Lesson Plan Template
Rev 10/1/09
Name: Loretta Hunt______________
Subject Area(s)__Language Arts_________
Lesson Title___ Imagery and Symbolism __
Dr. Thieman
Age/Grade Level_10th______
Unit Title :Demystifying Poetry_
Estimated Time__55 minutes______
Purpose/Rationale for lesson: Students will identify imagery and symbolism in “Dream
Boogie,” and “Harlem,” by Langston Hughes, and “Harlem Wine,” by Countée Cullen
Curriculum Framing Questions:
Essential Question: How do we make literature relevant through exploration?
Unit Question that applies to this lesson: Which tools do poets provide to help
us discover meaning in their poems?
Lesson or Content Question(s): What is the significance of imagery?
Which of the five senses are being used in these poems?
What is the significance of symbolism?
What is the common theme of all 3 poems and what do you hear from the poets
when listening to them read their poems?
Goal: To have students respond to and analyze 3 poems from the Harlem Renaissance
period with analysis of imagery, symbolism, theme, and feelings of the authors.
Learning Objective(s): Identify imagery in 3 poems from the Harlem Renaissance and
clarify the underlying ideas and emotions.
Curriculum Standard(s):
EL.HS.LI.06 – Identify themes in literary works, and provide support for interpretations
from the text.
EL.HS.LI.09 – Identify various literary devices, including figurative language, imagery,
allegory, and symbolism; evaluate the significance of the devices and explain their
appeal.
EL.HS.RE.02 – Listen to, read, and understand a wide variety of informational and
narrative text, including classic and contemporary literature, poetry, magazines,
newspapers, reference materials and online information.
Materials Needed:
All three poems – “Dream Boogie,” “Harlem,” by Langston Hughes, and “Harlem Wine,”
by Countée Cullen
Laptop
Screen (to project several pages of a word document)
CD of the poets reading their own poems – “The Harlem Renaissance Remembered,”
produced by Brilliance Audio, and “Langston Hughes” produced by The Voice of the
Poet.
Background knowledge or skills students need prior to lesson:
 Understanding scansion and various literary devices.
 Ability to read poems
Hook or Introduction: Play a CD of Renaissance poets reading their own work.
Procedures:
1.) Brief background of the Harlem Renaissance, while the poems are projected up
on the screen with photos of the poets. I will explain that Harlem Renaissance
was a period of time after WWI (ending in the 30s) when art, when a cultural
movement erupted in Harlem. Very talented African Americans contributed
music, art and literature. (5 minutes).
2.) I will explain symbolism and imagery. I will tell them that Imagery and symbolism
are similar in that writers use these devices to use “images” or “symbols” to
describe feelings and impressions. Give examples of both. (i.e. cherry tree
symbolizes honesty, etc.). Images are descriptive (i.e. My daughter’s hugs warm
my heart).(5 minutes)
3.) Have the students listen to the poems being recited, paying close attention to
which words illicit one of the five senses or stand for something other than what
it is. Discuss the social themes of the poems. Have the students listen to the
poems one at a time. (10 minutes)
4.) Have the students write in paragraph form what they feel when they view the
words “Daddy,” “Harlem” and “Wine.” Remind them that with symbolism, the
words “stand for” something else, and imagery appeals to the 5 senses. These
are words written on the board. Ask whom “Daddy” might mean or symbolize in
Dream Boogie, what images come to mind when the student’s read “raisin in the
sun.” What is the Harlem wine? (5 minutes)
5.) I will share some of my “images” of these words and then ask the students to
share some of theirs with the class. (5 minutes)
6.) Pull up “Dream Boogie,” &“Harlem,” by Langston Hughes and “Harlem Wine,” by
Countée Cullen separately on a laptop from www.poets.org. Have volunteers
read from the screen out loud. Students must pick one of these poems and scan
it, as they were taught in an earlier lesson. (10 minutes)
7.) Ask students to get into groups based on counting off, and search these three
poems for symbolism or imagery and discuss. (10 minutes)
8.) Hear from a spokesperson from each group and then dismiss. (5 minutes)
Differentiation/Accommodation (for diverse learners in your classroom.)
With 30 students, 15 of which are male and 15 female, I have one student with ADHD,
and one student with an IEP for reading and writing at an 8 th grade level. Two students
have English as a second language and one is a TAG student.
Accommodation:
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For the child with ADHD, I would try to draw his attention to the lesson (find
something that is of interest to him/her) whenever I notice that he is having
trouble focusing. He or she can also move about the classroom as long as the
other students are respected.
Include poems in originating language as well as the English translations.
If students read their poetry aloud, they can read in their first language and then
give a simple explanation of what the poem is about.
The IEP student who is reading at an 8th grade level could read only one poem,
the African American poem, “Bean Eater” by Robert Burns, which is full of
symbols, imagery and wordplay.
The TAG student could write longer poetry or include different literary devices in
addition to the ones being taught in the class.
Additional peer or instructional assistance as needed.
Attention to Literacy: Stress the historical and cultural relevance of this time period for
African Americans in our culture.
Closure: Identify imagery in the poems “Dream Boogie,” &“Harlem,” by Langston
Hughes and “Harlem Wine,” by Countée Cullen and discuss as a group. Identify the
feelings of the authors. Ask questions about the day’s discussions.
Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning:
 Listen to how the students are interpreting Imagery and identifying images in the
poems. Read what the students wrote about what they saw and felt when I put
the trigger words on the board.
 I will be able to tell who is grasping the concepts by participation level.