Poetry Unit Plan - Jabberwocky, Stopping by Woods

on a Snowy Night & Annabel Lee

Ms. Hodge - English 9, 10, 11, & 12
Established Goal: For students to understand common structures of poetry and
how to better analyze a poem for tone and meaning based on authors word choices,
along with making connections between their real life experiences and pieces of poetry.

Understanding(s):
Using the Wisconsin Common Core State Standard (CCSS) RL 11-12.4, students will
interpret the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings and analyze how
specific word choices shape meaning or tone. By focusing on this students will be
able to:
Explain the authors actions and tone of a given poem
Identify various parts of speech in a piece of poetry such as: nouns, verbs,
adjectives, and adverbs
Have the ability to break down a poem into digestible pieces
Decipher possible meanings of portmanteau or nonsense words

Essential Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.

How do the authors choice of words and/or phrases impact meaning and tone of
a piece of poetry?
What are at least 5 word meanings within a passage that you can interpret based
on connotation (tone, emotion) or context?
What strategies have you used to help reflect, analyze, and comprehend the
poem?
What connections to these poems can you make from your own experience and
how would that affect a poem you would write?

Assessment Evidence:
Pre-Assessment Evidence: Students will be given the Poetry Unit PreTest, using
Google forms, on what they already know about poetry and reading poems for meaning.
Post-Evaluation: Students will be given a posttest on Jabberwocky with 13 questions
and deeper thinking questions with Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. They will
also read Annabel Lee and answer questions on style, technique, and vocabulary. They
will also be writing a 10-line poem that expresses emotion. In the end, they will receive

a poem, Alone, to analyze, along with questions to answer. After test is completed they
will be assigned homework, in which they will have five options to choose from.
These choices will be:
1. Draw a picture that would best represent any of the poems we have read. Be
prepared to explain your choice of things like color, characters, setting, feeling, etc.
2. Individually, act out a scene from any of the poems.
3. Write your own story using Portmonteau words! Make sure to use a few
Portmonteau words that are nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs!
4. Write a poem that expresses one of your deepest emotions. Feel that emotion and
explain how it makes you feel using poem structure.
5. Select a short poem of your choice and complete a summary similar to those in class
to demonstrate that they are making connections and understanding the tone and
authors meaning.

Learning/Unit Plan: Teacher will introduce briefly how to read poetry effectively,
continue into Lewis Carrolls Jabberwocky, Robert Frosts Stopping by Woods on a
Snowy Evening, Edgar Allan Poes Annabel Lee, and facilitate though the end of the
project.
1. Pre-Assessment Evidence
a. Students will complete Poetry Unit PreTest on Google Forms to have an
understanding of their poetry background.
2. Introduction of How to Read a Poem
a. We will popcorn read through How to Read a Poem worksheet.
b. We will discuss what we read and why it is important.
Why is this important to know? How can you use this information?
3. Jabberwocky by Lewis Carrol
a. Teacher will animatedly read aloud Jabberwocky to the students to elicit a
reaction. With the playful, nonsense words, this will hopefully arouse some
curiosity.
What is this about? What is a Jabberwock? What are these crazy words?
b. After a copy of the poem is dispersed to each student, they will have a few
minutes to reread to themselves and then to discuss with a partner what
they believe this poem is about. I want to have the students hear the poem
first before reading it to get a sense of the different sounds and rhythm,
hence the delayed distribution of the poem.
What is your first impression of the poem? Although, it appears to be nonsense,
is there anything that can help us to understand the poem? What?

4. Jabberwocky YouTube Video

a. Teacher will show students a 3 minute youtube video and unveil some
pictures of what a Jabberwock is thought to look like, and ask the class to
share some of their interpretations.
What do you make of the word choices? What function do the nonsense words
play?
5. Jabberwocky Symbol & Theme Analysis
a. This will be an overview and discussion conducted by the teacher of
Jabberwocky Line Descriptions and Symbol Theme Analysis.
b. Main theme focus will be on: Violence, Perseverance, Men & Masculinity,
Good vs. Evil, and Man & The Natural World
Why do you think the battle, even though its the climax of the action, only takes
up two lines of the poem?
6. Portmanteau Words
a. With a partner, students will find 10 Portmonteau words in the
Jabberwocky poem and write them down in the appropriate column on the
worksheet.
b. Then they will use your dictionary to try and find the meaning of the word.
If they cant find the definition for the word in the dictionary, I will have
them tell me what they think the word means.
Why with so many nonsense words, can we still decipher meaning?
7. Parts of Speech: Nouns, Adjectives, Verbs, and Adverbs
a. Working in a group of two, students will be given Your group has been
assigned the task of finding either as many nouns, adjectives, verbs, or
adverbs in the jabberwocky poem as you can.
Were you to use your knowledge of parts of speech to help understand the
poem? Reflect on the strategies you used to comprehend the poem?
b. When everyone is finished, get in your larger groups which have been
assigned to you by the teacher, and help each other fill out the remainder
of the sheet! First group to complete all sections wins 10 minutes of free
time next class!
8. Test on Jabberwocky
a. Students will be given a posttest with 13 questions.
9. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
a. Teacher will read out loud with a chilling voice and focus on the message
on the poem.

Have you ever wanted to escape from the world for a little while? Perhaps to go
watch some woods fill up with snow?
b. The poem tells the story of a man traveling through some snowy woods on
the darkest evening of the year, and he's pretty much in love with what he
sees around him. He's on his way back to town, but he can't quite tear
himself away from the lovely and dark woods.
Frost was a beloved American poet who loved nature and New England
landscapes, how is this represented in his work?
10. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Deeper Thinking Questions
a. Students will complete the six questions on the Deeper Thinking
Questions WS individually.
b. When completed, we will share the answers out loud.
11. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Symbol & Theme Analysis
a. This will be an overview and discussion conducted by the teacher of the
poems Line Descriptions and Symbol Theme Analysis.
Is the speaker alone? Why doesnt the speaker want to head homeward? Why
does the speaker stop without a farmhouse near?
b. Main theme focus will be on: Isolation, Choices, Man & the Natural World,
and Society & Class.
In a world in which we are constantly stimulated by the Internet, TV, phones, and
ads, and in a world in which we are busy little bees, do we get to spend much
time alone anymore? Do we have time to stop and smell the roses?
12. Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe
a. Discussion about Poes life and his involvement with his 13 year old
cousin, whom he married. Love so strong that it endured beyond the grave
was an ideal topic for poetry. Poe wrote this beautiful lyric poem in 1847.
What made life meaningful to the narrator of the poem? What was the real cause
of Annabel Lees death, according to the poet?According to the poem, what
would you say the narrator spends most of his time doing?
b. Notice how the poet conveys his deep feelings for Annabel Lee while
telling you of her death. Notice also the lyric quality of the poemhow it
might easily be set to music.
13. Annabel Lee Symbol & Theme Analysis
a. This will be an overview and discussion conducted by the teacher of
Annabel Lee Line Descriptions and Symbol Theme Analysis.
Does death always make love weaker? Do you believe it could make it stronger?
How would the speaker respond to this question?

b. Main theme focus will be on: Love, Mortality, Family, Supernatural, and
Man & the Natural World
Is this poem a positive or a negative depiction of love? Is this how true love
should look? How does this poem compare romantic and parental love?
14. Annabel Lee Activities
a. Students will reread the poem and notice how effective it is. Notice Poes
careful choice of words, the way he puts the words together, how he uses
rhyme, and how his use of repetition gives rhythm as well as an almost
magical quality to the poem.
b. On a separate piece of paper they will write a 10-line poem about
someone or something that is special to you. Copy some of Poes
methods, and see how well you can convey your feelings.
15. Final Assessment
a. Poem Analysis of Alone by Maya Angelou and answer the questions.
16. Homework Assignment
a. After the final assessment is completed students will be assigned
homework, in which they will have five options to choose from.
b. These choices will be:
i.
Draw a picture that would best represent any of the poems we
have read. Be prepared to explain your choice of things like color,
characters, setting, feeling, etc.
ii.
Act out a scene from any of the poems.
iii.
Write their own story using Portmonteau words! They will need to
use Portmonteau words that are nouns, adjectives, verbs, and
adverbs!
iv.
Write a poem that expresses one of your deepest emotions. Feel
that emotion and explain how it makes you feel using poem
structure.
v.
Select another short poem of your choice and complete a summary
similar to the poems done in class to demonstrate that they are
making connections and understand the tone and authors
meaning.

HOW TO READ A POEM

Theres really only one reason that poetry has gotten a reputation for being so darned difficult:
it demands your full attention and wont settle for less. Unlike a novel, where you can drift in and
out and still follow the plot, poems are generally shorter and more intense, with less of a
conventional story to follow. If you dont make room for the experience, you probably wont have
one.
But the rewards can be high. To make an analogy with rock and roll, its the difference between
a two and a half minute pop song with a hook that you get sick of after the third listen, and a
slow-building tour de force that sounds fresh and different every time you hear it. Once youve
gotten a taste of the really rich stuff, you just want to listen to it over and over again and figure
out: howd they do that?
Aside from its demands on your attention, theres nothing too tricky about reading a poem. Like
anything, its a matter of practice. But in case you havent read much (or any) poetry before, Ive
put together a short list of tips that will make it a whole lot more enjoyable.

Follow Your Ears. Its okay to ask, What does it mean? when reading a poem. But its
even better to ask, How does it sound? If all else fails, treat it like a song. Even if you
cant understand a single thing about a poems subject or theme, you can always say

something anything about the sound of the words. Does the poem move fast or
slow? Does it sound awkward in sections or does it have an even flow? Do certain words
stick out more than others? Trust your inner ear: if the poem sounds strange, it doesnt
mean youre reading it wrong. In fact, you probably just discovered one of the poems
secret tricks!
Read It Aloud. OK, Im not saying you have to shout it from the rooftops. If youre
embarrassed and want to lock yourself in the attic and read the poem in the faintest
whisper possible, go ahead. Do whatever it takes, because reading even part of poem
aloud can totally change your perspective on how it works.
Become an Archaeologist. When youve drunk in the poem enough times, experiencing
the sound and images found there, it is sometimes fun to switch gears and to become an
archaeologist (you know -- someone who digs up the past and uncovers layers of
history). Treat the poem like a room you have just entered. Perhaps its a strange room
that youve never seen before, filled with objects or people that you dont really
recognize. Maybe you feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland. Assume your role as an
archaeologist and take some measurements. Whats the weather like? Are there people
there? What kind of objects do you find? Are there more verbs than adjectives? Do you
detect a rhythm? Can you hear music? Is there furniture? Are there portraits of past
poets on the walls? Are there traces of other poems or historical references to be found?
Dont Skim. Unlike the newspaper or a textbook, the point of poetry isnt to cram
information into your brain. I cant repeat it enough: poetry is an experience. If you dont
have the patience to get through a long poem, no worries, just start with a really short
poem. Understanding poetry is like getting a suntan: you have to let it sink in.
Memorize! Memorize is such a scary word, isnt it? It reminds me of multiplication
tables. Maybe I should have said: Tuck the poem into your snuggly memory-space. Or
maybe not. At any rate, dont tax yourself: if you memorize one or two lines of a poem, or
even just a single cool-sounding phrase, it will start to work on you in ways you didnt
know possible. Youll be walking through the mall one day, and all of a sudden, youll
shout, I get it! Just not too loud, or youll get mall security on your case.
Be Patient. You cant really understand a poem that youve only read once. You just
cant. So if you dont get it, set the poem aside and come back to it later. And by later I
mean days, months, or even years. Dont rush it. Its a much bigger accomplishment to
actually enjoy a poem than it is to be able to explain every line of it. Treat the first
reading as an investment your effort might not pay off until well into the future, but
when it does, it will totally be worth it. Trust me.
Read in Crazy Places. Just like music, the experience of poetry changes depending on
your mood and the environment. Read in as many different places as possible: at the
beach, on a mountain, in the subway. Sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery for a
poem to really come alive.
Think Like a Poet. Heres a fun exercise. Go through the poem one line at a time,
covering up the next line with your hand so you cant see it. Put yourself in the poets
shoes: If I had to write a line to come after this line, what would I put? If you start to think
like this, youll be able to appreciate all the different choices that go into making a poem.

Soon, youll be able to decipher a T.S. Elliot poem from a Wallace Stevens poem, sight
unseen. Everyone will be so jealous.
Look Whos Talking. Ask the most basic questions possible of the poem. Two of the
most important are: Whos talking? and Who are they talking to? If its a Shakespeare
sonnet, dont just assume that the speaker is Shakespeare. The speaker of every poem
is kind of fictional creation, and so is the audience. Ask yourself: what would it be like to
meet this person? What would they look like? Whats their deal, anyway?
And, most importantly, Never Be Intimidated. Regardless of what your experience with
poetry in the classroom has been, no poet wants to make his or her audience feel stupid.
Its just not good business. Sure, there might be tricky parts, but its not like youre trying
to unlock the secrets of the universe. Heck, if you want to ignore the meaning entirely,
then go ahead. Why not?
Poetry is about freedom and exposing yourself to new things. In fact, if you find yourself stuck in
a poem, just remember that the poet, 9 times out of 10, was a bit of a rebel and was trying to
make his friends look at life in a completely different way. Find your inner rebel too. There isnt a
single poem out there thats too difficult to try out right now, today.

JABBERWOCKY
By: Lewis Carroll
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
'Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!'
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought -So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood a while in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.
'And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

FIND THE PORTMONTEAU WORDS!!!!!!

Directions: With your partner find 10 Portmonteau Words in the Jabberwocky poem and
write them down in the appropriate column. Then, I want you to use your dictionary to
try and find the meaning of the word. If you cant find the definition for the word in the
dictionary, thats ok!!! I want you to tell me what you think the word means.
Remember: A portmonteau is a blend of two or more words and their meanings in order
to make a new word!
PORTMONTEAUS

IN DICTIONARY?
YES

MEANING
NO

NOUNS, ADJECTIVES, VERBS, AND ADVERBS, OH MY!!!!

Group Names:_________________________________________
Directions: Your group has been assigned the task of finding either as many nouns,
adjectives, verbs, or adverbs in the jabberwocky poem as you can.
When everyone is finished, get in your larger groups which have been assigned to you
by the teacher, and help each other fill out the remainder of the sheet! First group to
complete all sections wins 10 minutes of free time next class!
Nouns

Adjectives

Verbs

Adverbs

Jabberwocky Test

Eng 9,10,11,&12

Name:_________________________________
Please answer all of the following questions in the space provided. When finished,
please bring your test to the teacher, and get your homework. You will do fine!!!
1. In your own words, tell me what a noun is, and what a verb is.

2. In your own words, tell me what an adverb is, and what an adjective is.

3. Circle the correct answer:

a. Portmonteau is a type of drawing
b. Portmonteau is a type of dance.
c. Portmonteau is when you take 5 words and combine them into one word.
d. Portmonteau is taking 2 or more words and their meaning and combining them to
make a new word.
4. In what book can you find the Jabberwocky poem?

5. In your own words, describe the Jabberwock (what does it look like). And then, I want
you to draw the Jabberwock on the back of the test.

6. What did the man in the story use to kill the Jabberwock?

7. In your own words, what do you think galumphing means?

8. Pick 3 other nouns from the poem and describe them to me (what do you think they
look like, sound like, etc).

9. How does the long struggle, though it is only two lines, fit into the overall action curve
of the poem? How does it affect the reader?

10. Why do you think the protagonist is determined to find the Jabberwocky, even after
being told to beware by his father?

11. What did you like best about this lesson?

12. What did you like least about this lesson?

13.What would you have changed about this lesson?

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

BY ROBERT FROST

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sounds the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Night

Deeper Thinking Questions
Name:_______________________________________

1. Why do you think Frost uses the word "woods" instead of "forest"?

2. How are these two words (woods and forest) different from one another?

3. Why does our speaker worry so much about who owns the woods?

4. Many people have criticized Frost for being too concerned with the past or with
things that have nothing to do with the modern world (like blenders, radios, and
TV). Do you agree with this criticism? Can you relate to this poem?

5. Why do you think Frost titled this poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy
Evening?"

6. Does it bother you that Frost rhymes "sleep" with "sleep"?

Annabel Lee
Edgar Allan Poe, 1809 - 1849

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea:
But we loved with a love that was more than love-I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me-Yes!--that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
But our love it was stronger by far than the love

Of those who were older than we-Of many far wiser than we-And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:
For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling--my darling--my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Annabel Lee Review Questions

Name:__________________________________
Directions: Read through Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe and answer the following
questions.
1.

Do you think this poem is about true love or about scary obsession? What
makes you think this way?

2.

Can someone feel both feelings (love and obsession) at the same time, or
does one cancel out the other?

3.

Does the depiction of the speaker's love change as the poem goes on?

4.

Do you get a picture in your mind of the speaker? If so, where does it come
from?

5.

How do you think Poe builds his character over the course of the poem?

6.

Is real love possible at a young age? Why or why not?

7.

Do you need to be fully grown in order to really fall in love? Explain.

8.

Do you think the end of this poem is beautiful? Why or why not?

9.

Do you think its weird subject matter makes it more or less appealing?

10. Would

you date Edgar Allan Poe? Sorry, I had to ask. Why or why not?

Annabel Lee

by Edgar Allan Poe

Write your answers on a separate piece of paper.
Love so strong that it endured beyond the grave was an ideal topic for poetry according
to Edgar Allan Poe. He wrote this beautiful lyric poem in 1847. Notice how the poet
conveys his deep feelings for Annabel Lee while telling you of her death. Notice also the
lyric quality of the poemhow it might easily be set to music.
STUDYING THE PASSAGE:
1. Find the main idea: Choose one.
1. How Annabel Lee died.
2. How love brings heartache
3. How the poet came to love Annabel Lee.
4. Annabels and the poets love for each other.
2. Find the facts: Mark each one true (+) or false (O).
1. The poet fell in love with Annabel long before he wrote the poem.
2. The poet and Annabel lived on an island.
3. Only demons could dissever the souls of the lovers.
4. Annabel Lee is buried far from the sea.
5. Even the angels envied the lovers.
6. The moon reminds the poet of Annabels smiling face.
7. The poet is always thinking of Annabel Lee.
8. Annabel died by drowning.

______

_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____

3. Go beyond the facts: Which one of the following could you conclude from
the poem?

a.
b.
c.
d.

The poet means to seek revenge for the death of his love.
The poet hates the sea because it reminds him of his love.
The poet will never love anyone so deeply again.
The poets love for Annabel is still so intense that she seems real to him
________

1. Determine the writers style and technique: Choose two answers.

1. The poet generally analyzes love and its meaning.
2. The poet describes a personal experience.
3. The poet gives a vivid description of Annabel Lee.
4. The poet communicates personal feelings.
_______ & _______
USING THE WORDS:
Words and their meanings: Find the bold word for these definitions from the poem.
8. grave, tomb

_________________________

9. heavenly beings; angels

_________________________

10. relatives

_________________________

11. envied; desired wrongfully

_________________________

12. break; cut; disunite

_________________________

13. nighttime

_________________________

WRITING ABOUT IT:

14. Reread the poem and notice how effective it is. Notice Poes careful choice of
words, the way he puts the words together, how he uses rhyme, and how his use of
repetition gives rhythm as well as an almost magical quality to the poem. On a separate
piece of paper. write a 10-line poem about someone or something that is special to you.
Copy some of Poes methods, and see how well you can convey your feelings.

Final Assessment - Poem Analysis

Name:______________________________________
Directions: Read through this Alone by Maya Angelou and answer the following
questions.

Alone
Maya Angelou, 1928 - 2014
Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I dont believe Im wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
There are some millionaires
With money they cant use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
Theyve got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody

No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Now if you listen closely
Ill tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Answer Following Questions:

1. Who do you imagine the speaker to be?

2. What is his/her life like?

3. Would this poem be different if you knew more about the speaker's life? How so?

4. What do you think is the reason that people feel alone?

5. Why doesn't this poem offer any solutions?

6. Do you think that there's a good solution to this pervasive alone-ness? If so, what is it?

7. Would this poem be different if it was talking about loneliness instead of being along?
How so?

Poetry Unit
Jabberwocky, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,
& Annabel Lee

Homework - Please choose one of the following activities, and be prepared to

present at the end of the week.
1. Draw a picture that would best represent any of the poems we have read. Be
prepared to explain your choice of things like color, characters, setting, feeling, etc.
2. Individually, act out a scene from any of the poems. Please tell me what you plan on
acting out.
3. Write your own story using Portmonteau words! Make sure to use a few
Portmonteau words that are nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs!
4. Write a poem that expresses one of your deepest emotions. Feel that emotion and
explain how it makes you feel using poem structure.
5. Select a short poem of your choice and complete a summary similar to that of the
poems in class to demonstrate that you are making connections and understanding the
tone and authors meaning.