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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poet Analysis: Ciaran Carson

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students analyze lyrics and narration by reading poetry.  In this language arts lesson, students read and examine the poem Belfast Confetti.  Students discuss the topics and questions asked by the author Ciaran Carson.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry Writing

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compose a piece of poetry modeled after the poetry of Carl Sandburg and share their poem(s) with their colleagues. They use a cluster diagram to organize their thoughts and brainstorm their ideas.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Other Poetic Types

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Rather than a lesson, this resource is a list of poetic forms and young poets are encouraged to try their hand at composing poems of various types.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Screening Coleridge’s Fantasies: Using Popular Music as a Bridge to Literacy

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders use music to aid them in interpreting poetry. For this poetry lesson, 12th graders analyze the lyrics, figurative language, and literary devices of selected music. Students compare the music to the poetry of Samuel...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

“And Still I Rise” Proud Black Women

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the experiences of African American women. In this poetry instructional activity, students use their literary analysis skills to compare the poetry of Maya Angelou to rap music performed by Queen Latifah and Lauryn Hill.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry through Jazz, Rap, and Hip Hop

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students explore poetry through jazz, rap, and hip hop music. They discover the common threads that run through the poetry and music. Students design their own lyrics to a jazz, rap, or hip hop selection and share their songs with the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Language Arts, Music, Poetry: Blues Style

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
This instructional activity focuses on how the blues both operates as poetry and informs the poetry of many prominent African American poets. Students consider the poetic devices and recurring themes in blues lyrics and the significance...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

America Poems

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine examples of how other Americans have expressed their feelings about America through songs and poetry, and write their own poems to express their relationship with America.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching About Tolerance Through Music

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Explore the importance of tolerance with a music-themed lesson. Learners listen to the music of Peter, Paul, and Mary, and discern the underlying messages before discussing the painful effects of ridicule, disrespect, and bullying. 
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Activity
Poetry4kids

How to Write a Silly Song Parody

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery—and it's a great way to learn about poetic structure! Young poets use familiar tunes to write a song parody based on straightforward guidelines.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders read lyrics for "My Hometown" and complete a worksheet to identify setting and tone in the song. In this Romanticism lesson plan, 12th graders read Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey by Wordsworth and discuss...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geo Jammin' - Day 2, Lesson 6: Rhyme and Reason

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students listen to the poem "Shapes" by Shel Silverstein in order to accurately and specifically describe shapes' rules/traits in their journals. They illustrate the poem and take turns reading during a creative shared reading session.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cowboys

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Learners analyze cowboy literature. In this United States history and literacy lesson, students listen to a variety of cowboy songs and poetry, view the video "Rediscovering America: The Real American Cowboy," and view related websites....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Hear Poetry

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students practice analysis of poetry by analyzing song lyrics using a worksheet to guide the analysis process. They work in small groups to assess the stylistic and literary devices used in the song lyrics then they find a published...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry Sings

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students examine examples of literary terms in poetry. Then they choose two songs, write out the lyrics, and decipher what they think the artist is trying to say. Each student presents their song to the class and they cite examples of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning Refrain and Verse

For Teachers 1st
Instruct your young musicians on the terms verse and refrain. They listen to two songs, and point out the verse and refrain as they occur. Students then play drums when they hear the verse and the refrain. Note: Song lyrics, sheet music,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Repetitive Song Form

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders discover different concepts for identifying musical structure and song form.  In this Music History lesson, 8th graders compare and contrast a Red Hot Chili Peppers song to an Andrea Bocelli's song. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I See and I Think (It's A Wonderful World)

For Teachers 3rd - 11th
Students analyze song lyrics (by listening to the song) to pick-out descriptive vocabulary. They use this descriptive vocabulary to create a drawing of the images they "see" in the song. They compare their drawings to find similarities...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Poetry

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore poetry. They investigate the poetry al around them. Students examine poetry in order to create a deeper understanding of poetry. They read and write a variety of poetry.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Went to the Crossroads: The Faust Theme in Music, Film and Literature

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students analyze song lyrics and discuss Faust theme in musical history. In this thematic lesson, students view a film clip and create a song lyric, poem or short story developed around the Faust theme. Students perform or present their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry of the City

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Young scholars explore Walt Whitman and about poetry. Most importantly, it teach them that poetry is something anyone can write and encourage them to tell the story of their own community in verse
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Music Be the Food Of Love": Found Poetry with Shakespeare and Hip Hop

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create found poetry using lines from hip hop songs and Shakespeare's plays. They try to rewrite the words to music so that more people can explain Shakespeare's plays. They discuss the results of the activity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Memory of a Kiss

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read, discuss, and memorize the poem "Jenny Kissed Me." as an example of lyrical poetry. They write a letter to Jenny reliving the memory of her kiss from an elderly person's point of view. They illustrate their poems.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Texas Cowboy: Myth and Reality

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students create "cowboy ballads" in this interactive, multi-day instructional activity. The cowboy is researched using various sources and class discussions. Students evaluate individual work at the end of the instructional activity.