"A poem should capture a moment, not explain it." — Ralph Fletcher

My unit's objective is to provide third grade students with the skills needed to understand and create a "captured moment," whether it is a moment captured in words or in images. Although the unit is specific to Chicago history and elementary students, it can be applied to other levels and historic events of any type, simply by changing the materials. This unit of study will be integrated with our third grade social studies curriculum, Chicago History. By the end of this unit, students will be able to describe the ways in which artists tell a story about history through the use of art elements. Students will interpret how a poet creates perceptions, images, and moods through the use of devices. The student will compare and contrast history through art and history through poetry to analyze what information we can learn from both forms. Finally, students will apply their knowledge by creating an ekphrastic poem (poetry written about art) based on art or an artifact using a free verse format.

(Developed for Social Studies and Language Arts, grade 3; recommended for Social Studies, Fine Arts, and Language Arts, grades 3-5)