Art and Poetry
English Language Arts and Visual Arts, Grade 9
This three-week unit focuses on writing prose and poetry in response to works of visual art. Students learn how to observe a painting closely and
interpret it using an approach called Visual Teaching Strategies. Close observation of images resembles close reading of text, which students practice as
they read several poems, including some that were inspired by works of visual art. For their performance assessment, students select a painting, drawing,
photograph, or sculpture that shows at least one person and that represents a universal human experience. They complete three pieces of writing: an
analysis of what they observe in the work, a poem written from the point of view of a character that is depicted in the work of art, and an analytical essay
that compares their poem and the work of art. They share their writing in response to art during an exhibition at their school.
These Model Curriculum Units are designed to exemplify the expectations outlined in the MA Curriculum Frameworks for English Language Arts/Literacy and
Mathematics incorporating the Common Core State Standards, as well as all other MA Curriculum Frameworks. These units include lesson plans, Curriculum
Embedded Performance Assessments, and resources. In using these units, it is important to consider the variability of learners in your class and make
adaptations as necessary.
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This document was prepared by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D., Commissioner
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, an affirmative action employer, is committed to ensuring that all of its programs and
facilities are accessible to all members of the public. We do not discriminate on the basis of age color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual
orientation.
© 2015 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE). ESE grants permission to use the material it has created under the terms of
the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Additionally, the unit may also contain other third party material used with
permission of the copyright holder. Please see Image and Text Credits for specific information regarding third copyrights.
“Landscape With the Fall of Icarus” By William Carlos Williams, from THE COLLECTED POEMS: VOLUME II; 1939–1962, copyright ©by William Carlos
Williams. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp.
“Van Gogh’s Bed” from Timepiece, by Jane Flanders, © 1988. All rights are controlled by te University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA 15220. Used by
permission of the University of Pittsburgh Press.
The contents of this Model Curriculum Unit were developed under a grant from the U. S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily
represent the policy of the U. S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 75 Pleasant St, Malden, MA 02148-4906. Phone 781-338-3300, TTY: N.E.T. Relay 800-4392370, www.doe.mass.edu
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Table of Contents
Unit Plan .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
General Notes and Resources ......................................................................................................................................................... 7
Lesson 1 and 2 ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Lessons 3 and 4 .................................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Lesson 5, 6, 7 and 8 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Lessons 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 ........................................................................................................................................................ 22
CEPA Teacher Instructions ........................................................................................................................................................... 28
CEPA Student Instructions ............................................................................................................................................................ 30
CEPA Rubric ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 31
Appendix A: Student Process Journal ....................................................................................................................................... 33
Appendix B: Poems .......................................................................................................................................................................... 48
Unit Resources ................................................................................................................................................................................... 53
Stage 1 Desired Results
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Stage 1 — Desired Results
ESTABLISHED GOALS
G
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9.7 Analyze the
representation of a subject or a key scene in
two different artistic mediums, including
what is emphasized or absent in each
treatment (e.g., Auden’s “Musée des Beaux
Arts” and Breughel’s Landscape with the Fall
of Icarus).
Massachusetts Visual Arts Standard 5.8, for
basic study in grades 9-12. Demonstrate the
ability to compare two or more works of art,
orally and in writing, using appropriate
vocabulary.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9.4 Determine the
meaning of words as they are used in the
text, including figurative language and
connotative meanings; analyze the
cumulative impact of specific word choices
on meaning and tone.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2 Write
informative/explanatory texts, including the
narration of historical events, scientific
procedures/ experiments, or technical
processes.
MA.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3 Demonstrate
understanding of the concept of point of
view by writing short…poems…from a
particular character’s point of view (e.g., the
hero, anti-hero, or a minor character).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4: Present
Transfer
Students will be able to independently use their learning to…
T
 understand the power of words and images to transform lives and provide insight into
the experiences of others and understanding of cultures and historical periods
 generate open ended questions and seek answers through critical analysis of text,
media, interviews, and/or observations.
Meaning
UNDERSTANDINGS
U ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Q
Students will understand that…
U1 We read a work of art by analyzing how
EQ1. How do we read works of visual art?
its composition, lines, shapes, colors, and
textures convey ideas and emotions.
EQ 2 How do we read poetry?
U2 We read poetry by analyzing how its
sequence of thoughts, figurative language,
EQ3 How does medium influence message?
sounds of words, and imagery convey ideas
and emotions.
U3 Artists working in different media
emphasize different aspects of the same
idea or concept.
Acquisition
Students will know…
K Students will be skilled at…
S
K1 Domain-specific academic vocabulary
S1. Analyzing visual art and poetry using
related to visual art and poetry, e.g.,
domain-specific vocabulary for each.
character, setting, foreground, background,
S2. Comparing and contrasting the
medium, mood, tone, theme, analyze,
representation of a common topic or theme
perspective, point of view, composition,
in two artistic media.
emphasis, realism, abstraction, etc.
K2. A comparison of two works requires
first a detailed analysis of each individual
work, followed by an analysis of the shared
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information, findings, and supporting
evidence clearly, concisely, and logically
such that listeners can follow the line of
reasoning and the organization,
development, substance, and style are
appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
qualities and the differences of the two
works.
Evaluative Criteria
 The thoroughness of the analysis of the
work of art, including use of evidence to
support interpretation
 The degree to which the poem reflects
the work of art, is original, and uses
poetic devices
 The completeness of the analytic essay
in comparing the poem and the work of
art, using evidence from each to support
interpretation.
 Proper spelling and grammar are used
consistently throughout the analytical
pieces of writing.
Assessment Evidence
CURRICULUM EMBEDDED PERFOMANCE ASSESSMENT (PERFORMANCE TASKS) PT
Works of visual art and poetry often represent universal human experiences, but they do
so in different ways. Visual art is a composition of lines, colors, shapes, and textures, and
poetry is a composition of figurative language, sound, and rhythm.
Stage 2 — Evidence
In this unit, you have learned to describe paintings and poems individually and have read
examples of poetry inspired by works of visual art. Now it is your turn to show what you
have learned about how visual art and poetry communicate in different ways. Select a
painting, drawing, photograph, or sculpture that shows at least one person and that
represents a universal human experience. Then, complete three pieces of writing:
 an analysis of what you see in the work and why you believe it conveys a universal
human experience,
 a poem written from the point of view of a person who is depicted in the work of art,
and
 an analytical essay that compares your poem and the work of art and that explains how
you transformed your understanding of the visual artwork into the poem.
Make sure to use precise language for describing visual art and the poem. Your written
work will be displayed with the work of art that inspired it in a school exhibition.
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Process Journals
OTHER EVIDENCE:
OE
OE1. Monitoring of ongoing student journaling that responds to, critiques, and analyzes
works of art.
OE2. Assessment of notes locating and citing poetic devices and figurative language in the
poems and the inferences they make based on that evidence.
Stage 3 — Learning Plan
Summary of Key Learning Events and Instruction
Lesson 1 and 2: Analyzing visual art. Students learn a means of interpreting a work of visual art. The teacher introduces students to
various pieces of art and engages them in a scaffolded activity in which they delve deeper into their analysis of each piece.
Lesson 3 and 4: Analyzing poetry. Students read poems and analyze their use of poetic devices and figurative language to create
meaning and tone. The teacher walks students through an analysis of a selected poem using text-dependent questions. Then students
work in pairs to analyze a poem of their choice.
Lesson 5, 6, 7, and 8: Analyzing and writing poems inspired by visual art. Students read poems written in response to specific pieces
of art. They learn how to make connections between common topics and themes represented in different media. The teacher introduces
one piece of art and one poet’s response to that work. Then, through a think-aloud, the teacher models how to make topical/thematic
connections between the two works. Students analyze paired poems and visual artworks together. Students choose a character from one
of the works of art they have seen and write a poem from the character’s point of view.
Lessons 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13: Curriculum Embedded Performance Assessment. These lessons focus on completing the CEPA, which
involves three pieces of writing. Students select an artwork that depicts a universal human experience, analyze the artwork, and write a
poem from the point of view of a character in the work of art. They write an analytical essay that compares the work of art with the poem
and explains how the representation of an idea is the same and different in two different media.
Adapted from Understanding by Design®. © 2012 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. Used with permission.
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General Notes and Resources
This unit is designed to be taught by a teacher of visual arts or a teacher of English; it is ideal for collaboration between the two. Since this unit
focuses on portrayals of human experience in art and poetry, the teacher will need a collection of figurative artworks that suggest a story (examples:
The Runaway by Norman Rockwell, The Fog Warning by Winslow Homer, Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange, or Cocktails by Archibald Motley). The
unit includes examples of poems, including Robert Frost’s “An Old Man’s Winter Night” and “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” by William Carlos
Williams.
Specific Terms used in this Unit:
 Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS): This is a process for teacher-facilitated discussions about artworks, including paintings and poetry. For more
information, see the website: http://www.vtshome.org/what-is-vts or Philip Yenawine, Visual Teaching Strategies (Cambridge: Harvard
Education Press, 2013).
 Four Steps to Understanding Poetry: This is a process for questioning and deepening knowledge of texts. The process is: Step 1: Survey; Step 2:
Paraphrase; Step 3: Identify; and Step 4: Theme.
 Process Journals: Each student will need a journal, called a Process Journal in this unit. Students write in the journals, using them as computer
files or as paper copies.
 Exit Ticket: This is an assignment that students complete at the end of a class. Teachers should estimate the time for this task and plan
accordingly.
Curriculum Embedded Performance Assessment (CEPA): This is the culminating work of the unit and is completed in class. Because the unit relies on
close observation of works of art and poetry, it provides the ideal reason a class trip to an art museum. Many museum educators use the Visual Thinking
Strategies in gallery walks with students and some have programs in which visiting artists or poets respond to works in the collection. If a museum
experience is out of the question, a teacher can borrow a variety of art books or magazines from the town or school library, use reproductions (prints) of
artworks, or give students time to search websites of museums. Selected museum websites are listed below in Resources.
Resources
Writing About Visual Arts
 Specific painting-poem pairs have been suggested for these lessons. On the website , many more poem painting pairs may be found as possible
substitutes or to be consulted by students.
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


An example of a painting along with a description and opinions of the artwork may be found in The Raft of the Medusa, by Theodore Gericault,
1819: http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/raft-medusa. There are many more examples available at the Louvre website (in English).
The Toledo Museum of Art has a useful guide for teachers on the parallels between visual and verbal art, Art Tells a Story,
http://www.toledomuseum.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Art-Tells-a-Story.pdf. It deals with the concepts of theme, character, setting,
plot, and point of view in visual arts and literature.
Summaries of short articles that describe individual works of art in New England museums by the Boston Globe’s art critic, Sebastian Smee, are on
the Internet at http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/framebyframe/. These articles may be purchased individually. A collection of the articles
is also available as an app for tablets.
Massachusetts Museums that students might visit in person:
 Boston Museum of Fine Arts www.mfa.org
 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum http://www.gardnermuseum.org/
 Norman Rockwell Museum http://www.nrm.org
 Springfield Museum of Art http://www.springfieldart.museum/joomla/
 Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute http://www.clarkart.edu
 Williams College Museum of Art, http://wcma.williams.edu
 Worcester Museum of Art http://www.worcesterart.org/
A Sampling of Museums Beyond Massachusetts:
 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York http://www.metmuseum.org
 Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/
 Metropolitan Museum of Art Video Series (82nd and 5th) Curators talk about works in the collection. http://82nd-and-fifth.metmuseum.org/
 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb.html
 Chicago Art Institute http://www.artic.edu/
 Explore “Art Access” http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/ArtAccess
Poetry
 University of Illinois: Modern American Poets site http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/index.htm
 Open-source anthologies of poetry, prose, and criticism http://bartleby.com
 Poetry collections and resources from the Academy of American Poets http://poets.org
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Art and Poetry
English Language Arts and Visual Arts, Grade 9
Lessons 1 and 2
Brief Overview of Lessons: Students learn a way to approach, interpret, and analyze visual artwork through close
observation leading to inferences supported by evidence. The teacher introduces various works of art and engages
students in a scaffolded discussion. Students will use descriptive words orally and in writing to share their observations
of a work of art. Teachers should consider the variability of learners in their class and make adaptations as necessary.
Prior Knowledge Required: Students should be familiar with participating in classroom discussions and using journals
for writing.
Estimated Time (minutes): up to 90 minutes, over two days
Resources for Lessons 1 and 2:
For the Teacher:
 A computer and projector
 Suggested artwork:
o The Runaway by Norman Rockwell: http://www.artchive.com/artchive/R/rockwell/rockwell_runaway.jpg.html
o The Fog Warning by Winslow Homer http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/the-fog-warning-31042
o Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/fsa.8b29516/
o Cocktails by Archibald Motley http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/cocktails-35646
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o To select alternate artworks, choose figurative pieces that suggest a story, and that are age-appropriate and
engaging. Teachers may consider including works of art that are representative of the cultural diversity of the
community and school. Good examples could be found at museum websites listed in the General Resource Section.
 An example of a painting with a description and interpretation: The Raft of the Medusa, by Theodore Gericault:
http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/raft-medusa (The Louvre, Paris). Many other examples (in English) are
available at this website.
 Background materials: “Basic VTS at a Glance” sheet (Visual Thinking Strategies). Find it and other resources at
http://www.vtshome.org/research/articles-other-readings
For students
 A class set of: Appendix A, Process Journal, which can be used either as a computer file or as paper copies. The journal
includes a selected glossary of domain-specific terms in visual arts and poetry.
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Unit: Art and Poetry
Content Area/Course: English Language Arts and Visual Art, Grade 9
Lessons 1 and 2: Examining and Analyzing Art
Time: approximately 90 minutes (one or two sessions)
By the end of this lesson students will know and be able to:



look critically at a work of art and interpret its content.
cite specific visual elements of the work as evidence to support
interpretation.
transfer their ideas from discussion into writing.




Essential Question addressed in this lesson:
EQ1 How do we read works of art?
Standard(s)/Unit Goal(s) to be addressed in this lesson
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4: Present information, findings, and
supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners
can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development,
substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
Instructional Tips/Strategies/Suggestions:
 You should familiarize yourself with “Basic VTS at a Glance” by
Abigail Hausen and Philip Yenawine (see Resources for Lesson
above) before teaching this lesson. Visual Teaching Strategies (VTS)
is a teaching technique widely used by arts educators in schools and
museums.




You may also want to practice leading a discussion with your adult
colleagues in order to be familiar with the VTS protocol.
Preview the examples of visual art. You can select different figurative
pieces of art that suggest a story.
Many students would benefit from being introduced to what an
interpretation of a painting might be like. The Louvre Museum
website has a number of paintings with commentary (in English) on
its website (listed above in Resources).
The Process Journal (Appendix A) is designed to guide students
through the unit with selected vocabulary and short writing
exercises that build to the longer Curriculum Embedded
Performance Assessment (CEPA).
o You can have students download Appendix A (if the journals are
to be completed on a computer or tablet) or print out and copy
the pages for students to use for handwritten answers.
o All exit ticket writing is done in this journal, so check students’
journals frequently as formative assessments. Consider keeping
the journals in the classroom and assessing a few each day.
During discussions, you should function as facilitator, asking openended questions and paraphrasing student responses. Accept all
responses and do not give your own opinions.
When a student makes an inference about what is happening in an
artwork, you should immediately ask what elements in the artwork
led the student to that conclusion.
For students who are unfamiliar with visual arts terms, some explicit
pre-teaching may be required; the glossary in the Process Journal
defines many of the terms students would use in an analysis of
artwork.
Accommodations: Determine how individual students will share
their interpretations (orally, in writing, or both).
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Anticipated Student Preconceptions/Misconceptions:
 Students might lack confidence in their ability to analyze and
interpret art.
What students need to know and are able to do coming into this lesson
(including language needs):
 Students need to know how to engage in class discussion that
involves listening to and responding to the viewpoints of others,
including turn-taking and demonstrating active listening and
respectful disagreement.
 Students should be able to describe their observations and analyses
orally and in writing. For some students, a sentence starter can be
added to the Process Journal (“I see___________________,” “In this
painting I notice __________________”).
Lesson Sequence
Lesson 1
Before the Lesson
 Project one of the paintings listed in the Resources for Lessons
above. Post on chart paper or write on the board:
o “What’s going on in this picture?”
o “What do you see that makes you say that?”
Lesson Opening
 Tell students that they are about to begin a three-week unit in which
they will be analyzing and comparing works of visual art and poetry.
Explain that they will be doing this because they will be looking for
different ways in which visual artists and poets express their ideas




about human experiences. Today students will start analyzing visual
art, and thinking about the essential question: How do we read
works of art?
Provide Process Journals in electronic or paper form for all students.
Ask them to read the posted questions and write for 10 minutes in
response to the projected work of art.
Circulate around the room to monitor students’ work. Encourage
students to keep writing, by posing questions such as “What else can
you see/find?”
Students set aside their Process Journals.
During the Lesson
 Begin a teacher-facilitated whole class analysis of the work. This
discussion is modeled on the VTS found at www.vtshome.org. To
ensure that all voices are heard, remind the class to use preestablished class discussion rules (or establish those now if needed).
 Have students re-examine the image and ask, “What’s going on in
this picture?” (or other variations of this question). As students
respond, follow up by asking the student what he/she sees that
makes him/her say that.
 To encourage students to make further inferences, call on certain
individuals with the questions, “What else can you find?” or “What
else do you think is happening?”
Lesson Closing
 The students take out their Process Journals and spend about five
minutes re-reading their initial observations, adding additional
details, and commenting/reflecting on how their views have changed
based on class discussion.
Preview the next lesson by saying, “Tomorrow we will look at some
other paintings and think and write about what they tell us.”
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Lesson 2
o
Lesson Opening
 Today, students will continue their analysis of artwork.
 In order to give students a better understanding of different forms
an analysis of a painting can take, or to provide a model of what
commentary on a painting looks like, project an example of a
painting such as The Raft of the Medusa by Theodore Gericault, 1819:
http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/raft-medusa, or find
another from that webpage.
 Ask students to read the commentary as you scroll down the
webpage slowly. (Or, print out the text from the webpage and copy
and distribute to students.)
 Ask students how the commentary they wrote yesterday is different
from the commentary on the Louvre website. (The student examples
described what they saw and inferred; the Louvre example includes
some historical background on the incident depicted, the painter,
and the cultural history of the period.)
 Tell students that people who write about art are called “art critics”
or “art historians” and their writing is often a blend of personal
commentary and historical background on the artist or the period.
During the Lesson
 Project another painting listed in the Resources for Lessons above.
Plan to leave at least 10 minutes for the final activity.
 Repeat the process used yesterday to discuss one or two more works
of art:
o Facilitate a class analysis of the projected artwork. This
discussion is modeled on the VTS (see Lesson 1) so that all voices
o
o
o
are heard. Remind the class to use pre-established class
discussion rules.
Ask the students to re-examine the image and ask: “What’s going
on in this picture?” and/or “What do you see?” (or other
variations of this question).
As each student responds, follow up by asking the student what
he/she sees that makes him/her say that.
To encourage students to make further inferences, call on certain
individuals with the questions, “What else can you find?” or
“What else do you think is happening?”
Ask students what questions they might have if they were going
to research the history of this work or this artist.
Lesson Closing
 Project one final work. For the last 10 minutes of class, students
write in their Process Journals in response to that work, detailing
what they observe to be going on in the picture and what they see
that supports their inferences.
 Preview outcomes for the next lesson by saying, “In the following
lesson, students begin to analyze a poem by reading it, re-reading it
and answering text-dependent questions.” Students will be given a
purpose for each reading as they work toward deeper meanings and
uncover the tone and theme.
Formative assessment:
 To monitor and assess student progress in speaking and listening,
the teacher may use observation and/or a participation rubric.
 Review student writings, looking for their ability to describe what
they see in the work of art, what they infer, and the evidence for
their inferences.
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Art and Poetry
English Language Arts and Visual Art, Grade 9
Lessons 3 and 4
Brief Overview of Lesson: Students read poems closely to learn how to interpret and analyze a poem, including how a
poet uses figurative language and other poetic devices to evoke emotional responses in a reader. Consider the variability
of learners in your class and make adaptations as necessary.
Prior Knowledge Required: Students must be able to describe their observations and analyses orally and in writing.
Estimated Time: 90–120 minutes, divided into 2 lessons each lesson
Resources for Lessons 3 and 4
For the Teacher
 “An Old Man’s Winter Night” by Robert Frost (http://bartleby.com/119/3.html, reprinted in Appendix B)
 Notes on the poem at Modern American Poetry, http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/frost/oldman.htm.
 Access to poetry anthologies or websites, such as http://bartleby.com or http://poets.org for choosing an additional
3–10 poems of similar length and complexity as “An Old Man’s Winter Night” for students to analyze.
For the Students
 Class sets of copies for students:
o Appendix B “An Old Man’s Winter Night” by Robert Frost
o Process Journals
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July 2015
Page 14 of 54
Unit: Art and Poetry
Content Area/Course: English Language Arts and Visual Art, Grade 9
Time: 45–60 minutes per lesson
Lesson 3 and 4: Closely Reading and Analyzing Poems
By the end of this lesson students will know and be able to:

critically read a poem and interpret the content, citing specific poetic
devices that the poet uses to convey meaning and tone.
Essential Question addressed in this lesson:
Q2 How do we read poetry?
Standard(s)/Unit Goal(s) to be addressed in this lesson
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words as they
are used in the text, including figurative language and connotative
meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on
meaning and tone (e.g. how the language evokes a sense of time and
place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4: Present information, findings, and
supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners
can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development,
substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts,
including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/
experiments, or technical processes.
Instructional Tips/Strategies/Suggestions:
 For Lesson 3, Robert Frost’s “An Old Man’s Winter Night” is
provided; you may select a different poem, if desired.
 For Lesson 4, you must select poems of approximately the same
length and complexity as the Frost poem for students to analyze. It is
helpful to have a collection of 5–10 poems so that students are
working with different examples.
 For students who are unfamiliar with literary terms, some explicit
pre-teaching may be required; the glossary in the Process Journal
defines many of the terms students would use in an analysis of
poetry.
 When students make inferences about what is happening in a poem,
you should immediately ask for evidence: what words or groups of
words from the poem led students to the inference.
 Accommodation: You can determine how individual students will
share their interpretations: orally, in writing, or both.
Anticipated Student Preconceptions/Misconceptions:
 Students might lack confidence in their ability to analyze and
interpret poems.
What students need to know and are able to do coming into this lesson
(including language needs):
 Students should be able to describe their interpretations and
analyses orally.
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July 2015
Page 15 of 54
Lesson 3
Lesson Opening
 Tell students that they will spend the next two classes analyzing
poetry, just as they spent the last two classes analyzing works of
visual art. In the next two lessons, they will examine the second
essential question of the unit: How do we read poetry?
 Project the poem, “An Old Man’s Winter Night” by Robert Frost
(reprinted in Appendix B). Read the poem aloud to the students.
During the Lesson: Close Reading
 First reading: Ask students to identify and write down in their
Process Journals the words or groups of words that signal the setting
in the poem (e.g., thin frost, empty rooms, cellar, trees, snow, icicles,
night). Then, students share their answers.
 Second reading: Ask students to identify and write in their Journals
the word(s) that signal anything about the character in the poem.
(e.g., he, him, one aged man). Students then share their answers.
 Third reading: Ask students to identify and write down words that
signal the mood or tone (e.g., darkly, quiet night). Then, students
share their answers.
 Fourth reading: Ask students to locate and write in their Process
Journals the phrase or clause that sums up the theme. Have them
write down the theme (e.g., one aged man—one man— can’t fill a
house.)
 Fifth reading: Ask students to locate additional poetic devices in the
poem and describe how they add meaning. Students can use the
Poetic Devices Graphic Organizer (Appendix D) and refer to the
Poetic Devices resource sheet (Appendix A).
Lesson Closing
 Review the lesson by asking students questions.
 Preview the next lesson: Pairs of students will analyze another
poem.
Lesson 4
Lesson Opening
 Today students will choose a poem (from some pre-selected by the
teacher) to read closely with a partner.
 Introduce students to the Four Steps to Analyzing Poetry, in their
Journals.
During the Lesson
 Using the Four Steps to Analyzing Poetry page, students read a poem
several times and answer the questions.
 Pairs share their analyses of the poem and its theme with the class.
Lesson Closing
 Preview outcomes for the next lesson. Say, “IIn the next lesson, you
will begin to identify and analyze the representation of a subject,
theme, or emotion in two media, poetry and visual art.”
Formative assessment:
 Use observation and/or a participation rubric to provide
individualized feedback as needed.
 Writing in the Process Journals
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July 2015
Page 16 of 54
Art and Poetry
English Language Arts and Visual Art, Grade 9
Lessons 5, 6, 7 and 8
Brief Overview of Lessons: Students use the knowledge gathered from the previous lessons to engage in a close
reading of selected poems inspired by works of visual art, identifying how the poet uses figurative language and other
poetic devices to convey meaning and depict theme. Consider the variability of learners in your class and make
adaptations as necessary.
Estimated Time: About 180 minutes, 45 minutes each over four days
Resources for Lessons
For the Teacher:
Computer and projector; access to http://www.pieter-bruegel-the-elder.org/
For the Students:
 Class sets of:
o Process Journals
o Poems selected from the website above, with text-dependent questions (Appendix B)
o Curriculum Embedded Performance Assessment, Student Instructions
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July 2015
Page 17 of 54
Content Area/Course: English Language Arts and Visual Art, Grade 9
Unit: Art and Poetry
Time: 180 minutes, approximately 45 minutes for each of four days
Lessons: 5, 6, 7 and 8


By the end of this lesson students will know and be able to:
What students need to know and are able to do coming into this lesson
(including language needs):
 Students should have prior learning about some poetic devices.

analyze both a painting and a poem inspired by it in order to
understand how both artists express similar emotions and/or ideas.
Essential questions addressed in this lesson:
EQ1 How do we read works of visual art?
EQ2. How do we read poetry?
EQ3. How does medium influence message?
Standard(s)/Unit Goal(s) to be addressed in this lesson:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.7: Analyze the representation of a subject
or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is
emphasized or absent in each.
Massachusetts Visual Arts Standard 5.8, for basic study in grades
9-12: Demonstrate the ability to compare two or more works of art,
orally and in writing, using appropriate vocabulary.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts,
including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/
experiments, or technical processes.
Instructional Tips/Strategies/Suggestions
 This is a lesson that combines close reading of a poem with close
observation of a painting.
Students answer text-dependent questions for each poem.
With students in small groups, the teacher may review terms for
visual art and poetry, using the glossary in their Journals and the
Four Steps to Understanding Poetry used in the previous lesson.
Anticipated Student Preconceptions/Misconceptions:
 Students may feel that poetry is boring, too difficult to understand,
or that it does not relate to them.
Lesson Sequence
Lesson 5
Lesson Opening
 Tell students that today they will compare a painting and a poem
written in response to the painting. In the next four lessons, they will
examine the third essential question: How does the medium affect
the message?
 Explain that the word medium in this context means the means of
communication: a poem, a sculpture, and a drawing are all different
artistic media. The message refers to the overall meaning of the
work.
 Project a copy of Vincent Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles. (There are
several versions of the painting; the one from the Van Gogh Museum
in Amsterdam can be found at
http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0047V1962. On
this site the viewer can adjust the view to see details.
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July 2015
Page 18 of 54
Lesson 6
During the Lesson
 Follow the VTS procedure outlined in Lesson 1:
o Ask students to examine the painting for a few minutes, and then
ask, “What is going on in this picture?”
o Follow up with “What in the picture makes you think that?”
and/or “What else can you find/see?”
 Ask the students to create a list in their Process Journals of the
feelings that the painting evokes in them and share with a partner.
 Hand out copies of the poem “Van Gogh's Bed" by Jane Flanders
(Appendix B) with its text-dependent questions. Read the poem
aloud all the way through the first time.
 Take the students through a close reading of the poem stanza by
stanza using the text-dependent questions to spark discussion. Ask
students to paraphrase every stanza, explaining the meaning in their
own words.
 Ask students to identify the poetic devices/terms used in the poem
and explain how they contribute to the overall theme and meaning.
Lesson Closing
 Exit Ticket: This is a Process Journal entry with the questions: What
do the poem and the painting represent? How do they convey an
idea about human experience? What is emphasized in the painting?
In the poem? Cite specific evidence from the painting and the poem
to support your answer.
Lesson Opening
 Distribute to students the Curriculum Embedded Performance
Assessment Student Instructions and preview them briefly. Let
students know that in the final performance assessment they will be
responsible for writing about a work of art of their choice, writing a
poem about it, and writing an essay that compares the poem and the
work of art. The work that they are doing in the four days this week
will prepare them to complete the performance assessment.
 Tell students that they will look today at a painting created in the
mid-1500s. Project a copy of Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s Landscape
with the Fall of Icarus, c.1558, but do not tell students the title of the
painting at the outset. (The painting and a detail are available at
http://www.pieter-bruegel-the-elder.org/. Commentary on the
painting can be found at
http://traumwerk.stanford.edu/philolog/2005/11/ekphrasis_ovid_i
n_pieter_breug.html.)
During the Lesson
 Follow the procedure outlined in Lesson 1:
o Have students examine the painting for a few minutes and ask,
“What is going on in this picture?” Follow up with, “What in the
picture makes you think that?”
o Show the detail of the lower right of the painting from
http://www.pieter-bruegel-the-elder.org/. Ask “What else can
you find/see?” “What does this detail of the painting suggest?”
 Ask the students to describe in their Process Journals what each of
the characters in the painting is doing and share with a partner or as
a whole class.
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July 2015
Page 19 of 54







Tell students that the painting is called Landscape with the Fall of
Icarus. Ask students if they know who Icarus is. (Some may
remember, from Greek and Roman mythology, that Icarus is the
young man whose artist father, Daedalus, created a pair of wings
made of feathers and wax. Wearing the wings, Icarus flew too close
to the Sun and the wax melted, causing him to plummet to Earth. If
students cannot remember the myth, review it with them; a version
of the myth can be found at http://www.greekmythsgreekmythology.com/myth-of-daedalus-and-icarus/.)
Ask students what they think the painter is conveying about the
importance of Icarus by his use of color and composition. What
characters stand out in the painting?
Hand out copies of the poem “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" by
William Carlos Williams (1962) with text-dependent questions
(Appendix B). Read the poem aloud all the way through.
Take the students through a close reading of the poem using the textdependent questions to spark discussion. Ask students to
paraphrase every stanza, explaining the meaning in their own words.
Ask students to identify the poetic devices/terms used in the poem
and explain how they contribute to the overall theme and meaning.
Ask a student to read the poem aloud a second time.
Does William Carlos Williams’s poem convey a meaning similar to
the painting? Why or why not?
Lesson 7:
Lesson Opening
 Tell students that the work of art for today is by American artist
Grant Wood. Project a copy of Grant Wood’s American Gothic
(http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/6565).
During the Lesson
 By now students should be familiar with the VTS procedure and
questions outlined in Lesson 1. Ask a student to lead the class in an
examination of the painting.
 Read the poem, “American Gothic” by John Stone aloud.
 Pair up students. Pass out copies of Stone’s poem with textdependent questions (Appendix B) and have student pairs re-read
the poem several times and work together to answer the textdependent questions.
 Student pairs share their interpretations with the class.
Lesson Closing
 Exit Ticket: This is a Process Journal entry with the following: What
do the poem and the painting represent? How do they convey an
idea about human experience? What is emphasized in the painting?
In the poem? Cite specific evidence from the painting and the poem
to support your answer.
Lesson Closing
 Preview the next lesson. Say, “Tomorrow we will continue
comparing poems and paintings.:
 Exit Ticket: Complete the questions in the Process Journal.
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July 2015
Page 20 of 54
Lesson 8
Lesson Opening
 Tell students that today they will be drafting a poem of their own,
writing from the point of view of a character that is seen, or implied,
in one of the paintings they have viewed in the past three lessons.
Tell them that this is practice for their final performance assessment.
 Review the meaning of point of view from the glossary in the Process
Journal.
During the Lesson
 Review the paintings they have seen and ask students to generate a
list of the characters they might choose. For example:
o Bedroom in Arles: the absent resident of the bedroom
o The Fall of Icarus: Icarus, the man with the plow, the shepherd,
the man by the sea, the people in the ship
o American Gothic: the man or the woman
 Allow students time to write and revise.
Lesson Closing
Ask students to share their poem with a partner for feedback.
Formative assessment
 Assess the students’ responses comparing poems and works of art
and writing poems. This will give you information about which
students will need more support in completing the Curriculum
Embedded Performance Assessment.
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July 2015
Page 21 of 54
Art and Poetry
English Language Arts, Grade 9
Lessons 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13
Brief Overview of Lesson: These lessons are dedicated to working on the Curriculum Embedded Performance
Assessment (CEPA) that was initially introduced in Lesson 6. If it is feasible to take students to a museum to practice
their discussion strategies and to look for works of art to write about, this is the time to do so. If not, allow students time
to search on the Internet or in art books or art magazines for a painting, drawing, sculpture, or photograph that has at
least one person in it and that suggests a story.
They will analyze the piece in writing, using the VTS process and then write notes in response to the artwork, expressing
the images, words, thoughts, emotions, or connections the piece evokes. Using these notes, they will write a poem from
the point of view of one of the people portrayed in the visual work.
Their final piece of writing is an analytical essay that compares their poem and the work of art. In this essay students
explain how they transformed their understanding of the visual artwork into the poem. Students work with a partner
who acts as a critical friend to help them revise, edit, and polish their work to prepare it for an exhibition of student
writing and art.
Consider the variability of learners in your class and make adaptations as necessary.
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July 2015
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Prior Knowledge Required: Ability to analyze a works of art and poetry; familiarity with a variety of free-verse poems
read throughout the unit.
Estimated Time: 225 minutes; this could be divided three to five sessions. Add an extra day for a museum visit.
Resources for Lessons
For the Teacher
 Curriculum Embedded Performance Assessment, Teacher Instructions, Student Instructions, and Rubric
 Access to a museum, the Internet, art books and magazines
For the Students
 Class sets of:
o Curriculum Embedded Performance Assessment, Student Instructions, and CEPA Rubric
o Process Journals
o Writing and notes from previous lessons
o Access to a museum, the Internet, art books and magazines
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July 2015
Page 23 of 54
Unit: Arts and Poetry
Course: English Language Arts, Grade 9
Time 225 minutes total over three to five days
Lessons: 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13
By the end of the lessons, students will be able to:
 Select a painting, drawing, sculpture, or photograph that suggests a
story.
 Write and analysis of the artwork they selected
 Write a poem from the point of view of a character depicted in a
work of visual art
 Write a comparison of two works of art, one an image, one a poem.
Essential Questions
EQ1. How do we read works of visual art?
EQ 2 How do we read poetry?
EQ3 How does medium influence message?
Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9.7 Analyze the representation of a subject or a
key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is
emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden’s “Musée des Beaux
Arts” and Breughel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus).
MA.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3 Demonstrate understanding of the concept
of point of view by writing short…poems…from a particular character’s
point of view (e.g., the hero, anti-hero, or a minor character).
Massachusetts Visual Arts Standard 5.8, for basic study in grades 912: Demonstrate the ability to compare two or more works of art, orally
and in writing, using appropriate vocabulary.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts,
including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/
experiments, or technical processes.
Instructional Tips and Strategies:
 The students will complete much of the work for these lessons in
their Process Journals, which will be part of the final assessment.
 Students will have examined and discussed several works of art and
three poems related to specific paintings by the time they start this
project. They may want to use art by the artists whose works they
have already analyzed, or may want to explore other artists and time
periods. There are several ways to offer them choices of artworks:
o Take the students to an art museum.
o Use print resources (art books from the town or school library or
reproductions from the school art department).
o Use the Internet. See recommended museum websites in the
General Resources section at the beginning of the unit.
 The lessons are divided into five phases, approximately one phase
per day. When appropriate, teachers can have students complete
some phases or parts of phases at home or in study periods at
school.
 The final versions of students’ poems and essays should be typed on
a computer and printed for display, along with a print of their chosen
artwork, in a school exhibition.
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July 2015
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Lesson Sequence
Lesson 9: Phase 1
Choosing the Artwork
 Recap for students what they have already learned in the unit.
Review the essential questions. Say something like: “You have
examined and discussed seven paintings. You have closely analyzed
how three different poets used poetic language to express their
interpretations of three of the paintings. Now you will have a chance
to choose an artwork that will be the basis for your own writing, in
both poetry and prose. You must choose a work that has at least one
person in it and that seems to suggest a story and a universal human
experience.”
 Discuss what a “universal human experience” might mean. There is,
of course, no single right answer, but some experiences (that are
often depicted in visual art) might be:
o Experiencing joy or grief
o Being young, growing up, or growing old
o Working, playing, celebrating, or mourning
o Feeling proud, angry, loving, sad, happy, or scared
o Being creative, curious, or courageous
o Being powerful or weak
 The work students choose may be by any artist, from any culture or
historical period.
 Re-introduce the CEPA Student Instructions and CEPA Rubric (after
Lesson 13).
 Select one of the methods for student research and choice of artwork
described in the Instructional Tips/Strategies section above.
 Allow students 30–40 minutes to browse through the different
sources and select the artwork they wish to respond to.
Lesson Closing
 Exit Ticket in Process Journal: What work did you choose? (List
artist, title, date, medium (e.g., painting, sculpture, drawing,
photograph). Identify the museum that owns the work, if possible.
Why did you choose this piece? List five specific aspects of the work
that you noticed.
Lesson 10: Phase 2
Exploring the Artwork
 To start, have students write for five to 10 minutes in their Process
Journals about their chosen art work, using the three VTS discussion
questions:
o What is going on in this artwork?
o What do you see that makes you think that?
o What else can you find?
 Generate a list of ideas, emotions, words, images, impressions,
connections, or thoughts about one of the people depicted in the
work of art you chose.
 Then, in pairs, students share their art works and impressions. The
recommended process for a peer conference is:
o Student #1 talks uninterrupted for two or three minutes about
his/her chosen artwork.
o Student #2 responds for two or three minutes, giving his/her
own impressions or asking questions about what Student #1
said. Student #1 takes notes.
o Student #2 talks uninterrupted for two or three minutes about
his/her piece.
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o
Student #1 responds for two or three minutes, giving his/her
own impressions or asking questions about what Student #2
said. Student #2 takes notes.
Lesson Closing
 Exit ticket: Do the following steps in the Process Journal:
o Look over your notes and lists and circle the ideas, emotions,
words, images, impressions, connections, or thoughts you feel
best convey your interpretation of and/or feelings about the
person you have chosen to write about in your artwork.
o Take the items you circled and group them in a way that makes
sense. What ideas go with what images, what words with what
thoughts?
Lesson 11: Phase 3
Drafting the Poem
 Remind students that they have read a lot of free verse poems in the
course of this lesson. Free verse poems often use figurative language,
such as metaphors, but they do not rely on rhyme or regular rhythms
for their effects.
 Tell students they are going to write a free-verse poem from the
point of view of a person depicted in their artwork. Students can
start by using the ideas and groupings they wrote in their Process
Journals as a starting point. Remind them that poets use poetic
devices to express their ideas, and to use some in their poem.
o Students can use the Four Steps to Understanding Poetry or any of
the other resources used in Lessons 1-10.




Some students may benefit from transferring their ideas and images
to index cards or pieces of paper—one image, word, idea per card—
then sorting them on their desks to begin to form their poem.
Have students share their drafts with the same partner they worked
with in Phase 2 in the same structured manner described in Lesson
10.
Depending on the group, before the peer conferences, the teacher
may want to model a peer conference. Select a self-assured student
with a good start on his or her poem. Model the conference, with the
student reading the poem aloud and the teacher responding. Be sure
to display the artwork the student is writing about.
As students work in pairs, hold brief conferences with students who
need more guidance.
Lesson Closing
 Exit ticket: Students answer the following questions in their Process
Journals:
o Explain how your poem connects with the artwork.
o Explain what changes you might make to make your
interpretation clearer.
o Underline the poetic devices you have included. Why are they
important to your poem?
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(CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
July 2015
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Lessons 12 and 13: Phases 4 and 5
Writing the Essay Comparing the Work of Art and the Poem
 Students use their notes to draft an essay that compares the work of
art to the poem they have written about it.
 Remind students that this essay will be exhibited with the work of
art and the poem. As a writer, they must explain to the visitor to the
exhibition what the connections are between the pieces are.
 Ask students to think about what a good introduction would be—
possibly the human experience that is depicted in both the poem and
the artwork.
Remind students that throughout the unit they have been examining
three essential questions. Their essay should address these
questions:
o How do we read works of visual art?
o How do we read poetry?
o How does medium influence message?
 Ask students to think about how they will make the transition to
writing about what they observed in the work of art, citing evidence
from the piece. What does the visual art emphasize?
 How will they transition to writing about the creation of the poem?
How will they describe how they used the work of visual art to shape
their poem? Whose point of view is portrayed in the poem? What
literary devices are used? Compare the two works – how is the poem
the same, yet different from the work of art?
As they conclude, students should write about how they transformed
their understanding of the work of art into a poem. What did they
learn about how we read art and poetry? What did they learn about
how the medium influences the message?
Critical Feedback, Revising, and Editing
 Ask students to work with a partner to revise and edit their work.
 Ask students to prepare their analyses, essays, and poems for
exhibition by copying them legibly by hand or printing out final
copies. They should supply a color copy of the artwork that inspired
them as well.
Closure for the unit
 If possible, involve students in setting up the exhibition of their work
in a public space in the school, such as the library. The exhibition is
the last part of the unit. If possible, have student artworks and
writing on display for 2-4 weeks, with an opening reception for
classmates and family.
 Thank students for their efforts.
 Remind students that they can continue to explore artworks on
museum and gallery websites to decide for themselves what kind of
art interests them. Remind them as well to continue to visit the
poetry websites and that they can explore the work of individual
poets if they found one that seemed interesting to them.
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Curriculum Embedded Performance Assessment (CEPA)
Art and Poetry
English Language Arts and Visual Art, Grade 9
Teacher Instructions
Students select a piece of figurative art that includes at least one person and that portrays a universal human experience. The work may be from
any culture or time period and is the springboard for three pieces of writing:
 an analysis of what the student sees in the work of art and why he or she believes it conveys a universal human experience,
 a poem written from the point of view of a person who is depicted in the work of art, and
 an analytical essay that compares the poem and the work of art and that explains how the student transformed his or her understanding of the visual
artwork into the poem.
Taken together, these three pieces address the essential questions of the unit, How do we read a work of visual art? How do we read poetry? and How does
medium influence message?
Standards Assessed
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9.7 Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent
in each treatment (e.g., Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts” and Breughel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus).
MA.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3 Demonstrate understanding of the concept of point of view by writing short…poems…from a particular character’s point of
view (e.g., the hero, anti-hero, or a minor character).
Massachusetts Visual Arts Standard 5.8, for basic study in grades 9-12: Demonstrate the ability to compare two or more works of art, orally and in
writing, using appropriate vocabulary.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or
technical processes.
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Criteria for Success:
 The analysis of the painting is relevant to the piece chosen and clearly written, using appropriate and specific vocabulary for describing visual art.
 The poem is written from the point of view of a character in the artwork. It is creative and original and uses figurative language and poetic devices.
The connection between the poem and the artwork is clear.
 The analytic essay provides an interpretation of the work of visual art and the poem, and explains how each conveys an understanding about human
experience. The essay explains how the medium of the artist – poetry or visual arts – influences how the message is expressed.
 Proper spelling and grammar are used consistently throughout the analytical pieces of writing. The poem uses correct spelling, but the rules of
grammar may be bent for the sake of effect.
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CEPA Student Instructions
Works of visual art and poetry often represent universal human experiences, but they do so in different ways. Visual art
is a composition of lines, colors, shapes, and textures, and poetry is a composition of figurative language, sounds, and
rhythms.
In this unit, you have learned to describe paintings and poems individually and have read examples of poetry inspired
by works of visual art. Now it is your turn to show what you have learned about how visual art and poetry communicate
in different ways.
Select a painting, drawing, photograph, or sculpture that shows at least one person and that represents a universal
human experience. Then, complete three pieces of writing:
 an analysis of what you see in the work of art and why you believe it conveys a universal human experience,
 a poem written from the point of view of a person who is depicted in the work of art, and
 an analytical essay that compares your poem and the work of art and that explains how you transformed your
understanding of the visual artwork into the poem.
Make sure to use precise language for describing visual art and the poem. Your written work will be displayed with the
work of art that inspired it in a school exhibition.
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CEPA Rubric for Art and Poetry
4
3
2
1
Analysis of
Work of Art
The work is described thoroughly, using
appropriate and relevant specific
vocabulary for visual arts. There is a clear
and relevant statement, based on evidence
in the work, about how the work of art
expresses a universal human experience.
The work is described well using some
specific vocabulary for visual arts. There is
a clear and relevant statement about how
the work of art expresses a universal
human experience.
The work is
described
incompletely or
focuses on details
that are not relevant.
Poem
The poet uses figurative language and
poetic devices throughout the poem to
help understanding of the point of view of
a character. Poem is creative, original, and
thoughtful. Words convey ideas and
emotions clearly. Connection to the
artwork is clear. Grammar may be used for
effect, rather than conventionally.
The essay compares the two works clearly
and with insight, expressing the idea
conveyed by both works, The essay
explains how the representation of the
idea is conveyed differently in words and
in images. There is relevant evidence from
the works to support the explanation.
The poem uses figurative language and
poetic devices one or two times to help
understanding of the point of view of a
character. Poem is thoughtful and creative.
A few phrases or ideas might be revisited,
but poem is carefully written and
connected to the artwork
The work is described
generally without reference
to specific details. General
vocabulary is used. There is
a general statement about
how the work expresses a
universal human
experience.
The poem rarely uses
figurative language or
poetic devices to convey a
point of view. The poem is
creative, but tenuously
connected to the artwork.
The essay compares the two works and
explains the similarities and differences,
using some evidence from the artwork and
the poem to support the explanation.
The essay is general and
deals minimally with the
idea of a comparison
between how the poem and
work of art express an idea.
Proper spelling and grammar are used
consistently in the analysis and essay.
Correct spelling is used in the poem,
although the rules of grammar may be
bent for effect.
One or two spelling or grammar mistakes
appear, but do not affect the meaning of
the analysis or essay. Correct spelling is
used in the poem.
Three or more spelling
and/or grammar errors
distract from the meaning
in the three pieces of
writing.
Analytical
Essay
Standard
English
Conventions
The poem uses no
figurative language
or poetic devices. It
shows little
creativity, and has
little or no
connection to the
artwork.
The essay does not
compare the poem
and the artwork
clearly or and does
not address the
question of
expression in
different media.
Numerous spelling
or grammar errors
make the analysis,
poem, and essay
difficult to
understand.
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Appendices
A. Process Journal
 Glossary of Selected Terms for Visual Arts and Poetry
 Pages for Lessons 1–13
B. Poems:
 “An Old Man’s Winter Night” by Robert Frost
 Poems about Artworks with Text-dependent Questions
 “Van Gogh’s Bed” by Jane Flanders
 “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” by William Carlos Williams
 “American Gothic” by John Stone
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Art and Poetry
Appendix A: Process Journal and Resources
Glossary of Selected Vocabulary
Visual Arts
Abstraction: art that is non-representational, or that converts forms observed in reality to patterns that are read by the viewer as independent
relationships
Colors, primary, secondary, complementary; chroma, hue, value, gradation: one conventional way of arranging color to show relationships is as a
circle or wheel that presents the primary colors (those from which all other colors are derived — red, yellow, blue), and their combinations (the
secondary colors orange, green, violet). Colors that fall opposite one another are complementary (red/green, yellow/violet, blue/orange). Chroma and
hue refer to the degree of saturation, or vividness of a color, ranging from pure primary color to colors muted by mixture with their complements, black,
or white. Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color, or to gradations of black, greys, and white
Composition: in visual arts, the combination and arrangement of shape, form, color, line, texture, and space so that they seem satisfactory to the artist.
Elements and principles of visual arts: elements are generally considered to be line, color, shape or form, texture, space, and value; principles are
generally considered to be unity, variety, harmony, balance, rhythm, and emphasis
Foreground, middle ground, background: layers of implied space or planes in the picture space of a two-dimensional work. The foreground is closest
to the viewer, then the middle ground, and, most distant, the background
Perspective: a method of representing the illusion of volume in three-dimensional objects and depth of space on a two-dimensional surface
Representational art: art that seeks to portray things seen in the visible world; sometimes called figurative art or realistic art
Sculpture: any work carried out in three dimensions, as opposed to drawing, painting, flat collage, and printmaking, which are usually two-dimensional
Relief sculpture refers to compositions in which parts project from a flat surface
Symbol: something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance.
Symmetry: natural or manmade forms that are balanced around a line or a point; bilateral symmetry (forms like leaves or the human body); radial
symmetry (forms like snowflakes or composite flowers)
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Texture, surface texture, visual texture: the nature of a surface of a painting, sculpture, or building: rough, smooth, patterned. Visual texture refers to
the illusion of texture created on a flat surface through line or brush stroke
Two-dimensional (2D), three-dimensional (3D): the physical characteristics of artwork that are either carried out primarily on a flat surface (2D, most
drawing, painting, printmaking) or that have depth, width, height, and volume (3D, most sculpture)
(Definitions adapted from the Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework, 1999, www.doe.masss.edu/frameworks/current.html)
Poetry
Alliteration: repetition of a speech sound in a sequence of nearby words
Allusion: passing reference, without explicit identification, to a literary person, place, or event
Anaphora: the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses, or paragraphs; for example,
“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills”
(Winston S. Churchill).
Antithesis: the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases
Assonance: repetition of identical or similar vowels
Audience: the person or people to whom the poem is addressed
Characterization: how a character is described
Consonance: repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants, but with a change in the intervening vowel, e.g., hearer to horror
Hyperbole: an extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect
Imagery: figurative language, language that appeals to the senses
Irony: the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; a statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the
appearance or presentation of the idea
Metaphor: a comparison not using like or as when one thing is said to be another
Meter: in poetry, the recurrence of a rhythmic pattern
Mood: the feeling or atmosphere a writer creates for the reader
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Onomatopoeia: use of word(s) that imitate the sound it denotes
Oxymoron: a figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side
Paradox: a statement that seems to contradict itself, but, in fact reveals some element of truth
Personification: attribution of human motives or behaviors to impersonal agencies (things)
Point of view: the vantage point from which a story or poem is told.
Repetition: in poetry, the recurrence of words, phrases, or sounds to create a pattern or for emphasis
Rhythm: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
Rhyme: a pattern of words with the same ending sounds
Setting: the time and place of the action in a story, poem, or drama
Simile: a kind of metaphor that includes a comparison using “like” or “as”
Speaker: the narrator of a poem or story
Stanza: a recurring grouping of two or more verse lines of the same length, metrical form, and often, rhyme scheme
Style: a writer’s unique way of communicating ideas
Subject/topic: the primary event, person, phenomenon, or object written about
Symbol: an object or action that means more than its literally meaning
Synesthesia: description of one kind of sense impression by using words that normally describe another.
Theme: the central idea or abstract concept that is made concrete through representation as a person, action, and image
Tone: an expression of the writer’s attitude toward a subject
(Adapted from the 2011 Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy,
http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html.)
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Process Journal for Art and Poetry: Lesson 1
NAME and DATE__________________________________
Respond to the projected painting:
 Look at the picture for a few minutes.
 Write about the picture. Consider these questions:
o What is going on in this picture?
o What do you see that makes you think that?
o What else can you find?
 After discussion: Write any new ideas you have.
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Process Journal for Art and Poetry: Lesson 2
NAME and DATE__________________________________
Respond to the projected painting:
 Look at the picture for a few minutes.
 Write about the picture. Consider these questions:
o What is going on in this picture?
o What do you see that makes you think that?
o What else can you find?
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Process Journal for Art and Poetry:
NAME and DATE__________________________________
Lesson 3: Analyzing “An Old Man’s Winter Night,” by Robert Frost
Setting words/
phrases
Character words/
phrases
Mood or Tone
words/phrases
Theme Phrases
Poetic Devices
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Process Journal for Art and Poetry: Lesson 4: Analyzing a Poem
NAME and DATE__________________________________
The Four Steps to Understanding Poetry
First, you must read the poem actively if you want to understand it. Write anything want to remember to think about on the poem (or on a
post-it). The following four steps provide a process for analyzing and understanding a poem.
Step 1: SURVEY. After you number the lines of the poem, read the poem at least two times. Look up any words you don’t know in the
dictionary.
Step 2: PARAPHRASE every stanza (or line, if the poem is short) of the poem. Write what you think it means in your own words next to the
poem. Write what is literally happening.
Step 3: IDENTIFY at least ten of the terms below in the poem. Analyze what they mean. For example, find a metaphor and write
a few notes explaining it. Be prepared to discuss what you found.
Alliteration
Anaphora
Antithesis
Assonance
Audience
Characterization
Form (patterns)
Hyperbole
Imagery
Irony
Meaning of title
Metaphor
Meter
Mood
Oxymoron
Paradox
Personification
Point of view
Onomatopoeia
Repetition
Rhythm
Rhyme
Setting
Simile
Speaker
Stanza
Style
Subject/topic
Symbol
Tone
Step 4: THEME: Write a one- or two-sentence theme for the poem that sums up its meaning.
What is the overall message of the speaker(s) and/or poet?
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Process Journal for Art and Poetry: Lesson 5

NAME and DATE__________________________________
Write about emotions, ideas, connections, thoughts inspired by the painting by Vincent Van Gogh, Bedroom in Arles
Exit Ticket



What is the theme of the poem “Van Gogh’s Bed”?
What is the overall message of the speaker and/or poet?
How well does the poem connect to the painting? Cite specific figurative language and poetic devices used to support your answer.
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Process Journal for Art and Poetry: Lesson 6

NAME and DATE__________________________________
Write about emotions, ideas, connections, thoughts inspired by the painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Landscape with the Fall of
Icarus
Exit Ticket


What is the theme of the poem “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus”?
What is the overall message of the speaker and/or poet? How well does the poem connect to the painting? Cite specific figurative
language and poetic devices used to support your answer.
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Process Journal for Art and Poetry: Lesson 7



NAME and DATE__________________________________
What is the theme of the poem “American Gothic”?
What is the overall message of the speaker and/or poet?
How well does the poem connect to the painting by Grant Wood, American Gothic? Cite specific figurative language and poetic devices in the
poem and elements in the painting to support your answer.
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Process Journal for Art and Poetry: Lesson 8
NAME and DATE__________________________________
Choose a character from one of the paintings that you have viewed and write a poem from that character’s point of view. Share your work with a
partner and get feedback on how well you captured the character in your poem, and how skillfully you used poetic devices such as figurative
language.
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Process Journal for Art and Poetry: Lesson 9: CEPA Phase 1
NAME and DATE__________________________________
Exit Ticket

What work did you choose? List the artist, title, date of the work, medium, museum. List five reasons you chose this work.
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Process Journal for Art and Poetry: Lesson 10: CEPA Phase 2
NAME and DATE__________________________________

Write about the piece of art that you chose. Answer these questions:
o What is going on in this picture?
o What do you see that makes you think that?
o What else can you find?

List or write about any words, images, emotions, ideas, connections, thoughts inspired by the painting.
Exit Ticket


Look over your notes and lists, and then circle the ideas, emotions, words, images, impressions, connections, or thoughts that best convey
your interpretation of and/or feelings about the art work.
Take the items you circled and group them in a way that makes sense – what ideas go with what images, what words with what thoughts?
Write about the groupings.
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Process Journal for Art and Poetry: Lesson 11: CEPA PHASE 3
NAME and DATE__________________________________
Drafting the Poem

Draft your poem, writing from the point of view of a person depicted in your artwork
Exit Ticket
o
o
o
Explain in detail how your poem connects with the art work.
Explain what changes you might make to make your interpretation clearer.
Underline the poetic devices you have included in your poem. Could you use more?
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Process Journal for Art and Poetry: Lessons 12 & 13: CEPA PHASE 4 & 5 NAME and DATE____________________________
Drafting the Essay

Draft your essay comparing the poem and the work of art. What universal human experience does each represent? What does the work of art
emphasize? What does the poem emphasize? How is the poem the same, yet different from the work of art? When you have finished a draft,
assess your work using the CEPA Rubric. Ask a critical friend to help you decide what revisions to make.
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Appendix B: Poems
“An Old Man’s Winter Night” by Robert Frost
ALL out of doors looked darkly in at him
Through the thin frost, almost in separate stars,
That gathers on the pane in empty rooms.
What kept his eyes from giving back the gaze
Was the lamp tilted near them in his hand.
What kept him from remembering what it was
That brought him to that creaking room was age.
He stood with barrels round him—at a loss.
And having scared the cellar under him
In clomping there, he scared it once again
In clomping off;—and scared the outer night,
Which has its sounds, familiar, like the roar
Of trees and crack of branches, common things,
But nothing so like beating on a box.
A light he was to no one but himself
Where now he sat, concerned with he knew what,
A quiet light, and then not even that.
He consigned to the moon, such as she was,
So late-arising, to the broken moon
As better than the sun in any case
For such a charge, his snow upon the roof,
His icicles along the wall to keep;
And slept. The log that shifted with a jolt
Once in the stove, disturbed him and he shifted,
And eased his heavy breathing, but still slept.
One aged man—one man—can’t fill a house,
A farm, a countryside, or if he can,
It’s thus he does it of a winter night.
5
10
15
20
25
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Poems about Works of Art
“Van Gogh’s Bed,” by Jane Flanders
Stanzas
is orange,
like Cinderella's coach, like
the sun when he looked it
straight in the eye.
is narrow, he sleeps alone, tossing
between two pillows, while it carried him
bumpily to the ball.
is clumsy,
but friendly. A peasant
built the frame; and old wife beat
the mattress till it rose like meringue.
is empty,
morning light pours in
like wine, melody, fragrance,
Questions
What part of the painting is being described in the first stanza?
What is being compared? What poetic devices are used?
What is going on in the second stanza? What part of the painting is
being described? What poetic devices are used?
What part of the painting is being described in the third and fourth stanzas?
What poetic devices are used? What is the tone? How does the poet convey tone?
the memory of happiness.
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(CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
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“Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” by William Carlos Williams (1962)
According to Brueghel
when Icarus fell
it was spring
a farmer was ploughing
his field
the whole pageantry
of the year was
awake tingling
near
the edge of the sea
concerned
with itself
sweating in the sun
that melted
the wings' wax
unsignificantly
off the coast
there was
a splash quite unnoticed
this was
Icarus drowning
First Reading: What sensory words and figurative language does Williams use to describe images in the painting?
Second Reading: How does the tone and meaning of the poem compare to the tone and meaning of the painting?
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(CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
July 2015
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“American Gothic, after the painting by Grant Wood, 1930”
by John Stone
Just outside the frame
there has to be a dog
chickens, cows and hay
First Reading: Why does the poet begin the poem with “Just outside the frame”?
What lines in the poem take the reader beyond the painting itself?
and a smokehouse
where a ham in hickory
is also being preserved
Here for all time
the borders of the Gothic window
anticipate the ribs
Second Reading: What figurative language and other poetic devices does the poet use
to describe the people in the painting? In what sense are they “arrested in the name of art”?
of the house
the tines of the pitchfork
repeat the triumph
of his overalls
and front and center
the long faces, the sober lips
above the upright spines
of this couple
arrested in the name of art
Third Reading: Is there humor in the painting? In the poem? Cite evidence to support
your answer.
These two
by now
the sun this high
ought to be
in mortal time
about their businesses
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(CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
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(“American Gothic, after the painting by Grant Wood, 1930” continued)
Instead they linger here
within the patient fabric
of the lives they wove
he asking the artist silently
how much longer
and worrying about the crops
she no less concerned about the crops
but more to the point just now
whether she remembered
to turn off the stove.
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(CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
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Unit Resources: Art and Poetry
Lessons 1 and 2
For the Teacher:
 A computer and projector
 Suggested artwork:
o The Runaway by Norman Rockwell: http://www.artchive.com/artchive/R/rockwell/rockwell_runaway.jpg.html
o The Fog Warning by Winslow Homer http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/the-fog-warning-31042
o Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/fsa.8b29516/
o Cocktails by Archibald Motley http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/cocktails-35646
o An example of a painting with a description and interpretation: The Raft of the Medusa, by Theodore Gericault: http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvrenotices/raft-medusa (The Louvre, Paris). Many other examples (in English) are available at this website.
Background materials
 “Basic VTS at a Glance” sheet (Visual Thinking Strategies). Find it and other resources at http://www.vtshome.org/research/articles-other-readings
For the Students
 A class set of: Appendix A, Process Journal, which can be used either as a computer file or as paper copies. The journal includes a selected glossary of
domain-specific terms in visual arts and poetry.
Lessons 3 and 4
For the Teacher
 “An Old Man’s Winter Night” by Robert Frost (http://bartleby.com/119/3.html, reprinted in Appendix B)
 Notes on the poem at: Modern American Poetry, http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/frost/oldman.htm.
 Access to poetry anthologies or websites such as http://bartleby.com for choosing an additional 3-10 poems of similar length and complexity as “An
Old Man’s Winter Night” for students to analyze.
For the Students
 Class sets of copies of:
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(CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
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o
o
Appendix B “An Old Man’s Winter Night” by Robert Frost
Process Journals
Lessons 5, 6, 7 and8
For the Teacher:
 Computer and projector; access to http://www.pieter-bruegel-the-elder.org/ and http://valerie6.myweb.uga.edu/ekphrasticpoetry.html
For the Students:
 Class sets of:
o Process Journals
o Poems selected from the website above, with text-dependent questions (Appendix B)
o Curriculum Embedded Performance Assessment, Student Instructions
Lessons 9, 10, 11, 12 and13
For the Teacher
 Curriculum Embedded Performance Assessment: Teacher Instructions and Student Instructions, and CEPA Rubric
 Access to a museum, and/or the Internet, art books and magazines
For the Students
 Class sets of:
o Curriculum Embedded Performance Assessment, Student Instructions, and Rubric
o Process Journals
o Writing and notes from previous lessons
o Access to a museum, the Internet, art books and magazines
This work is licensed by the MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
(CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for commercial use. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
July 2015
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