Projects with Poetry

Subjects

• Arts & Humanities
  --Language Arts
• Educational Technology
  --Computers

Grade

• 6-8
• 9-12
• Advanced

Brief Description

Students explore a variety of poems, find one poem they feel a particular connection to, and share that poem by reading it aloud to their classmates. Students then create videos of their readings to share with other classes.

Objectives

Students will:

• View videos from the Favorite Poem Project.
• Discuss the videos as a class, exploring what about each of the readings appealed -- or didn't appeal -- to them.
• Explore poems from a variety of sources, both print and online.
• Find poems they feel a particular connection to, and then share those poems by reading them aloud to their classmates.
• Create videos of their favorite poems to share with other classes.

Keywords

Poetry, video

Materials Needed

• Computer(s) with Internet access
• Favorite Poem Project Video Collection
• A large variety of resources -- including books and Web Sites -- students can use to explore poems and choose a favorite.
• Camcorder or digital video camera

Lesson Plan

This lesson is designed to help students find a connection to a poem.

Lead students through the following steps:

• Show 6-10 Favorite Poem Project video segments.
• Ask students to write a response to the segment that spoke to them most strongly.
• Discuss what appealed to them (or what didn't appeal) in each video, what they noticed, and so on. Ask what they think makes a good reading of a poem.
• Ask: "What poetry is in your head?" "Is there a poem you know well enough to recite?" Encourage students to recite any poems they know.
• Invite students to find a poem they like, read it to the class, and talk about they like it. Then provide time for students to find their poems. Tell students they should:
  • Write out the poem legibly. (It is not sufficient to bring in a sheet printed from the Internet, or a book with a bookmark in it.)
  • Look up any unfamiliar words in the poem and prepare definitions.
  • Practice at least three times reading the poem aloud.
  • Think about (but do not write out) what they will say about the personal significance of the poem.
• Encourage students to share their poems and speak about what in the poem drew them to it.
• Have students work in pairs to create videos of their poetry readings.
• Encourage students to share their videos with other classrooms, at a parent open house, or at a classroom poetry slam.

Assessment

Students will be evaluated on their participation in the various activities.

Lesson Plan Source

Favorite Poem Project

Submitted By

Linda Starr

National Standards

LANGUAGE ARTS: English
GRADES K - 12
NL-ENG.K-12.1 Reading for Perspective
NL-ENG.K-12.2 Reading for Understanding
NL-ENG.K-12.3 Evaluation Strategies
NL-ENG.K-12.4 Communication Skills
NL-ENG.K-12.5 Communication Strategies

TECHNOLOGY
GRADES K - 12
NT.K-12.3 Technology Productivity tools
NT.K-12.4 Technology Communications tools
NT.K-12.5 Technology Research tools