Introduction to Poetry - Grade 7

Jonathan Porro

Day 1
Objective:
1. Students will be able to define poetry in their own words
2. Students will be able to discuss the significance of poetry
3. Students will be able to compare/contrast haikus and limericks
4. Students will be able to dissect different parts of a poem
a. Lines, Stanzas, Rhythm, and Meter
5. Students will be able to create their own poem choosing their
own format

L - link
Ask students what comes to mind when they think of poetry. Write
these words on the whiteboard so they can be returned to
throughout the unit
E - engage
Discuss different definitions of poetry: Poe, Dictionary, classroom
definition. Ask students who their favorite poets are (clarify that most
songs are lyrical music is poetry) and why.
A - active learning
1. Go over a brief history of poetry
a. It's oral origins and the purpose of rhythm/inflection
2. Using a haiku made by myself, identify what a line is.
a. (compare it to a sentence in prose)
3. Using a limerick, identify rhythm, and meter.
a. Go over rhyming couplets to start off an understanding of
rhythm and meter
i. AABB, ABAB, etc.
4. Show students a free verse poem about homework
R - reflect
1. Have students discuss the significance of poetry
a. APPLICATION
2. Ask student what makes a poem a haiku
a. ANALYSIS
3. Ask what makes a poem a limerick
a. ANALYSIS
4. Ask them what they assume the Homework poem is
a. ANALYSIS
5. With the students, dissect the different the poem
a. Lines, Stanzas, Rhythm, Meter
b. APPLICATION
N - now and then
1. Assign the students homework
a. Write your own poem
2. Tell students they will be reading the class their poem
tomorrow
3. Tell students they will analyze each other's poems tomorrow
4. Tell students that, tomorrow, we will go over free verse poetry
and the use of literary devices in Metaphors by Sylvia Plath

Poetry Unit Example Page 1