1
Poetry Concepts Unit Lessons
Below, you will find the page number that each lesson plan begins on. Each lesson plan is
followed by the worksheets needed for each lesson.
Table of Contents
Part I: Jabberwocky – Sound Devices Poetry Lesson Plan……………………………..page 2
Part II: Highwayman – Narrative Poetry Lesson Plan………………………………….page 7
Part III: Poets Living and Dead – Social/Historical Relevance Lesson Plan…….….....page 16
2
Part I: Jabberwocky – Sound Devices Poetry Lesson Plan
Course:
Language Arts
Poetry / Sound Devices,
Context
Unit/Theme:
Grade/Level:
7th grade
Lesson Context/Setup
Lesson Prep
Prior
Knowledge
What are students bringing into this lesson? What do you need to prepare for the lesson?
Declarative
Procedural
Materials
Setup (e.g.,
tech)
Students have a basic understanding of what a poem is, and can identify some
elements of poetry such a rhyme.
Students know how to sit and listen as the teacher gives instructions and to take
notes when asked; how to be constructive when working with a partner
Powerpoint, sound devices worksheet (The Language of Literature, McDougal
Littel, pp. 458-461), white/black board or large piece of paper to write answers,
markers, index cards and tape
Powerpoint, paper/board to write on; circles of tape on front table so students
can put index cards up
Aligning Objectives & Assessments
What will students be able to know/ do as a result of this lesson? How will you know they have met the expectations?
 SWBAT identify the different types of sound devices used in poetry and why a
poet would use certain devices
SWBAT interpret unfamiliar words and phrases in a poem by using contextual clues
SWBAT identify or cite evidence in the text to support their answers
Lesson
Objective
Frame the objective in the form of an essential question:
How do we craft an argument effectively and persuasively?
MSC
Indicator(s)
Natl.
Standard(s)
Assessments
of Objective
in Lesson
1.2.2 Student will determine the critical or central idea(s) of a text.
1.2.3 Student will explain the effectiveness of stylistic elements in a text that
communicate an author's purpose.
3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and
appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other
readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word
identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., soundletter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
Students will be asked to give thumbs up/down/side formative assessment
throughout and will be asked to complete an index card exit slip.
Instructional Delivery
How will you facilitate the lesson? What will students do during the lesson to meet the objectives?
3
Bridge/ Transition
Timing:
10 minutes
How will you
engage the
students?
How will you
connect this
lesson to objs.
& prior
knowledge?
Students will each get an index card and be asked to write down a noise in
big letters on the card. 1/2 of the class will be asked to write down a sound
that an animal or person can make,1/2 will write down a noise that a machine
or vehicle or inanimate object can make. Students will be asked to tape their
sounds to the board at the front of the room so everyone can see them.
Tell the students that we will be learning about sound devices that are used in
poetry—and they will create an overview of the devices using PowerPoint.
Then tell the students that we will be reading 'Jabberwocky' by Lewis Carroll
and "Sarah Cythia Sylvia Stout Refused to Take the Garbage Out' by Shel
Silverstein.
Timing: 30 min
Primary Content Delivery
Along with the sound devices PowerPoint, describe the common types of
sound devices used in poems (rhyme, rhythm, onomatopoeia, alliteration,
repetition, etc). Tell the students that they may take notes but will also receive
a worksheet with information. After they complete the worksheets, they will
work in small groups to create powerpoint slides
What
strategies will
be used to
present content
in a way that
responds to
learner needs?
How will you
differentiate to
accommodate?
How will
students be
involved in the
learning?
Pause and ask students to think of examples of each device in between slides
Examples will be written on the board.
Jabberwocky: Give the students a brief background on Lewis Caroll and the
context of the Jabberwocky poem in the Alice in Wonderland story, Through
the Looking Glass.
Have the class read the poem aloud, round robin, by stanza. Be sure to point
out that many of these words are nonsense words and they should not be
worried about mispronouncing them. Discuss: What is happening here? Why
is this poem so confusing? Write ideas on the board.
Then, show the digital story PowerPoint and read the poem aloud (teacher).
Discuss: What do you think is happening now?
Accommodation/Differentiation: Students may be given print outs of the
PowerPoint slides; can work with partners
4
Concept Practice/Application
Timing:
How will
students
practice/apply
what they are
learning? How
are Higher
Order
Thinking Skills
engaged?
Students will be asked to fill out the worksheet. They may work by
themselves or with a partner. [See attached worksheet] Students will read
the silverstein poem to themselves again, after it has been read aloud around
by the class.
Questions to ask before giving exit slips:
(1)This poem is pretty wild ("Jabberwocky"); it is from an Alice in Wonderland
novel...what do you think the rest of the book is like considering how the
poem is? Why?
(1) What do you think the rest of Shel Silverstein's poetry is like, based on his
poem that you just read?
Summary/Closure
Timing:
How will you
end the
lesson? How
will this lesson
link to the next
lesson?
What’s your
back-up
activity in case
you have
extra time?
Students will be asked to look over their worksheets and write on an index
card exit slip:
(1) One device I learned today that i am confident about using is.......
because...
(2) One thing I am unsure about is..... because...
For homework/classwork: the students will create their own poems using
sound devices and present them in class the next day.
See next pages for sound devices worksheet (front/back page)…
5
Sound Devices!
Poets use sound devices to enliven their poems. Rhyme, rhythm, repetition,
onomatopoeia, and alliteration are common types of sound devices.
Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words or
within words. Alliteration can be used to create melody, establish mood, and call
attention to important words.
Onomatopoeia is the use of sounds that mimic sounds. Buzz, crack, boom, and
gargle are good examples of onomatopoeic words because they represent the way
those sounds really sound.
Repetition is the use of a any element of language--a sound, word, phrase, or
grammatical structure--more than once in a poem.
A rhyme is a repetition of sounds at the end of words. Words rhyme when their
accented vowels and all the letters that follow have identical sounds.

Can you identify 3 pairs of rhyming words in Lewis Carroll's poem, "Jabberwocky" ?
Example: toves/borogroves
(1.)
(2.)
(3.)
Context
Sometimes, when we do not understand the meaning of an unfamiliar word, we look
at the context of the word. Unfamiliar words are often surrounded by other words
or phrases called context clues that help readers understand the meaning.
"Jabberwocky" has many unfamiliar words throughout it--words that Lewis Carroll
invented.

What do you think the following words or phrases in "jabberwocky" mean? Look at the surrounding
words and phrases (the context) in the poem to help you come up with a definition:
6
(1.) "the manxome foe" (line 10)
(2.) "whiffling through the tugley wood" (line 15)
(3.) "O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" (line 23)
Rhyming Couplets
As you know, a rhyme is a repetition of sounds at the end of words. Words rhyme when their accented
vowels and all the letters that follow have identical sounds.
A couplet is a rhymed pair of lines in a poem. "Sarah Cynthia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out" is
written almost completely in couplets.
 Can you identify two pairs of couplets in the poem?
Example: (Lines 35 and 36):
"And all the neighbors moved away,
And none of her friends would come to play."
(1.)
Couplet:
(2.)
Couplet:
Illustrate it!
Illustrate it:
7
Part II: Highwayman – Narrative Poetry Lesson
Katie McDermott
Course:
Language Arts
Unit/Theme:
Poetry / Interpretation & Plot
Grade/Level:
7th
Lesson Context/Setup
What are students bringing into this lesson? What do you need to prepare for the lesson?
P
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r
K
n
o
w
l
e
d
g
e
L
e
s
s
o
n
P
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e
p
Declarative
Students have a basic understanding of what a poem is, and can identify some
elements that separate poetry from prose.
Students know how to break into groups and can draw/take notes when the
teacher leads using an overhead transparency. Students can fill out plot charts.
Procedural
Materials
Overhead transparencies, paper, poems printed out/in text book, plot
worksheets
CD player or a way to play music from a computer
Setup
Aligning Objectives & Assessments
What will students be able to know/ do as a result of this lesson? How will you know they have met the expectations?
Lesson
Objectives


SWBAT identify the differences between to texts
SWBAT analyze the elements of plot in a narrative poem
Frame the objective in the form of an essential question:
How can we craft an argument effectively and persuasively?
MSC
Objective(s)
NCTE
Standard(s)
Assessments
of Objective
in Lesson
1.2.2 Student will determine the critical or central idea(s) of a text.
1.2.3 Student will explain the effectiveness of stylistic elements in a text that
communicate an author's purpose.
4.1 Student will describe the effect that a given text, heard or read, has on the
listener or reader.
3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and
appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other
readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word
identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., soundletter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
Students will take notes on plot worksheet; short writing response
8
Instructional Delivery
How will you facilitate the lesson? What will students do during the lesson to meet the objectives?
B
r
i
d
g
e
/
T
r
a
n
s
i
t
i
o
n
P
r
i
m
a
r
y
C
o
n
t
e
n
t
D
e
l
i
v
e
r
y
Timing: 10 minutes
How will you
engage the
students?
How will you
connect this
lesson to objs.
& prior
knowledge?
Students will be asked to take out a sheet of paper and draw a line down the
middle. They will be asked to write down the titles of any poems they know in
the left column (1 min). They will then be asked to write as many song titles as
they know in the right column (1-3min). Ask students: "About how many poems
did you come up with? How many songs? Why do you think that is?" "What is
the difference between a poem and a song" Point out that though they may not
know much poetry, they have more knowledge about poetry than they think.
Ask: "Does anyone have any examples of a song that tells a story with a
distinct begining, middle and end (and a climax)--like the plot of a story?" Give
an example of one and ask students to give and describe examples.
Timing: 20 minutes
What
strategies will
be used to
present
content in a
way that
responds to
learner needs?
How will you
differentiate to
accommodate?
How will
students be
involved in the
learning?
"Well, just like your examples and just like the plot of a short story, the poem
that we are going to be looking at today is a narrative poem." Students will be
asked to read the poem, ―The Highwayman,‖ quietly to themselves and fill out a
plot chart. Then, as a class, fill out the chart on the overhead or computerprojected diagram.
The class will then listen to the Lorenna McKennit version of ―The Highway
Man.‖ Before listening, instruct the students that when they follow along on
their photo-copies of the poem, they are to mark the verses/stanzas that she
omits.
9
C
o
n
c
e
p
t
P
r
a
c
t
i
c
e
/
A
p
p
l
i
c
a
t
i
o
n
S
u
m
m
a
r
y
/
C
l
o
s
u
r
e
Timing: 12 minutes
Ask the students why Lorenna left out certain parts of the poem in her musical
version. Does this change the meaning of the poem? How?
Students will then write a short response comparing the song vs. the original
poem.
How will
students
practice/apply
what they are
learning?
How are
Higher Order
Thinking
Skills
engaged?
How will you
end the
lesson? How
will this
lesson link to
the next
lesson?
What’s your
back-up
activity?
Timing: 8 min – end of
class
Students can then write their own narrative poems (with a beginning, middle,
and end) and finish for homework or throughout the week during folder work.
See next pages for plot diagram worksheet and copies of the Noyes poem and the
McKennit Song…
10
11
Alfred Noyes (1880-1958)
The Highwayman (1906)
PART ONE
I
THE wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding—
Riding—riding—
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.
II
He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.
III
Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.
IV
And dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked
Where Tim the ostler listened; his face was white and peaked;
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,
But he loved the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's red-lipped daughter,
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say—
V
"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize to-night,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."
VI
He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
But she loosened her hair i' the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast;
12
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,
(Oh, sweet, black waves in the moonlight!)
Then he tugged at his rein in the moonliglt, and galloped away to the West.
PART TWO
I
He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon;
And out o' the tawny sunset, before the rise o' the moon,
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,
A red-coat troop came marching—
Marching—marching—
King George's men came matching, up to the old inn-door.
II
They said no word to the landlord, they drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed;
Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side!
There was death at every window;
And hell at one dark window;
For Bess could see, through her casement, the road that he would ride.
III
They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;
They had bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"Now, keep good watch!" and they kissed her.
She heard the dead man say—
Look for me by moonlight;
Watch for me by moonlight;
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!
IV
She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years,
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!
V
The tip of one finger touched it; she strove no more for the rest!
Up, she stood up to attention, with the barrel beneath her breast,
She would not risk their hearing; she would not strive again;
For the road lay bare in the moonlight;
Blank and bare in the moonlight;
And the blood of her veins in the moonlight throbbed to her love's refrain .
VI
13
Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs ringing clear;
Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
The highwayman came riding,
Riding, riding!
The red-coats looked to their priming! She stood up, straight and still!
VII
Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot-tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight,
Her musket shattered the moonlight,
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him—with her death.
VIII
He turned; he spurred to the West; he did not know who stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her own red blood!
Not till the dawn he heard it, his face grew grey to hear
How Bess, the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.
IX
Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
Blood-red were his spurs i' the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat,
When they shot him down on the highway,
Down like a dog on the highway,
And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat.
*
*
*
*
*
*
X
And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
A highwayman comes riding—
Riding—riding—
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.
XI
Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard;
He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred;
He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.
14
"The Highwayman" - Loreena McKennit (1997)
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon the cloudy seas
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor
And the highwayman came riding, riding, riding,
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.
He'd a French cocked hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
A coat of claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle; his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.
Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark innyard,
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.
"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize tonight,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
Yet if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by the moonlight, watch for me by the moonlight,
I'll come to thee by the moonlight, though hell shall bar the way.
He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand
But she loosened her hair in the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the black cascade of the perfume came tumbling over his breast;
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,
(Oh, sweet waves in the moonlight!)
He tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and galloped away to the west.
He did not come at the dawning; he did not come at noon,
And out of the tawny sunset, before the rise o' the moon,
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,
A red-coat troop came marching, marching, marching
King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door.
They said no word to the landlord, they drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed;
Two of them knelt at the casement, with muskets at their side!
there was death at every window, hell at one dark window;
For Bess could see, through the casement,
The road that he would ride.
15
They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;
They had bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"now keep good watch!" And they kissed her.
She heard the dead man say
"Look for me by the moonlight, watch for me by the moonlight
I'll come to thee by the moonlight, though hell shall bar the way!"
She twisted her hands behind her, but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness and the hours crawled by like years!
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight, cold, on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!
Tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horses hoofs ring clear
Tlot-tlot, in the distance! Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
The highwayman came riding, riding, riding!
The red-coats looked to their priming!
She stood up straight and still!
Tlot in the frosty silence! Tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment! She drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight, her musket shattered the moonlight,
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him with her death.
He turned; he spurred to the west; he did not know she stood
bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her own red blood!
Not till the dawn he heard it; his face grew grey to hear
How Bess, the landlord's daughter, the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.
And back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
Blood-red were the spurs in the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat,
when they shot him down on the highway, down like a dog on the highway,
And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat.
Still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon, tossed upon the cloudy seas,
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
A highwayman comes riding, riding, riding,
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.
16
Part III: Poets Living and Dead – Social/Historical Relevance Lesson Plan
Course:
Language Arts
Unit/Theme:
Poetry Unit/ Poets Living and Dead
Grade/Level:
7th
This project may take multiple class sessions.
Lesson Context/Setup
Lesson Prep
Prior
Knowledge
What are students bringing into this lesson? What do you need to prepare for the lesson?
Declarative
Procedural
Materials
Setup (e.g.,
tech)
Students have been studying poetry and are familiar with various styles and
poetry terminology
Students know how to work with partners and follow verbal directions
Index cards, printed directions, paper, poster-board and markers, glue, printed
articles, textbooks, classroom computers, library books
Directions on the board/PowerPoint slide
Aligning Objectives & Assessments
What will students be able to know/ do as a result of this lesson? How will you know they have met the expectations?
 SWBAT work collaboratively to synthesize information and present to
classmates in a logical sequence.
Lesson
Objective
Frame the objective in the form of an essential question:
How to poets communicate with their audiences?
MSC
Indicator(s)
Natl.
Standard(s)
Assessments
of Objective
in Lesson
2.1 - The student will compose oral, written, and visual presentations that
inform, persuade, and express personal ideas.
NCTE 7 - Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas
and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data
from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to
communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
Presentations, posters/powerpoints, written poems, group evaluations.
Instructional Delivery
How will you facilitate the lesson? What will students do during the lesson to meet the objectives?
Bridge/ Transition
Timing:
5-7 minutes
How will you
engage the
students?
How will you
connect this
lesson to objs.
& prior
knowledge?
Teacher will project a powerpoint slide of photos/pictures of various poets.
The students will be asked, ―Who do you think these people are?‖ Students
are to raise hands and guess. Then, by a show hands, students will ―vote‖ on
which poets they want to hear about first. Give a brief description of each
poet. Poets will be selected from a variety of backgrounds and time periods
and several of them may be in the textbook (ex: Pablo Neruda, Shel Silverstein,
Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes). Take care to include a few contemporary, living
poets.
17
Primary Content Delivery
Timing:
What
strategies will
be used to
present content
in a way that
responds to
learner needs?
How will you
differentiate to
accommodate?
How will
students be
involved in the
learning?
Project directions or point to directions on board. Explain to students that they will be
working in groups to create presentations on each of these poets. Groups will either
be selected randomly by pulling numbers out of a hat, or be teacher-selected
(depending on the class). Groups will each have 4 members. Once students are in
groups, they will pick numbers randomly out of a hat and the group with the lowest
number gets first pick of the poets.
Students will be given a sheet with more detailed directions for their group project.
Each group member will have a ―role‖ and the students may self-select each role. All
of the students will be responsible for researching their group’s poet. There will be a
―scribe‖ who is in charge of the poster and any visual presentation components.
There will be a ―leader‖ who will coordinate the research and is responsible for
finding the majority of the information. There will be a ―presenter‖ who is responsible
for the majority of the oral presentation. There will be a ―poet‖ who will be the most
responsible for creating a poem in the style of the chosen poet.
Students will be provided with printed articles, encyclopedias, specific poem
samples, and library books that have been pre-selected by the teacher (to save time
and to surpass possible internet firewalls). Students may also use classroom
computers for research.
Concept Practice/Application
How will
students
practice/apply
what they are
learning? How
are Higher
Order
Thinking Skills
engaged?
Summary/Closure
Timing:
How will you
end the
lesson? How
will this lesson
link to the next
lesson?
What’s your
back-up
activity in case
you have
extra time?
Students will present information on poster-board/slides and read poem samples to
the class.
(see attached student sheet for more information)
Differentiation/Accomodations: Students may use a variety of resources to find their
information, students can pick their group roles, and groups can select their poet.
Groups may also elect to create a PowerPoint instead of a poster. Groups may also
be purposefully formulated or manipulated by the teacher to account for
personality/ability differences.
Timing:
Students will be asked to assess their group members and themselves on an index
card.
For homework, each student will create a poem in the style of one of the poets. This
time, they can pick which poet/poem they want to emulate (they do not have to use
the same poet their group used). Students will be given time in class to work on this
assignment and may be able to count it as a book report. At the end of the poem,
they must explain and justify why their poem is in the same style of the chosen poet.
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Poets Living and Dead Lesson
Group Members (AND ROLES) : __________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name of Poet:________________________________
Born:___________ Died:____________
Where was this poet born? Where did they live?
What was/is this person’s family like? What background/nationality are they?
What themes or subjects are in their poetry?
Titles of their most famous poems (or titles of at least 3 poems):
1. .
2. .
3. .
An example of their work ( 4 lines of one of their poems):
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Group Poet Project!
Each group member will have a role…and you get to pick your role! HOWEVER, each
of you will be responsible for finding information and working together researching your
group’s poet. You may help each other with your tasks.
When you present your poet to the class, you will show everyone a poster with all of
your information. You are allowed to make a short PowerPoint instead of a poster, if you
prefer. In addition to your research, each group member will have an important role:

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A “Scribe” – this person is in charge of the poster or slides and any pictures/art
or other visual information. This person and the “leader” will be in charge of
filling out the poet sheet.
A “Leader”- this person will be in charge the research and making sure everyone
is on task. The leader must also be responsible for finding the majority of the
information and filling the sheet.
A “Presenter” – this person is charge of the presentation. They will be
responsible for doing the majority of the talking during the presentation. They will
help the scribe with the poster.
A “Poet” – this person is in charge of creating a poem in the style of the group’s
poet. The other group members will help this person write and revise the poem.
They will read the poem to the class.
In your presentation, you will :
(1) First, introduce each of your group members. Then tell the class who your poet
is. Describe the poet’s life and writing. You may read this information from the
group worksheet. Show the class your poster/slides as you present.
(2) Remember to read to the class and example of the poet’s writing.
(3) Then you will present the poem written in the style of your poet.
(4) Explain how your poem is in the style of the poet’s. Use the poetry terms we
have been studying.
(5) After your presentation, you may answer any questions (Q & A) your classmates
have about the poet or the poems.