Poetry as Sound and Object

Classroom Activities

Overview

An exciting aspect of this unit is that it can be molded to fit your schedule and timeline. There are a mix of daily exercises and activities that act as consistent anchors throughout the students’ experience and learning. A framework is provided that uses daily skill building and focused activities that tie into the lesson being taught. The six forms of poetry that are at the heart of this unit guide each week of teaching and learning. Students will be encouraged to place themselves into a mode of absorption. They will become more alert and open to their surroundings, community, family/culture and their environment. As the children absorb information around them, they will strengthen their knowledge base, expand their vocabulary and develop skills in writing, communication and more.

The organization and planning for the unit is based on state and district standards and the requirements of both. The district requires a “Reading Block” consisting of three 45-minute periods that are inclusive of the Language Arts (Reading, Spelling, English-Writing & Grammar, and Handwriting). The Reading Block must be at least 90 minutes, leaving us with one 45-minute period, three times a week, to designate as our “poetry period.” During the eight weeks of the unit, the students will partake in the activities listed. The structure of the lessons will follow a simple template with daily anchors (called “dailies”) as well as interchangeable activities.

Fig. 1-Example of grade four activity table to use for planning during the unit. To be filled in weekly with focus, daily anchors, varying activities and resources.

Fig. 2- Example of grade 5 activity table to use for planning during the unit. To be filled in weekly with focus, daily anchors, varying activities and resources.

Guest Poet (Week one, four and eight)

Fig. 3-Poet and author, Cameron Barnett. Photo credit: Autumn House Press

Throughout the unit, a guest poet from the community will work with the fourth and fifth grade students in an effort to guide them through their musings as they complete lessons and activities. We must remember that the teaching of declarative knowledge is necessary but so is procedural knowledge. There needs to be a combination of both in order for students to actually learn what we are teaching them.²⁹ Cameron Barnett, is a lauded poet and author from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the winner of the Autumn House Press Rising Writer Contest and finalist for the 49^th NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Literary Work. He is currently the Emerging Black Writer in Residence at Chatham University’s MFA Program and the winner of the Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award. Mr. Barnett will join the student group for introductions and conversations on writing and creativity. Discussions regarding the writing process as well as his own, personal journey with writing and publishing will occur during his visits. With this focus, students will gain knowledge of the subject of poetry and its varying subsets, skill building, and confidence in speaking, listening and sharing. He will join the group on weeks one, four and eight. Students will ask questions, share readings and perform their works.

Dailies

The “dailies” are a group of activities that occur each day (“poetry period”) during the eight-week unit. The objective is to exercise consistency and build skills in writing, reading, comprehension and communication. They are a part of best practice and intended to be shared.

Dailies-Journaling (Students-ten minutes)

Students will enter the classroom, retrieve their poetry file box and begin entries in their individual journal. They can record ideas, organize their thoughts, write an actual poem, list favorite poems/poets, etc. They will have an option to share on a daily basis. The journal will be an accessible source throughout the unit and a point of reflection as well as a lifelong artifact of their experience and works during this time.

Dailies-Readings (Teacher-five minutes)

Readings will be conducted by the teacher as an exercise in listening and building comprehension skills. In addition, various books and authors will be introduced and shared during this activity. Readings can focus on vocal intonation, volume and diction as to be an example. Students can respond through writing, asking questions, or discussion in small groups. Opportunities for students to read are not forgotten and will occur during the “student speaker series” activities.

Dailies-“Mag-Poem” and Board Share (Students-five minutes)

In this activity students will have access to a magnetic board upon which small magnetic strips with words are placed. Upon entering the room, or as an early finisher activity, they can arrange the words to form phrases, sentences or short poems. They can also just isolate a word or two that intrigues them, after which classmates can offer suggestions or brainstorm ideas. The students are assigned a specific day (or can be pulled randomly) to read what individuals have arranged or simply share their own creations from the board. Blank strips will be included on the board so that students can write in their own words if they don’t see them on the board.

Student Speaker Series

In the Student Speaker Series students have the opportunity to read works of poetry to their classmates. Additionally, this activity allows students to share their completed works or those that are in progress. It also provides the students with feedback from their peers if desired. Students can let their classmates know if they want to receive feedback or not. The objective is that the students will be able to read aloud while showing inflection in their voice and conveying the feeling of the poem to their classmates for interpretation and comprehension

Author Studies (Inquiry Based)

These activities include a look into the works of poets and authors that span generations as well as recent standouts. Each week under different forms of poetry focus, an author will be discussed and highlighted during one of the three poetry periods. Their works will be made available for students to peruse and share. The school librarian as well as the local libraries will be resources and destinations for the students in order to ensure that they are fully immersed. An example of one such author is Shel Silverstein. We will examine Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic and Falling Up in addition to several works outside of those publications such as “Growing Down” from Every Thing On It (a book published posthumously in 2011).

Fig. 4-Poet and author Shel Silverstein. Photo credit: Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Shel Silverstein." Encyclopedia Britannica, June 21, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Shel-Silverstein.

Triple S (“sustained silent set”)

To be conducted in multiple spaces, indoors and out, combined with students’ personal spaces in their homes and community, the “sustained silent set” is a play on SSR (sustained silent reading). During Triple S sessions, students will spread out and spend an allotted amount of time getting themselves “set,” as in ready to go and as in placing themselves in a location. Once in their preferred spot, they will use the time to generate ideas, hone thoughts from their journals, write in their journals, reflect upon completed works, read the works of others and more. The session should help to create a bond with the student, their thoughts/reflection and the process. Although this is not one of the “Dailies,” this activity will be used frequently.

P² (process and product)

Implemented once a week, and specifically, for sharing and scaffolding student achievement within this unit, the P² activity allows students to vocalize their experience during the writing process. They will be able to speak about the steps they took as they wrote, what worked really well, what didn’t work, etc.. Moreover, students can choose to connect their process to their product (finished or not).

Golden Egg Activity

Items of multiple types are placed inside small, golden eggs and made available to students. Each egg contains different components so that students can choose many times and receive a variety of inspiration. The inspiration is meant to spark ideas for journal entries or poetic works. This activity can be implemented alone or paired with Triple S. Additionally, it can be scheduled multiple times during a week of study.

Below, a breakdown of the eight-week teaching and learning period is listed. This configuration is what I feel will work best for my students in terms of the introduction of the unit as well as implementation of activities and events. The delivery and completion of each week is able to be reconfigured to fit the needs of any individual effectuating iterations of this unit.

Resources

The following books and works are a sampling of what is to be used throughout the unit.