POETRY

Miss Piper | pipe0249@vandals.uidaho.edu | (208) 867-5309

ext. 314

OVERVIEW

Welcome to Poetry! In this class we will review all kinds of poetry from spoken word, Shakespeare,
modern/contemporary, etc. Each week we will study some form or author of poetry, including looking at
context, characters, punctuation, and more. This will help with your final project that is due at the end of
the semester. While some of the poetry we will look at has rigid rules, rhythms, and rhyming skills, this will
not necessarily be true for your final project or personal journal that you will work in throughout the
semester. If writing this way makes you feel more comfortable or more like a “poet” then feel free to use
them. However, it will not be necessary for your own writing. We will need to study it though in order to
understand how it works on a larger scale in the literary world and how it was influenced by the history.

CLASSROOM RULES AND EXPECTATIONS

 I would really like to abide by some Universal Design for Learning Practices. This means that I do not
mind students getting up and walking around if that helps them focus, study, think, etc. The expectation
with this though, is that while walking around you do not distract your peers.

 There will not be a seating chart, though while I am taking attendance you should be seated so I can
get an accurate record of who is in the classroom.

 Group discussion will be imperative to the classroom. I believe that it helps students either change their
minds or develop better arguments for what they already believe. Please come prepared to say
something about what we have been going over in class. If you have not read for the day, then come at
least ready to listen and respond to peers based on what you have gathered so far.

 Do not work on assignments from other classrooms. If we get ahead and have the time, I may set aside
a class period for this, but please avoid doing so on days that should be dedicated to either your journal
or final project.

These rules are subject to change depending on my judgement for what will be best for the classroom and
its productivity in the learning environment.

GRADING INFORMATION

This class is more focused upon the improvement and continual writing process. In order to support this
there will be a journal that each student will have and write in every day. This will be the main component
assessed other than meetings with myself and the final project. Grading will be dependent upon whether
you turned in or showed up to the meeting. It is difficult to grade writing and poetry, so participation is
crucial to the learning environment in this classroom. This is why the grades are set up as they are, if you
become concerned with your grade sometime over the course of the semester, please do not hesitate to
contact me about it.

Journal – 50% of your grade

Meetings with Teacher (2 of them) – 25% of your grade

Final Project – 25% of your grade

As I mentioned before, these assignments will be graded upon whether you complete them and not on
what I think their quality is.

STANDARDS ASSESSED
There will be many standards that are built into the curriculum of this class. Each assignment for topic
will have a coordinating standard(s) that shows what you are learning in concordance with Idaho State
Standards. This is a comprehensive list of what will be learned throughout the semester:

 SL.11-12.5

 L.11-12.2

 L.11-12.3

 W.11-12.6

 RI.11-12.4

 RL.11-12.4

 L.11-12.5

 RI.11-12.6

 L.11-12.6