This unit plan focuses on analyzing poetry through five lessons for 12th grade honors English students. The lessons include identifying poetic devices and forms, studying the Beat era through a webquest, creating advocacy poetry in groups, and compiling an anthology by analyzing and relating poems on a chosen topic. Technology such as computers, search engines, and social media are incorporated for research and project presentation. The objective is for students to identify literary devices and styles through class discussion and a final project, with an 80% mastery goal.

1. POETRY
UNIT PLAN
SHANNON DUNN

2. ANALYZE THE LEARNER
• High School (Grade 12)
• Honors English
• Small Class (10-17)
• Hands-on and project based learning
• All Students Scored High in English grammar and
composition on the school’s annual standardized test.

3. OBJECTIVE
A- Honors Class
B- Identify literary devises and poetic style
C- class discussion, computer research
D- 80% on final project after revision

4. LESSON ONE,
IDENTIFYING WHAT IS IN A POEM
• Look at poetic eras
• Terms to use: Poetic devises
• Present meaning (how structure and diction help)
• Identify literary devises (how does this convey the
meaning)

5. LESSON TWO,
POETIC FORMS
• Jigsaw strategy to learn forms
• Research
• Write poems from forms taught by classmates
• Class analysis

6. LESSON THREE,
THE BEAT ERA
• Webquest
• Create beat poem
• Perform through voki or youtube

7. LESSON 4
ADVOCACY APPLICATION
• Show current real-life advocacy poetry
• Collaborate in groups to produce a poem to advocate for a
cause

8. LESSON 5
COMPILING AN ANTHOLOGY
• Reference to short anthologies to learn structure
• Create Wiki spaces to house anthology
• Pick a topic and search poems
• Analyze and reflect
• Relate poems to each other
• Submit for review

9. TECHNOLOGY
• Computers
• QR code
• Overhead
• Poster
• Search engines
• Photoshop
• Wiki
• Smartboard
• Discussion boards
• Pinterest
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Voki

10. WORKS CITED
Poetryoutloud.org
Readwritethink.org
Teachingchannel.org
Poets.org
Poetryfoundation.org
An Ethic of Excellence by Ron Berger