Lesson Plan 1
Digitally Poetic Voicing
Goals: Students will learn to use voice appropriately as they read poetry from the printed page. They will learn how to use digital media appropriately Students will learn to successfully record poetry and rhymes using digital devices and microphones. Students will also create their own poetry to perform for audiences. Students will be introduced to poetry that engages them in this medium of spoken expression. They will explore the power of poetry that is written to be read aloud. Students will examine rap as a form of poetry. Students will examine the different literary techniques in rap. Students will learn the rules and conventions of poetry, including figurative language, metaphor, simile, symbolism, and point-of-view. Students will learn to appreciate dialect in performance poetry.
Objectives: PA State Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening 1.1.11.C; 1.1.11.H; 1.2.11.B; 1.3.11.A; 1.3.11.C; 1.3.11.D; 1.6.11.A; 1.6.11.C; 1.6.11.F; 1.7.11.B; 1.7.11.C. PA Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities 9.1.12.F; 9.1.12.J; 9.1.12.K; 9.2.12.C; 9.2.12.E; 9.4.12.C; 9.4.12.D. PA Academic Standards for Science And Technology 3.8.12.B; 3.8.12.C.
Materials: Digital Voice Recorders (DVR), microphones, floor lift or podium, lined paper, audio recordings, iPods, recording capable cellular phones, any other recording devices, theatrical accent recordings, and copies of African-American and Caribbean poetry that you choose.
Audience: This lesson can be used in high school English Language Arts, drama; public speaking and performing arts classes.
Procedure: Day One - Introduce the word "poetry" to the class. Ask students to brainstorm ideas that come to mind when they hear the word "poetry." Create a word web. Have students listen to a reading by Kanye West from Def Poetry Season 4 video. Ask students to listen to the selected poem twice. During the first viewing, students should pay attention to the words that stand out when they hear the poem. Have students write what words they hear the most. During the second viewing, students should listen for visual images that they hear in the poem. Have students write a simile or metaphor to represent the image. After students complete this activity, have them share their results. Engage the class in a group discussion. Direct students to discuss tone, microphone use, body language, and audience response. Repeat the process using the poem "No Lickle Twang" by Louise Bennett.
Day Two: Discuss the concept of "voice" employing interconnectivity that creates links between the poems used and the texts being read. Students will look at poetry as social commentary. Handout the poem, Amiri Baraka's "Somebody Blew Up America." Read and discuss the section of the poem that lists several noted people. Instruct students to take notes. Have students underline at least three facts about history and politics. Assign homework- students must create a poetic explanation of their fact-finding choices. The poem students write must consist of at least six lines and should be written as a rap, sonnet, ballad or call and response chant. Have students practice reading aloud the poem at home so they are prepared to read it aloud the next day in class.
Day Three: Have students read their poetry for recording to begin to use digital devices to capture their voices. After each recording, ask students does the voice represent the meaning of each word they speak. Why or why not? What can they improve in the piece? Can anything be added to enhance the poem? Does the poem generate audience response? Should it? Why or why not? Student listeners can write in their notebooks at least three sentences of positive feedback about the details, timing, or topic of the poem.
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