Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: The Last Word Poetry Unit Name: Raymond Gandara
Content Area: English Language Arts Grade Level: 12
CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2: Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including
how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings;
analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or
beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3: Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among
ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Big Ideas/Unit Goals:

Does poetry matter? Do words matter?
How can poetry or figurative language be used to convey an argument or tell a story?
How can poetry be used as a product of social change?

Unit Summary:
We have been closely examining a number of novels, plays, and nonfiction/ informational texts throughout the year, and now it's high time to move on to the
most important text of all: the students themselves. Students will be tasked with exploring themselves and the world around them through the deeply personal
medium of spoken word poetry. In order to do that, we will be examining how a wide variety of writers have used poetry and figurative language to describe
themselves, the world around them, and the important issues which pertain to both. This will all be done in an effort to answer our Big Ideas / Essential
Questions above. We will pull a variety of writing strategies from these selected writers, as well as writers chosen by the students to help them create their final
product. Students will choose one cohesive topic pertaining to a contemporary social issue, do research on that topic, and connect themselves to that issue
within their poem. They will perform their spoken word piece in front of the class in the style of an open mic/poetry slam. This is a very personal way of
exploring some troubling issues that affect our community and society at large, so students will feel encouraged to make the project meaningful to them.

Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level: Formative: Summative:
Think-Pair-Shares Think-Pair-Shares Written Poem
Free-Writes on social issue topics Answering questions in class Spoken Word Performance
Preliminary Surveys Guided Notes
Brainstorming Peer Revisions of poems (Writers Workshop)
Mid-Unit Survey
In Class Written Reflections
Exit Slip Questions
Lesson 1 (Teacher Lecture):
Student Learning Objective: Acceptable Evidence Lesson Activities:
Tracing development (Assessments): Completing a packet of Guided Notes in conjunction with listening to and participating in a Teacher
of themes in a variety Annotating different Lecture on the similarities of Poetry and Hip-Hop.
of texts verses excerpted from Watching videos to help analyze rap music with a literary lens and then practicing that method on a
Identifying literary rap songs for both group of sample rap verses.
devices in a variety of themes and literary Listening to raps from the perspectives of biography and social justice and analyzing them with a
texts devices literary lens.
Elaborate on the Answering questions Free Write reflection on the lesson and how students plan on incorporating what they learned to
on Guided Notes / revise their poems.
benefits of revision
Providing examples of
different literary
devices where stated
on GN
Free Write reflection at
the end of the lesson
Lesson 2 (Webercise/ iPad Lesson)
Student Learning Objective: Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities:
Tracing development Filling in the responses Completing a webercise activity
of themes in a variety on the webercise o Listening to a poem by Suheir Hammad about 9/11 and her Muslim, Palestinian, and
of texts activity American identities; answering preliminary questions about its subject matter.
Identifying literary Written reflection after o Reading the transcript of an interview with the poet; answering questions related to the
devices in a variety of conducting research poets biography and its influence on a rereading of the poem
o Reading an article about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict; answering questions related to the
texts and listen to the poem
historical context of the poem and its influence on a rereading of the poem
Connect poems to their multiple times
respective cultural
contexts and social
issues
Conduct research using
reliable sources to
better understand
poems
Lesson 3 (Graphic Organizer)
Student Learning Objective: Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities:
Tracing development Creating a Popplet Students read a series of articles to develop the context of the Harlem Renaissance for homework
of themes in a variety exploring a theme BEFORE this lesson
of texts within a Harlem Students work with partners to create a Popplet that explores a common theme in Harlem
Renaissance poem Renaissance poetry.
o Reading a poem and identifying a theme within that poem
 Identifying literary Following directions by o Using the Popplet tool to create branches to cite textual evidence of that theme
devices in a variety of branching arms with o Analyzing that textual evidence and its relation to the theme in a connected branch
texts textual evidence and o Selecting and analyzing textual evidence that relates to the cultural context provided by the
Connect poems to their analysis of its relation articles
respective cultural to the theme. Students write a post-activity reflection (a paragraph) that summarizes their Popplet activity in
contexts and social Written reflection at written form.
issues the end of the activity
Conduct research using
reliable sources to
better understand
poems
Unit Resources:
Spoken Word Poetry examples:
o https://youtu.be/dDa4WTZ_58M
o https://youtu.be/_UDGWcCUgtw
o http://www.guante.info/p/spoken-word-videos-i-like_3.html
Analyzing Hip-Hop with a literary lens:
o https://youtu.be/QWveXdj6oZU
o http://graphics.wsj.com/hamilton/
DUP site for lessons: http://gandara-spokenword-dup.weebly.com/
Harlem Renaissance resources:
o http://popplet.com/app/#/4344702 (Student Example)
o https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-tragic-forgotten-history-of-black-military-veterans
o https://www.thoughtco.com/red-summer-of-1919-45394
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir0URpI9nKQ
o https://www.poetryfoundation.org/podcasts/76739/constrained-to-honor-a-discussion-of-claude-mckays-if-we-must-die
Webercise resources:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fhWX2F6G7Y&feature=youtu.be
o http://www.aljadid.com/content/drops-suheir-hammad-talk-palestinian-poet-born-black
o https://www.vox.com/cards/israel-palestine

Useful Websites:
Writing Help:
o http://www.powerpoetry.org/actions/5-tips-spoken-word
o https://www.writingforward.com/category/writing-prompts/poetry-prompts
o http://thinkwritten.com/365-creative-writing-prompts/
Performance Help:
o http://www.poetryoutloud.org/poems-and-performance
o http://www.edu-nova.com/articles/public-speaking-tips/