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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Figurative Language

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What is figurative language, and why do we use it? Introduce your high schoolers to some examples and discuss the importance of including this element in your writing. After studying a text and searching for examples, writers will...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Color My World Grey and Blue

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Can colors help to convey a mood in writing? Explore this question with your class using the songs "Grey Street" by the Dave Matthews Band and "Blu is a Mood" by Blu Cantrell. After analyzing the effect of the color words in these songs...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock and Poetry: A Thematic Project

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students explore poetry. In this literature lesson, students examine music and lyrics by Natalie Merchant in order to make the transition to analyzing poetry by Keats and Wordsworth.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders examine the main characteristics of poetry. They read and discuss a handout on the characteristics of poetry, read the poem, The Road Not Taken, discuss their interpretation of the poem, and research poetry on the Internet.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry Writing

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars compose a piece of poetry modeled after the poetry of Carl Sandburg and share their poem(s) with their colleagues. They use a cluster diagram to organize their thoughts and brainstorm their ideas.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Singing "What's New With Me"

For Teachers K
Kindergarteners sing the song, "What's New With Me" adding rhythm with each go around. They clap, tap, and sing along with the teacher. Note: The song or song lyrics are not included.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Language Arts, Music, Poetry: Blues Style

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
This lesson focuses on how the blues both operates as poetry and informs the poetry of many prominent African American poets. Students consider the poetic devices and recurring themes in blues lyrics and the significance of the poetry of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

America Poems

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine examples of how other Americans have expressed their feelings about America through songs and poetry, and write their own poems to express their relationship with America.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poet Analysis: Ciaran Carson

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students analyze lyrics and narration by reading poetry.  In this language arts lesson, students read and examine the poem Belfast Confetti.  Students discuss the topics and questions asked by the author Ciaran Carson.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Five Simple Poems

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students listen as the teacher explains what poetry is as well as describes several types of poetry such as haiku, free verse, limerick, cinquain, and an acrostic. Students read examples of each type of poetry. They compose a poem...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poems Insprire Visual Art

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students examine artwork by artist Ernst Herter. They discuss what the art means to them. They create a collage to represent a poem of their chosing. They discover how literature is used as an inspiration for art.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry of the City

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore Walt Whitman and about poetry. Most importantly, it teach them that poetry is something anyone can write and encourage them to tell the story of their own community in verse
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I See and I Think (It's A Wonderful World)

For Teachers 3rd - 11th
Students analyze song lyrics (by listening to the song) to pick-out descriptive vocabulary. They use this descriptive vocabulary to create a drawing of the images they "see" in the song. They compare their drawings to find similarities...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tupac Poem Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students brainstorm what they know about Tupac. In groups, they divide the statements into good and bad and read "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" about Tupac's life. To end the activity, they answer questions about the meaning of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Hear Poetry

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Learners practice analysis of poetry by analyzing song lyrics using a worksheet to guide the analysis process. They work in small groups to assess the stylistic and literary devices used in the song lyrics then they find a published...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry Sings

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students examine examples of literary terms in poetry. Then they choose two songs, write out the lyrics, and decipher what they think the artist is trying to say. Each student presents their song to the class and they cite examples of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Guantanamera: A Poem and a Song

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare revolutionary actions of Jose Marti and Pete Seeger. In this Cuban folk song lesson, students listen to the song "Guantanamera" and discuss the content. Students read articles on the poet and the songwriter and create a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is the Character of Maine?

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Pupils create an individual portfolio using assignments from a unit on the character of Maine. They choose two of the best assignments from each of four chapters studied and then write an essay or create a magazine which synthesizes the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Call for Change

For Teachers 5th - 12th
"Come gather round people, wherever you roam..." Bring the voice of Bob Dylan to your class with this lesson plan, which takes Dylan's song "The Times They Are A-Changing" and analyzes both the message and voice in the lyrics. Your class...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Quatrain

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Learners analyze the quatrain structure and rhyming in the song, "Puddles". They use this format to create their own quatrain lyrics for a song then they share their song ang revise it.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Screening Coleridge’s Fantasies: Using Popular Music as a Bridge to Literacy

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders use music to aid them in interpreting poetry. In this poetry instructional activity, 12th graders analyze the lyrics, figurative language, and literary devices of selected music. Students compare the music to the poetry...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cloud Haiku

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students listen as a haiku is read by the teacher, determining what season is being portrayed in the poem. Students work together as a class and create a model haiku, then complete a worksheet, completing their own poem. Students will...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Up From the Streets: Hip Hop as a Recognized Art

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students discuss the historical roots of Hip-Hop to the present as an example of an art form that arose from the street into popular culture. Emphasis is placed on in-class discussion and written reflections in this introductory lesson.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 21-23

For Teachers 11th - 12th
After answering comprehension questions (good for a homework reading check), class members analyze "Comin' Thro the Rye," and using the included guidance questions, discuss Holden's misreading of Robert Burns' poem. The URL to text of...