Course Profile English, Grade 9 academic, Public

Unit 2

Course Profiles are professional development materials designed to help teachers implement the new Grade 9 secondary school curriculum. These materials were created by writing partnerships of school boards and subject associations. The development of these resources was funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training. This document reflects the views of the developers and not necessarily those of the Ministry. Permission is given to reproduce these materials for any purpose except profit. Teachers are also encouraged to amend, revise, edit, cut, paste, and otherwise adapt this material for educational purposes.

Any references in this document to particular commercial resources, learning materials, equipment or technology reflect only the opinion of the writers of this sample course profile and do not reflect any official endorsement by the Ministry of the Education and Training or by the Partnership of the School Boards that supported the production of the document.

Acknowledgments

Lead Board Upper Grand District School Board

Director: Martha Rogers

Superintendent of Education: Dave Euale

Project Leader Linda May Bell

Course Profile Writing Team: Phase II

Linda May Bell, Arthur DHS, Upper Grand DSB Joanne Bridgeman, Bradford DHS, Simcoe County DSB

Pamela Brown-Wass, J. F. Ross CVI, Upper Grand Laura Cannon-Sherlock, Grey Highlands SS, Bluewater DSB

Kate Dodsworth, Arthur DHS, Upper Grand DSB Leslie Harrison, St. Mary’s DCVI, Avon-Maitland DSB

Larry Hincks, Grey Highlands SS, Bluewater DSB Elizabeth Mick, Centre Wellington DHS, Upper Grand DSB

Phil Midgley, Pauline Johnson CVS, Grand Erie DSB Wilf Smyth, Stratford Central SS, Avon Maitland DSB

Judy Stormes, Norwell DSS, Upper Grand DSB Ann Varty, Program Department, Trillium Lakelands DSB

Phil Vousden, Mitchell DHS, Avon-Maitland DSB

Feedback Team

Steve Beggs, graduate, OISE Faculty of Education Anita Campbell, Belle River DHS, Greater Essex DSB

Ross Candlish, Chair of Parent Council, Arthur DHS William Candlish, graduate, Arthur DHS

Bill Harcourt, The Guelph CVI, Upper Grand DSB David Jowett, The Guelph CVI, Upper Grand DSB

Rosemary Kennedy, consultant Troy Maracle, Moira SS, Hastings/Prince Edward DSB

Scott Montgomery, Arthur PS, Upper Grand DSB Lynda Noppe, Westside SS, Upper Grand DSB

Sharon O’Sullivan, parent, Arthur Beth Paterson, Arthur DHS, Upper Grand DSB

Amanda St. Jean, J. F. Ross CVI, Upper Grand DSB Ziggie Smith, Centennial CVI, Upper Grand DSB

Assistants

Geoff Burchill, Arthur Anton and Marni Reijmers, Fergus

Beth Smeltzer, Rockwood

Unit 2: Poetic Forms and Voices

Time: 15 hours

Unit Developer(s)

Linda May Bell

Laura Cannon-Sherlock

Larry Hincks

Development Date: June - July 1999

Unit Description

Students read and study a variety of poetic forms and learn to identify different types of poems (i.e., lyric, expository, didactic, narrative, dramatic). Students apply appropriate strategies to read, understand, and interpret poetic texts. They learn to understand the value of auditory devices, figurative language, and form in creating powerful poetry. During this unit, students demonstrate their understanding of poetry by writing Response Journals, explications of poems, and original poetry; by participating in class activities; by presenting poems orally; by adapting a poem to a media form; and by creating a Poetry Anthology.

Strand(s) and Expectations

Strand(s): Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language, Media Studies

Overall Expectations: LIV.01D, LIV03D; WRV.01D, WRV.02D, WRV.03D, WRV.04D, WRV.05B; LGV.01D, LGV.02B; MDV.02D.

Specific Expectations: LI1.01D; LI1.03B, LI1.04D, LI1.05D, LI1.06D, LI1.07D, LI1.08D, LI3.01D, LI3.02D; WR1.02D, WR1.04D, WR2.01D, WR3.01D, WR4.01D, WR4.03D, WR4.04B, WR5.02B; LG1.01B, LG1.02B, LG1.04B, LG1.05D, LG1.07B, LG2.01D, LG2.02D, LG2.03D, LG2.04D; MD2.01D, MD2.03D.

Activity Titles (Time + Sequence)

Activity 1	Introduction: Poetic Licence	150 minutes
Activity 2	The Poet’s Voice	150 minutes
Activity 3	Sensing The World	75 minutes
Activity 4	Sounding It Out	75 minutes
Activity 5	Poetry In the World Around Us	150 minutes
Activity 6	Reflections Of...	300 minutes

Unit Planning Notes

Provide poems and anthologies that reflect the diversity of student taste and the cultural diversity of the classroom. Invite students to bring in poetry that reflects their experiences, their cultures, and their histories. The teacher-librarian can provide a well-stocked poetry section in the library/school resource centre. Community resources are valuable assets as well. Find audiences for student writing in places such as magazines, newspapers, and web sites. Be cognizant of freedom of information guidelines and seek permission from both students and parents before sharing and/or posting students’ work.

Prior Knowledge Required

The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8, Language, 1997

Teaching/Learning Strategies

Because students learn in a variety of ways, teachers are to accommodate various learning styles in their teaching. For the students in the academic course, approaches should be more abstract than concrete. Students are given the opportunity to work independently, with partners, in small groups, and with the whole class. There are to be a range of activities to provide students with optimal opportunities to develop their language skills. The practices of teacher lecture, Socratic lesson, and whole class discussion should be complemented with opportunities for brainstorming, experimenting, discussing, researching, writing, dramatizing, and designing. Utilize community resources whenever possible. In the English classroom, the use of Response Journals should play an important role in helping students to identify and develop their ideas for writing and discussion, and their awareness of their own learning. Within the teaching of each activity, continue to review and/or teach lessons focussed on specific writing and language expectations. The culminating activity of this unit is a Poetry Anthology created by each student, which is a reflection of their learning experiences.

Assessment/Evaluation

Develop and utilise a full repertoire of evaluation tools and strategies: checklists, rubrics, exemplars, quizzes, anthologies, performance-based tasks, in order to measure the students’ achievement of the course expectations. Diagnostic, formative, and summative evaluations are used to enhance student learning. Give students opportunities for peer evaluation and self-evaluation. Accommodations in assessment are necessary to ensure that the assessment accurately measures student learning. Accommodations are appropriate for exceptional pupils and students for whom English is a second language. Assessment tools and strategies should reflect a sensitivity to the cultural diversity within the English classroom.

Resources

Print

Aker, D. and D. Hodgkinson. Language and Writing 9. Toronto: ITP Nelson, 1999.

ISBN 0-17-618681-6

Barlow-Kedves, A., ed. SightLines 9. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Ginn Canada, 1999.

ISBN 0-13-012906-02

Barry, J., ed. Departures. Scarborough: Nelson Canada, 1990. ISBN 0-17-603717-9

Barry, J., ed. Themes On a Journey. Scarborough: Nelson Canada, 1989. ISBN 0-17-603089-1

Blatchford, R., ed. Poems 1: Longman Literature Series. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman, 1995. ISBN 0-5822-5400-0

Blatchford, R., ed. Poems 2: Longman Literature Series. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman, 1995. ISBN 0-5822-5401-9

Blatchford, R., ed. Poems from Other Centuries: Longman Literature Series. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman, 1995. ISBN 0-5822-2585-X

Blatchford, R., ed. Poems in My Earphone: Longman Literature Series. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman, 1995. ISBN 0-5822-2587-6

Blatchford, R., ed. Poetry: 1900-1975: Longman Literature Series. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman, 1980. ISBN 0-5823-5149-9

Blatchford, R., ed. Squeeze Words Hard: Longman Literature Series. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman, 1998. ISBN 0-5820-5059-6

Bruchac, J. New Voices from the Longhouse. New York: Greenfield Review Press, 1989.

ISBN 0-912678-68-2

Cameron, B. Poetry in Focus. Toronto: Globe-Modern Curriculum Press, 1983. ISBN 0-88996-066-6

Cameron, B. Prism of Poetry: Pathways to Writing. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1995.

ISBN 0-13-435330-7

Dawe, R. ResourceLines 9. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Ginn Canada, 1999. ISBN 0-13-012906-02

Diyanni, R., ed. McGraw-Hill Book of Poetry. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1993.

ISBN 0-07-016944-6

Dolan, M., ed. Just Talking About Ourselves: Voices of Our Youth, Volumes 1 and 2. Penticton: Theytus Books, 1995. ISBN 0-919-441-62-9

Dube, J. Writing Sense 9. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Canada, 1999. ISBN 0-7747-1445-X

Franceschi, M. Pillars of Lace: The Anthology of Italian-Canadian Women Writers. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998. ISBN 1-55071-055-9

Fuller, S., ed. The Poetry of Protest. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman. ISBN 0-5820-8550-0

George, J., ed. On Common Ground. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-19-541020-3

Gillanders, C., ed. Theme and Image: An Anthology of Poetry, Book 1. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman. ISBN 0-7730-2302-X

Gillanders, C., ed. Theme and Image: An Anthology of Poetry, Book 2. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman. ISBN 0-7730-2651-7

Hairston, M. Researching Online. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman, 1999. ISBN 0-321﷓05117-3

Hairston, M. Student Manual for Peer Evaluation. Toronto: Addison Wesley, 1993.

ISBN 0-673-55251-9

Hilker, D. Elements of English 9. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Canada, 1999. ISBN 0-7747-0575-2

Hilker, D. Transitions. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Canada, 1995. ISBN 0-7747-0151-X

Hirschfelder, A. and B. Singer, eds. Rising Voices: Writings of Young Native Americans. New York: Ballantine Books, 1993. ISBN 0-684-19207-1

Ireland, R. The Poet's Craft. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1987. ISBN 0-7747-1215-5

Johnson, P.E. Flint & Feather. Halifax: Henson College. ISBN 0-919645-26-7

Kellow, B. and J. Krisak, eds. Poetry and Language. Toronto: McGraw Hill-Ryerson, 1995.

ISBN 0-07-548620-2

Kirkland, G. and R. Davies. Inside Poetry. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1996. ISBN 0-7747-1224-4

Kooy, M. and J. Wells. Reading Response Logs. Markham: Pembroke Publishers. ISBN 1-55138-040-4

Liffiton, L. and J. McAllister, eds. Poetry Alive Reflections. Mississauga: Copp Clark Pitman Ltd., 1993. ISBN 0-7730-5167-8

Luengo, A., ed. Literature and Media 9. Toronto: Nelson English, ITP, 1999. ISBN 0-17-618701-4

Littell, J. Building English Skills: Grade 9 (Orange Level) Student Workbook. Toronto: Irwin Publishing, 1983. ISBN 0-7725-5140-5

Metcalf, J. and G. Callaghan, eds. Rhyme and Reason. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

ISBN 0-77-003211-7

Mouland, E., ed. Tracing One Warm Line: A Selection of Canadian Poetry. Saint John’s, NF: Breakwater Books, 1995. ISBN 1-55081-089-8

Perreault, J. and S. Vance, eds. Writing the Circle: Native Women of Western Canada. Edmonton: NeWest Publishers, Limited, 1999. ISBN 0-920897-88-6

Saliani, D. Crossroads 9. Toronto: Gage, 1999.

Sartor, J. Write Poetry Now. Hamilton: Tree House. Order #G-21

Sloan, M. Moving Borders: Three Decades of Innovative Writing by Women. Jersey City, NJ: Talisman House, 1998. ISBN 1-883689-47-3

Smith, P., ed. The Harcourt Writer's Handbook. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1999. ISBN 03-922309-4

Solomon, A. Eating Bitterness: Visions Beyond the Prison Wall. Toronto: N C Press, Limited.

ISBN 1-55021-084-X

Solomon, A. Songs for the People: Teachings on the Natural Way. Toronto: 1990. ISBN 1-55021-058-0

Toutant, A. Endless Possibilities. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-541364-4

Van Etten, J., ed. Resource Reading List: An Annotated Bibliography of Recommended Works By and About Native Peoples. Toronto: CASNP, 1996. ISBN 0-921425-03-1

Verall, C., ed. All My Relations: Sharing Native Values Through The Arts. Toronto: CASNP, 1988.

ISBN 0-921425-02-3

Verrall, C. and P. McDowell, eds. Resource Reading List 1990: Annotated Bibliography of Resources By and About Native People. Toronto: CASNP, 1990. ISBN 0-921425-03-1

Wallace, A., ed. Daughters of the Sun, Women of the Moon: Poetry by Black Canadian Women.

Lawrenceville, NJ: Africa World Press, 1992. ISBN 0-86543-195-7

Wood, N. Spirit Walker. New York: Doubleday, 1993. ISBN 0-385-30927-9

Video

Artful Resonance: Theme in Poetry. Oakville: Magic Lantern Communications Ltd. Code #64-31-503

Distant Voices: Myth, Symbolism and Allusion in Poetry. Oakville: Magic Lantern Communications Ltd. Code #64-31-502

An Echo to the Sense: Prosody and Form in Poetry. Oakville: Magic Lantern Communications Ltd.

Code #64-31-501

The Sacred Words: The Elements of Poetry. Oakville: Magic Lantern Communications Ltd.

Code #64-31-497

A Sense of Place: Setting and Character in Poetry. Oakville: Magic Lantern Communications Ltd.

Code #64-31-498

Seeing Anew: Rhetorical Figures in Poetry. Oakville: Magic Lantern Communications Ltd.

Code #64-31-500

Tools of the Trade: Words and Images in Poetry. Oakville: Magic Lantern Communications Ltd.

Code #64-31-499

Web Sites

Aboriginal Links Site

http://johnco.com/native/(A.LS)

http://bloorstreet.com/300block/aborl./AL

Canadian Poetry Association

http://www.mirror.org/groups/cpa

English Literature

www.lit.kobe-u.ac.jp~hishika/2oc_poet

League of Canadian Poets

http://www.poets.ca

Patrick Martin’s Web Page: The Poetry Resource

www.pmpoetry.com/index

Poet’s Corner

www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/2012poems

University of Toronto English Library

http://utl.library.utoronto.ca/www/canpoetry/index_poet.htm

Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia

www/chebucto/n.s.ca/Culture

Activity 1: Introduction: Poetic Licence

Time: 150 minutes

Description

Students read and study a variety of poetic texts and learn to identify specific types of poems and poetic devices.

Strand(s) and Expectations

Strand(s): Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language

Overall Expectations:

LIV.01D - read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary and informational texts, from contemporary and historical periods;

LIV.03B - identify and explain the effect of specific elements of style in a variety of literary and informational texts;

WRV.01D - use a variety of print and electronic sources to gather information and explore ideas for their written work;

LGV.01D - use knowledge of vocabulary and language conventions to speak, write, and read competently using a level of language appropriate to the purpose and audience;

LGV.02B - use listening techniques and oral communication skills to participate in classroom discussions and more formal activities, such as presenting for specific purpose and audience.

Specific Expectations:

LI1.01D - describe information, ideas, opinions, and themes in print and electronic texts they have read during the year from different cultures and historical periods and in a variety of genres, including novels, short stories, plays, poems, biographies, short essays, and articles from newspapers, magazines, and encylopedias;

LI1.03B - describe a variety of reading strategies and select and use them effectively before, during, and after reading to understand texts;

LI1.06D - use specific evidence from a text to support opinions and judgements;

LI3.01D - explain how authors use diction and phrasing to achieve particular effects in their writing;

WR1.02D - locate and summarize information from print and electronic sources, including vertical files, periodicals, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, electronic news groups, e-mail messages, and electronic databases;

LG1.01B - describe strategies used to expand vocabulary and provide evidence of other vocabulary-building activities; v

LG1.02B - identify and explain examples of slang, jargon, dialect, and colloquialism, as well as of standard Canadian English in literary texts in their own oral and written work;

LG2.01D - communicate orally in group discussions for different purposes, with a focus on identifying key ideas and supporting details, distinguishing fact from opinion, asking clarifying questions, and following instructions;

LG2.02D - communicate in group discussions by sharing the duties of the group, speaking in turn, listening actively, taking notes, paraphrasing key points made by others, exchanging and challenging ideas and information, asking appropriate questions, reconsidering their own ideas and opinions, managing conflict, and respecting the opinions of others; v

LG2.03D - plan and make oral presentations to a small group or the class, selecting and using vocabulary and methods of delivery to suit audience and purpose;

LG2.04D - use specific examples, facial expressions, gestures, intonation, humour, and visual aids and technology, as appropriate, to engage the audience’s interest during oral presentations.

Planning Notes

· Prepare a selection of poems which contains the requisite poetic devices (i.e., simile, metaphor, personification, imagery, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, alliteration, and symbol) and diverse forms (e.g., sonnet, limerick, rhyming couplet, free verse, lyric, haiku, shape, concrete, computer, quatrain, ballad, acrostic, dramatic monologue, parody, found, cinquain, graffiti, mural, advertisements/jingles). The poems should reflect the diversity of Ontario's students.

· Collect poems that contain examples of slang, jargon, dialect, and colloquialism, as well as standard Canadian English.

· Prepare a checklist by which to complete diagnostic assessment of the students’ prior learning of poetic devices.

· Establish at the outset that the focus of this unit is to allow students to respond to, analyse, and write poetry with enjoyment.

· Contact community groups such as literary guilds, poets, public libraries, art galleries, and newspapers to use as resources for this unit if desired.

· Prepare an outline for an annotated glossary, either electronic or print.

Prior Knowledge Required

· The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8, Language, 1997

· Students have knowledge of, and are able to identify in a poem, the poetic devices mentioned above.

· Students are familiar with the expectations of group work.

· Students know the teacher's expectations for oral presentations.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Pose the question to students: What is poetry? The purpose of this introductory question is to help foster an understanding of poetry and to demystify the genre. The students may brainstorm in small groups, individually, or as a class. At any point in this unit, the teacher may wish to use excerpts from the movie Dead Poets’ Society to elicit responses or act as a stimulus for ideas.

2. Use an inspirational quotation, or even a ridiculous one, about poetry to elicit additional responses, or to challenge any positive or negative bias students may have about poetry (e.g., “The ideal reader must be sensitive to words over their whole poetic range, and respond to poetry musically, emotionally, imaginatively.” Katherine M. Wilson)

3. The class explores the heightened language used in poetry. A useful tool would be a brief organizer contrasting literary, imaginative, and subjective language to scientific, factual, and objective language. Compare and contrast the language used in Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Eagle”: the original text [Source: Themes On the Journey], a cartoon version of the poem, and an encyclopaedia definition of eagle. The terms diction, denotation, and connotation may be introduced. Another example is a news article entitled “Man, 19, Dies in Cycle Accident”, which is compared to an observer’s feelings about the same event in the poem “5 p.m./July/the city” [Source: Inside Poetry].

4. Emphasize the importance of words and their definitions. Explain strategies to help students expand their vocabularies, and use poems to illustrate slang, dialect, and colloquialism.

5. The terms and definitions are reviewed with the students in a variety of ways. Any method leads to students having a complete glossary of poetic terms in their notebooks or on disk (e.g., the students could use definition cards posted around the room as reference guides throughout the unit and from which to complete their glossaries). Students are able to identify these terms as they are used in a poem as a form of diagnostic assessment.

6. In a plenary session, consider why these devices are so commonly used in poetry. This session provides a framework for group discussion about individual poems and the effective use of the devices in each group’s poems in Strategy 7.

7. Review the expectations for group work with students and divide the class into groups of four to five. Distribute to the students the same package of poems which contain poetic devices and which reflect a variety of forms. Within each group, students explore and examine the poetic devices used in different teacher-assigned poems (not necessarily the whole package of poems/group). They can use overhead markers and acetates to highlight poetic devices and jot down margin notes about their poems and their ideas about the effective use of devices in the poem in preparation for a whole-class presentation. All students have read and become familiar with the poems in the package, although each group will be experts on only two to three poems.

8. Students then present their discoveries and analyses to the class. Review expectations for oral presentations. Students are able to respond to each presentation and comment further on the effectiveness of the devices in each poem. Alternatively, the teacher may decide to use a Jigsaw format (with home groups and expert groups) for this activity, rather than whole class presentations.

9. In their Response Journals, students also keep a record of their reactions to the poems they read throughout this unit, considering why they like or dislike a particular selection.

10. Explain to students that the final activity for this unit will be a published personal anthology of poems and reflections on poems. Throughout the unit, students have opportunities to read selections of poetry and write their own poems as well, from which they will compile an anthology containing their own best, and favourite pieces by others. The anthology will include other pieces of writing as well, such as explications and responses.

11. Each student is provided with a stimulus (e.g., news article, photo, artwork) as a springboard to writing a poem that may be included in a personal anthology. Students may choose any form they wish, but must use poetic devices appropriate to the form. Use of word processors and desktop publishing tools to complete this writing assignment would be beneficial, especially to give students access to different fonts, styles, and an electronic dictionary and thesaurus.

Assessment/Evaluation

Diagnostic: assessment of students’ prior learning of poetic devices

Formative: assessment of group co-operation (checklist)

Summative: assessment of group presentations (checklist) (LG2.02D) and students’ glossaries (LG1.01B)

Resources

Aker, D. and D. Hodgkinson. Language and Writing 9. Toronto: ITP Nelson, 1999.

ISBN 0-17-618681-6

Barlow-Kedves, A., ed. SightLines 9. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Ginn Canada, 1999.

ISBN 0-13-012906-02

Barry, J. Themes On a Journey. Scarborough: Nelson Canada, 1989. ISBN 0-17-603089-1

Cameron, B. Prism of Poetry: Pathways to Writing. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1995.

ISBN 0-13-435330-7

Diyanni, R., ed. The McGraw-Hill Book of Poetry. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1993.

ISBN 0-07-016944-6

Kellow, B. and J. Krisak, eds. Poetry and Language. Toronto: McGraw Hill-Ryerson, 1995.

ISBN 0-07-548620-2

Kirkland, G. and R. Davies. Inside Poetry. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1996. ISBN 0-7747-1224-4

Liffiton, L. and J. McAllister. Poetry Alive Reflections. Mississauga: Copp Clark Pitman Ltd., 1993.

ISBN 0-7730-5167-8

Luengo, A., ed. Literature and Media 9. Toronto: Nelson English, ITP, 1999. ISBN 0-17-618701-4

Mouland, E., ed. Tracing One Warm Line: A Selection of Canadian Poetry. Saint John’s, NF: Breakwater Books, 1995. ISBN 1-55081-089-8

Perreault, J. and S. Vance, eds. Writing the Circle: Native Women of Western Canada. Edmonton: NeWest Publishers, Limited, 1999. ISBN 0-920897-88-6

Wallace, A., ed. Daughters of the Sun, Women of the Moon: Poetry by Black Canadian Women. Lawrenceville, NJ: Africa World Press, 1992. ISBN 0-86543-195-7

Wood, N. Spirit Walker. New York: Doubleday, 1993. ISBN 0-385-30927-9

Accommodations

· Emphasize the development and understanding of vocabulary relevant to this unit and this activity for ESL students.

· Pair successful students as peer mentors with those needing remediation and consolidation of skills, and to assist with reading/writing tasks.

· Alter the mode of student presentation to accommodate students with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, and behavioural problems.

· Make audio cassette copies of poems available to visually impaired students.

Activity 2: The Poet’s Voice

Time: 150 minutes

Description

Students understand the concept of poetic voice and the factors that dictate what voice a poet might use. Students also participate in a Reader’s Theatre.

Strand(s) and Expectations

Strand(s): Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language

Overall Expectations:

LIV.01D - read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary and informational texts, from contemporary and historical periods;

WRV.01D - use a variety of print and electronic sources to gather information and explore ideas for their written work;

WRV.03D - use a variety of organizational techniques to present ideas and supporting details logically and coherently in written work;

LGV.02B - use listening techniques and oral communication skills to participate in classroom discussions and more formal activities, such as storytelling, role playing, and reporting/presenting, for specific purposes and audiences.

Specific Expectations:

LI1.05D - analyse information, ideas, and elements in texts to make inferences about meaning;

LI106D - use specific evidence from a text to support opinions and judgements;

LI1.08D - explain how the background of the author might influence the information and ideas in a text;

WR3.01D - use a unifying image, mood, or voice to structure descriptive paragraphs or poems; v

LG2.03D - plan and make oral presentations to a small group or the class, selecting and using vocabulary and methods of delivery to suit audience and purpose.

Planning Notes

· The teacher and the students might invite guest poets, published or non-published, to speak to the class about poetic voice. Alternatively, the teacher could schedule time for students to have access to poetry on the Internet.

· In collaboration with the teacher-librarian, the teacher will locate resources to allow the students to research particular poets.

· The teacher and teacher-librarian prepare a selection of poet profiles and accompanying poems by those poets to be used as examples.

Prior Knowledge Required

· The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8, Language, 1997

· Knowledge of the performance requirements of Reader’s Theatre.

· Knowledge of the proper procedure for conducting research.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. The teacher and students might invite a poet into the class to read a selection of poetry to debunk the myth that all poets are dead. The students within the school studying creative writing or who write poetry well would also be excellent guests for this activity. If a published poet is unavailable, there are web sites such as the Poets’ League of Canada, which students may access for the purpose of dialogue with a poet. The students should be reminded not to disclose personal information while on the Internet. There are also several songs (e.g.,“Goodnight, Saigon” by Billy Joel, who never served during the Vietnam War) or videos (e.g., NFB poets series) which demonstrate the concept of poetic voice/persona, as distinct from poet.

2. Students have the opportunity to ask the poet about the work, and the realization should be that some of the poet’s work is based on personal experience, while other poems are based on imagination. Point out that the voice the poet has used, even if it is first person, may not necessarily refer to the poet.

3. The teacher poses the question, How does assuming a role contribute to the point of view? In pairs or in groups, students will assume a persona and discuss the characteristics of this persona. Students write a dramatic monologue for that character. They need to brainstorm setting, circumstance, intent, conflict, mood, and the identity and characteristics of their passive listener.

4. Students rehearse and present their dramatic monologues as part of a Reader’s Theatre. A peer-assessment checklist for the group performance is developed by the students and the teacher.

5. Students may decide to revise and use these dramatic monologues as part of their personal poetry anthology for Activity 6.

6. Students examine how the voice of the poem is sometimes determined by the poet’s background. They read a selection of poems in conjunction with the poet profiles in the text to determine how poets’ backgrounds influence the ideas and information in their writing.

7. In preparation for Activity 6, students select a poet they find interesting and research information about the poet to understand what relevance that information provides for understanding “voice” in the poet’s work.

Assessment/Evaluation

Formative: evaluation of group effort and interaction (checklist)

Summative: assessment of Reader’s Theatre (rubric) (WR3.01D)

Resources

Barry, J. Themes On a Journey. Scarborough: Nelson Canada, 1989. ISBN 0-17-603089-1

Barlow-Kedves, A., ed. SightLines 9. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Ginn Canada, 1999.

ISBN 0-13-012906-02

Bruchac, J. New Voices from the Longhouse. New York: Greenfield Review Press, 1989.

ISBN 0-912678-68-2

Cameron, B. Prism of Poetry: Pathways to Writing. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1995.

ISBN 0-13-435330-7

Dawe, R., et al. ResourceLines 9. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Ginn Canada, 1999. ISBN 0-13-012906-02

Hairston, M. Student Manual for Peer Evaluation. Toronto: Addison Wesley, 1993. ISBN 0-673-55251-9

Hilker, D. Elements of English 9. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Canada, 1999. ISBN 0-7747-0575-2

Kirkland, G. and R. Davies. Inside Poetry. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1996. ISBN 0-7747-1224-4

Munger, Anderson and Benjamin. Researching Online (2nd Edition). Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman, 1999. ISBN 0-321-02714-0

Accommodations

· Augmentative communication devices might be used for students with communication exceptionalities.

· Use a variety of poems that reflect the cultural diversity of Ontario’s students.

Activity 3: Sensing the World

Time: 75 minutes

Description

Students explore a selection of poems that employ powerful imagery and figurative language. Students demonstrate their understanding through a supported explication of a poem and their own writing.

Strand(s) and Expectations

Strand(s): Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language

Overall Expectations:

LIV.03D - identify and explain the effect of specific elements of style in a variety of literary and informational texts;

WRV.03D - use a variety of organizational techniques to present ideas and supporting details logically and coherently in written work;

WRV.04D - revise their written work, independently and collaboratively, with a focus on support for ideas and opinions, accuracy, clarity, and unity;

LGV.01D - use knowledge of vocabulary and language conventions to speak, write, and read competently using a level of language appropriate to the purpose and audience.

Specific Expectations:

LI3.01D - explain how authors use diction and phrasing to achieve particular effects in
their writing; v

LI3.02D - explain how authors use stylistic devices, such as simile, metaphor, personification, imagery, foreshadowing, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, alliteration, and symbol to achieve particular effects in their writing; v

WR3.01D - use a unifying image, mood, or voice to structure descriptive paragraphs or poems;

WR4.04B - consider reactions from teachers, peers, and others in revising and editing written work;

WR4.03D - make constructive suggestions to peers;

LG1.04B - select words and phrases appropriate to informal and formal styles to suit the purpose and intended audience of oral and written work;

LG1.05D - recognize, describe, and use correctly, in oral and written language, the language structures of standard Canadian English and its conventions of grammar and usage, including:

- parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections;

- simple, compound, and complex sentences;

- components of sentences: subject, predicate, object, subject complement, prepositional and

participial phrases, main and subordinate clauses;

- agreement between subject and verb, and between pronoun and antecedent;

- consistency of verb tense and voice.

Planning Notes

· Remind students to collect objects and visuals as possible stimuli for writing poetry and to select items appropriate for a classroom. The teacher and the students establish a list of criteria. These items are to be kept in the students’ Writing Folders.

· Collect samples of poems that use imagery effectively and reflect the diversity of Ontario's students.

· This activity provides an excellent opportunity to explore the compact use of nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives in poetry.

· Students use the definitions and examples of poetic devices from Activity 1 that were posted around the room or in their glossaries.

Prior Knowledge Required

· The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8, Language, 1997

· Students know the poetic devices reviewed in Activity 1.

· Students know correct paragraph structure, replete with analysis and evidence.

· Students know how to offer constructive criticism of peers' work.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Provide a definition of the term “imagery” to be included in the students’ glossaries.

2. Students review the definitions of poetic devices from Activity 1, and discuss the effective use of such devices with a view to avoiding clichéd or hackneyed expressions. This review takes the form of a quiz.

3. Lead a discussion about the use of heightened language, reviewing diction, connotation, and denotation. Use poems, real estate listings, or a worksheet (e.g., a denotative versus a connotative description of a sport).

4. The teacher and students explore the use of vivid nouns and verbs, and then the use of evocative adjectives and adverbs. This knowledge enhances students' ability to write poetry.

5. Ask each student to choose an item from her/his Writing Folder. This item is used as a stimulus for the student’s writing.

6. The technique of free writing is introduced. This technique involves intense continuous writing for five to ten minutes without concern for errors or logic. Students describe their objects in vivid detail, appealing to the five senses without actually naming the item.

7. After writing, the items are placed at the front of the room and students exchange their writing with partners. Peers try to find the appropriate items based on the free writing descriptions.

8. Students then revise their free writing into a poetic form, with an emphasis on creating images using heightened language. Students may combine their poems by linking common themes and/or images.

9. Each student writes an explication (e.g., an analysis which promotes an understanding of form, style, and meaning) of the poem, explaining the use of diction and phrasing and stylistic devices to achieve particular effects in the writing. A sample explication could be provided as a model. Students submit these analyses for summative evaluation.

10. Students submit the final versions of their poems for formative evaluation. These poems may be included in the students’ personal anthologies in Activity 6.

Assessment/Evaluation

Formative: quiz on poetic devices, poem (rubric)

Summative: analysis of a poem (LI3.01D) (L13.02D)

Resources

Aker, D. and D. Hodgkinson. Language and Writing 9. Toronto: ITP Nelson, 1999.

ISBN 0-17-618681-6

Blatchford, R., ed. Squeeze Words Hard: Longman Literature Series. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman, 1998. ISBN 0-5820-5059-6

Cameron, B. Prism of Poetry: Pathways to Writing. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1995.

ISBN 0-13-435330-7

Hilker, D. Elements of English 9. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Canada, 1999. ISBN 0-7747-0575-2

Kirkland, G., and R. Davies. Inside Poetry. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1996. ISBN 0-7747-1224-4

Luengo, A., ed. Literature and Media 9. Toronto: Nelson English, ITP, 1999. ISBN 0-17-618701-4

Metcalf, J. and G. Callaghan, eds. Rhyme and Reason. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

ISBN 0-77-003211-7

Accommodations

· Provide assistance for students who are language impaired, or for whom written output is difficult using a scribe, a voice-activated word processing program, and/or spelling and grammar check programs.

· Have available, as exemplars or guides, finished products at different levels for students to use as models.

· Students who have difficulty with handwriting or time management might tape record their analyses.

Activity 4: Sounding It Out

Time: 75 minutes

Description

Students explore a selection of poetry that contains auditory devices (e.g., alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme, and rhythm). Students prepare choral readings to demonstrate their understanding of the impact of sound and rhythm in a poem.

Strand(s) and Expectations

Strand(s): Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language, and Media Studies

Overall Expectations:

LIV.01D - read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary and informational texts, from contemporary and historical periods;

LIV.03D - identify and explain the effect of specific elements of style in a variety of literary and informational texts;

WRV.02B - identify the literary and informational forms suited to various purposes and audiences and use the forms appropriately in their own writing, with an emphasis on supporting opinions or interpretations with specific information;

MDV.02D - use knowledge of a variety of media forms, purposes, audiences to create media works and describe their intended effect.

Specific Expectations:

LI1.03B - describe a variety of reading strategies and select and use them effectively before, during, and after reading to understand texts;

LI1.04D - locate explicit information and ideas in texts, to use in developing opinions and interpretations;

LI3.01D - explain how authors use diction and phrasing to achieve particular effects in their writing;

LI3.02D - explain how authors use stylistic devices, such as simile, metaphor, personification, imagery, foreshadowing, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, alliteration, and symbol, to achieve particular effects in their writing;

WR2.01D - demonstrate an understanding of literary and informational forms, such as myths, poems, short stories, scripts, advertisements, formal letters, reviews, and supported opinion essays, by selecting and using forms of writing appropriate to different purposes and audiences;

LG2.01D - communicate orally in group discussion for different purposes, with a focus on identifying key ideas and supporting details, distinguishing fact from opinion, asking clarifying questions, and following instructions;

LG2.03D - plan and make oral presentations to a small group or the class, selecting and using vocabulary and methods of delivery to suit audience and purposes; v

MD2.01D - adapt a work of literature to another media form and determine what aspects have been strengthened and/or weakened by the adaptation.

Planning Notes

· Prepare a collection of poems which utilize auditory devices, and which reflect the diversity of Ontario's students.

Prior Knowledge Required

· The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8, Language, 1997

· Students are able to identify auditory devices.

· Students know the process by which to prepare and rehearse a choral reading.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Present an oral reading of a poem that contains auditory devices (e.g., Wilfred Owen's "Dulce Et Decorum Est", Ken Norris's "[You are reading this too fast]", Literature and Media 9).

2. The class discusses what elements are evocative and gives reasons explaining why.

3. Students are told that they will be participating in a choral reading. The teacher introduces the technique of choral reading. In choral reading, a group expresses through sound what the poet has written down. Students must be aware of the skills used in speaking: knowing the meanings of words, emotional tone, pitch, pace, pause and phrasing, emphasis, articulation, pronunciation, enunciation, rate, volume, and variety in voice. One technique involves a choir speaking in unison, with solo speakers in groups of higher and lower voices. Another technique is antiphonal, where two groups alternate lines or stanzas, appropriate to the particular poem. There is also the cumulative technique, where one begins with a small number of voices, and line by line, increases the number of voices. This technique results in a swelling volume and depth.

4. In groups, students read different poems. They determine which auditory elements have been used and discuss why they are effective. They ascertain which auditory elements should be emphasized in preparation for the choral reading of the poem.

5. Students prepare, rehearse, and then perform their choral reading for their peers.

6. The students' oral poetry reading is shared with the class and an ensuing discussion focusses on the effective use of the oral tradition.

7. Extension: The students may select one of these poems and write an explication or a personal response. Students may use the poem and this piece of writing for their anthologies in Activity 6.

8. Extension: Students may wish to record their poems on audiotape, videotape, or compact disc and then determine what aspects have been strengthened or weakened by the adaptation.

Assessment/Evaluation

Formative: group work process (checklist)

Summative: teacher evaluation of oral presentations (LG2.03D)

Resources

Blatchford, R., ed. Poems 1: Longman Literature Series. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman, 1995.

ISBN 0-5822-5400-0

Blatchford, R., ed. Poems in My Earphone: Longman Literature Series. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman, 1995. ISBN 0-5822-2587-6

Hilker, D. Elements of English 9. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Canada, 1999. ISBN 0-7747-0575-2

Kellow, B. and J. Krisak, eds. Poetry and Language. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1995.

ISBN 0-07-548620-2

Kirkland, G. and R. Davies. Inside Poetry. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1996. ISBN 0-7747-1224-4

Kooy, M. and J. Wells. Reading Response Logs. Markham: Pembroke Publishers. ISBN 1-55138-040-4

Luengo, A., ed. Literature and Media 9. Toronto: Nelson English, ITP, 1999. ISBN 0-17-618701-4

Accommodations

Alter the mode of student presentation to accommodate students with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, and behavioural problems.

Activity 5: Poetry In the World Around Us

Time: 150 minutes

Description

Students become aware of the prevalence of various forms of poetry in the world around them. They continue an examination of stylistic devices begun earlier in this unit, and will subsequently be able to comment on the efficacy of these devices in the different forms.

Strand(s) and Expectations

Strand(s): Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language, and Media Studies

Overall Expectations:

LIV.01D - read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary and informational texts, from contemporary and historical periods;

LIV.03B - identify and explain the effect of specific elements of style in a variety of literary and informational texts;

WRV.02D - identify the literary and informational forms suited to various purposes and audiences and use the forms appropriately in their own writing, with an emphasis on supporting opinions or interpretations with specific information;

MDV.02D - use knowledge of a variety of media forms, purposes, and audiences to create media works and describe their intended effect.

Specific Expectations:

LI1.07D - explain how readers’ different backgrounds might influence the way they understand and interpret a text;

LI3.01D - explain how authors use diction and phrasing to achieve particular effects in their writing;

LG2.03D - plan and make oral presentations to a small group or the class, selecting and using vocabulary and methods of delivery to suit audience and purpose;

MD2.03D - create media works appropriate to different audiences and explain why a particular design should appeal to a particular audience.

Planning Notes

· The teacher acquires protest songs on audiotape or videotape with accompanying lyrics. Alternatively, the teacher invites students to bring in poetry that reflects their experiences, their cultures, and their histories.

· Remind students that all materials must be appropriate for the classroom.

· Additionally, the teacher and the students prepare a collection of advertisements, T-shirts, graffiti, greeting cards, and murals, which demonstrates the stylistic elements of poetry as they are discussed in this activity.

Prior Knowledge Required

· The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8, Language, 1997

· Students are familiar with writing personal responses.

· Students know how to complete a graphic organizer.

· Students know appropriate presentation techniques.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. On the chalkboard/overhead/electronic LCD projector, write the quotation: “Poetry is all around us” and then pose the question to the students: Is this true or false?

2. In a plenary session, students brainstorm ways poetry is around us. As a coda to this brainstorming, discuss the following quotation: “Life is response to the world within and around us. Our responses are intellectual, emotional, behavioural, spiritual, and physical. Pure experience is a transitory awareness. It is all here and then gone...It lives only in our fading, evolving memory, unless we capture it in...words.” [James Barry].

3. The class listens to or watches a song/video. The teacher may wish to use protest music as a thematic basis for further exploration. Students appreciate that music lyrics, and thus poetry, are a form of expression that evokes strong emotional responses and is often linked to the intellect.

4. The teacher and class discuss the poetic techniques used in the song(s) and examine their effectiveness in communicating emotion and meaning. They explore the appeal of music lyrics as a form of communication that has lasted through the ages.

5. Discussion questions might include: Why do corporations/businesses often purchase the rights to music? What are the effects of the commercialization of music and celebrity endorsements of particular products?

6. Ask the students about the themes in “their” music: Is there an inherent commonality among teenagers across the generations? Discuss the ever-increasing proliferation of song “remakes” if desired. Are these themes worth writing about? Students should be made aware that the themes in music, like poetry, capture the range of human experience and must be captured in words before the experience fades.

7. The teacher or the students may provide a contemporary or historical music video with the lyrics. The students analyse why it is effective as a poem. “Poetry is man’s rebellion against being what he is.” [James Branch Cabell]. The teacher may decide to explore protest poetry by Wilfred Owen, “Dulce et Decorum Est”; Dylan Thomas, “Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night”; Langston Hughes, “I Too Am America”; songs of revolutions, such as French and American; 1950s Beat poetry; 1960s counterculture music. Some historical context needs to be provided for historical protest anthems. For their anthologies, students may wish to research and write a poem or song about an historical or contemporary issue. Remind students that material to be shared in the classroom must be appropriate to guidelines set out in unit planning.

8. Give the students a copy of a poem or song suitable for analysis. Students write a response in which they discuss the poetic techniques used and the effectiveness of each (i.e., theme, tone).

9. In groups, the students examine different forms of poetry in the world around us (i.e., greeting cards, advertisements, murals, graffiti.)

10. Using a graphic organizer, the students explore why each form is poetry and the intended audience of each:

Stylistic Devices (i.e., simile, metaphor, symbol, diction, alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, rhyme)

Form

Mood/ Emotional Response

What images are created and how?

What insight or truth emerges from the poem?

Voice

Audience

Why is the poem effective?

11. Each group presents its findings to the class in a brief oral presentation.

12. Students write their own form of poetry (e.g., greeting card, advertisement slogan or jingle) to parallel the forms explored in class. This writing may be included in Activity 6 anthology.

13. Extension: Students could create a poster or video based on their writing in Strategy 8 above.

Assessment/Evaluation

Formative:

· teacher assessment of students’ Response Journals

· completion checklist for student poetry writing

· teacher assessment of student participation in class discussion

Summative:

· teacher evaluation of students’ group presentations

· completion checklist for graphic organizer (WR2.01D)

Resources

Aker, D. and D. Hodgkinson. Language and Writing 9. Toronto: ITP Nelson, 1999. ISBN 0-17-618681-6

Barlow-Kedves, A., ed. SightLines 9. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Ginn Canada, 1999.

ISBN 0-13-012906-02

Barry, J., ed. Themes On a Journey. Scarborough: Nelson Canada, 1989. ISBN 0-17-603089-1

Blatchford, R., ed. Poems in My Earphone: Longman Literature Series. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman, 1995. 0-5822-25-85-X

Cameron, B. Prism of Poetry: Pathways to Writing. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1995.

ISBN 0-13-435330-7

Dolan, M., ed. Just Talking About Ourselves: Voices of Our Youth, Volumes 1 and 2. Penticton: Theytus Books, 1995. ISBN 0-919-441-62-9

Dube, J. Writing Sense 9. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Canada, 1999. ISBN 0-7747-1445-X

Fuller, S., ed. The Poetry of Protest. Don Mills: Addison Wesley Longman. 0-5820-8550-0

Hirschfelder, A. and B. Singer, eds. Rising Voices: Writings of Young Native Americans. New York: Ballantine Books, 1993. ISBN 0-684-19207-1

Kellow, B. and J. Krisak, ed. Poetry and Language. Toronto: McGraw Hill-Ryerson, 1995.

ISBN 0-07-548620-2

Kirkland, G. and R. Davies. Inside Poetry. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1996. ISBN 0-7747-1224-4

Luengo, A., ed. Literature and Media 9. Toronto: Nelson English, ITP, 1999. ISBN 0-17-618701-4

Mouland, E., ed. Tracing One Warm Line: A Selection of Canadian Poetry. St. John’s, NF: Breakwater Books, 1995. ISBN 1-55081-089-8

Sloan, M. Moving Borders: Three Decades of Innovative Writing by Women. Jersey City, NJ: Talisman House, 1998. ISBN 1-883689-47-3

Wallace, A., ed. Daughters of the Sun, Women of the Moon: Poetry by Black Canadian Women.

Lawrenceville, NJ: Africa World Press, 1992. ISBN 0-86543-195-7

Accommodations

· Provide a checklist of specific steps to follow for students with time management or sequencing problems.

· Provide assistance for students who are language impaired or for whom written output is difficult by providing a scribe, a voice-activated word processing program, and/or spelling and grammar check programs.

· Simplify the information by using visuals for those students who learn holistically or have difficulty organizing details.

· Talking books are available from the W. Ross MacDonald School for the Blind and local public libraries for those students who are sight impaired.

Activity 6: Reflections Of...

Time: 300 minutes

Description

Students apply the knowledge and skills they have learned about poetic language, form, and devices to prepare poetry anthologies. They present poems or selections of poems in an appropriate forum.

Strand(s) and Expectations

Strand(s): Literature Studies and Reading, Writing, Language

Overall Expectations:

LIV.01D - read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary and informational texts, from contemporary and historical periods;

WRV. 01D - use a variety of print and electronic sources to gather information and explore ideas for their written work;

WRV.04D - revise their written work, independently and collaboratively, with a focus on support for ideas, and opinions, accuracy, clarity, and unity;

WRV.05D - edit and proofread to produce final drafts, using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation according to the conventions of standard Canadian English, with the support of print and electronic resources when appropriate;

LGV.01D - use knowledge of vocabulary and language conventions to speak, write, and read competently using a level of language appropriate to the purpose and audience;

LGV.02B - use listening techniques and oral communication skills to participate in classroom discussions and more formal activities, such as presenting for specific purposes and audiences.

Specific Expectations:

LI1.01D - describe information, ideas, opinions, and themes in print and electronic texts they have read during the year from different cultures and historical periods and in a variety of genres;

WR1.04D - use the information and ideas generated by research to develop the content of the written work;

WR2.01D - demonstrate an understanding of literary and informational forms, such as poems by selecting and using forms of writing appropriate to different purposes and audiences; v

WR4.01D - revise drafts to ensure that ideas are adequately developed to achieve clarity and unity;

WR4.04B - consider reactions from teachers, peers, and others in revising and editing written work;

WR5.02B - select the publication method or vehicle most accessible or appealing to the intended audience;

LG1.07B - recognize, describe, and use correctly, in oral and written language, the conventions of standard Canadian English for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, including:

- spelling: homophones and possessive pronouns and adjectives;

- capitalization: of proper nouns and in direct quotations, scripts, dialogue, and poetry;

- punctuation: period, question mark, exclamation mark, comma, dash, apostrophe, quotation

marks, parentheses, ellipses;

LG2.03D - plan and make oral presentations to a small group or the class selecting and using vocabulary and methods of delivery to suit audience and purpose.

Planning Notes

· The teacher, teacher-librarian, and students co-ordinate the use of the library/resource centre and/or computer lab to assist with research.

· The teacher and students review Internet safety, particularly with respect to e-mail and chat rooms.

· Collect samples of poetry anthologies that reflect the diversity of Ontario's students. The collection is to be comprised of student and class anthologies, as well as commercially published ones.

· The teacher and the students create the evaluation criteria for this activity.

· Collect samples of poems that use a diverse range of punctuation with varied effects.

· Contact poetry associations, local poets, public libraries, art galleries, coffee houses, trustees, newspapers, or local publications to assist in this activity if desired.

· The teacher and the students could explore opportunities for students to present their poetry in the school, in the board, or in the region; possibly in contests. The teacher should ensure the validity of contests.

· Be cognizant of guidelines regarding freedom of information and consult both students and parents before posting and/or sharing students’ work.

Prior Knowledge Required

· The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8, Language, 1997

· Because this is the culminating activity of the unit, students know the information, concepts and techniques taught throughout Activities 1-5.

· Students know how to conduct research and use a variety of computer software programs.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. As an introduction to this activity, distribute several samples of anthologies for the students to browse through.

2. Ask: What is the intent of an anthology? This question is posed to explore the purpose of an anthology and to examine how an anthology is designed and crafted.

3. In a plenary session, the teacher and the students brainstorm, and then create a list of criteria for students’ anthologies. This list may comprise the total number of poems to be included, the number of student poems to be included, a table of contents, a foreword, explications, historical relevance, cultural relevance, background information on poets, a profile of the editor, graphics, and/or student responses.

4. Distribute these evaluation criteria for the anthology and the poetry presentation to the students.

5. Each student determines the focus of the anthology (i.e., thematic, cultural, historical).

6. Students use the library/resource centre or computer lab to research and collect a series of poems to be included in their anthologies. They use a variety of print and electronic resources to gather information and explore ideas for their written work as well as for their research. Students are reminded of Internet safety.

7. Some of the poems to be included in the anthologies will be the students’ work. Therefore, to demonstrate their understanding of poetic forms, they use them appropriately in their writing. The students may use the poems they have written in Activities 1-5.

8. The teacher and students explore how punctuation is adapted for poetry and its effect on the reading of a poem.

9. Students write detailed explications of poems in their anthologies. In each of these explications, the students comment on the poet’s background, the historical significance, the possible interpretations, the form, poetic devices, design techniques, tone, mood, and diction. Students also write responses for some of the poems in their anthologies.

10. Students seek suggestions for their work, and have the opportunity to revise and edit their work, either independently or collaboratively.

11. Students finalize their anthologies, ensuring they have included all the required elements. The students may choose to include additional elements.

12. The teacher and the students review the expectations for oral presentations. Each student selects, prepares, and shares her/his best poem with the class.

13. Students share their poetry in a suitable forum (i.e., coffee house, in-class poetry reading) and are given the opportunity to respond to each presentation.

14. The teacher and the students display the poetry anthologies in the classroom, at a sharing forum, on a class web page, in a display case, local library, art gallery, or book shop. The students might share their poems with a local poet, trustees, or at a community poetry reading.

15. Extension: A student may choose to present her/his anthology in a form other than a printed booklet. Other possible forms might include audiotape, videotape, compact disc, or computer presentation.

Assessment/Evaluation

Formative: anthology (self-evaluation)

Summative: oral presentation of poem, anthology (rubric) (WR2.01D)

Resources

Barlow-Kedves, A., ed. SightLines 9. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Ginn Canada, 1999.

ISBN 0-13-012906-02

Barry, J. Themes On a Journey. Scarborough: Nelson Canada, 1989. ISBN 0-17-603089-1

Cameron, B. Prism of Poetry: Pathways to Writing. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1995.

ISBN 0-13-435330-7

Franceschi, M. Pillars of Lace: The Anthology of Italian-Canadian Women Writers. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press, 1998. ISBN 1-55071-055-9