Mr.

Ghahremani Poetry Subject Humanities Grade 8 Timeframe 19 classes Rationale Context 29 mini students

Spring 2013

The overarching purpose of this unit is for students to have a broad introduction to a spectrum of poetic styles and genres; to gain an appreciation for poetry; to survey a wide sampling of lyrical and modern poetry; to discover the relevance and influence of poetry in our daily life; to appreciate the influence of poetry in a number of cultures. One of the ways through which I hope to inspire a healthy community in the classroom is to establish a series of classroom agreements. I would then ask the students to participate in creating as a community some rules and guidelines that would ensure that we have a healthy and safe environment both for the teacher and all the students. The final rules and guidelines that are agreed upon are then written up and signed by each student. Over time, and with the rise of new issues and concerns, along with new situations, these agreements can be amended and added to. Diane Gossen hints at a similar practice, calling it the Social Contract and suggesting that establishing such a contract is rooted in our need for belonging (Gossen 18). She argues that it is our nature to want to be with people, and that to do so, we need to make social agreements by first thinking about the kind of person one wants to be and establishing class beliefs (Gossen 18). To help us in composing the content of the classroom agreement, I will be using the following tool to encourage self reflection in the context of belonging and being responsible to a community. Person I Want To Be Students are asked to reflect on the kind of person they want to be. First, they draw or write about the kind of friend, student, or team member they want to be. Secondly, they think about the kind of family member (e.g. sister, daughter, grandchild, niece) they want to be. From this information, students create self-portraits based on the kind of person they would like to be. Students are building themselves up from inside out. (Gossen 18) Through this exercise, the teacher can begin to know the students on a more personal level. This initial personal connection is a prerequisite for a caring teacher to be able to create the best environment for students. This also opens the door for a two way conversation between the teacher and the students in their effort to understand and discover their responsibilities and privileges that stem from belonging to a community. The nature of this conversation itself, the fact that is not unidirectional, actually helps the teacher connect more with the person of the students and be more attuned to their needs, as Nel Noddings notes, caring teachers engage in dialogue with their students (Noddings). Furthermore, a caring teacher will ensure that this form of dialogue will continue through the entire time that he or she will be spending with the students.

Mr. Ghahremani

Spring 2013

The teacher should also ensure to address the subject of bullying, if not already brought up by the class in devising the agreements. The class can from the very beginning of the teachers association with it begin to identify habits and attitudes that need be fostered in order to prevent the possibility of bullying, while also closing considering and strictly abhorring those tendencies that may lead to such behaviour. The class also can consider together, beyond the effects that bullying has on the individual, the social and communal implications and consequences of such behavior. After these initial thoughts, the teacher will rely on the students to police and govern the great portion of each others behaviour in the context of the agreements that the community of the class have made and with respect to the solemn obligations they will be put under by signing the communal document. However, the teacher may need to remind students about the agreements and trust them to make the proper choice, considering that they themselves were involved in the generation of the agreements. Another motivating feature underlying this method of monitoring classroom behaviour and fostering community is the level of ownership that a student will be pleased to feel with regards to the confines of personal behaviour. This ownership is very likely to lead to a students sense of empowerment with regards to controlling their own behaviour and self-discipline.

Works Cited or Referenced: Diane Gossen. "Student Behavior." International Journal of Reality Therapy 27.1 (2007): 17. Print. Noddings, Nel. (2006). Handle with care. Greater Good. 3(1), 18-21. Swearer, Susan M., et al. "What can be done about School Bullying? Linking Research to Educational Practice." Educational Researcher 39.1 (2010): 38-47. Print.

Mr. Ghahremani Resources - speakers and a computer - projector - a number of poetry handouts

Spring 2013

Objectives A6 - select and use a range of strategies to express ideas and information in oral

communications, including: vocal techniques, style and tone, nonverbal techniques. A7 - use listening strategies to understand, recall, and analyse a variety of texts, including: connecting to prior knowledge, making reasonable predictions, identifying main points, generating thoughtful questions, clarifying and confirming meaning A12 - recognize and apply the structures and features of oral language to convey and derive meaning, including: context: text structures, syntax, diction, usage conventions, rhetorical devices, vocal techniques, nonverbal techniques B1 - read, both collaboratively and independently, to comprehend a variety of literary texts, including: literature reflecting a variety of times, places, and perspectives, literature reflecting a variety of prose forms, poetry in a variety of narrative and lyric forms, significant works of Canadian literature (e.g., the study of plays, short stories, poetry, or novels), traditional forms from Aboriginal and other cultures, student-generated material C1 - write meaningful personal texts that explore ideas and information to, experiment, express self, make connections, reflect and respond, remember and recall C3 - write effective imaginative texts to explore ideas and information to: make connections and develop insights, explore literary forms and techniques, experiment with language and style, engage and entertain C10 - write and represent to synthesize and extend thinking, by personalizing ideas and information, explaining relationships among ideas and information, applying new ideas and information, transforming existing ideas and information

Mr. Ghahremani Lessons 1. Lyric Poetry 2. Lyric Poetry 3. Lyric Poetry 4. Love Poetry 5. Love Poetry 6. Formula Poetry 7. Formula Poetry 8. Formula Poetry 9. Formula Poetry 10. Epigram 11. Epitaph 12. Free Verse 13. Free Verse 14. Free Verse 15. Imagist Poetry 16. Experimental Poetry 17. Experimental Poetry 18. Poetry Reading 19. Poetry Reading Outline Introduction and Lyrical Poetry

Spring 2013

Students will share their favorite song with the class and we discuss the lyrics More Sharing love (Rhyme and Stanza) Horror (onomatopoeia) Persian Rubai (Rhyme schemes) Japanese Haiku (juxtaposition) Cinquain Limerick (assignment) Composition: through a number of exercises, students will compose their own poem Epigram and Epitaph (paradox) Time, Change, and Memory (Alliteration and Repetition) outlaws of poetry: Jesse James vs. Billy the Kid Wallace Stevens Earthly Anecdote Composition: through a number of exercises, students will compose their own poem Imagism (imagery) Concrete and Picture Found Poetry students will read one of their poems to the class students will read one of their poems to the class

Mr. Ghahremani Assessment Class Participation: - Contributing to group and class discussion - Sharing with the class their honest reflections (ie, content of journal) - as per Core values - completing homework assignments

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Journal: (Due March 15) - a journal entry per class - to encourage personal engagement with assigned poems - formative assessment with regards to what type of poetry resonate more with students - summative: as per Journal Entry Rubric Artistic Response to a Poem: - a painting, a song, a 3D object/sculpture, a video, a photograph, a mine-craft or other computer generated medium - Must demonstrate its relevance with clarity - Represent fair effort Poetic terms and devises test - matching, identification Creative Writing (Due March 14) - at least two pieces of poetry - as per Creative Writing Rubric Poetry Reading (Due March 14) - as per Poetry Reading Outline

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