Middle School Poetry Unit
Lecia Summerer
Day One: Creating found poems
Goals/Objectives
Students will
o distinguish between poetry and prose by generating a list of qualities of each in a
class discussion
o gain knowledge of word choice and artistic arrangement in poetry and apply this
knowledge in a collaborative exercise to produce a found poem
o synthesize their knowledge of word choice and artistic arrangement by creating
their own found poem
Access/Activate Prior Knowledge/Anticipatory Set
A. Introduction: Do you like poetry? Before you answer, consider the lyrics to your favorite
song, are they poetry? The first thing to remember about poetry is that it is all around you. How
about the jingles from the advertisements we see and hear—can you name the product that is
associated with these ads? *(put jingles up on SmartBoard SB—see format below). The words
written in a great book or a famous quote from a person you admire can have elements of poetry
in them. The feelings you have when you are at the top of the tallest hill of a roller coaster or
when you view a beautiful sunset can inspire a poem. Poetry helps us express our thoughts,
feelings, and ideas as we relate to the world around us. As we read the poetry of other authors,
we understand who they are, what they think, and what we might have in common. Poetry is the
“Great Communicator!” It can “talk” to our heads and our hearts.
(jingle format: SB slide will have a list of 10 ad jingles. Students will read jingle and tap on
blank to reveal the advertiser. For example,
“Where there’s a helpful smile in every aisle _________. Answer to be revealed—HyVee)
B. Game: Rhyming Race
Divide students into groups of 4-5. Give each group a bag containing common items (such as a
jar, a stick, a spoon, a sock, and a piece of lace). When the timer starts (use countdown timer on
SB slide), ask the students to pull an object out of the bag and list as many words that rhyme
with the object. When they can think of no more rhyming words, pull out another object and
begin again. When the timer ends, give 5 points for each object taken out of the bag and 1 point
for each item on the list under each object.
C. Class discussion: Have students generate a list of qualities that distinguish poetry from
ordinary language (prose). Have the groups create a list and then write the list on the white
board. Go to SB slide “Poetry and Prose: What’s the Difference” and discuss.
New Knowledge/Input and Modeling
A. Present information on Found poems.
1. Most of what we read or hear is in ordinary language. Another name for this type of language
is prose. But even in prose, we can find passages that seem to be particularly appealing or well
written, highly descriptive, or emotionally expressive. Today we will learn to create “Found
Poems” from ordinary prose.
2. Found poems are nice because you don’t have to start from nothing. All you need to do is
find some interesting language.
3. This type of poetry doesn’t have too many “rules,” but there are a few. You’ll need to stay
away from using song lyrics and other poems. They are already written poetically. And you
can’t add many words of your own (maybe one or two), but you can make little changes (plurals,
capitalization, verb tenses).
4. Keep track of where you found your original text so you can credit the source.
B. Present examples of Found poems on SB.
1. Let’s look at some examples of Found poems. The first one is from the book Holes by Louis
Sachar. Let’s highlight the words that the poet left out (students will use highlight feature on
SB). What other changes did the poet make?
2. Let’s look at one more example. This one is from the children’s story Winnie the Pooh. Why
do you think the author arranged the words the way she did? Why did she capitalize and bold
face other words? You can arrange the words in whatever way you choose; if you want the
words to sound rushed, run them all together with no spaces. If you want to emphasize a word,
place it on a line by itself. You can decide where the lines break. The poem can even have a
shape—long and skinny, short and fat.
Application/Analysis/Guided Practice
A. Let’s try to create our own Found poem. Use portaportal to open a news site on SB. Find an
interesting story, read it, and as a class create a Found poem.
B. If there is time--use SB to go to Newspaper Clipping Generator. Demonstrate this site by
entering the Found poem made by the class.
Restate Goals/Independent Practice/Closing
A. Ask class to define a Found Poem.
B. Go to class wiki. Open a new page and ask class to generate some “helpful hints” for
composing a Found poem. Enter these as the students offer their hints to become a reference for
them as they compose their own poems. Go to the assignment page to see the homework (create
a Found poem from a book you are reading).
C. If there is time left in the period--have students get out the book they are reading or one of the
magazines supplied by the teacher. Use this source to create a Found poem.
Day Two: Using similes and metaphors in poems
Goals/Objectives
Students will
o identify the figurative language devices of simile and metaphor by creating
sentences using these and by highlighting examples of these in a poem
o practice using similes, metaphors, and onomatopoeia in a collaborative exercise to
produce a poem
o synthesize knowledge of similes and metaphors by creating their own poem using
one or both of these devices
Access/Activate Prior Knowledge/Anticipatory Set
1. Introduction: Show “Figurative Language” PowerPoint. Last slide presents a “game” of
making as many similes and metaphors as possible. Have students work in small groups to
complete this task.
New Knowledge/Input and Modeling
1. Open SB lesson. Slide one shows a willow tree and a ginkgo tree. Ask the class to compare
and contrast the characteristics of these two types of trees.
2. Display the poem “Willow and Ginkgo” by Eve Merriam. Read it aloud.
3. Have students take turns coming to the SB to highlight the similes. How many different
comparisons are made? What purpose do these comparisons serve? Do you see any other poetic
devices? Highlight the rhyming words with a different color.
4. Display the poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes. Read it aloud.
5. What is being compared? This is an extended metaphor. How many parts of a staircase are
included in this poem?
6. If there is time—use “Expanding Serendipitous Similes in Poems” to examine extended
metaphor and generate similes for class.
Application/Analysis/Guided Practice
1. Students will work together to create a poem that uses primarily similes. The poem will also
focus on the five senses. The following structure will be used. Remind students to use
onomatopoeia in the description of sound.
Emotion is ________ (fill in the blank with a color)
It sounds like…
It tastes like…
It smells like…
Emotion feels like…
Sample:
Indifference is a water-stained gray.
It sounds like hissing static on the radio.
It tastes like overcooked noodles.
It smells like a musty, closed attic room.
Indifference feels like a lukewarm bath in rusty water.
Restate Goals/Independent Practice/Closing
1. Ask a group to share their poem. Ask someone to change one of their similes to a metaphor.
2. Go to the class wiki’s assignment page to present the homework. Students will create a poem
using similes and metaphors. They need to publish the poem on the class wiki and comment on
another student’s poem.
Day Three: Using alliteration in poems
Goals/Objectives
Students will
o identify alliteration by creating sentences that contain examples of alliteration
o write a poem that utilizes alliteration
o select photographs to illustrate their poem
o create a PowerPoint with photos and text
o utilize PhotoStory3 to publish their poem
Access/Activate Prior Knowledge/Anticipatory Set
1. Introduction: Ask students to recall a tongue twister or line from a childhood nursery rhyme.
Point out that these are examples of alliteration. Explain the definition of alliteration.
2. Game: Open SB slide with dice. Roll the die covered with letters. Write a tongue twister
with the letter on the die. Share sentences with the class.
New Knowledge/Input and Modeling
1. Open “Mrs. Dowling’s Literature Terms” to view general discussion of alliteration and
examples.
2. Open “Elements of Poetry” to view general discussion of alliteration. Continue with the
exercise on this site. Also view demonstration of alliteration in poem “My Papa’s Waltz.”
Application/Analysis/Guided Practice
1. Open SB slide of nature photographs. Have class create a line of poetry that uses alliteration
and illustrates the photograph.
2. Show teacher-created PowerPoint slideshow with alliteration poem.
3. Demonstrate how PhotoStory3 can transform the PowerPoint presentation into a movie.
4. Present the homework assignment: write an 8-10 line poem using alliteration. Illustrate the
poem in a PowerPoint presentation. Then convert the poem using PhotoStory3.
Restate Goals/Independent Practice/Closing
1. Ask the question “Do you think you will have any problems with your poem, your
PowerPoint, or PhotoStory3?” Ask if anyone noticed the alliteration in the sentence?
Day Four: Using personification and onomatopoeia in poetry
Goals/Objectives
Students will
o identify personification and onomatopoeia by writing sentences that use these
literary devices
o create a poem using personification
Access/Activate Prior Knowledge/Anticipatory Set
1. Introduction: Begin with an example of onomatopoeia in our everyday life—a joke (Knock,
knock, Who’s there, Boo, Boo who? Don’t cry, I was only joking). Ask the students if they
know what kind of figurative language is being used in the joke?
Read a few sentences with personification in them (for example, “The little green arrow skipped
across my screen merrily.”). Ask the students if a door can really complain. Ask if they know
what this technique is called. Go to personification generator on SB to play game.
http://writingfix.com/right_brain/Serendipitous_Personification_Prose1.htm
New Knowledge/Input and Modeling
1. Present two poems—“Fog” by Carl Sandburg and “April Rain” by Langston Hughes. Read
each aloud and discuss as a class.
2. Discussion notes for “Fog”
3. Discussion notes for “April Rain.” What are Langston Hughes’ feelings toward rain? What
does he want his audience to do? How does personification help him make his point? What do
you notice about the language he uses to describe the rain? How does he use repetition to make
his point?
Application/Analysis/Guided Practice
1. Open slide with sentence prompts for personification. Open list of sounds for onomatopoeia.
Have students write sentences with personification and onomatopoeia. For a greater challenge,
see if they can write one sentence that uses both techniques. (For example, “The rusty hinges
complained loudly as the door creaked open.”) Ask students to share their sentences with the
class.
2. Homework assignment: Create a poem using personification. Choose a word from List A (or
a word of your own that names something in nature). Next, choose a word from List B (or
another word that names an action). Use your combination to create a sentence. Then build a
poem around this sentence.
3. Present Glogster website for students to create a poster to present their personification poem.
Restate Goals/Independent Practice/Closing
1. Go to “talking squirrels” page. Have an example of personification in one and onomatopoeia
in the other. Ask the students to identify each.
Day five:
Goals/Objectives
Students will
o identify the sense being appealed to in the sample poems by checking the
appropriate box
o create an apology poem modeled after “This is Just to Say” by William Carlos
Williams
Access/Activate Prior Knowledge/Anticipatory Set
1. Display several pieces of fruit. Ask each group of students to write a sentence or phrase
about their piece of fruit. Try to write a sentence/phrase for each of the five senses.
2. Identify any figurative language devices (simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia)
New Knowledge/Input and Modeling
1. Read the poem “How to eat a poem” by Eve Merriam. Discuss the figurative language. What
senses are being appealed to?
2. Next read “The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams. Discuss this poem, its
theme, its form, and the senses it appeals to.
3. Use Skoool site to discuss another WCW poem, “This is Just to Say”
Application/Analysis/Guided Practice
1. Look at the “Points to Ponder” section of the Skoool presentation. In a small group, decide if
“This is Just to Say” really is a poem by dividing a sheet of paper into two columns. On one side
label “yes” and on the other “no.” Under each category list reasons to support each position.
Share with the class.
2. Have you ever done something that you shouldn’t and apologized for it, even though part of
your heart wasn’t really into the apology? For example, have you ever dropped a glass and
secretly enjoyed the sound of it breaking or wondered at the beauty of the shards of glass it
splintered into? Brainstorm with your group.
3. Homework assignment: Write an “apology” poem. Be sure you use figurative language or
imagery.
Restate Goals/Independent Practice/Closing
1. Play You Tube video depicting numerous images that appeal to the senses (need to find video)
Ask students to describe the characteristics of imagist poetry.