Overview

UnitName:
Agirlgetssickofarose:modernizingpoetryinthreemovements
Teacher:
MatthewJones
Subject:
TwentiethcenturyAmericanpoetry
Grade:
11
Brieflygiveanarrativeoverviewofthelearningunit:
Thisfirstunitoftheacademicyearisdesignedtoacquainteleventhgraderswiththree
roughlysketchedoutmomentsofparticularsignificanceintwentiethcenturyAmericanpoetryImagism(andObjectivism),theHarlem
Renaissance(andBlackArtsMovement),andConfessionalpoetryasawaytoexplore,analyzeandutilizethefigurativelanguageandstyles
madeavailablebytheadventofmodernism.Eachcorrespondingroughlytopoetrysparticularengagementwithaesthetics,politicsand
individuality,thesethreemovementswillbeusedtoorganizetheclassunitthematicallyandguidestudentsincomposingandworkshoppingtheir
ownpoems,reviewsandartworks.Theunitwillculminatewithstudentscollaboratingononlinemagazinesthatwillincludetheircumulativework
alongsidesummativemanifestosthatexplainanddefendwhattheyseeaspoetryspurposeandmission.

DesiredResults
EstablishedGoals:
Studentswillrecognizeboththespecificityandwiderapplicabilityofpoeticconventionsandforms.
Studentswillunderstandthemaincharacteristicsandvalencesof
themodern
and
modernism
inliterature.
Studentswillbecomemorefamiliarwiththemethodsandstrategiesassociatedwithclosereadingandliteraryinterpretation.
Studentswillbeabletosituateliteratureinadialogicrelationshipwithitscontext,asitbothreactsandcontributestohistoricalchange.
Studentswillenterintoanongoing,democratizingdialoguewithliteraturebydevelopingtheirowncreativewritingskillsandvoice.


Understandings
:

Studentswillunderstand:
thatpoetryisamediumofversatilityanddeliberateness
thatcriteriaforgoodpoetryandgoodartchangeand
evolve
thatpoets,criticsandreadersbasedinspecificcontexts
effectthatchange
andthattheythemselvescanbepoetsintheirownright.

Studentswillknow:
figuresofspeech
featuresofprosodyandverse
importanttwentiethcenturyAmericanpoetsandtheir
associatedmovements
andhowthesemovementscorrelatetohistory.

Studentswillbeableto:
identifycertainpoeticstyles
interpretpoemsthatconnectformtotoneandcontent
writetheirownpoems.

EssentialQuestions
:

Whoarepoets?

Whatisfigurativelanguage?Whatpurposesdoesitserve?

Whatdowemeanby
modern
and
modernism
inartandliterature?

Howandwhydoespoetrychange?

Whatconnectionsdoespoetrymakebetweentheindividual,thepolitical,and
theaesthetic?


AssessmentEvidence
PerformanceTasks
:

Studentswillbedividedintothreegroups,withmajorperformance
tasksrotatingeachweek.FortheweekaboutImagism,onegroup
willwriteapoemthat,formallyandthematically,adaptsand
respondstotheassignedreadingonImagismthesecondgroupwill
writea12pagereviewonassignedpoem(s)oftheirchoosingand
thefinalgroupwillbetaskedwithanartprojectinspiredbyoneof
theassignedpoems.Thesewillbeworkshoppedbytheirclassmates
inthesubsequentclassandbeturnedinforagrade.

Thesepoems,reviewsandartworkswillbecompiledinonline
magazinesthateachgroupofstudentswillhaveworkedon
collaboratively.Accompanyingeachmagazinewillbeamanifesto
ofsortsthatexplainsthegroupsparticularstanceororientation
visavispoetry.

OtherEvidence
:

Presentationsonpoetsbiographiesandexplanationsofpertinent
historicalperiodsandculturalphenomenaduringeachlesson.

Workshopsinsmallgroupsinwhichstudentsdemonstrateunderstanding
byassessing,critiquingandgivingfeedbacktotheirpeers.

Recitations:studentswillmemorizepoems,recitethemandexplaintheir
choiceofpoem.

Afinaltestthatasksthemtosummarizeandevaluatetheir
understandingsofthesedisparatemovementsinshortanswers,witha
heavyemphasisoncomparisonsandcontrasts.

LearningPlan
Day

Essential
Question(s)

Standard(s)
(accordingtothe
PennsylvaniaCore
Standards)

Content

Resources/Materials

LearningActivities

Whatsina
poem?
(Seemoreabout
thislessonunder
LessonPlan
heading.)

Comparingand
contrastingtreatment
ofsimilarthemesand
centraltopicsinworks
ofthesametime
period.

Evaluationofvalidity
ofprimaryand
secondarysources.

Contextualizingthe
modernistbreak:identifying
conventionsandmaking
connectionsbetweenpoetry
andcriticism,poetryand
otherformsofart

Setsofpaintings:
1.AchillesLamenting
theDeathofPatroclus

2.Luncheononthe
Grass

Preassessmenttest
AmyLowell&Ezra
Poundprefaces&
manifesto

Comparingandcontrasting
paintingstodiscussartistic
conventions.
Preassessmenttest.
Jigsawreadingsofprefaces
byAmyLowelland
manifestobyEzraPound.

Whatmakesa
poemmodern?

Recognizingand
Imagist&Objectivistpoetry: Handoutsofsyllabus.
usingpatternsofword aformalbreakwiththe
Handoutsofpoemsby
changesandhowthey poeticpast
H.D.,CharlesReznikoff
shiftmeaningand
andGeorgeOppen
function.
(handedoutattheendof
thepreviousclass).

Howdoesapoem Trackingdetailsabout HarlemRenaissance&its

getpolitical?
people,events,and
ripples:multiplyingpoetic
ideasthatdevelopthe voicesandmakingpoetrya
setofideasor
moreinclusiveandpolitically
sequenceofevents.
relevantventure

Selectionofjazzmusic,
tobeplayedon
computer.
Handoutsofpoemsby
LangstonHughes,Jean
Toomer,Etheridge
Knight,andGwendolyn
Brooks(handedoutat

Syllabusoverview.
Classwidediscussionof
assignedpoems.
Workshoppingpoemsin
smallgroups.
Criticallisteningtojazz.
Studentpresentationson
GreatMigration.
JigsawreadingofLangston
HughesTheNegroArtist
andtheRacialMountain
andMaritaO.BonnersOn
BeingYoungaWoman
andColored.


theendoftheprevious
class).
4

Whodoesthe
Analyzingtextual
poemspeakfor? evidencethatisboth
explicitandimplicit.

Confessionaland
anticonfessionalpoetry:
refiguringnarrative,trauma
andthe
I

Whywrite
poems?

Wrappingupandquestions Summativetest.
forfuturereflection:
Studentsown
problematizingaschoolof magazines!
poetryandpondering
poetrysinsolublemixof
form,contentand
individuality

Selecting,organizing,
andanalyzingcontent
effectivelytoexpress
complexideas.

Identifyingand
applyingpublication
expectationsofthe
disciplineinwhich
writing.

Handoutsofpoemsby
SylviaPlath,Anne
Sexton,LucilleClifton,
andSharonOlds
(handedoutattheendof
thepreviousclass).
Posterboardforgallery.
HandoutsofFrank
OHarasPersonism:A
Manifesto.

Discussingtheadventof
psychoanalysisthrough
selectstudentpresentation.
Gallerystyleparticipation
onclassreadings.
Pairandsharereadingsof
studentpoems.
JigsawreadingofFrank
OHarasPersonism:A
Manifesto.
Summativetest.
Recitations.
Presentationofeachgroups
magazine.
Poetrycaf.