UNIT DAY #7, 8

Teacher Candidates Name: Rhyan Sharkey

Date: Unit Day 7-8
Lesson Title: Harlem Renaissance Poetry Workshop
Class / Grade: English / Grade 10

Central Focus (Similar to Enduring Understanding):

Harlem Renaissance writers exercised creative energy to create poetry about life in their current
society. Today, poetry can serve as a similar catalyst to society. People can create original
creative works to portray life as it is in society to convey the thoughts and life of people.

Student Learning Goals / Objective(s):

SWBAT independently brainstorm topics for an original poetry piece.
SWBAT independently draft a poem
SWBAT proofread a classmates poem
SWBAT provide and receive constructive criticism about a poem.

Academic Standards (NJPST, NJSLS, others):

NJSLSA.W10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and
revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes,
and audiences.
W.9-10.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
NJSLSA.W5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting,
or trying a new approach.
NJSLSA.W6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to
interact and collaborate with others.

Assessments:
Formal (Summative)
Poem
Participation in poetry workshop and commentary
Informal (Formative)
Teacher observation

Academic Language:
Examine the learning goal/objective to complete the chart.
Identified Language Demands Planned Language Supports

Limited vocabulary knowledge Provide a thesaurus and dictionary for

student use.

Instruction Strategies and Learning Tasks (Procedures):

Do Now: Students will consider their experiences on the virtual field trip to the Harlem
Renaissance. They will think back to the poetry that they read and heard and write a list
of ways to describe the poetry of Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, and Claude McKay.
After 5 minutes, students will pair with a classmate and share. Teacher will ask
pairs to volunteer information.
Teacher will inform students that they are going to participate in a poetry workshop. For
two days they will write poems and work with classmates to critique and revise them.
Teacher will lead the brainstorming warm-up session.
Teacher will turn out lights in classroom.
Students will sit at their desks with pen and paper.
Teacher will play a jazz music piece by Duke Ellington, recorded furing Harlem
Renaissance in 1928. For the duration of the piece (2:48), students will write
down words and phrases that they associate with the music. They can list images
that they think of, feelings, or whole sentences. These should be related to life
during the Harlem Renaissance as they have learned.
After the song is over, student will then use the words and phrases that they wrote
down to create a poem. They can place punctuation wherever they would
naturally pause when reading out loud.
Within 10 minutes, students will have created their own brainstorm of a poem.
Students will then work to brainstorm words, phrases, images, and sentences about what
it is like to be a teenager today. This is the topic of the original poem that they will write
for the workshop.
After 5 minutes, students will begin drafting their own poetry. They will have 30
minutes to do this.
Students will be numbered 1-25 alphabetically and place their number at the top
of the poem, instead of their name. This will ensure anonymity during the
workshop and critiquing process.
Students will write their alphabetical number on the top right corner of the
page to indicate that they have read and made comments on two different
poems, in order to receive credit.
Teacher will collect poetry from students then distribute back so each student receives a
different poem.
Students will read and make notes about aspects they like as well as suggestions
for improvement.
 Teacher will repeat this process once more, so students have two sets of
comments on their poem.
Teacher will distribute poems back to students.
Students will read their comments and make any revisions desired.
Students will work on this phase for the remainder of class.

Support for Accommodations and/or Modifications:

Specific support strategies outlined for students in the class (examples below):
Support for ELLs, Support for Students with IEPs or 504 Plans, Support for
Struggling Students (who do not have IEP/504 Plans)
Students may use text to speech software TTSreader.com on a classroom
tablet by taking a picture of the poem and uploading it to the website.
Students may use talk to text feature on tablet to create the list of notes
and suggestions.

Materials / Use of Instructional Technology:

Teacher Materials
Link to jazz music
Paper for students to write on
Tablets with access to internet

Student Materials (Include adapted materials for differentiated instruction.)

Writing utensil

Homework / Assignment for Next Class:

n/a