UbD Planning Template

Title: Performance of Poetry Subject/Course: English Literature

Topic: 20
th
and 21
st
Century
Poetry
Grade: 10 Designer(s): Robin Loewald


Stage 1- Desired Results
Established Goals: Students will have the opportunity to: a) Be exposed to poetry from the 20
th
and 21
st

centuries, b) determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and
connotative meanings, c) analyze and present the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and
tone
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and d) critically think about how this knowledge about the poem effects the performance of the poem.
Understandings:
Poems are a type of spoken art and can be
interpreted differently through different
performances.
They will understand the meaning and overall
tone of the poem.
How poetic devices affect the tone and
meaning of the poem.
Essential Questions:
What poetic devices does the poet use?
How do those poetic devices change the
meaning and tone of the poem?
How do the poetic devices affect how you read
a poem out loud?
Do different interpretations change the
performance of a poem?
Students will know
Key poetic vocabulary and devices
The poetry of Robert Frost, Langston Hughes,
and Billy Collins.

Students will be able to
Find specific poetic devices in the poem and
use them to find the meaning and tone of the
poem.
Explain those findings to the rest of the class.
Use the poetic devices to decide upon their
interpretation for their performance of the
poem.
Stage 2- Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks:
Discussion in pairs and then in the full group.
Reading of their poem to the class.

Other Evidence:
Participation in the material and discussion.
Short presentation about poetic devices in their
poem.

Stage 3- Learning Plan

The Hook: Share a video of Neil Hilborns spoken word poetry
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnKZ4pdSU-s). Ask what the class thinks is the difference between
spoken word and poetry. Brief discussion about the difference and an explanation about the readings for class.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-1u.1
Here I will remind them of the importance of performance in drama (main focus of our previous lesson) and
how that directly relates to the performance of poetry that we will be engaging in today
2
.

The Intro: In a large group we will discuss the different poetic devices most commonly used in poems. On the
board I will have written the poetic devices and their examples (not in order), the students will then go up to the
board together to match the correct device with its example. After this the students will go back to their seats
and we will talk about the connections they have made. Each student will explain the poetic device they
connected with the matching example.

The Middle/Heart of the Lesson: After asking the students to break into groups of two, I will assign each group
one poem and will ask them to read the poem aloud with their partners, focusing on the poetic devices
previously discussed. I will present these questions: What poetic devices does this poet use? How do the
poetic devices change the meaning and tone of the poem? After about 5 minutes of focusing on the poem and
discussing in pairs, I will present this new question: Now that you understand the meaning of the poem and the
intricacies of the make-up, does this understanding change your reading of the poem? The students will discuss
this question with their partner and will practice reading the poem aloud again.

Lesson Ending: After discussing in pairs about the different poems, we will break into two large groups, each
partner splitting to a different group (a technique called cooperative learning)
3
. In these new groups the
students will present their findings to everyone, sharing with them the poetic devices that they found in the
poem while still answering the questions raised earlier (What poetic devices does this poet use? How do the
poetic devices change the meaning and tone of the poem? And: Does this understanding change your reading of
the poem?). After each person shares with their new group we will return as a whole class. (If it is nice outside
we will take the performances outdoors as a change of scenery.) Now that everyone has spoken briefly about
their poems each group will read their poem aloud to the class and I will share a final Shel Silverstein poem
too. If there is extra time I will share a video of Sarah Kay performing spoken word poetry
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0snNB1yS3IE 15:08).

Assessment: Students will participate in class discussion and complete a small presentation about their poem to
the class. Each student will also read their poem aloud to the class, demonstrating their understanding of the
meaning and tone of the poem.


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