Poetry Project/Novalis
Student#________________________________Score__________/350 pts
Name of Poet_______________________________________________
LO: Students will use research skills, including Internet, and writing skills,
including: grammar and composition techniques to write a biography report
including the following areas:
I. Report
60 points
Must be 2-3 pages typed MLA format. In addition, it must have a title page with or
without a picture, a table of contents, an introduction, support paragraphs, and an
adequate closing with a bibliography page on the back and acknowledgments for any
quotes you use.*
II. Research
20 points
Find three sources of information for your poet, e.g. Internet, library (not encyclopedias,
look for another book, and your class book.) PARENTS- IF YOU SURF THE
INTERNET AND DOWNLOAD IMAGES, PLEASE GIVE A DESCRIPTION OF
THE PHOTO AND THE WEBSITE OR NO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN FOR THESE
EITHER IN THE REPORT OR ON THE POSTER.
III. Works Cited Pages
20 Points
**REVIEW THIS AREA IN YOUR BROOMFIELD NOTESAll Internet images, poems, and information must be cited on the poster and report.
All references from books must be cited according to the Broomfield criteria.
IV. Note taking Index cards for biography of a poet
40 points
This section must discuss interesting, profound information. Do no submit just a list of
facts about the person’s childhood, religion, works, family, etc. I want the focus to be
about the facts that contributed to the famous status of this person and how those events
or circumstances influenced the poet’s poetry.
______ Name of the poet
______ birthplace & date
______ early family history as a child and childhood experiences
_______college or work experience (Some poets learned about their subjects on the road)
_______wife/husband, children
_______places lived as adult
_______The time or era in which the poet lived (Did the political environment affect
his/her writing style or content? Rudyard Kipling wrote during the British occupation of
India.)
________poetry style (fantasy, nature, folk tales, romantic, political)
_______ special awards or honors given to your poet during his/her life or posthumously
_______ interesting facts about his/her life (Edgar Allen Poe is known as “The Father of
the Modern Mystery.”)
_______ what your poet contributed to society (This can be something other than poetry
such as Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland, but was also a math professor; Wm
Carlos Williams was a doctor; most had other careers which need to be cited
_______ impediments that encouraged poetic expression: illness, poverty, drugs, etc.
_______ death place and date
V. Poet’s Poster
100 points
LO: Use imagery and an organizational chart with pictures to convey the essence and
importance of the artist and his/her works to the audience.
This poster must portray or represent the poet in an artistic fashion, e.g. Edgar Allan
Poe’s poster wouldn’t have little flowers all over it etc.
Poster Size- Poster paper approximately 22 X 28 no thicker than heavy paper-NO STIFF
THICK BOARDS. (I can’t pin these to the wall.)
The poster must contain:
_____The poet’s timeline of MAJOR EVENTS complete with poetic works
_____A small scale and large-scale map of birthplace, travels, important places
_____Photographs of life, family, birthplace, home, etc. must have bibliography of
where you downloaded them.
_____Special poem or poems portrayed to show his/her work.
Do not just cut and paste Internet copies onto your poster. I will not accept it.
VI. Oral Presentation of Biography
50 points
Extra Credit: 20 points for the first 5 students to give their oral.
VII. Poetry Analysis and Recital
60 points
LO: Give an oral poetry recital and analyze the poem for audience
Poem must be important and of sizable length to get credit.
______*Add this after the report. The analysis must be typed following our guidelines
for analyzing a poem- (rhyme, meter, punctuation, tone, etc. and you need to know what
it means (look up vocabulary.) What is the meaning of the poem? What special literary
devices are used to affect the tone/mood? Any special information about the poem
should be given before the poem is analyzed and recited.
_____It must be recited in the way it was written following conventions of rhyme, meter,
punctuation, proper intonation, etc. (I will work with you on this after you choose a
poem.)
Due Dates: Choose a poem 4/25/13
First Draft on all: 5/15/13 Final: 5/21/13
Grading:
Late projects will be deducted 10% for each late day.
A= 300 – 350
B = 250 – 299
C= 200 – 249
D = 150 – 199
F = < 149
Lesson Plan: How to Analyze a Poem Using Annotations
written by: Trent Lorcher • edited by: SForsyth • updated: 1/3/2012
I used to hate teaching poetry. Not anymore! Teaching how to annotate and analyze a
poem is one of the funnest things I get to do. I'll share my tips on how I got over my
loathing.
Mastering The Technique
I thought I knew how to analyze a poem, but it
wasn't until I learned how to annotate a poem that I truly mastered it. And it
wasn't until I taught students how to annotate a poem that I really learned how to
do both in conjunction. I owe it all to this lesson plan:
Choose a short poem (15-20 lines). Copy it onto a half-slice of paper and use the
other half for writing an analysis.
Write the poem on the board.
Read the poem aloud.
Instruct students to identify the following elements and make notations: rhyme
scheme, figurative language, images, symbols, sound devices (alliteration,
consonance, assonance, rhythm, onomatopoeia, off rhyme).
Instruct students to circle any part of the poem that stands out, confuses them, or is
important.
Write questions in the margin; highlight unusual words; mark phrases that indicate
the poem's meaning.
Determine the poem's theme and draw arrows to the lines that support the theme.
Make it Fun
Don't assume students will find this activity boring.
Most often, they are pleased they get to think through a poem without the pressure of
being "right or wrong." Encourage them to write whatever comes to mind. Instruct
students to continue writing their thoughts and do the following:
K12 Elementary
Education www.K12.com/ElementarySchool