Student Learning Plan
English Education
Poetry Unit Lesson 12
Topic:
Exploring the relationship between sound and meaning
in poetry
Grade Level: Time Frame: 90 minute block
Int. 10
1
Designer:
Karen Richardson
Teaching Date:
March 24, 2008
Description of Students:
Planning for 20 students diverse by race and
gender
Objectives :
Students will:
 Understand how meaning can be conveyed through verbal expression
 Demonstrate the relationship between sound and meaning in poetry by performing a text
 Apply knowledge of poetic terms and forms to texts
VA SOL:
10.5 The student will read and analyze a variety of poetry.
a) Compare and contrast the use of rhyme, rhythm, and sound to convey a message.
b) Compare and contrast the ways in which poets use techniques to evoke emotion in the
reader.
c) Interpret and paraphrase the meaning of selected poems.
Assessment:
Resources:
Students will be given a pre- and post-lesson
LCD projector
questionnaire assessing their learning and graded for
Document camera
http://encarta.msn.com/media_461543345/w_
completion.
Students will be evaluated on their group participation
using a tally check-list system.
b_yeats_reading.html,
Copies of poems: “The
Bean Eaters,” “O
Captain! My Captain!,” Shakespeare’s
sonnet, lines from The Odyssey,
“Jabberwocky,” “Jazz Fantasia,” and
“Some Days”
Handouts
2
Content:
Importance of sound and how it conveys meaning in poetry
Conventions of reading poetry: do not pause after lines, but after punctuation; breathing pauses
Yeats’ reading of “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”
Poetic terms:
 metaphor= comparison between two objects/thoughts without using like or as
 alliteration= repetition of initial consonant sound
 simile= comparison between two objects/thoughts using like or as
 tone= attitude of author. voice of the narrative
 mood= closely linked to setting and theme, the content of the text
 rhyme=repetition of an identical or similar sound in two or more different words
 rhythm=variation of sounds
Poetic forms:
 epic=verse poetry, normally long, involving hero/heroic feats
 elegy=poem about mourning
 sonnet=typically fourteen lines; Shakespearean sonnet, typically about love or emotions
 ballad=a short narrative (as compared to an epic) poem, involves dialogue, meant to be sung
Student Learning Plan
English Education
3
Instructional Strategies and timings:
1. Introduction: (5 minutes)
 Students complete Do Now pre-lesson questions.
 Today we are exploring the relationship between meaning and sound in poetry.
2. Setting the Tone: “The Bean Eaters” by Gwendolyn Brooks. (10 minutes)
 Hand out copies of poem (on directions worksheet).
 Ask student volunteers to read the poem. (2-3 depending on the class). After each volunteer,
ask the class, “what did you hear?” “What did the oral reading tell you?”
3. The Why and How of Reading: (10 minutes)
 Mini-lecture on reading poetry aloud. Discuss the “why’s” and “how’s” of reading poetry.
Play example reading of “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” from website. Have student volunteer
read website blurb. Ask students, “what did you hear in Yeats’ voice?” “What did you notice
about the relationship between the sound of his voice and the poem’s meaning?” Discuss.
3. Choral Reading Preparation: (20 minutes)
 Discuss the group assignment. Have student volunteer read “Tips for Successful Choral
Reading.” Ask for any questions on group task.
 Students pick card indicating poem. Teacher points out areas for particular poem groups to
convene. Class divides into groups. Teacher hands out group handouts to each.
 Groups prepare their choral reading performance. Teacher walks around and helps/observes
participation. (12-15 minutes)
4. Performing the relationship between sound and meaning: (40 minutes)
 Teacher hands out guided notetaking with all poems.
 Groups perform poems in voluntary order. After each group, ask students: “what did you
hear?” “How did you hear the relationship between sound and meaning?” Group given time to
respond to students’ comments.
 After all groups are finished, put guided notetaking on document camera. Ask students to
identify formal devices they have been learning. Discuss poetic form by asking students to
describe what is going on in each poem.
4. Demonstrating Learning: (5 minutes)
 Students complete Exit Pass post-lesson questions.
Multidisciplinary
Connections:
Technology:
Use document
Adaptations:
All instructions are written and directed verbally to attend to IEP adaptations.
More adaptations can be applied later according to the specific IEP needs of
students.
4
camera and sound
file from website.
Differentiation Strategies:
 Adherence to Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences:
Interpersonal: Students work in groups to perform poem. Students discuss
poem’s meaning with group to grain a group understanding of the relationship
between sound and meaning in poetry.
Bodily-Kinesthetic: Students perform poetry and may incorporate dramatic
interpretation, dancing, acting, and any other creative endeavor. Students walk
around and move about with their group to prepare for performance.
Verbal-Linguistic: All directions are given to students in verbal and written from.
Students write their own responses, read poems silently and aloud, discuss poetry
with their group, and write final responses.
Intrapersonal: Students write individual “Do Now” and “Exit Pass” responses to
indicate their opinion on reading poetry aloud. Students also work individually on
the term identification task.
Visual Spatial: Students are given visual chart of literary terms to organize
information. Students are also able to artistically represent information to
complete the group choral reading task and the individual term identification task.
Musical: Students’ choral reading task focuses on the rhythm depicted by the
language of each poem. Students are able to perform poem using a rhythm of
choice.

Flexible Grouping: Grouping according to student ability level and
differing by level of challenge presented by the poem
Group 1: most challenging poem, “Jabberwocky,” due to obscure wording
Group 2: challenging poem, “My Mistress’ Eyes,” due to confusing phrasing
Group 3: challenging poem, “O Captain! My Captain,” due to length and wording
Group 4: least challenging poem, “The Odyssey,” due to student familiarity
Group 5: least challenging poem, “Jazz Fantasia,” due to ease of reading
Group 6: challenging poem, “Some Days,” due to hidden meaning
Reflection/Recommendations for Future Use:
SOE Student Teaching Competencies:
Foundational Understanding:
4. Demonstrates understanding of how students differ in their approaches to learning.
Teaching Skills:
12. Engages students actively in learning.
13. Uses a variety of effective teaching strategies.
Professional Dispositions:
27. Demonstrates effective oral and written communication.