I’m teaching this unit to broaden the minds of students.  Students in many schools are unfamiliar with post-WWII poetry.  I know that when I was in school, the most modern poetry we studied was “The Raven” by Edger Allen Poe.  I feel that students know that poets still exist.  I also want to give students the ability to think more analytically.  Interpreting poetry is difficult, and by working through it, they could become better thinkers.  I chose to use contemporary poetry because the students would have an easier time with the language.  English has changed, so the newer the better.  Students will also know more about what happened in the 1990’s than they would know about in the 1890’s.  I feel that it’s important to find literature that students can relate to.
Poets have also changed.  Contemporary poets are much more diverse than their predecessors.  Contemporary poetry is filled with both male and female poets from a variety of races, classes, and ethnic groups.  I hope this lesson will make people more compassionate towards others.

Class Specification
This unit is designed for eleventh or twelfth grade students.  Younger students would have a hard time with this poetry.  They don’t have enough knowledge of history and culture to comprehend these poems.  The students will also need the mental capacity to think critically about the poems.  I think students from all areas could benefit from this unit.  The poets are very diverse so every students will learn about some other perspectives.

Significant Assumptions
- Students will know some history of contemporary America (Vietnam, presidents, etc.).
- Students will know how to write an analytical essay.
- Students will know how to keep a journal.
- Students have access to Internet.
- Students know how to work: individually, in small groups, and as a whole class.

Contemporary Poetry: Not All Great Poets Are Dead.
 
Desired Outcomes
- Successful completion of Minnesota High School Graduation Standard 3.2: Literature and arts analysis and interpretation.
-Students will demonstrate the ability to interpret and evaluate poetry by: describing the elements and structure of the poems, poet’s intent, and background of selected poems; applying specific criteria to interpret and analyze the selected poems; describing how particular effects are produced by the poet’s use of form; and communicating an informed interpretation using the vocabulary of poetry.
 
Students will:
 - Think critically about poetry.
- Show the ability to interpret poetry by writing, and discussing.
- Show knowledge of form and structure in poetry.

Skills:
- read poetry
- write analytically about poetry
- use Internet and library to find more poetry

Whole group activities:
- Short lectures about poets
- Lectures about forms and structures in poetry
- Reading of poems by class and teacher
- Presentation of poetry found outside of class
- Collection of class poetry journal

Small group activities
- Cooperative learning groups.  Discussing poems in pairs and small groups.
- Group led class discussions.

Individual activities:
- Writing project
- Journal of reflections
- Graded daily writings
- Finding poems outside of class

On-going activities:
- Journal writing
- Creation of class poetry journal

Student resources:
- Computer access
- The Harper American Literature v.2 second edition. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers Inc.
- or “Howl” by Allen Ginsburg, “Life Is A Screwball Comedy”, “Lake Bud”,”But Nobody Was There” by Ishmael Reed, “Ariel”, “Poppies in October”, “Death & Co.”, “Kindness” by Sylvia Plath, “The Sun”, “When Death Comes”, “Hawk”, “Morning Poem” by Mary Oliver, “Fork”, “Fear” by Charles Simic, “What Is Beautiful”, “Veil, I”, “Ann Street” by Jay Wright, “Homage To My Hips”, “the lost baby poem” by Lucille Clifton, “From My Window” by C.K. Williams, “Dear John, Dear Coltrane”, “American History” by Michael S. Harper, “My Father Speaks to Me from the Dead” by Sharon Olds, “All Hallows”, For My Mother” by Louise Gluck, “New Orleans” by Joy Harjo.
- Journal
- Handouts
 Set induction: Week one, day one
Objectives: Kick off unit.  Familiarize students with poetry (form and structure).  Explain to students what will be expected from them during unit.
Methods:
1.  Read “Life Is A Screwball Comedy” by Ishmael Reed. 2 min
2.  Organize students into small groups and give each group a section of the poem.  Have students figure out the references in the poem and ask them why they are there. 8 min
3.  Get class back together.  Go around groups and hear what they came up with.  Get a discussion started.  Ask students why they think Reed put those references in his poem. 15 min
4.  Lecture about poetry.  Discuss elements of style in poetry.  Discuss poet’s intent.  20 min
5.  Assignment: Read “Howl” by Allen Ginsburg.  Be ready to discuss.  Talk about long range assignment of the class poetry journal.  Give handouts to students.

Assessment: I know the students are learning if:
1.  They participate in group and class discussions.

Day two:
Objectives:  Students will understand the impact and importance of “Howl” on American poetry.  Students will learn Ginsburg’s intent and use of form to get his message across.

Methods:
1.  Daily writing: Explain the line: “who were expelled from the academies for crazy& publishing obscene odes on the windows of the skull.” Worth 5 points.  Collect writings.  5 min
2.  Divide class into groups.  Have groups work out things that confused them.  Have groups come up with questions for the other groups.  10 min
3  As a class, discuss problems that groups faced with the poem. 10 min
4.  Lecture about “Howl”.  Discuss the impact that it had on American poetry.  Discuss Ginsburg’s use of style in “Howl” 20 min
5. Assignment:  Sylvia Plath poems: “Ariel”, “Poppies in October”, “Death & Co.”, and “Kindness”.

Assessment:  the students are learning if:
they write thoughtfully in there daily writing.
they participate in class discussion.

Day three:
Objectives: Students will learn how to evaluate poetry using specific criteria (in handout).  Students will learn how Plath uses the elements of poetry.
Methods:
1.  Journal writing:  What poem is your favorite?  Why?  Explain the elements of style in the poem.  How does the style affect your reading? 8 min
2.  Divide class into groups based on their favorite poem.  Have groups interpret the poem based on criteria in handout. 7 min
 3.  Have “expert” group lead a class discussion on each poem.
Possible questions in case groups can’t think of any:  “Ariel”: How does Plath see herself?  Why does the last stanza only contain one line?  What does Plath want the reader to understand?, “Poppies in October”: How does sentence length affect the reading?  Explain the title., “Death & Co.”:  Explain the repeating of the line “The dead bell”.  What impact does it have on the poem?
“Kindness”:  Explain the last line in the poem.  How does it relate to the first line of “Death & Co.”?  30 min
4. Assign poems by Mary Oliver (listed in handout).

Assessment: Students are learning if:
they write thoughtfully in their journals.
they participate in discussions.

Days four and five
Objectives:  Apply criteria to interpret poems by Mary Oliver.  Students will learn how to communicate an informed interpretation for their writing projects.  Use poems by Charles Simic to show how a poet’s intentions.

Week two
Objectives:  Analyze and interpret poems by Jay Wright, Lucille Clifton, C.K. Williams, and Ishmael Reed.  Get students started on class poetry journals.  Start class on writing projects.
Possible questions for poems:  Wright: How does Wright use alliteration in “Veil,I”?  What effect does it have on the poem?  Why does Wright set off certain passages in “Ann Street”  How might your reading change if he didn’t offset those passages?  Clifton:  Explain repetition of sentence structure in “Homage to My Hips” and “the lost baby poem”.  Why does Clifton use this style?  Williams:  Explain alliteration and sentence structure in “From My Window”.  What impact do these elements have on the poem?

Week three
Objectives:  Evaluate poems by Harper, Olds, Gluck, and Harjo.  Collect first drafts of writing projects.  Continue work on class poetry journal.
Possible questions and discussions: Harper:  discuss the opening lines of “American History”.  Give historical background about civil rights protests.  Discuss cultural background in “Dear John, Dear Coltrane”  Who is John Coltrane?  Olds:  Explain feminism with regards to “My Father Speaks to Me from the Dead”.  How does this poem relate to American culture?  Gluck:  Discuss cultural significance of Halloween.  How does this relate to the poem?  Harjo:  Joy Harjo is a Native American author.  The poem discusses NA encounters with explorers.  Discuss the historical background of these encounters.

Week four
Objectives:  Work on and conference with students about writing projects.  Finish class poetry journal.  Work with students on their “A” papers, and their “B” teaching presentations.  Allow time for groups to work on papers and presentations.
 Week five
All writing projects are due the beginning of the week.  All “B” papers are do at the end of the week.  The week will be spent doing the teaching presentation to earn an “A”.  All the projects are detailed in student handouts.

Daily writing questions: to be given the day the poem is to be read.  All daily writings are worth five points.
1.  Explain the line: “who were expelled from the academies for crazy & publishing obscene odes on the windows of the skull.”  Why would Ginsburg put this into his poem?  What meaning does it have to him?
2.  Explain Wright’s use of darkness and light in the poem “Veil, I”.  What is Wright referring to?
3.  How does Clifton justify the loss of the baby in “the lost baby poem”?
4.   Describe some of the people in “From My Window”  Use enough detail to prove that you’ve read the poem.
5.  When Harper views American history what does he see?  Use evidence from “American History”.
6.  Name four things that her father loved about her in “My Father Speaks to Me from the Dead”.
7.  Describe the scene from the first stanza of “All Hallows”.
8.  According to the poem, what happened to DeSoto?  Be as detailed as possible.

Total points: 40
scale: 36+ = A, 32-35 =B, 28-31 = C
 Assessment:
Unit Contract:
“C” contract
---Completion of writing project (detailed in handout).
---Complete journal of reactions to poems.
---28 or better on daily writings
---conference about writing project.
---one poem put into class journal.

“B” contract
---Completion of “C” contract.
---one self written poem added to class journal.
---Leading a class discussion in groups or individually.
---32 or better on daily writings

“A” contract
---Completion of “B” contract.
---one “A” paper (detailed later)
---36 or better on daily writings.
 Handout:
Writing project:  Due at the end of the fourth week
I want you to analyze a poem.  Analyze the tools the poet uses in his/her poem.  These could be things like alliteration, or assonance.  You could also include aesthetics.  How does the poem look on the page?  What lines stand out on the page?  These tools of poetry have all been discussed in class so you should have no problem coming up with brilliant insights.
I also want you to explain the background of the poem.  Give some history behind the poem/poet.  Also, what does the poem say about culture? Society?
Finally, I want you to come up with an interpretation of the poem.  Use textual evidence in your interpretation.  What is the poet trying to say?  Why did they spend time writing this poem?
The project should be a minimum of two pages, typed and double spaced.  Write the paper for an audience that is familiar with the poem.  There is no need to describe the poem.

“B” teaching presentation:  to be done during the fifth week
This presentation is for students wishing to earn a “B” on this unit.  The presentation can be done in groups of two or three, or individually if desired.  For this presentation, students will need to prepare a poem for class discussion.  The poems will be assigned as usual, but the presenting group takes over from there.  All presenters must conference with me about their presentation.  The poem can be any of your choosing.  You must know the poem well.  The presentation must be at least 30 minutes, or 15 if done individually.

“A” paper guidelines:  papers do at the end of the fifth week or day of presentation, if necessary
This paper is similar to the writing project.  The one exception is that the poem will not be discussed in class.  You must choose a poem that is not on the list.  This paper may be done in groups of three or less.  Groups may use the same poems they prepared for class discussion.  If so, the paper will need to be handed in before the presentation.  I don’t want the class writing your paper.
Two pages double spaced.
 Content standard 3.2, Arts analysis and interpretation
Contemporary Poetry
Summary:  A student shall demonstrate the ability to interpret and evaluate complex works of music, dance, theater, visual arts, literature, or media arts by: A.  describing the elements and structure of the art form; the artistic intent; and the historical, cultural, and social background of the selected art works; B.  applying specific critical criteria to interpret and analyze the selected works of art; C.  describing how particular effects are produced by the artist’s use of elements of the art form; and D.  communicating an informed interpretation using the vocabulary of the art form.
Description of Student Performances:
Task 1:  Read a variety of poems.  Write thoughtfully about poems in journal.  Discuss poems in class based on specific criteria.
Task 2:  Write an analysis of one poem.  Included in analysis should be an interpretation based on specific criteria, and a complete description of the poet’s use of form and structure.  The analysis should also include a historical, cultural, and social background of the poem.

Final Achievement:
Scoring criteria
4-Performance on this standard achieves and exceeds expectations of high standard work.
3-Performance on this standard meets the expectations of high standard work.
2-Work on this standard has been completed, but all or part of the student’s performance is below high standard level.
1-Work on this standard has been completed, but performance is substantially below high standard level.
No package score is recorded until ALL parts of the package have been completed.
 Performance Package Task 1
Contemporary Poetry
content standard 3.2, arts analysis and interpretation, level high school
Specific statement from the standard:
What students should do:
1. read a variety of poems.
2. write thoughtfully in journal about how certain effects are produced by the poet’s use various elements of poetry.
3.  discuss, in class, the elements of poetry, and communicate informed interpretations of selected poems.

Products:
1. one journal including reactions to assigned poems

Task Description: journal writing and class discussions about selected poems

Special Notes:
The Harper American Literature v.2, New York, HarperCollinsPublishers., or selected poems
 Performance Package Task 1
Contemporary Poetry
Feedback Checklist for Task 1
The purpose of the checklist is to provide feedback to the student about his/her work relative to the content standard.  Have the standard available for reference.

y=yes
n=needs improvement

Student                                                                                    Teacher

--------  Elements of structure in poetry is described in discussions --------

--------  Has described how particular effects are produced by the   --------
               poet’s use of the elements of poetry

--------  Has communicated an informed interpretation in journal   --------

--------  Has used specific criteria to produce interpretations           --------
 Performance Package Task 2
Contemporary Poetry
content standard 3.2, arts analysis and interpretation, level high school
Specific Statement from Standard:
What students should do:
1. Choose one poem and write an analytical paper using specific critical criteria to interpret and analyze the poem.  Students should show knowledge of the elements and structure of poetry.  Students will communicate an informed interpretation of the poem.

Products:
1. One close and thorough analysis of a poem.

Task description:  Write one paper on a selected poem.  Show knowledge of the elements of poetry in paper.

Special Notes:
 Performance Package Task 2
Contemporary Poetry
Feedback Checklist for Task 2
The purpose of the checklist is to provide feedback to the student about his/her work relative to the content standard.  Have the standard available for reference.

y=yes
n=needs improvement

Student                                                                                          Teacher

--------  Elements of poetry, poet’s intent, and relevant background--------
               have been clearly described.

--------  Specific criteria has been used to interpret and analyze       --------
               a poem in detail.

--------  Student has communicated an informed interpretation using-------
              specific criteria.

--------  Student has described how particular effects are produced  --------
               by the poet’s use of the elements of poetry.