Language Arts Lesson Plan: Poetry Study

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Notable Trade Book Lesson Plan: Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems by John Grandits

Joyce Elizabeth Reid University of West Georgia, Carrollton Grandits, John (2007). Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems. New York, NY: Clarion Books

Abstract: This book can be used with middle grade students as an introduction to poetry and the many forms it can take.

Language Arts Lesson Plan: Poetry Study NCSS Notable Trade Book Lesson Plan Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems by John Grandits Lesson Plan Author: Joyce Reid University of West Georgia, Carrollton

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NCSS Notable Grandits, John (2007). Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems. New York, Book Trade NY: Clarion Books Title Book Summary In Blue Lipstick, John Grandits tells of the daily exploits of fifteen year old Jesse through a series of concrete poems. Jessie goes into detail about everything from bad hair days and younger brothers to tattoos and surviving school gossip. Its material that any middle schooler can relate to, and it features different types of poetic forms and verse including a small series of haiku. Its the perfect way to introduce your students to poetry in a way they can relate to. NCTE Standards and Rationale
These standards were borrowed from The National Council of Teachers of English found at www.ncte.org

Standard 2 Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions of human experience. Students will read Blue Lipstick to gather a comprehensive understanding of poetic elements and styles using modern poetry to speak to their own experience. Standard 3 Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. Students will draw from personal experience, acquired vocabulary, and exposure to other forms of poetry in order to understand and analyze the effectiveness of the poets style and verse. Standard 6 Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts. Students will interpret and analyze each poems use of literary elements and poetry techniques (alliteration, free verse, meter, etc.). They will analyze, discuss, and critique the poets use of them and apply this knowledge to create their own concrete poems. Standard 5 Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with 2

Language Arts Lesson Plan: Poetry Study

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different audiences for a variety of purposes. Students will write their own concrete poems, using a specific poetry style (haiku, sonnet, rhyme, blank verse, etc.). Standard 12 Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information). Students will make a 3-D model of their concrete poem to share with the class. Materials Day One and Two: Class Sets of Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems by John Grandits OR Photocopies of the following Poems: Pocket Poem Poems Inspired by the Free Perfume How I Taught My Cat To Love Poetry Style Pencil/Paper All materials from Day One and Day Two Day Three: Crayons, Markers, Colored Pencils Tape, Glue, Scissors, Hole punch, Stapler Supply or have students bring in Items from around the house (clotheshangers, paper towel rolls, anything that can be used as a part of a 3-D model) Objectives Students in grades 6 through 8 will: Identify the following literary elements using examples from each poem: Sensory detail and Imagery Simile, Metaphor, Hyperbole, and Personification, Alliteration and Assonance Onomatopoeia

Identify the following styles and elements of poetry using examples from each poem: Free verse and Metered verse Haiku Lyric, Rhyme and Internal Rhyme 3

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Students will demonstrate mastery by writing a concrete poem using one of the following styles: Free verse Metered verse or Lyric (rhyme) Haiku series Poems will contain at least five out of the nine literary elements studied. Procedures Day One: Introduction/ Exploration I. Activate students prior experiences by engaging them in a discussion about poetry. Ask the following questions: A. What is your idea of a poem? B. What has been your experience with poetry? Does it affect you? Does it move you? Does it make you want to throw your book out the window? II. To assess and activate prior learning, introduce and discuss the following topics with your students: A. What are poets that youve read in the past? What do you think of them? B. What are some favorite or atleast memorable poems? What do they look and sound like? Perhaps the rhyme schemes have something to with a particular poem getting stuck in your head (yes, song lyrics and Dr. Seuss do count for this discussion, though try to faciliate deeper thinking!) Development III. Introduce Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems A. Begin by saying: were going to continue our poetry unit by looking at some visual or concrete poetry. This is from the modern form of poetry. (This is assuming youve already studied Classic and Contemporary form) B. Pass out the books (or poems) and say Now, that youve got a copy in front of you, I want you to take a few minutes to flip through this book (or study these poems) and make some observations. Then tell me the things that jump out at you. IV. Read A Pocket Poem 4

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A. Identify images in the poem that stand out. Identify what literary elements are being used. B. Identify elements that affect the rhythm of the poem (alliteration, internal rhyme) C. Does a poem have to rhyme to be a poem? Introduce the concept of rhyme and meter. V. Read Poems Inspired by Perfume Samples A. These are haiku poems where you can introduce the concept of meter (which is the number of syllables and the rhythm made from the stressed syllables). Haikus make its easy to see how rhythm is made without rhyme. B. If theres time, have students buddy up or work on their own to write a series of haikus. Day Two: VI. Review concepts from Day One (Free Verse, Rhyme, Rhythm and Meter, Haiku, and any literary elements discussed) VII. Read and compare Style and How I Taught My Cat to Love Poetry A. Now that students have been introduced to the concept of meter and free verse, this is their opportunity to compare the two. B. Snap your fingers in a steady rhythm and read each poem. See if your students can tell the difference between the meter of Style and the free verse of How I Taught My Cat Tying It All Together Day Three: VIII. Have your students write a poem using free verse, haiku, or metered verse/lyric. The poem must describe some aspect of their lives (just like Jessies poems). IX. When drafts of the poem have been critiqued and finalized, students will then be ready to make a 3-D model of their poem Use Jesses coathanger poem that she made for her cat to play with from How I Taught My Cat To Love Poetry. as an example. If class time is limited, have students do this final project for homework. X. Have students share their final projects and put them on display in

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Expansion

the classroom or in the media center. Take pictures of each project with a digital camera. Have students record their poems on MovieMaker for windows and make a slideshow or movie from the photos and audio. Have the class vote on the best written poem, the best 3-D representation, and the best overall. Have them consider the following: Who best represented something themselves through poetry? What literary elements were used to convey the poems images? Who did the best job mastering their chosen style of poetry? What poetry elements did they use to do this? What 3-D project did the best job of representing the poem? Can you manipulate it? How does the model bring the meaning and images of the poem to life? Who did the best overall job? The students who did the best will get to record their poems first, and will practice with different delivery techniques prior to taping. Prizes will be given for Mastery of Style, Mastery of Imagery, and Mastery of Presentation. If permission is obtained, these poems can be played over the morning announcements if they are televised at your school.

Assessment

Are students able to... Identify, use, and discuss the literary elements listed above with competence and accuracy?

Able to identify the difference between free verse, metered verse, and blank verse. Able to give concrete examples of each literary element from Blue Lipstick Understand and Identify the difference between metered verse, free verse, and haiku

Give an example of a poem with meter and a poem with free verse from Blue Lipstick. Write a concrete poem in the same style as Blue Lipstick, with atleast

Language Arts Lesson Plan: Poetry Study four appropriate uses of different literary elements. Suggested Extension Activities
Host a Poetry Jam

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Have a select group of students, your class, your team, or even your Language Arts department get together for a Poetry Slam of performance poetry. Have students research slam poetry artists and practice different methods of delivery for performing their 3-D poems or poems from a favorite author. Find ways to incorporate props or their 3-D model into the performance. Great idea for a parent night!
Read a Poetry Novel

Encourage your students to read a novel written in poetic verse for one of their 25 books they are required to read during the school year. Have them give a book review through a response poem to the events in the novel, or allow them to read aloud their favorite passage to the class. (See Additional Resources for suggested titles)
Present A History in Poems

Collaborate with fellow teachers and your school media specialist to find poetry collections relating to the different places and time periods studied throughout the year. Select different poems to represent a timeline of events that have occurred in the region. Be sure that each poem represents a different historical or theoretical perspective on the events that are occurring. Present a walkthrough of history using poems from the people (or things) who have been affected by it. Add this to the poetry slam for a curriculum themed poetry night! (See Additional Resources for suggested collections) Additional References and Web Links
Poetry Compilations for Middle Schoolers

George, C.O. (2002). Swimming upstream: middle school poems. New York: Clarion. A collection of poems about surviving middle school and everything that comes along with it. A humorously accurate account of lunch room, lockers, and drama. Ghigna, C. (2003). A fury of motion: Poems for Boys. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press. Poems for guys who think poetry is for girls and wusses. Contains short poems on issues centering around toughness and masculinity. A must have book for your male students and troublesome learners. Grandits, J. (2007). Blue lipstick: Concrete poems. New York: Clarion Books. A look into the mind of an average teenage girl. Venture along with fifteen year old Jesse as she deals with everything from crushes and a

Language Arts Lesson Plan: Poetry Study crazy English teacher to her annoying younger brother.

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Grandits, J. (2004). Technically its not my fault. New York: Clarion Books. A look into the mind of a boy on the brink of becoming a teen. Brave the imaginative world of Robert and find out what boys his age are really think about school, grown-ups, and girls. Poetry Novels Frost, H. (2003). Keeshas house. New York: Frances Foster Books. A novel about homeless teens written entirely in sestinas and sonnets. Told from multiple perspectives of teens who have been kicked out and abandoned on the streets as well as the adults in their lives. Glenn, M. (1997). Jump ball: A basketball season in poems. New York: Lodestar Books. Get to know Garrett James, a boy destined for the NBA, and his fellow teammates. They are captured in here in a series of poems that document the ups and downs, the wins, losses, and loves of a championship basketball team on the edge of fame. Hesse, K. (1997). Out of the dust. New York: Scholastic. 14 year old Billie Jos poetic account about life in the Dustbowl. Set in Oklahoma, she details her familys bitter domestic hardships and her longings to jump a train to the West and leave it all behind. Koertge, R. (2006). Shakespeare Bats Cleanup. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick. The story of a boy in junior high school dealing with the death of his mother, life in junior high, and his dreams of making it big in baseball. Sones, Sonja (1999). Stop pretending: What happened when my big sister went crazy. New York: Harper Collins Childrens Books. A blank verse account of a 13 year old girls struggle with her sisters descent into madness. Based on the authors own aubiographical experiences, this book examines what it really means to be normal. Woodson, J. (2003). Locomotion. New York: G.P. Putnams Sons. An African American and a foster child, this is the story of one boy trying to put his family back together. Lonnie tells it like it is and like he hopes it to be in a mix of sonnets, odes, and epistles that graphically detail urban life
Poetry Compilations for the Curriculum
Brenner, B. (Ed). (2000). Voices: Poetry and Art from Around the World. New York: National Geographic.

Language Arts Lesson Plan: Poetry Study

Find poems and artwork from every continent and geographical region. Great for comparing and contrasting cultures and learning about history through the Humanities.

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Hopkins, L. B. (Ed.). Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks. Poetry about math concepts and the brilliant mathematicians who came up with them. A wonderful resource for students to not only document the history of math, but answer the age old question of why do we have to learn this stuff anyway? Meltzer, M. (Ed.). (2003). Hour of Freedom: American History in Poetry. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press. Take a look at history through the eyes of the people who lived it. This collection takes you from the colonial era right up to present day, and offers a variety of different lenses on which to view historical events. An excellent source for point/counterpoint and debate! Peters, L.W. (2003). Earthshake: From the Ground Up. New York:Greenwillow Books. Document the history of the earth through poems about its geological processes. A wonderful resource for earth science with illustrations of concepts and vocabulary that line up with student reading levels!

Interactive Poetry Holbrook, S. (2002). Wham! Its A Poetry Jam: Discovering Performance Poetry. Foreword by Jane Yolen. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong. Try out these delivery techniques and performance ideas for hosting your own poetry jam. Tons of voice exercises, skits, and roleplaying activities to really get your students enthused and ready for the big show. Livingston, M.C. (1991). Poem-making. Ways to begin writing poetry. New York: Harper Collins. A book about writing poetry that has all the technicality of a teacher and the inspiration of a poet. It discusses everything from rhythm and sound to figures of speech. A great way to introduce the art of poetry writing to your students. vonZiegesar, C. (2000). SLAM. Foreword by Tori Amos. New York: Alloy Books. A history of Slam or performance poetry. Find out how it all started and track the art through the Beat movement of the 1960s to the modern era of Hip Hop. Theres even advice about how to conduct your own!

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Additional Websites What is Poetry? (2001). English Works: English Tutoring and Writing Center. Retrieved July 12, 2008 from
http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/literature/poetry.html.

A comprehensive list of poetry styles and terms explained in a down to earth, easy to understand format.

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