Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit Four: Poetry and Interpretive Response
Suggested Time Frame: ≈ 2 weeks
Introduction
The Instructional Timeline is provided for teachers to assist with the organization of the
nine/six weeks of TEKS/SE into shorter periods of time. This timeline includes zero week(s)
for teachers to extend instruction and/or to reteach as necessary.
Description
Poetry includes a study of elements of poetry that relate to the world, as well as universal
ideas, themes, and motifs that are analyzed in studies of literature.
Students will also be asked to emulate the works they study in this unit through the creations
of a student-generated poetry. The poems students compose should be in the poetic forms
studied in this unit and should also clearly demonstrate a theme, mood, and tone. Each poem
should also emphasize two or more of the poetic elements studied in this unit.
Students continue to improve in listening, speaking, and viewing in this unit by evaluating
poetry readings, orally presenting chosen poems and scripts, and preparing and evaluating
their projects and other students’ creations.
TEKS/SE
taught during
this period and
eligible for
testing on
district
assessments
Bold and
underlined
TEKS/SE are
high stakes for
our district
(less than
___% mastery
on TAKS)
Bold TEKS/SE
are assessed
on TAKS
ONGOING: The TEKS are recursive in nature and many of the standards are revisited
throughout the school year. The following TEKS should be embedded and addressed in
each unit of study: Figure 19A & B, 1A, 1B, 1D, 1E, 13A-E, 17A-C, 18A, 18 B, 19, 21C, 24,
23E, 24A, 24B, and 26.
Reading/Vocabulary
Reading/Comprehension Skills. Students use a flexible range of metacognitive reading
skills in both assigned and independent reading to understand an author’s message.
Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more
complex texts as they become self-directed, critical readers. The student is expected to:
(A) reflect on understanding to monitor comprehension (e.g., asking questions,
summarizing and synthesizing, making connections, creating sensory images);
(B) make complex inferences about text and use textual evidence to support
understanding.
(1) Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it
when reading and writing. Students are expected to:
(B) analyze textual context (within a sentence and in larger sections of text) to
distinguish between the denotative and connotative meanings of words;
(C) infer word meaning through the identification and analysis of analogies and other
word relationships;
(E) use a dictionary, a glossary, or a thesaurus (printed or electronic) to determine or
confirm the meanings of words and phrases, including their connotations and
denotations, and their etymology.
(2) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make
inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and
contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Students are expected to:
(A) compare and contrast differences in similar themes expressed in different time
periods;
(3) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Poetry. Students understand, make
inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry and provide
evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to analyze the
structure or prosody (e.g., meter, rhyme scheme) and graphic elements (e.g., line length,
punctuation, word position) in poetry.
(7) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Sensory Language. Students understand,
make inferences and draw conclusions about how an author's sensory language creates
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Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit Four: Poetry and Interpretive Response
imagery in literary text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.
Students are expected to explain the function of symbolism, allegory, and allusions in literary
works.
(8) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History. Students
analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural,
historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their
understanding. Students are expected to analyze the controlling idea and specific purpose of
a passage and the textual elements that support and elaborate it, including both the most
important details and the less important details.
Writing and Oral/Written Conventions
(14) Writing/Literary Texts. Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings
about real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are responsible for at least two
forms of literary writing. Students are expected to:
(B) write a poem using a variety of poetic techniques (e.g., structural elements,
figurative language) and a variety of poetic forms (e.g., sonnets, ballads);
(15) Writing/Expository and Procedural Texts. Students write expository and procedural
or work-related texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific
purposes. Students are expected to:
(C) write an interpretative response to an expository or a literary text (e.g., essay or
review) that:
(i) extends beyond a summary and literal analysis;
(ii) addresses the writing skills for an analytical essay and provides evidence
from the text using embedded quotations;
(iii) analyzes the aesthetic effects of an author's use of stylistic and
rhetorical devices;
(17) Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and
use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students will continue
to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:
(A) use and understand the function of the following parts of speech in the context of
reading, writing, and speaking:
(i) more complex active and passive tenses and verbals (gerunds, infinitives,
participles);
(ii) restrictive and nonrestrictive relative clauses;
(iii) reciprocal pronouns (e.g., each other, one another);
(B) identify and use the subjunctive mood to express doubts, wishes, and
possibilities;
(18) Oral and Written Conventions/Handwriting, Capitalization, and Punctuation.
Students write legibly and use appropriate capitalization and punctuation conventions in their
compositions. Students are expected to:
(A) use conventions of capitalization;
(B) use correct punctuation marks including:
(i) comma placement in nonrestrictive phrases, clauses, and contrasting
expressions;
(ii) quotation marks to indicate sarcasm or irony;
(iii) dashes to emphasize parenthetical information.
(19) Oral and Written Conventions/Spelling. Students spell correctly. Students are
expected to spell correctly, including using various resources to determine and check correct
spellings.
Listening and Speaking
(24) Listening and Speaking/Listening. Students will use comprehension skills to listen
attentively to others in formal and informal settings. Students will continue to apply earlier
standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:
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Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit Four: Poetry and Interpretive Response
Extension
TEKS
(Optional)
(A) listen responsively to a speaker by taking notes that summarize, synthesize, or
highlight the speaker's ideas for critical reflection and by asking questions related to
the content for clarification and elaboration;
(C) evaluate how the style and structure of a speech support or undermine its
purpose or meaning.
(25) Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the
conventions of language. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater
complexity. Students are expected to advance a coherent argument that incorporates a clear
thesis and a logical progression of valid evidence from reliable sources and that employs eye
contact, speaking rate (e.g., pauses for effect), volume, enunciation, purposeful gestures, and
conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively.
(12) Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words,
images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students
will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts.
Students are expected to:
(A) evaluate how messages presented in media reflect social and cultural views in
ways different from traditional texts;
(B) analyze how messages in media are conveyed through visual and sound
techniques (e.g., editing, reaction shots, sequencing, background music);
(C) examine how individual perception or bias in coverage of the same event
influences the audience;
(D) evaluate changes in formality and tone within the same medium for specific
audiences and purposes.
Generalizations
1. Structure, prosody, and graphic elements impact the meaning of poems.
2. Words, images, graphics, and sound work together in various forms to impact
meaning.
3. Individual perception or bias may influence an audience.
4. Fictions, in its varied genres, can convey varied and meaningful perspectives on all
aspects of the human experience.
5. The use of punctuation and its impact on the meaning of poetry and its importance.
6. Discussions involving text encourage depth of thought by challenging the reader to
think beyond literal levels
Essential
Questions
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Core
Components
What place or importance does poetry have in my own life?
How does the life and experiences of a poet affect the poem he/she creates?
Why do people write poetry?
How do perception and the bias of an author impact an audience?
Teaching Notes:
Please note there is no room for additional time to teach this unit. It is a two week unit.
Also, please note that you will need to do one of the following:
 reserve the library so students may select a poem for their interpretive response.
 bring in copies of 3-4 different poems students may select from for the project.
 reserve the computer lab where students may search for poems on the Internet.
 if your resources for poems are limited, refer to the poems in the textbook that
students have not had the opportunity to study.
Recommended Websites:
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Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit Four: Poetry and Interpretive Response
April is National Poetry Month - Ideas
Poem Hunter
Poets – from the Academy of American Poets
Pacing Considerations
 This is a short instructional timeline – two weeks total, which will close the semester.
Teachers may integrate poetry into units at other times during the year. Note: poetry
specific TEKS are a very small segment of the curriculum.
Vocabulary
TEA Glossary – English / Spanish
A-M
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Curricular
Connections
(within,
between, and
among
disciplines)
analogy
antonym
audience
blank verse
connotation
context clues
critical reflection
denotation
enunciation
epic poetry
graphic elements (line length,
punctuation, word position)
Homonyms
Homophones
iambic pentameter
imagery
lyric poetry
metaphor
meter
motif
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N-Z
onomatopoeia
paraphrase
pattern of verse
prosody
pun
rhetoric
rhyme scheme
rhythm
simile
sonnet
sound device
summarize
structure
style and structure of speech
synonym
synthesize
ELAR/TEKS Vertical Alignment K-12
Required
Lessons
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© Round Rock I.S.D.
Original Poem- please see recommended website below
Interpretive Response-please see pp.606-613 in the textbook (includes sample
writing piece)
Grammar Workshop: Pronoun Antecedent Agreement, p. 487 (TEK 17Aiii)
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Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit Four: Poetry and Interpretive Response
Recommended
Lessons and
Learning
Experiences
Ask students to bring in some of their favorite school-appropriate lyrics; instruct them to share
with their classmates and show them the connection with music and poetry. Ideas: explain to
them how many famous singers, rappers, etc. start out writing poetry (ex: Tupac, Pink, Alicia
Keys, Serj Tankian (lead singer of System of a Down), and Bob Dylan).
Also, this is a unit where teachers can integrate art (a cross-curricular connection).
Ideas:
 Project a piece of artwork on the wall/board for students and instruct them to free
write based on their emotions/connection to the piece. They can describe what they
see, their emotions, the mood of the painting/piece, etc. Finally, they can write a
poem around the piece of art and use their free write as a foundation for the piece.
Students may also write a poem and create a piece of art based on their poem.
Students may also listen to a piece of music, and create art/draw while they are listening to
music based on how they feel/what they are hearing.
Differentiation:
Suggestions for scaffolding learning by employing strategies for diverse learners within the
classroom setting (i.e.: Special Education, TAG, 504, ESL).
English Language Proficiency Standards Student Expectations with Sentence Stems
and Activities to support implementation of the Standards (Note: when you open the
link, it may ask you for a certificate or if it is OK to open the file, click OK each time you see
the screens.)
Instructional
Resources
Textbook
 Alexie, Sherman – “Secondhand Grief,” pp.549-552
 Baca, Jimmy Santiago – “I Am Offering This Poem,” pp.532-535
 Basho, Matsuo – “Three Haiku,” pp. 494-498
 Brooks, Gwendolyn – “Horses Graze,” pp. 540-544
 Clifton, Lucille – “miss rosie,” pp. 568-571
 Collins, Billy – “Creatures,” pp. 459-463
 cummings, e.e. – “since feeling is first,” pp. 536-539
 Dickinson, Emily – “After Great Pain, A Formal Feeling and Heart! We Will Forget
Him!” pp. 512-518
 Divakaruni, Chitra Banajeree – “Woman with Kite,” pp. 503-508
 Dove, Rita – “Parlor,” pp. 545-548
 Frost, Robert – “After Apple-Picking,” pp. 572-578
 Hayden, Robert – “Those Winter Sundays,” pp. 454-457
 Ise, Lady – “Two Tanka,” pp. 499-502
 Lee, Chang-rae, “We are Family,” pp. 586-590
 Life Lesson Triplet: Dream Boogie and Motto by Langston Hughes, Dizzy Gillespie,
Explorer of New Sounds by Studs Terkel, and Playing Jazz by Wynton Marsalis pp.
591-605 (Teaching Notes: These three pieces are married thematically in the
textbook; if you want to teach them separately you may do so.
 Momaday, N. Scott – “The Print of the Paw, To an Aged Bear,” pp. 488-493
 Neruda, Pablo – “Ode to My Socks,” pp. 474-481
 Nye, Naomi Shihab – “Arabic Coffee,” pp. 579-582
 Randall, Dudley – “Ballad of Birmingham,” pp. 553-558
 Roethke, Theodore – “The Meadow Mouse” pp. 519-524
 Shakespeare, William – “Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day?” pp. 464-469
 Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr – “ A Storm in the Mountains,” pp. 482-486
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Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit Four: Poetry and Interpretive Response
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Toomer, Jean- “Reapers,” pp. 470-473
Yeats, William Butler – “Down By the Salley Gardens,” and “He Wishes for the
Cloths of Heaven,” pp. 525-531
Grammar Workshop: Pronoun Antecedent Agreement, p. 487 (TEK 17Aiii)
Websites
April is National Poetry Month
Poem Hunter
Poet and their work from the Academy of American Poets
Shakespearean Drama
Sonnets
Professional References
 101 Great American Poems – ISBN# 978-0486401584
Assessment
Resources
Non-Negotiable Assessments/Work Products
 Write an original poem using a variety of poetic techniques.
 Interpretive Response(s); See Writing Workshop: Interpretative Response Essay on
pp. 606-613.
Suggested Assessments/Work Products
 Instruct students to develop a poetry portfolio.
 If a teacher chooses to integrate poetry as a portion of students’ portfolio - this may
take a significant amount of instructional time. Suggestion: students may choose to
integrate poems into his/her writing portfolio as “free pieces.” The portfolio example
and rubric on this website is challenging/labor intensive, so teachers may review
portions to adapt for instructional time allotted.
http://www2.rccsd.org/RKeim/Poetry_Portfolio_Guidelines.htm
Ongoing Assessments and Best Practices
 Reading-writing workshop is a standard classroom practice and should be
established within the first week of school. Mini-lessons on the craft and skill of
writing are designed around relevance to the current unit as well as students’ needs.
Reader’s-writer’s notebooks are introduced and set up in the first unit to use in the
classroom as an essential spring board for the pieces that will later be crafted in
writer’s workshop. In the reader’s-writer’s notebook, the students will brainstorm
topics, reflect on and experiment with author’s craft, respond to reading, and practice
their revising and editing skills. Students will also create data folders that will be used
throughout the year to record progress and set goals.
 Reading and writing conferences - teachers use a “status of the class” chart to keep
track of student progress and to determine when teacher conferencing is needed.
 Think Alouds to model metacognitive strategies
 Literature Circles
 Think/Pair/Share (Cooperative Learning)
 Sustained Silent Reading (S.S.R) or Free Voluntary Reading(FVR) - approximately
45+ minutes a week (See pp. 616-617 in the textbook for suggestions in this unit).
 Cooperative Learning Activities
 Annotate text to improve comprehension
 Literary responses and/or dialectal journal
 Assess grammar and mechanics in the context of student reading and writing.
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Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit Four: Poetry and Interpretive Response
Tools
 Rubrics (teacher created and Glencoe resources)
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