GED 2002 Teachers' Handbook of Lesson Plans

Activity Title - "I Have to Read Poetry"

Area/Skill – LA Reading and Writing	Cognitive Skill Level – Analysis and Application
Activity Title - "I Have to Read Poetry" Goal/Objective Student will learn to read and write about poetry. Students will be exposed to rules, conventions and poetic terms to increase enjoyability and understanding of poetry. Lesson Outline What is poetry? Reading and appreciation of poetry. Writing guidelines. Activity Distribute Handouts 1 & 2. Read and discuss a pre-selected poem. Using the "Gathering Ideas" handout. Walk the students through the process of gathering details from the poem. Have the students write individual summaries about what the poem was saying to them. Debriefing/Evaluation Activity Have students share their impressions with the class.	Materials, Texts, Realia, Handouts Handout: "What Is Poetry? Handout: "Reading Poetry" Handout: "Gathering Ideas" Internet Extension Activity Have students write their own poetry. Show examples and explain HAIKU poetry. ESE Accommodations
Real-Life Connection Students develop critical thinking and higher order thinking skills in making observations and interpretations. Using the Internet have students locate a poem and use the steps they learned to read, evaluate and write about a poem.

Area/Skill – LA Reading and Writing

Cognitive Skill Level – Analysis and Application

Activity Title - "I Have to Read Poetry"

Introduction

Say: You will be asked to read and interpret poetry selections on the GED test. We will be reading poetry and writing about poetry over the next couple of days.

Main Activity

Say: We will begin the lesson today by talking about what poetry is and how to read poetry.

Ask: How do you feel about poetry?

Say: Do you enjoy listening to the lyrics of songs? If the answer is yes, then you like poetry.

Say: Let's look at what poetry really is and how to read it.

Pass out: Handouts 1 and 2 and a pre-selected poem to read together. Use Handout 3 to read and evaluate poem.

**Say: Using the process stated in your handouts begin drafting an essay evaluating the poem we just read and discussed.

Follow-up Lessons/Activities

Have students share their essays with the class. Discuss how different students heard different things from the poem.

*** Handout "What Is Poetry?" ***

Poetry is always creative. Poetry takes us to imaginary places and allows us to escape the reality of our lives but often brings into it our real-life experiences.

Poetry speaks to the senses.
Poetry speaks to the heart.
Poetry looks different from prose.

The Building Blocks of Poetry

Words are the spoken and written signifiers of thoughts, objects, and actions.
Words define the poems speaker, and they also carry ideas and emotions.

Choice of Diction

Specific language refers to objects or conditions that can be perceived or imagined.
General language signifies broad classes of persons, objects, and phenomena.
Concrete diction describes conditions or qualities that are exact and particular.
Abstract diction refers to qualities that are rarefied and theoretical.
In practice, poems using specific and concrete words tend to be visual, familiar, and compelling.
In contrast, poems using general and abstract tend to be detached and cerebral, frequently dealing with universal questions or emotions.

Imagery: The Poems Links To The Senses

Imagery refers to works that trigger your imagination to recall and recombine images, memories or mental pictures of sights, sounds, tastes, smells, sensations of touch and motions.

*** Handout "Reading Poetry" ***

If you know the rules and the strategies, watching a baseball game can be almost as much fun as playing baseball yourself. Real fans of the sport not only enjoy the game as it unfolds, but they also love to talk about the experience afterward.

The same is true with poetry. Once you know something about the rules and conventions, reading poetry can be extremely enjoyable.

Apply the Knowledge

Ask yourself what pictures come to mind. What do you see and hear? How does the poem make you feel?
Pay attention to the poem's structure. How does it look on the page?
Pay attention to the words and the sounds. Is rhyme or repetition used?
Does the poem follow a definite pattern or rhythm?

Read Carefully

Read the poem slowly and carefully.
Read the poem several times.
Read the poem aloud.

Try to catch the general meaning of the poem.

*** Handout # 3 "Gathering Ideas" ***

Character Charting

Character's Names

Relationship to Main Character

Characteristics

Setting (Who, What, When, and Why?):

Problem (Conflict):

Solution (Resolution):

Jeanni Pruitt, Northeast Texas Community College

Next | Table of Contents

©1995-2009 Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning
1-800-441-READ (7323) or 979-845-6615
FAX: 979-845-0952
E-mail: tcall@tamu.edu