'The Waste Land' is a long poem by the American writer T.S Eliot. Read an overview and view additional resources such as articles, collection items, and teacher resources.
'Their Lonely Betters' is a short, four-stanza lyric poem by W.H. Auden. Read an overview and view additional resources such as articles, collection items, and teacher resources.
The 7th grade poetry unit gives an in depth approach to poetry involving the four strands within the core. I've included worksheets, rubrics, and answers keys where applicable. I have also used literature examples from the core.
Students will be creating a variety of poetry as well as analyzing poetry. They will work with Language standards and take a performance assessment at the end of the unit.
Adapting the song "A-Hunting We Will Go," students put a "whale" in a "pail" and even "take a little "bear" and hug it if we "dare"."
This video [14:33] shows a demonstration of academic vocabulary instruction through the context of a complex work, a poem. The teacher demonstrates how to access the literal meaning of new vocabulary and then infer the deeper meaning. Includes downloadable assessment handouts.
This online tool enables students to learn about and write acrostic poems. Elements of the writing process are also included.
Students create acrostic poems using their names and the names of things that are important to them.
Studied students stupefy! Students learn about alliteration by listening to an alliterative read-aloud and apply the knowledge they gain to the creation of their own poem and illustration.
Students learn about alliteration, and then practice using alliteration in acrostic poems, tongue twisters, alphabet books, and number books.
This online book presents an overview of American literature chronologically. Eras and movements are explained and biographies of significant authors are provided. This is a good way to understand the background and influences of literary periods before stepping into the literature itself. Requires Adobe Reader. [PDF] RL.11-12.9 18,19,20th Cent. Amer Lit
This is a collection of lesson videos about Carl Sandburg and his works from the PBS American Masters Collection.
This is a collection of six video lessons about Edgar Allan Poe and his works from the PBS American Masters Collection. Teaching materials are included.
This is a collection of one media gallery, eight videos, and one interactive about Maya Angelou and her works especially her autobiography, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"
Nobel Prize winner, T. S. Eliot is presented in this brief biography highlighting his life and literary contributions to modernist poetry. See "T. S. Eliot Activities" for related artifacts and activities.
The project is assembling an electronic archive of volumes of American poetry prior to 1920. The full text of each volume of poetry is being converted into digital form with various forms of access provided through the WWW. This site could be a boon to those searching for a specific or unusual American poem, or one about a particular topic. Several different types of searches are supported. RL.11-12.9 18,19,20th Cent. Amer Lit
Students explore the ballads genre by reading medieval ballads to deduce their characteristics, acting out the ballads, comparing medieval and modern ballads using Venn diagrams, and composing their own ballads.
Following the traditional form of the haiku, students publish their own haikus using Animoto, an online web tool that creates slideshows that blend text and music.
The Bedouins of ancient Arabia and Persia made poetry a conversational art form. Several poetic forms developed from the participatory nature of tribal poetry. Today in most Arabic cultures, you may still experience public storytelling and spontaneous poetry challenges in the streets. The art of turning a rhyme into sly verbal sparring is considered a mark of intelligence and a badge of honor. Students will learn about the origins and structure of Arabic Poetry.