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 in building an appreciation and
understanding of poetry. This lesson will also be an introduction to a lit circle format, and students
will use the group scenario to read and discuss poetry.
What curriculum framing question or essential question is addressed in this lesson?
How does voice affect a poem?
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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Portland State University Graduate School of Education
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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 for each student.
What appropriate use of technology will this lesson employ for teacher?
Powerpoint presentation on display through a projector.
Procedures:
1. Explain to students that we are going to begin working on discussing literature through
lit circles and that to begin, the groups have been chosen for them. Let students know
that as our comfort and familiarity with lit circle routines grows, they will have the
opportunity to not only choose their own groups, but what they read as well (2-3 min).
2. Have students move into their pre-formed, mixed-ability groups (1 min).
3. Using Powerpoint presentation, introduce Langston Hughes, and give a brief background
of his life and why his poetry is still so important today. In addition, use presentation to
introduce students to the poetic voice, and explain how the voice of the poem affects its
meaning and the images of feelings that it can produce in a reader (10-12 min).
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4. 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.
5. Show students video of Langston Hughes reading his poem, and ask how the
accompanying visuals of the video affected their interpretation of its “voice.” (8-10 min)
6. Have students write about their observations from their group readings and discussion
and also allow them to reflect more on the poem if they wish to do so. (10 min)
Extensions/Differentiations: How will you adapt this lesson for students with cultural, linguistic,
and cognitive differences?
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:
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Evaluation of student learning: How will you determine what progress the students have
made toward accomplishing the learning objective(s)? How will higher order thinking be
incorporated into your assessment of student learning? What criteria will you use?
Reflecting on the teaching process: (To be completed after the lesson is developed and/or
taught)
1. What worked well? What would you do differently to improve the lesson?
2. What went through your mind as you planned this lesson? What questions do you
still have about the lesson?
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