’t produce the “museum quality” that I am looking for. I also want the text a specific size so that it is readable from a distance. I show samples from previous years about what is an “A” and so forth. Each year the quality of posters top the previous year. It is pretty awesome!
6. I let the students work independently, but constantly monitor how they are doing and ask them to give mini presentations. I ultimately leave it up to the student if he or she wants to write in sentences, lists, time lines, etc. The idea is for them to organize the information as one would for a museum display. Having all complete sentences isn’t always the most effective or attractive.
7. The poster are all due on the same day and I collect them. The students present to the class and I grade with the rubric I handed out to them previously—it’s a responsibility thing I try to have them work on with keeping track of that paper. It goes under the preparedness requirement in presentation.
8. After I grade the posters, I put them up around the room. My goal has been to create some sort of scavenger hunt to that the students interact with the information around them. They usually find each other’s work intriguing. I’m still working on that one.
Poet Poster Project
Poet Poster-40 pointsPresentation-10 pointsDue Date:
One section of your poster is Background. I want you to briefly report on poet’s history:
- when was he or she born
- where did your poet grow up
- what type of education did the poet have
- what experiences impacted the poet’s writing for example, what inspired the poet
- what happened to you poet
The second section is Poet’s Style: discuss what you notice about the poet’s writing style.
What are the poet’s poems about, nature, danger, etc. What do the poems physically look like? Are there stanzas or shapes? What do you notice about the words? Is there rhyme, alliteration, metaphor, simile, onomatopoeia?
The third section is Why My Poet is Cool: Discuss how you feel this poet has impacted society with his or her writing. For instance:
- Where is this poet’s poetry read? (Funerals, graduations, other public, even national or international events)
- Who are admires of this poet? (Famous people or people you know personally)
- Did the poet do anything ordinary or extraordinary with his or her writing?
- What makes the poet stand out to you?
Make sure your observation is a solid, specific one and appropriate. You will find that some poets did things that were illegal. When you discuss what you admire, please use good judgment.
You need to have a pictureof your poet as well as present one poemwhich your poet wrote.
Works Cited Page: you will need to hand in an MLA works cited page of the sources you use in your research. Minimum of two sources.
Be creative in the design of your poster. It should contain color. The text should be typed in at least 24 point readable font. Use color to accent or highlight your poster but not overpower it. Be creative in you layout. Make sure you edges are cleanly cut and that glue/tape is not left behind.
I have several books available on poets, so please look at my library or ask for additional materials.
Presentation: You will present your findings on your poster to the class. The presentation should be at least two minutes in length. Plan accordingly. You should prepare your small speech, using your poster as an outline, but not reading word for word with the exception of the poem; however, you may elect to recite the poem for extra credit. Your poem must be read with feeling. Show the audience you know what the poem is talking about. You may be asked to explain it in follow up questions. Speak clearly and make eye contact with your audience.
Here are some suggestions about who to research. You may select someone else.
Langston Hughes
Maya Angelou
Shel Silverstein
Pablo Neruda
e.e. cummings
Robert Frost
Edgar Allan Poe
Emily Dickinson
Ezra Pound
William Butler Yeats
Gwendolyn Brooks
Sylvia Plath
Robert Hayden
William Shakespeare
William Blake
Walt Whitman
Robert Burns
Stephen Crane
Elizabeth Barrett-Browning
Lewis Carroll
Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Henry David Thoreau
Elizabeth Bishop
T.S. Elliot
Laura Riding
I want you to let me know what poet you have chose by Wednesday, October 13, 2010.
My poet is______.
Poet Poster Project
Poet Poster 40 pointsPresentation 10 points
Name______Poet______
Section 1: Background—reports on poet’s history10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Section 2: Poet’s Style—discusses what you admire about the writing style (rhyme, free verse, ideas, etc) and the way the poet uses words to create imagery (metaphor, simile, personification, allusion etc).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Section 3: Why My Poet Is Cool—discusses how you feel poet has impacted society
5 4 3 2 1
Other requirements: Uses a picture, recites/reads a poem by the poet, creatively designed with color, cleanly cut edges, aesthetic layout. Follows proper conventions of writing (including spelling).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Works Cited Page: Contains MLA works cited page with at least two sources
5 4 3 2 1
Presentation:
- Speaker covers the three sections in depth and reads/recites poem with enthusiasm
- Speaker obviously practiced and knows the information about the poet.
- Speaker is confident and is able to be heard
- Speaker makes eye contact with the audience
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Extra credit for reciting poem:
3 2 1
Total Points______/ 50
October 6, 2010
English II Students:
We are now beginning our poetry unit. We will be reading several different poems and focusing on copious different traits of poetry. My goals for this unit are to expose you to a variety of poems, discuss the literary importance, and analyze the meaning they present to us as readers. More specifically by the end of the unit you should be able to demonstrate the following through discussion and on a summative test:
-understand the characteristics of poetry such as imagery, figurative language and sound effects
-understand figures of speech, including similes, metaphors and personification
-understand rhyme, rhythm, meter, onomatopoeia and alliteration
-identify the characteristics of sonnets
-identify idioms
-deliver oral responses to literature
-use library research skills to gather information
- analyze different forms and types of poetry
Besides reading poetry, you will try your hand at writing your own poetry as well developing a poetry portfolio. You will find poems that contain examples of what we have discussed in class and compile them into a small anthology, which will include your own work as well as that of other poets.
You will research one poet you find intriguing. You will create a poster about your poet to share the following information: Background-who is your poet, where did he/she grow up historical-report on poet’s history; Poet’s Style -discuss why you admire the poet’s writing style (look at the goals of the unit to help you decide what to discuss); Why My Poet is Cool-how do you feel this poet has impacted society with his or her writing. I will supply you with a handout for the poster at a later time, but be thinking about what poet you might want to investigate. I have several books available on poets, so please look at my library or ask for additional materials. You will be presenting your poet to the class in a 2-3 minute summary.
I have created a reading schedule which is included in this handout. Please look ahead at all of these dates. If you will be missing school, please be responsible and get your work done on time. The schedule is subject to change and I will let you know as soon as I have a change to make. Thank you for your flexibility. Be ready to be submerged into the wonderful world of word play and creative genius! Best of luck to you as you begin this journey. I will be with you every step of the way!
“Ink runs from the corners of my mouth. There is no happiness like mine. I have been eating poetry.” -Mark Strand
Date / Assignment / Due on this dateWed, Oct. 6 / Introduction to Poetry, dissect a poem, notes
Thurs, Oct. 7 / Poetry Portfolio Rubric, “The Stayer” p. 652-653, notes
Fri, Oct. 8 / Complete story from Writing Notebook: Poet Research / Story
Mon, Oct. 11 / “Same Song” pg 659-notes on allusion
Tues, Oct.12 / Worksheet on idioms and clichés finish in class
Wed, Oct. 13 / Word Choice; Can You Imagine Poem: Due Fri.
Thurs, Oct. 14 / Revise I Am Poem from WN-Due Wed.
Fri, Oct. 15 / Research Poet Day / Can You Imagine
Mon, Oct. 18 / Research Poet Day
Tues, Oct. 19 / Book in a Bag Reports
Wed, Oct. 20 / Book in a Bag Reports; Just Because Poems Due Mon. / I Am
Thurs, Oct. 21 / No School
Fri, Oct. 22 / No School
Mon, Oct. 25 / Poet Presentation / Just Because
Tues, Oct. 26 / Poet Presentation
Wed, Oct. 27 / “The Legend” pg 668-669; Write Elegy due Fri.
Thurs, Oct. 28 / “Ode to My Socks” pg 674-675; Write an Ode to an ordinary object due Mon.
Fri, Oct. 29 / Halloween Activity-Video Haiku, due Tuesday / Elegy
Mon, Nov. 1 / “Heart ! We will forget him!” pg 697 and “The moon was but a Chin of Gold” pg 698-699 / Ode
Tues, Nov. 2 / Month Metaphors due Thurs / Video Haiku due
Wed, Nov. 3 / “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” pg 691 and Sonnets
Thurs, Nov. 4 / “Why Did The” Thomas Carper- poem due Thurs. / Month Metaphor
Fri, Nov. 5 / No School
Mon, Nov 8 / “since feeling is first” pg 702 and poetic license
Tues, Nov. 9 / “We Real Cool” pg 741 poetic license; Free Verse
Wed, Nov. 10 / “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” pg 751
Thurs, Nov. 11 / Veteran’s Day No School
Fri, Nov. 12 / No School
Mon, Nov. 15 / Concrete Poem due Wed. / Free Verse Due
Tues, Nov. 16 / Work on Portfolio -study guide
Wed, Nov. 17 / Work on Portfolio (due Wed.) or review day / Concrete Poems due
Thurs, Nov. 18 / Poetry Test; work on portfolio
Fri, Nov. 19 / Extra Day / Portfolio Due
“Ink runs from the corners of my mouth. There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.” Mark Strand
Your Poetry Portfolio
The upcoming Poetry Unit is just the beginning of your experiences with poetry. As you navigate through future English classes, interact with the world around you, and discover your own personal interests, you are sure to encounter poetry again and again. Therefore, it is important for you to have a place in which you can compile both poems you read, as well as poems you compose yourself.
Over the course of the next weeks you will be creating your poetry portfolio. You portfolio will include poems you write yourself, as well as demonstration of your understanding of certain elements of poetry.
Your portfolio is meant to represent your personal style, taste, and creativity. It is meant to serve as a place for you to work through your thoughts about poems, as well as explain what you were thinking as you go through the process of writing poetry yourself. Your completed portfolio should be personal, reflective, and well-developed.
In-class portfolio work days will be given; however, anticipate that you will need to spend time outside of class working on your portfolio. Attached is a sheet with requirements that need to be included in all portfolios. I challenge you to be creative with your portfolio. It is worth 125 points and is a test grade.
Poetry Portfolio Requirements Check List:
Writing:
_____ 9 completed versions of poems that you have written yourself (we will write many of these in class, so do not feel overwhelmed). Final copies of your poems must be typed. The only exception will be the actual concrete poem; however you will need to attach a typed copy so that I can read it.
_____ Front and back cover, title page and table of contents
_____About the Author section: either prose or poetry
Writing Prompts:
Write a 150 word reflection after completing your portfolio.
_____ Discuss your experience with creating your poetry portfolio. Which poem that you have chosen to include is your favorite? Why? What have you learned, did you enjoy it, what surprised you, and will you keep adding to it?
Creativity Points:
_____ Your front cover contains a graphic representing your portfolio