Literary Analysis for 9Th and 10Th Graders

Literary Analysis for 9th and 10th Graders

Introduction:

Students are learning about analyzing poetry. For this lesson, students were to come prepared having read the online poems for homework the night before. They also should have a basic foundation of poetry features before coming to class. The lesson in class will help solidify any questions on the features as well as dig deeper into the meaning of the poetry. The time required for this lesson is 50 minutes.

Group Size: Any

Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to identify different poetry characteristics, including sound, structure, and graphic elements.
Students will be able to explain how the use of sound, structure, and graphic elements enhance poetry.

Guiding Question:

After reading the selected online poems for homework last night, what were some of the meanings that came from those poems? How were those meanings so clear coming from the written words?

Materials:

• One computer per student • Touch board • Prepared warm-up matching questions • Poetry features online article • Bingo card layout on computer with predetermined examples that I will call out during bingo • Talking Guide 1 • Poems on the CD • Talking Guide 2

Procedures:

Homework the night before- Students will have read an online article on poetry features that included example poems.

As students enter the classroom, each will choose one of the poems on the table at the front of the room. Students will choose their poem based on the one they find most interesting and on the reading level most conducive to their ability.

Give students 2 minutes to finish finding a poem once the bell rings.>

Warm-up Activity: As I take attendance, students will answer matching questions on the touch board. The board will display examples on the left with answers on the right. Answers include items like alliteration, repetition, etc. and questions include examples of those items.

Let’s begin with our warm-up by reviewing the different elements of poetry. Have students raise their hands and give the answer and an explanation for their answer for each example. As students answer the questions, I will match the answers to the questions using the touch board. <3 minutes>

Today we are going to break into groups based on your learning style choice. Each group is going to work more closely with the various features involved in poetry. Your choices are as follows:

1.1: You may create your own sound, structure, and graphic elements document that outlines these different features after reading the online article on poetry feature. It should include creative images as well as colors and other markings in order to organize the material in a creative way.

2.2: You may work in small groups of 3 to 5 and discuss different poetry elements including sound, structure, and graphic. You will use the online poetry article to guide your discussion. One of the group members will write down the main points of your discussion.

<Students will put their chairs in a circle. One student will start the discussion and it will continue around the circle until everyone has had a chance to input their thoughts.>

<A talking guide (Talking Guide 1) will be given to the lead of the group (I will designate the lead by picking the student who raises his or her hand first to be in the group.). This guide will be passed around the circle to help guide the conversation and make sure that all students are getting their chance to share.>

3.3: You may play bingo using the bingo card on your computer. I will call out different examples that include features such as alliteration and rhythm. When you hear for example “slippery slide,” you should cover the “alliteration” square with a chip on your board.

<I will have designed the bingo card using Bingo Card Creator online. The front of the classroom will be used with this group.>

Now we are going to use the example poems that you read last night online to learn how the use of these different features helps enhance the poems. You have three options:

1.1: You can participate in a discussion about how the different elements effect and enhance the poem, while I type the main points on the computer that is projected on the screen for students to see at front of the classroom.

<Students will be the main ones talking during this discussion but I will help guide it and keep it on track. I will also be taking down the main points of the discussion so that at the end of the discussion, the students can see what they have come up with and what they can learn from it.>

2.2: You can listen to example poems from a CD as you read along in the online copy of the poem. You will then discuss features such as the effects of punctuation when reciting poetry.

< Students will be seated in a circle, while they listen to the poems. The lead, whom I will randomly designate, will be the person who pushes play and stop for the group.>

<Students will again have a talking guide (Talking Guide 2), which will include question prompts. This guide will help start and hold the conversation.>

3.3: You can role play the example poem(s). Students evenly group together, and each group recites a different example poem aloud in a popcorn-reading fashion from the poem online, where one student will start by acting out and reciting the poem and the other will chime in partway through. Before role playing, the students will discuss how they will present the poem based on the punctuation and other features in the poem.

<Students will rate how well-acted each group was, and whichever group that wins will act out their poem in front of the class just before class is over.>

Based on the students’ votes in the role playing group, we will be watching group X act out their poem. You should already be familiar with this poem, as it was in your reading from last night. Be sure to listen out for the delivery of it and how the different features affect the meaning. <4 minutes>

If there is additional time remaining, allow students to start work on their assignment.

Assessment:

For homework, you will choose to do one of the following with the poem that you chose at the beginning of class:

Write a one-page essay on the different features used (the ones we discussed in class) and the meaning of them in your chosen poem.

2. Write a song or speech that highlights different features used and the meaning of them in your chosen poem. 3. Put together a 5 minute presentation on the computer that includes different features used and the meaning of them in your chosen poem.

The assignment you choose to do will be due on Tuesday (today is Friday) so that gives you the weekend and Monday to complete this assignment, which should be plenty of time. On Tuesday, I will set aside some time for the students that choose to do a computer presentation, song, or speech to present.

Benchmark or Standards:

Benchmark: LA.910.2.1.3: The student will explain how meaning is enhanced through various features of poetry, including sound (e.g., rhythm, repetition, alliteration, consonance, assonance), structure (e.g., meter, rhyme scheme), and graphic elements (e.g., line length, punctuation, word position).

Standard: LA.910.2.1: Fiction - The student identifies, analyzes, and applies knowledge of the elements of a variety of fiction and literary texts to develop a thoughtful response to a literary selection.