Alyssa Supple

Professor Suk
Educational Field Experience EDUC 230-13
Spring 2015
Unit Plan Lesson One: High School
Grade Level: 12
Subject: English
Unit: Poetry
Topic: Poetry Meter
Essential Questions:
- What are the different types of meter used in poetry?
- How does this affect the reading of the poem out loud?
- How does this, along with the figurative language and word choice, affect the
mood and the meaning of the poem?
Objectives:
Students will be able to recognize and define specific types of meter, both through
reading and listening, and apply this to future poetry readings.
Standards Addressed:
Common Core State Standards (CCSS, 2010):
CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.1112.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on
meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is
particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.1112.5
Analyze how an authors choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text
(e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or
tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic
impact.
CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.1112.7
Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live
production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets
the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American
dramatist.)

Supple
2
CCSS.ELALITERACY.L.1112.
Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different
contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully
when reading or listening.
CCSS.ELALITERACY.SL.1112.5
Makestrategicuseofdigitalmedia(e.g.,textual,graphical,audio,visual,andinteractive
elements)inpresentationstoenhanceunderstandingoffindings,reasoning,andevidence
andtoaddinterest.
Materials:
Meter handout, Power Point of poems with audio hyperlink, notebooks and pencils
Teaching Process:
Prerequisite Skills/Knowledge:
Students have just completed a three-lesson unit on figurative language. They will
be able to apply this knowledge to the poems they will be reading to better
understand, not only the meaning of the poem, but the structure as it is affected by
meter. Aside from noting the effect of figurative language on poem interpretation,
they will be asked to observe how meter affects the reading and understanding of
poetry.
Anticipatory Set:
Class will begin with the playing of music of different genres (Rap, Country,
R&B) to introduce the importance of stressed and unstressed sounds, along with
rhythm, to convey meaning and emphasis. This will then be related to poetry as
we investigate how the words of a song are similar to poetry, and we will
transition into the meter handout.
Input and Modeling:
- Students will receive a handout at the beginning of class with specific types of
meters outlined, defined, and illustrated through various lines of poetry.
- On the worksheet, students will be introduced to the type of meter (Iambic,
Trochaic, Spondaic, Anapestic, Dactylic), and examples will be provided of each.
The class will then learn to mark the corresponding examples with stressed and
unstressed marks to better visualize the meter. Also, we will practice reading
aloud the example segments, and will experiment with different sounds and
methods for hearing and comprehending the meter (ex. clapping, tapping, hand
movements while reading.)
Student Practice and Checking for Understanding
Student Practice:

Supple
3
- To emphasize further the sound of different meter, the class will then turn its
attention to the Power Point presentation, where portions of poems will be
displayed. Students will then take turns reading the segments and trying to
identify the meter. When needed, there is an accompanying audio for each poem.
- Students will be asked to think of, and to share, any hints they have come up
with that can help them and their classmates better understand meter
identification.
Lesson Wrap Up:
- Students will receive a handout at the end of the lesson in which they will
attempt to identify the meter on their own. I will monitor the classroom for
individual issues and questions. This worksheet will be taken home to complete as
homework.
- Before the bell, I will provide a few examples of unidentified meter over the
projector and ask the class to identify the meter as a group (choral response).
Assessment:
- Formative: individual growth will be assessed through monitoring the class and
from student performance on class and homework activities.
- Summative: Upcoming, cumulative quiz
Learning Styles:
The exercises I have designed are to appeal to a variety of learners including those
who learn best through listening, writing, and speaking. Individual and group
work time will also be balanced throughout the unit so as to ensure student
understanding and comfort.
Multiple Intelligences:
- Visual: drawing out the stressed and unstressed marks. Seeing these patterns
applied to different types of meter
- Linguistic: noticing how the structure of words relates to the meter and rhythm.
- Musical: listening to the different sounds of different meter and possibly finding
musical references to help better understand the material
- Bodily-Kinesthetic: tapping out/physically displaying the rhythm and flow of
meter
- Interpersonal: understanding how the meter affects the meaning of the words
- Logical/Mathematical: visual and auditory patterns in meter
- Intrapersonal: understanding how you as an individual identify and understand
meter and the effect this has on the meaning of the poem to yourself
Accommodations:
- For those who are struggling with finding the meter, additional worksheets
will be created to be completed with the supervision of an aid or of the teacher,
and extra time will be spent speaking the poems aloud with these students to find
what methods they can best use to identify the meter.

Supple
4
- For those with vision/hearing impairment, all handouts will be available on the
computer so that the font and volume can be properly adjusted.
References
Association, National Governors (NGA) and Officers, Council of Chief State School
(CCSSO). (2010) Common Core State Standards Initiative. Retrieved from
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards.