6th Grade, Unit 4: Literature and Writing
Poetry: Craft and Analysis
Introduction, Overview, Assessment, Aims, and Calendar
Table of Contents
 Literature class and writing class unit introductions and overviews
 Unit Assessments, Summative Assessment in writing
 Aims for literature class and writing class
 Unit calendars for literature and writing class
6th Grade Literature Unit 4 Overview – Poetic Devices, Form, and the Communication of Ideas
What is poetry? Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful. ~Rita Dove
Why do we bother to read and write poetry? To have great poets there must be great audiences too. ~Walt Whitman
How are poems unique from other kinds of literature? Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted. ~Percy Shelley
Is it ever possible to find the true meaning of a poem? I've written some poetry I don't understand myself. ~Carl Sandburg
In this unit, scholars will seek their own answers to these questions by delving into the rich world of poetry. Students will read a range of poetic forms, from
the limerick to free verse poems, and analyze the poets’ use of poetic devices (such as rhyme, meter, repetition, alliteration, and extended metaphor) to
understand the poet as a craftsman. Scholars will analyze the poet’s tools of language and form to derive meaning, mood, and tone.
In writing, scholars will combine two modes of writing. They will write short analyses of poetic craft, and they will write their own poetry. Scholars will be
encouraged to apply their observations and evaluations of poetic craft in Literature class to their creative work. For this reason, close collaboration between
reading and writing teachers is key to implementing a successful, seamless unit.
Practically, by positioning the poetry unit early in the year, scholars will have the tools to grapple with poetry that is paired with core fiction or nonfiction
texts further along in the year. More importantly, though, as scholars unpack authors’ craft choices, they’ll be better equipped to make similar choices as
poets in their own right, and to develop voice and language elements as writers in any genre. Additionally, as investigators into author’s craft in poetry,
scholars will become more adept at unpacking the figurative language, imagery, rhythm, and extended metaphor that appears not only in poetry but in
writing of varied genres.
This unit is designed to scaffold to more complex analysis of poetry in the 7th and 8th grades. By introducing “building block” literary devices, and basic forms,
scholars will have the opportunity to practice identifying and interpreting literary devices, such as metaphors, stanzas, and alliteration in simpler texts before
moving on to more complex forms, like the sonnet, or more complex devices, such as assonance, consonance, and hyperbole.
The aims for this unit should be accessible to all scholars with the appropriate selection of texts and scaffolding. You may need to slow down or speed up
instruction of the aims in order to meet your scholars’ varied needs. As a result, up to six “flex days” are included in the unit and can be used to offer
scaffolded lessons to the primary aims, additional instruction of a primary aim, and/or the opportunity to extend an aim . The poetry bundle offers a number
of texts that can be used to model the aims for scholars and to give them multiple at-bats in class. However, the bundles are not exhaustive, and you should
consider supplementing these materials with several anthologies and other books of poetry for scholars to read during independent practice and to take
home for additional time-in-text. In this Literature unit, scholars will get multiple “at bats” at analyzing craft, however, they also need to maintain a high
‘page’ – volume. Please ensure that scholars are reading their own books independently outside of class in order to maintain this high volume.
The 6th grade Poetry Bundle can be found here on the shared server:
https://afnet.achievementfirst.org/Curriculum/Shared%20Documents/Forms/All%20Docs.aspx?RootFolder=%2fCurriculum%2fShared%20Documen
ts%2fMiddle%20School%2fLiterature%2fBook%5fLists%5fText%5fSamples%2fText%5fPairings%2fBooklists%2eBundle%5fsheets&FolderCTID=&Vie
w=%7bFCB1F1C3%2d568F%2d4FB8%2dA34B%2dE57753D4E174%7d
As you move through the aims of this unit, consider these “repeatedly-dos” of poetry analysis to model for and encourage in your scholars:
 Annotate imagery, figurative language, rhyme, repetition, meter, and alliteration
 Note the point of view of the ‘speaker’
 Jot notes in the margins about the tone and mood of the poem
 When becoming familiar with a new form of poetry, read tons of examples, and think aloud about the patterns, as well as places where the poet
deviates from the pattern
 Record words and phrases in a notebook or organizer that capture your interpretations of imagery, language, tone, mood, key ideas and messages
 Remark on the visual structure of the poem (How long or short are the lines? How many stanzas are there? Are all of the stanzas equal in length or
not?) and record the impact on the message
 Read and re-read poems several times both aloud and silently. Think aloud about and/or record the new noticings you have with each reading.
 Notice an author’s “trends.” What craft choices does s/he frequently make?
 Connect poems to each other. What is similar/different about how different poems treat the same ideas?
These “repeatedly-dos” will allow for spiraled review and practice of the unit aims.
This unit will be summatively assessed on IA2. However, weekly quizzes and daily exit tickets are provided for regular, formative assessment of the unit aims
and should be used to make decisions about use of flex days.
Common Core State Standards: Literature
 RL.6.1: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
 RL.6.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from
personal opinions or judgments.
 RL.6.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact
of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
 RL.6.5: Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the
theme, setting, or plot.
Essential Questions:
TEXT:
 What is poetry?
 Why do we bother to read and write poetry?
 How are poems unique from other kinds of literature?
 Is it ever possible to find the true meaning of a poem?
SKILL:
 How do poets communicate big ideas through poetry?
 What choices do poets make when crafting poems?
 How do those choices impact the poem?
Enduring Understandings:
TEXT:
 Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful. ~Rita Dove
 Poetry can drive at the essence of human experience. Poets give us an entry point, and it’s up to us as readers to enter!
 Poetry is unique in form and in language. In a much smaller amount of “space” poets communicate ideas and often use figurative language or other
poetic devices, such as rhyme and repetition, meter, and alliteration, to communicate those ideas.
 There is no single “right” interpretation of poetry, but poets give us clues that make some interpretations stronger than others.
SKILL:
 Poets use form, figurative language, and imagery, among other poetic devices to communicate their big ideas.
 Poets choose words, line breaks, stanza breaks, and other poetic devices in order to carefully craft their poems.
 These choices can impact the mood, tone, and meaning of a poem.
Unit Goals
Readers will:
 Analyze poetic devices in poetry
 Analyze the structure and form of various poems
 Determine what is revealed about the central idea of a poem through an author's choice and use of poetic devices and poetic structures and forms.
Grade 6, Writing Unit 4 Overview – Poetry
Poetry: Craft and Analysis: Introduction
Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary. -Khalil Gibran
How do poems grow? They grow out of your life. -Robert Penn Warren
In this unit, students will learn concrete structures for certain types of poems, apply poetry reading techniques from reading class, and practice writing
literary analysis. Many students will be shocked (and perhaps horrified) that an analytical essay about a poem can be significantly longer than the actual
poem! They will have opportunities to dabble in writing their own poetry and to analyze published poems. Students will be able to apply what they
learned about writing literary essays while honing their close-reading and interpretation skills to write an extended analysis of a solitary poem.
However, before scholars get to writing analytical pieces about poetry, it is essential that scholars practice writing in multiple poetic formats. In this
way, scholars will recognize that they can manipulate meaning through author’s craft, and not just through the content of their poems.
Some teachers tend to avoid allowing students time to write poetry during class, as writing a poem is not a test-able skill on any state test.
Nonetheless, the benefits of nurturing a student’s poetic voice are multifarious. First of all, while some forms of poetry are highly structured, many are
not, which is incredibly empowering for students. On the flip side, some students relish structures and formulas for writing, so certain formats of poetry
invite stringent meter and rhyme schemes. Second, recognizing that the way you write a poem is directly connected to the feeling you leave your
reader with helps students understand the importance of close-reading. If a rhyme scheme is essential to creating a mood in a poem that you write,
then it stands to reason that professional poets manipulate rhyme schemes, too, for a purpose. Third, once students realize the impact of craft in their
own poetry, then they should be able to analyze craft more thoughtfully in the second half of the unit.
Share as many poems as you can with your students. Even if they are not analyzing all of the poems that you share, be sure to read at least one new
poem a day so that they can soak up the language, rhythm, and meaning. This unit should involve a lot of speaking and listening. Allow students time
each day to sound out new words and read their own words aloud. In this way, you will slowly prepare them for culminating presentation.
Additionally, your students will analyze their writer’s notebook and poems for recurring ideas and themes. Once they find a central idea (loneliness,
grandma, wonderings, growing up…) they will write several poems on that theme. Over the course of the unit, have your students keep track of both
their own poems and published poems that have held meaning for them. Encourage them to save copies of published poems that hold meaning for
them. Plan to have a public celebration, perhaps invite family or another class, and have students share a poem they’ve written, an analysis of a poem,
or a published poem that holds meaning for them.
Although students have been working in their writers’ notebooks since the beginning of the year, now begin to focus on the daily habit of poetry
writing in that notebook. The essential habits that you will want to focus on are:
 Public journals –poetry can quickly become a very personal or very sill endeavor. Reiterate the idea that the writers’ notebook is a public tool
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used for gathering ideas by making sure to include a 5 minute weekly notebook tour where students take their teammates on a figurative tour
of their notebook work. Additionally, when the student moves to literary analysis, continue to have students write poems at home.
Make connections to literature class – themes and central ideas have been studied in literature class. Students should reflect on the themes in
their writers’ notebooks In the same way that they analyze a novel.
Think aloud and model the process for your students – in addition to analyzing author’s craft and the structure of poems, be sure to write
regularly in front of your students modeling the thinking that you expect them to do when they go off to independent practice. Model
searching through your notebook and looking for recurring themes in addition to writing the types of poems you are asking them to write.
After thinking aloud, carefully name (with the class or for them) the techniques and strategies that you uses in your model.
Time to write –in order for students to have time to write and think, you must make sure that your introduction to new material is as tight and
aligned to the independent practice work as possible. On average, students should get 25 minutes of independent writing time each day. If you
are unable to give them this time, reach out to your coach or dean to problem-solve this.
.
Language / Grammar Standards As you review the unit calendar, you will see how language/grammar lessons are woven into the writing work across
the unit. Be sure to teach language aims in a way that allows students to reach the application stage of Bloom’s taxonomy and make sure that they try
the objective within the context of their own writing. If the aims are not the right aims for your class, adjust them so that you they more closely align
with the skills your students need to develop.
Common Core State Standards
Writing Standards
 W.6.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
 W.6.1a Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
 W.6.1b Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or
text.
 W.6.1c Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons.
 W.6.1d Establish and maintain a formal style.
 W.6.1e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.
 W.6.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style, are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
 W.6.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including
grade 6 on page 52 of the Common Core Standards. See the "Language Standards" tab for the language standards.)
 W.6.6 Use technology, including the internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate
sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.
 W.6.9a Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres [e.g., stories and poems;
historical novels and fantasy stories] in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics”).
 W.6.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day
or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
 **RL.6.11 Create and present a text or art work in response to literary work.
 **RL.6.11c Create poetry, stories, plays, and other literary forms (e.g. videos, art work).
**These are Common Core NY specific standards.
Language Standards
 L.5.1d Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.
 L.4.2c Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence.
 L.6.1e Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others’ writing and speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve
expression in conventional language.*
 L.6.2b Spell grade level words correctly.
Essential Questions:
 What is a poem?
 How do I use the poetry writing techniques I am learning to help me better comprehend, think about, and analyze poetry?
 How do poets manipulate craft and structure to create meaning?
 What central ideas recur in my writing? How can I harness these ideas and further develop them?
 How do I closely read a poem in order to interpret and analyze it?
Enduring Understandings:
 Poetry is a highly subjective genre that has no set definition.
 Poetry writing helps me better understand and analyze the structure and narrative techniques used in poetry.
 Poets create meaning by making specific choices about craft and structure. I can do the same things.
 I can further develop the ideas that I discover recurring in my writer’s notebook.
 The organizational structures and writing habits practiced and learned during the literary analysis unit are transferable to poetry analysis.
Unit Goals
 Writers will write original poems that mirror the form and language of poems read in literature class.
 Writers will choose one poem to analyze in depth and on which to write a literary response
 Writers will perform their poems or analyses publicly.
Unit Assessments
Below are descriptions of the diagnostic, formative and summative assessments for Unit 4. The formative assessments may be used
daily, weekly, and in combination to measure scholars’ progress toward unit goals. The summative assessment should be delivered
uniformly across the grade in order to accurately measure scholars’ achievement.
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Diagnostic
F&P scores
IA 1 data (per standard)
Scholars’ self-assessment,
reading survey and goals
sheet
Summative data (final
process pieces and ondemands) from literary
analysis units
Diagnostic on-demand
writing prompts
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Formative
Do Nows
Class work artifacts from
reading notebooks,
graphic organizers, class
or small-group
discussions, etc.
Scholar-teacher
conferences
Weekly Quizzes
Homework
Exit tickets
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Summative
Interim Assessment #2
Writing On Demand
Assessment (included in
this overview)
Summative Assessment
On-Demand Writing Prompt
Part 1: “Birches,” by Robert Frost uses blank verse, imagery, and figurative
language to impact the reader’s understanding of the poem. Analyze the
structure, poetic devices, and author’s craft by naming and explaining at least 3
of them. Then explain how those things affect your interpretation of the poem.
(30 points)
Birches
by Robert Frost
When I see birches bend to left and right
Across the lines of straighter darker trees,
I like to think some boy's been swinging them.
But swinging doesn't bend them down to stay
As ice-storms do. Often you must have seen them
Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning
After a rain. They click upon themselves
As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored
As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.
Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells
Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust-Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away
You'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen.
They are dragged to the withered bracken by the load,
And they seem not to break; though once they are bowed
So low for long, they never right themselves:
You may see their trunks arching in the woods
Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground
Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair
Before them over their heads to dry in the sun.
But I was going to say when Truth broke in
With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm
I should prefer to have some boy bend them
As he went out and in to fetch the cows-Some boy too far from town to learn baseball,
Whose only play was what he found himself,
Summer or winter, and could play alone.
One by one he subdued his father's trees
By riding them down over and over again
Until he took the stiffness out of them,
And not one but hung limp, not one was left
For him to conquer. He learned all there was
To learn about not launching out too soon
And so not carrying the tree away
Clear to the ground. He always kept his poise
To the top branches, climbing carefully
With the same pains you use to fill a cup
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Up to the brim, and even above the brim.
Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish,
Kicking his way down through the air to the ground.
So was I once myself a swinger of birches.
And so I dream of going back to be.
It's when I'm weary of considerations,
And life is too much like a pathless wood
Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs
Broken across it, and one eye is weeping
From a twig's having lashed across it open.
I'd like to get away from earth awhile
And then come back to it and begin over.
May no fate willfully misunderstand me
And half grant what I wish and snatch me away
Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:
I don't know where it's likely to go better.
I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
But dipped its top and set me down again.
That would be good both going and coming back.
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches
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Rubric: Part 1
Analysis of
structure,
poetic devices
and author’s
(poet’s) craft
Interpretation
Language
Overall
10 Points
7 Points
The student names at least 3 of
The student names at least 2 of the
the poet’s craft moves and
poet’s craft moves and thoroughly
thoroughly explains what they
explains what they are and how they
are and how they are used in the are used in the poem.
poem.
The reader has few questions about
The reader has no questions
meaning or intent.
about meaning or intent. Any
questions are based on curiosity
and desire to know more.
The student thoroughly
The student mostly explains how the
explains how the poet’s craft
poet’s craft affects his or her
affects his or her interpretation interpretation of the poem.
of the poem.
5 Points
The student names at least 2 of the
poet’s craft moves and somewhat
explains what they are and how they
are used in the poem.
3 Points
The student names at least 2 of the
poet’s craft moves and explains
either what they are or how they are
used in the poem.
The reader has some questions
about meaning or intent.
The reader has many questions
about meaning or intent.
The student somewhat explains how
the poet’s craft affects his or her
interpretation of the poem.
The student barely explains how the
poet’s craft affects his or her
interpretation of the poem.
Verb tense is consistently used
across sentences and
paragraphs.
Verb tense is mostly used accurately
across sentences and paragraphs.
Verb tense is consistently used
within but not across paragraphs.
Verb tense is inconsistently used
within and across paragraphs.
If used, compound sentences are
punctuated correctly.
If used, most compound sentences
are punctuated correctly.
If used, some compound sentences
are punctuated correctly.
Most homonyms, spelling and
vocabulary words are correctly spelled
and used.
Most homonyms, spelling and
vocabulary words are correctly
spelled and used.
Some homonyms, spelling and
vocabulary words are correctly
spelled and used.
If used, compound sentences
are punctuated correctly.
All homonyms, spelling and
vocabulary words are correctly
spelled and used.
Total Points = ___/30 =
%
12
Total
Part 2: Now think of theme, idea, or person that is important to you. Write a free verse poem that uses specific
words to connote the meaning, tone, or emotional intent. When you are finished, label the types of figurative
language and poetic devices that you used. (20 points)
Rubric for Part 2
Word
Choice
Labeling of
Figurative
Language
and Poetic
Devices
10 Points
Specific words bring the poem
to life and help the reader to
visualize the theme, idea, or
person and understand the
meaning, tone, or emotional
intent.
All figurative Language and
poetic devices used are
identified correctly.
7 Points
Some specific words bring the poem to
life and help the reader to visualize the
theme, idea, or person and understand
the meaning, tone, or emotional intent.
5 Points
Writer attempts to use specific words
to bring the poem to life and help the
reader to visualize the theme, idea, or
person and understand the meaning,
tone, or emotional intent.
3 Points
Most figurative language and poetic
devices used are identified correctly.
About half of figurative Language and
poetic devices used are identified
correctly.
A few figurative language and poetic
devices used are identified correctly.
Total Points = ___/20 =
Total
%
Teacher and Parent/Guardian Comments:
Part 1 = ___ / 30 = _______ %
Part 2 = ____ /20 = _________%
Total = ____
/ 50 = _____%
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Aims for Literature Class
Literature Class Primary Aims
Secondary Skills to be Spiraled into Literature Lessons
Reading Aims
 Embed a quote at the beginning or end of a sentence that explains or
Students will be able to:
paraphrases text.
 Embed a quote in the middle of a sentence that explains or paraphrases
text.
1. Determine the central idea or ideas of a poem by inferring the
 Support an inference about a text by identifying information that is implied
author's major statement about a topic or idea.
rather than stated.
2. Analyze the structure of a poem by analyzing each stanza's role in
 Identify stanzas in poetry.
developing the larger theme or idea.
3. Analyze the author's purpose for including particular lines and line
breaks in poetry by determining their relationship to the larger theme
or idea.
4. Analyze how an author contributes to the meaning of a poem by
analyzing extended metaphor in free verse poetry.
5. Analyze how an author evokes mood by analyzing imagery in haiku.
6. Analyze how an author evokes mood by analyzing repetition and
rhyme in a blues poem.
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Identify line breaks in poetry.
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Define and identify metaphor.
Define and identify extended metaphor.
Define the core elements of haiku (three lines, one stanza, with a 5-7-5
syllable count and naturalistic ‘themes’)
Identify mood in poetry.
Define the core elements of a blues poem (three lines per stanza,unlimited
stanzas, each first line repeated in the second line, with original, rhyming
third line, topics of suffering and heartache)
Label the rhyme scheme of a poem by noting each new instance of end
rhyme.
Identify repetition in poetry.
Identify alliteration.
Identify tone in a poem.
Define the core elements of a limerick (five lines, one stanza, with an
anapestic or amphibrachic meter, with a strict aabba rhyme scheme…often
humorous)
Evaluate author’s craft in a single poem.
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7. Analyze how an author contributes to the tone and meaning of a
poem by analyzing alliteration in poems by Blake and Silverstien.
8. Analyze how an author contributes to the tone of a poem by
analyzing meter in limericks.
9. Evaluate the author’s craft by comparing and contrasting two poems
(in two different forms) about similar ideas.
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14
Literature Aims Calendar
Note: Lesson types are listed next to each day. Primary Aims are listed first. Secondary skills are listed beneath the primary aims in parentheses. Finally,
suggested procedures and text selections are listed.
Week 1
Day 1 – (IWY)
Day 2 – (IWY)
Day 3 – (GSK)
Day 4 – (IWY)
Day 5 – (IWY)
SWBAT
SWBAT
SWBAT
SWBAT
Weekly Quiz: Themes/Ideas
FLEX (Intro to Unit and
- Determine the central
- Analyze the structure of a - Analyze the author's
in Poetry through Structure
Administer Diagnostic)
idea or ideas of a poem by
poem by analyzing each
purpose for including
SWBAT
inferring the author's
stanza's role in developing
particular lines and line
FLEX
Model Text(s):
major statement about a
the larger theme or idea.
breaks in poetry by
- Define and identify
“Introduction to Poetry”
topic or idea.
- Identify stanzas in poetry.
determining their
metaphor.
Independent Text(s):
- Support an inference
relationship to the larger
- Define and identify
“Fireworks” and “If”
about a text by identifying
theme or idea.
extended metaphor.
information that is implied Model Text(s): “The Raven”
- Identify line breaks in
rather than stated.
Independent Text(s): “The
poetry.
Model Text(s): TeacherRaven” and “Dangerous
selected from bundle
Model Text(s): “Introduction
Astronomy”
Model Text(s) and
Independent Text(s):
to Poetry”
Independent Text(s): Assorted Teacher-selected from bundle
Independent Text(s): “A
poems by Clifton, Brooks,
Psalm of Life,” “Building
O’Hara and Angelou
Nicole’s Mama,” and “Mother
to Son”
Week 2
Day 6 – (IWY)
SWBAT
- Analyze how an author
contributes to the
meaning of a poem by
analyzing extended
metaphor in free verse
poetry.
- Define and identify
metaphor and
extended metaphor.
Day 7 – (IWY)
SWBAT
- Analyze how an author
evokes mood by analyzing
imagery in haiku.
- Define the core elements
of haiku (three lines, one
stanza, with a 5-7-5
syllable count and
naturalistic ‘themes’)
Day 8 – (GSK)
SWBAT
FLEX
- Label the rhyme scheme of
a poem by noting each
new instance of end
rhyme.
- Identify repetition in
poetry.
Model Text(s): Teacher-
Day 9 – (GSK)
SWBAT
- Analyze how an author
evokes mood by analyzing
repetition and rhyme in a
blues poem.
- Define the core elements
of a blues poem (three
lines per stanza,unlimited
stanzas, each first line
repeated in the second
Day 10 – (IWY)
Weekly Quiz: Rhyme,
repetition, Blues, Haiku, and
Mood in Poetry
SWBAT
FLEX
- Identify tone in a poem.
Model Text(s): Teacherselected from bundle.
Independent Text(s):
15
Model Text(s): “Mother to
Son”
Independent Text(s):
Various (see lesson plan).
Model Text(s): Various haiku
(see lesson plans)
Independent Text(s):
selected from bundle.
Independent Text(s): Teacherselected from bundle.
line, with original, rhyming Teacher-selected from bundle.
third line, topics of
suffering and heartache)
Model Text(s): Selections
from The Weary Blues by
Langston Hughes
Independent Text(s):
http://web.cn.edu/
kwheeler/documen
ts/Haiku_Samples.p
df
http://www.pbs.org/t
heblues/classroom/de
fpoetry.html
Week 3
Day 11 – (GSK)
SWBAT
Analyze how an
author contributes to
the tone and meaning
of a poem by analyzing
alliteration in poems
by Blake and
Silverstein.
- Identify alliteration.
Model Text(s): Various
poems by Silverstein (see
lesson plans)
Independent Text(s):
Various poems by
Silverstein and Blake (see
lesson plans)
Day 12 – (IWY)
SWBAT – FLEX
- Define the core elements
of a limerick (five lines,
one stanza, with an
anapestic or amphibrachic
meter, with a strict aabba
rhyme scheme…often
humorous)
Model Text(s): Teacherselected limericks from bundle
Independent Text(s):
http://www.poetryonline.org/limericks
.htm
Day 13 – (IWY)
SWBAT
- Analyze how an author
contributes to the tone of
a poem by analyzing
meter in limericks.
Model Text(s): Various
limericks (see lesson plans)
Independent Text(s):
http://www.freewe
bs.com/grahamlest
er/classics.htm
Day 14 – (GSK)
SWBAT – FLEX
- Evaluate author’s craft in
a single poem.
Model Text(s): Previously read
poems
Independent Text(s): Teacherselected from bundle
Day 15 – (IWY)
Weekly Quiz (Optional):
Alliteration, Meter, Limerick,
and Tone in Poetry
SWBAT
- Evaluate the author’s craft
by comparing and
contrasting two poems (in
two different forms)
about similar ideas.
Model Text(s): Previously read
poems
Independent Text(s): Teacherselected from bundle.
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Writing Class Aims (Although the aims for craft and analysis are listed separately here, they are meshed in the unit calendar).
Aims for Writing Poems
Writers will be able to
1. Discuss and develop a list of the characteristics of poetry;
Identify student misconceptions about poetry.
2. Analyze how poets play with language (figurative language and specific word choices that impact meaning and tone);
Write a poem that plays with language (figurative language and specific word choice).
3. Analyze how poets use connotative meaning and specific words for emotional impact;
Write a poem that uses connotative meaning and specific words for emotional impact.
4. Revise a notebook entry into a poem while paying attention to specific word choice and how it impacts meaning and tone.
5. Analyze writer’s notebook for recurring themes and turn that theme into a poem.
6. Revise one poem for rhythm and repetition by rehearsing it aloud with a partner.
7. Incorporate line breaks to pace their poem by rehearsing aloud with a partner.
8. Publish poems publicly by inviting parents and family to a class poetry café. Archive poems in student portfolios.
Aims for Poetry Analysis
Writers will be able to
1. Select one published poem to analyze;
Develop an idea, topic, or basic claim about the form or structure of the poem.
2. Find evidence that supports the idea, topic, or basic claim.
3. Revise their earlier idea by writing a clear and focused thesis about the form or structure of the poem.
4. Plan the essay by listing reasons and supports (direct or paraphrased evidence).
5. Develop a conclusion that follows from the argument presented.
6. Revise for clarity and meaning.
7. Edit for capitalization, usage, punctuation, and spelling.
8. Consider purpose and audience by publishing essays alongside poems in meaningful locations throughout the school. Archive
drafts/copies/originals in student portfolios.
Language Standards (infused as aims into unit calendar):
 L.5.1d Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.
 L.4.2c Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence.
 L.6.1e Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others’ writing and speaking, and identify and use strategies to
improve expression in conventional language.*
 L.6.2b Spell grade level words correctly.
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Writing Aims Calendar
DAY 1
1. Discuss and develop a list
of the characteristics of
poetry;
2. Identify student
misconceptions about
poetry.
MWI / HW
3. Update personal spelling
list.
DAY 6
14. Revise one poem for
rhythm and repetition by
rehearsing it aloud with a
partner.
DAY 2
4. Analyze how poets play
with language (figurative
language and specific
word choices that impact
meaning and tone);
5. Write a poem that plays
with language (figurative
language and specific
word choice).
MWI
6. Identify when it is
appropriate to insert a
comma before a
coordinating conjunction.
DAY 3
7. Analyze how poets use
connotative meaning and
specific words for
emotional impact;
8. Write a poem that uses
connotative meaning and
specific words for
emotional impact.
MWI
9. Identify when it is
inappropriate to insert a
comma before a
conjunction.
DAY 4
10. Revise a notebook entry
into a poem while paying
attention to specific word
choice and how it impacts
meaning and tone.
MWI
11. Explain the function of
verbs and their functions
in particular sentences.
DAY 5
12. Analyze writer’s
notebook for recurring
themes and turn that
theme into a poem.
13. Identify incorrect shifts in
verb tense.
Quiz 1
 Application and analysis
of Language and Writing
standards.
DAY 7
15. Incorporate line breaks to
pace their poem by
rehearsing aloud with a
partner.
DAY 8
17. Select one published
poem to analyze;
18. Develop an idea, topic, or
basic claim about the
form or structure of the
poem.
19. Keep verb tense
consistent across
sentences.
DAY 9
20. Find evidence that
supports the idea, topic,
or basic claim.
MWI
21. Write compound
sentences that use
coordinating conjunctions
correctly.
DAY 10
22. Revise their earlier idea
by writing a clear and
focused thesis about the
form or structure of the
poem.
23. Plan the essay by listing
reasons and supports
(direct or paraphrased
evidence)
Quiz 2
 Application and analysis
of Language and Writing
standards.
DAY 13
DAY 14
DAY 15
MWI
16. List coordinating
conjunctions and identify
their role in compound
sentences.
DAY 11
DAY 12
18
24. Draft essays.
25. Develop a conclusion that
follows from the
argument presented.
26. Revise for clarity and
meaning (revise this aim
to make it specific for
your class’s needs).
27. Recognize and correct
inappropriate shifts in
verb tense and usage in
others’ writing.
28. Recognize and correct
variations from Standard
English in own writing.
29. Edit for capitalization,
usage, punctuation, and
spelling.
30. Consider purpose and
audience by publishing
essays alongside poems
in meaningful locations
throughout the school.
31. Archive
drafts/copies/originals in
student portfolios.
32. Publish poems or essays
publicly by inviting
parents and family to a
class poetry café. Archive
poems in student
portfolios.
Unit Assessment
 Show what they know on
the summative
assessment (see overview
for prompt and poem).
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