by Wendell Berry 

by Billy Collins

By the end of our unit, students will

• learn the poetry terms, the specific terminology poets use when they talk about poetry; click here for a link to the list of terms you will be responsible for
• read poems that illustrate this terminology, a variety of poetic types, and universal themes; we will do this together in class.
• complete a variety of assignments to accomplish these goals including a personal poetry journal and one essay
• read one favorite poem aloud to the class to reinforce oral reading and presentation skills
• show their mastery of poetry terms and elements on a unit test

• Read these pages
• Read 10 poems
• Create a poetry journal
• Read your favorite poem from this unit to the class
• Write an essay (changes for 2007 are pending)
• Unit test

• For this unit, please read only published poems and not poems written by friends or other students. 
• Anonymous poems are also not allowed for the poetry journal.
• You may not use poems written for children.
• You may not use song lyrics (see essay option #3 instead)
• Most poems from .com sites are not to be used for this assignment. When in doubt, check with me.
• Record the urls for the poems you'll include in your poetry journal by either copying and pasting them into Word or by making hyperlinks right away in your journal.
•  

Your poetry journal is your own collection of favorite poems (for this class). It's your own anthology. In it, you will list all ten of the poems you read for this unit, including the title and the poet.

Then, for three of the ten poems, you will write a journal entry. For each of these three poems, write why you like the poem or what it means to you. Be specific with this. Give reasons and examples to support what you say. Also, point out something specific in the poem that connects to one of the five elements of poetry found in the table at the top of this page. For example, if you found a metaphor in the poem, write it down and explain it. Or if there is a great image in the poem, show what it is.

• Here is how you should set up your journal.
• See an example of what the journal entries might look and sound like.
• This journal is to be published on your web page. Each journal entry must be no shorter than 150 words
• Click here for questions that might help you write in your journal.
• A link to this journal must be in your webfolio.
• Poetry Journal Grading Rubric

• Read what our former poet laureate, Billy Collins, has to say to high school students about reading a poem out loud. Be sure to visit this link BEFORE you read your poem to the class.

See the page for this assignment.

• Each essay has specific directions.
• Each essay has a prewriting activity that must be completed and handed in. Create digital documents in Word and email them as attachments. Subject line: poetry organizer.
• For each essay, use primarily a third person voice; in paragraphs that are reflective, you may use first person. Use first person as little as possible to retain an authoritative voice.
• Each essay is also a hypertext essay, so as you plan it and write it, think about the connections you want to make for your reader. All links must be in-text links. Do not select more than three words in general for each hyperlink.
• See Ms. Hogue's  notes for 2006

• Study your list of poetry terms.
• Know the five elements of poetry.

1. Study two different poems about wind and write a compare/contrast essay showing how these two poems are similar and how they each create meaning on the theme/idea in their own ways. See the prewriting activity and specific directions.
2. This essay is to be published in your webfolio. Make sure that you link to this page.
3. This essay must also include five links to related sites imbedded in the text of the essay in order to make it a hypertext essay.
4. Hand in your prewriting activity.

1. Following the directions given on pages 321-323 of your literature book, write a three paragraph essay in response to any poem you choose. See the prewriting activity handout and specific directions.
2. This essay is to be published in your webfolio.
3. This essay must also include five links to related sites imbedded in the text of the essay in order to make it a hypertext essay.
4. Hand in your prewriting activity.

Important Note: The poem you use for this essay may come only from the following sources. Essays written about poems from any other source (without special permission) will earn NO credit.

Sources:

• The four links on this site: Poetry 180--A Poem a Day for American High Schools, Poetry Daily , Academy of American Poets, or Barteby: Modern American Poetry
• Your literature book (but not a poem that we discussed together in class)

1. Persuade your reader that a song is also a poem. See the prewriting activity handout and specific directions.
2. This essay is to be published in your webfolio.
3. This essay must also include five links to related sites imbedded in the text of the essay in order to make it a hypertext essay.
4. Hand in your prewriting activity.

Essay Format

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