Finding Poetry’s Voice
Name(s): David Lorenz
Age/Grade Level: 6th
Subject Area(s): Language Arts
Unit: Poetry
Topic: Voice
Time Allotted: 45-50 min
Preparation:
Purpose/rationale for the lesson:
Poets use voice to help give their poems mood and meaning. By examining a poem and
reading it aloud, we can see and feel the messages and images that the poet is attempting to create.
Students’ learning about how voice affects a poem is a key step towards building an appreciation
and understanding of poetry.
What curriculum framing question or essential question is addressed in this lesson?
What can poetry teach us?
What district, state or national curriculum standard(s) will you target in this lesson?
1. EL.06.LI.02 Demonstrate listening comprehension of more complex literary text
through class and/or small group interpretive discussions.
2. EL.06.LI.13 Identify and analyze the characteristics of poetry, drama, fiction, and
non-fiction, and explain the appropriateness of the literary forms chosen by an author for a
specific purpose.
Prior Knowledge/Background Information:
1. Some contact with poetry is beneficial, but not required.
2. Comprehension strategies for gaining meaning from a piece of writing.
Learning Objectives for the lesson:
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1. Students will identify what is meant by a poem’s/poet’s “voice.”
2. Students will describe, through writing, how voice is used in the Langston Hughes poem,
“I, Too.”
Key Question(s):
1. Does every poem have a voice?
2. Are there certain words that give a poem more voice than others? Examples?
3. Can a poem’s voice change from reader to reader? Why or why not?
Materials/Resources Needed:
1. Projector
2. Laptop with Powerpoint
3. Copies of “I, Too,” by Langston Hughes and “Ickle me, Tickle me, Pickle Me too” by
Shel Silverstein for each student.
What appropriate use of technology will this lesson employ for teacher?
Powerpoint presentation on display through a projector.
Procedures:
1. Start students out with the membership grid warm up to remind them of expectations for
engagement (making eye contact, only one person speaking at a time) in their lit circle
groups. (5 min).
2. Ask entire what they think is meant by “voice” in poetry. Write down any responses on
the white board or a piece of butcher paper (1-2 min).
3. Using Powerpoint presentation, introduce Langston Hughes and Shel Silverstein, and
give a brief background of their lives and why their poetry is still so important today. In
addition, use presentation to introduce students to the poetic voice, and explain how the
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voice of the poem affects its meaning and the images or feelings that it can produce in a
reader (10-12 min).
4. Return to any responses given by students
5. Hand out a copy of the poem to each student and explain that each student will read the
poem aloud to the rest of the group. Remind students that they are not judging each
other’s reading ability, but that they are to observe if the “voice” of the poem changes as
each student reads it. Students should keep track of their observations as they will be
expected to write a short paragraph detailing how the poem sounded as each student read
it (12 min). Groups that finish early should be encouraged to discuss their interpretation
of what the poem means.
6. Show students video of Langston Hughes reading his poem, and have students discuss in
their groups how the author’s reading of his own poem and the accompanying visuals of
the video affected their interpretation of its “voice.” Give students about five minutes to
discuss this, but cut it short if it seems that groups are straying from the topic at hand.
Ask students if anyone cares to share what their groups had been discussing (8-10 min)
7. In their journals, have students respond to the following prompts:

What is meant by “voice” in poetry?


How was listening to the poet read their poem different than listening to your
classmates read it?
What worked well in your group today? What didn’t?

Do you have any questions for me? (10 min)
Extensions/Differentiations:
In my 6th grade classroom, ELL students go to Mr. Z’s class for Language Arts instruction.
For Spanish speaking students, it may be possible to find a translation of the poem, but that may
prove difficult for other languages. Advanced students can be expected to write in more detail about
how “voice” affects a poem, and include more details about their own interpretation of it.
Assessment:
Evaluate responses in journals to check for understanding of what voice means, and also to
see students’ level of comprehension of the poem itself. Journal entries should also give insight into
how well groups worked together for their first attempt at a lit circle discussion.
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