From Shakespeare to Kendrick Lamar
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A Grade 9 Unit on Poetry
In this unit we will be exploring the world around us and beyond through poetry. Many of these stories talk about distant lands and lives that may seem unfamiliar to us. Through this unit we will explore the poetic devices to understand the poetry we are reading as well as look into how poetry and identity are intertwined.
Class Structure
The interpretation of poetry is based upon how the reader responds to it. That means that the reader, which in this case is yourselves, must talk about how the poem makes him/her feel, why does it make him/her feel this way, what does he/she think the poet is trying to say and what poetic devices help the poet say these things. There will be a lot of discussion in this classroom, which only works if we DISCUSS. I ask that everyone tries to speak at least once every two classes. Of course, you can speak more, but I would like to hear everyone’s voices, as it fuels this class, as well as the assignments that go along with it. It also tells me that you are following what is being said in the class and that you understand what is being taught.
Taking Notes
Taking notes about key terms is important for doing well on later assignments, quizzes and participating in class discussions. But it’s not just a pointless high school activity. In your future careers, in filling out future applications, in university or simply making a grocery list, taking notes is crucial. You are out of milk, pickles and dog food, but instead you bought Oreo Cookies, Sour Keys and a DVD of Frozen. Why? Because you didn’t take notes!
Poetry on the Internet
www.poetryfoundation.org/
Great source to find lots of poems from all ages and places. There are also poet biographies as well as information of poems’ themes and use of poetic devices. They also publish the Poetry magazine. You can browse poems (a collection that’s 10000+ strong), and refine your search by subject, occasion, holiday, and a few more handy options like filtering poems that are good for children, have related audio, or related video.
www.poetfreak.com/
Read upcoming poets’ poetry and review their work.
www.poets.org/
The web face of the Academy of American Poets is the place to head to if you are interested in contemporary poetry. They launch events like National Poetry Month. There is also Poetry Audio Archive, that has over 500 recordings dating back to the 1960s.