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Unit Planning Organizer

Subject__Language Arts______________________Grade 9

Unit/Topic_Poetry__________________________________________________

Unit Duration___Sept 5-Oct. 13_______________________________________

1. Unit Overview – Critical Inquiry Question

Why do we study poetry?

2. Focusing Questions for Lessons (Related questions)

-What is poetry's purpose?
-What is poetry?
-How long has poetry been around?
-Why is it important to our lives?
-What are different elements of poetry?
-Why use poetry?
-What are poetic devices?

3. Specific Learning Outcomes for Unit

1.1:
-extend understanding by taking different points of view when rereading and reflecting on oral, print and
other media texts
-reflect on own growth in language learning and use, by considering progress over time and the attainment
of personal goals
1.2:
-integrate own perspectives and interpretations with new understandings developed through discussing and
through experiencing a variety of oral, print and other media texts
2.4:
-create oral, print and other media texts on common literary themes
4.1:
-share sample treatments of a topic with peers, and ask for feedback on the relative effectiveness of each
-work collaboratively to make appropriate revisions based on feedback provided by peers
4.2:
-demonstrate the deliberate, conscientious and independent application of a variety of editing and
proofreading strategies to confirm spellings in own writing
-identify and use variant spellings for particular effects, depending on audience, purpose, content and
context

Date Lesson Lesson Overview Assessment

Question/Topic
Sept. 5 What is poetry? This class will be an introduction to There will be no
the new school year, to their assessment for this
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classmates and myself. We will go class.

over classroom expectations and
what the class will be all about, and
we will begin our poetry unit by
discussing what poetry is and
having the students come up with
their own definition.
Sept. 6 What is poetry? We will start the class by having the The only assessment
students free write their opinions will be class
and ideas about poetry, and if participation, and
students want to share their thoughts whether the students
they can--if not, that is something bring a poem in the
we will work up to. Using Emily next day.
Dickinson's poem "A Word is
Dead" we will read through the
poem and have the students discuss
in small groups their reactions and
ideas, then will bring it to a group
discussion. The students will also
be asked to bring in their favourite
poem for tomorrow, or to find one
that they like. At the end of class we
will also spend some time
discussing their poetry portfolio,
and explain that the poem they bring
in will be the first piece.
Sept. 7 What is poetry? We will begin by having the The assessment for
students explain to a partner why this class will be
they chose the poem that they did, participation
why they like it, what meaning it
has to them, how they found it.
Next, the students will receive a
handout on poetic devices and
different types of poems (focusing
on the different types of poems
today). They will have some time
to read through the material, then
we will begin to discuss it all as a
class. As a fun activity to do at the
end of class, we will create a "found
poem" as a class.
Sept. 8 What is poetic Today we will be focusing on poetic The assessment will
terminology? terminology, and will start by be the poetry response
investigating rhyme scheme by that the students hand
looking at a few different poems. I in for completion.
will introduce a poetry response
sheet for the students, and they will
have to complete one before the end

Sept. 11 What are rhyming
schemes?
Sept. 12 What are poetic
devices?
Sept. 13 What is a sonnet?
Sept. 14 What is a haiku?
Sept. 15 What is a limerick?
Sept. 17 What is a couplet?
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of class using one of the poems.
Students will try to find patterns in
the poems we look at to see if any
follow a specific rhyming scheme.
We will continue working with the The assessment will
new vocabulary terms from last be participation in the
week so the students can continue to class activity, and
familiarize themselves with them. whether they can
Working in small groups, they will successfully use the
be giving three poems and then vocabulary words so
must try and identify the rhyme far.
scheme, and all the vocabulary
words they can. Afterwards we will
complete them as a class and see
how many we can find altogether.
Today's class will be dedicated to The assessment will
filling out their vocabulary sheet be a check done on
with definitions and examples so their vocabulary
that they can successfully write their sheets before they
own poems, and are prepared for the leave for the day.
quiz that will be on the 24th.
This class will focus on learning The assessment will
about sonnets--their history, what be the sonnet they
makes them sonnets, the rules create.
behind them. We will also look at
some examples of sonnets that
Shakespeare wrote. The students
will have time to work on their own
sonnets.
This class will focus on learning The assessment will
about haikus, their history, what be the haiku they
classifies them as haikus, and we create.
will also spend some time
discussing other types of poems that
involve syllables. The students will
have time to work on their own
haikus.
This class will focus on limericks-- The assessment will
what makes a poem a limerick? The be the limerick they
students will have time to work on create.
their own limerick after we write
one together as a class.
The class will learn about couplets-- The assessment will
we will look at some famous ones be the couplet they
and will discuss why people would create.
write them. In pairs the students
will write a few couplets, then they
will pair up with another group to

Sept. 18 What is free verse?
Sept. 19 What are concrete
poems?
Sept. 20 What are concrete
poems?
Sept. 21 Quiz
Sept. 24 How long has poetry
been around for?
Sept. 25 Why use poetry?
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share their ideas.
The class will learn about free verse The assessment will
poems. We will spend time looking be the free verse they
at some together to understand what create.
qualifies a poem as free verse. Then
the students will have time to work
on their own free verse poem.
We will spend today looking at The assessment will
what concrete poems are, and will be the concrete poems
look at examples as a class. The they create.
students will then have time to
brainstorm with a partner for their
own concrete poem.
The students will continue working The assessment will
on their own concrete poem today, be the concrete poems
and if we have time we will spend it they create.
studying for the quiz they have on
Monday.
The class will be given a quiz on The assessment will
what they have learned about poetic be the quiz.
devices, their vocabulary words, and
the types of poems we have
discussed so far. After the quiz the
students will have time to work on
their poetry portfolios and the
poems in their formula workbooks.
Give the students two different The assessment will
poems from two different eras and be their first poem
ask them to identify the similarities using the poetry
and differences, and if they know formula.
when each poem was written. Let
them work in partners or small
groups to discuss, then have a class
discussion. I will also hand out the
Poetry Formula assignment and
explain to the class what we will be
doing with those. They will then
have some time to work on their
first poem.
In today's class we will spend time The assessment will
discussing why people choose to use be their participation
poetry, and what feelings it can in today's class.
convey that might not work with
other mediums. We will use a
combination of different kinds of
poems and lyrics, and the students
will work in partners to discuss
what they think each poem means.

Sept. 26
Sept. 27 Is music poetry?
Sept. 28 What is slam poetry?
Sept. 29 How to write slam
poetry?
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We will then have a class discussion
about what each poem means and
see if there is a group consensus.
Do they think it would be easier to
just write down this ideas in a
narrative?
The students will have some time The assessment will
today to work on their poetry be their ability to peer
formulas, and will have to share one edit using a checklist,
of their completed poems with a and their class
partner who will then provide them participation.
will feedback using a checklist
provided. This will help to prepare
them for the peer editing portion of
the slam poetry.
We will be looking at music lyrics The assessment will
today, and whether they are poetry be participation within
or not. The students will do a think, the group, and the
pair, share on what they have song lyrics they bring
learned so far and if they feel music tomorrow for their
would fit in to our working portfolio.
definition of poetry from the first
day. I will read out lyrics to a song,
then play the song for them. We
will discuss if it is easier for them to
hear and understand the lyrics when
there is music or not, and if they
think the lyrics are poetry. Next, we
will split the class into two, and give
them lyrics to popular songs. The
teams will have to try and identify
the poetic devices used in each song
line, and if there is a rhyme scheme.
For homework they will have to
bring in their favourite school
appropriate song lyrics.
The class will receive their final The assessment will
assignment--slam poetry that they be their participation
will have to perform in front of the for today's class.
class. We will spend the class
watching slam poetry and
discussing what makes it slam
poetry. The students will then have
some time to brainstorm ideas.
The students will get time to work No assessment for
on their slam poetry today. We will today.
take some breaks in the middle of
class to see if there are any
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questions and to check the overall

progress of the class.
Oct. 2 How to write slam The students will get more time to The assessment will
poetry? work on their poems, and will be be their completed
given the opportunity to peer edit peer editing
each other's work (using a checklists.
checklist). We will also create a
lineup for the class for the following
two days
Oct. 3 Poetry Slam Class! We will use today and possibly The assessment will
tomorrow's class so the students can be their performances
perform their slam poetry.
Oct. 4 Poetry Slam Class! If needed, we will use today to The assessment will
finish up the slam poetry. If we still be their performances.
have time, I will introduce the next
unit of suspense narrative writing.