1

Poetry Podcast Lesson Plan

Teacher

Wendy Nelson

Name
Subject

English

Grade

6th

level
Time

15 minutes for demonstration

30 minutes research time (may be completed at home)
60 minutes recording time (may be completed at home)
60 minutes presentation/response time

Materials

Lesson
Objective

Digital whiteboard for presentation

Tablet and/or laptop with Internet access for each student

Poetry books and websites

English SOL
6.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of
fictional texts, narrative nonfiction, and poetry.
6.2 The student will present, listen critically, and express opinions in oral
presentations.
Computer Technology SOL
6-8.14 Apply knowledge and skills to generate innovative ideas, products,
processes, and solutions.
A. Organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that
others can view, use, and assess.
Choose the appropriate tool, format, and style to communicate
information for specific purposes.
Independently use technology tools to create and communicate
for individual and/or collaborative projects.
B. Add meaning to individual and group ideas and products through

2
creative work.
Use digital resources and technology to enhance original oral and
written presentations.

Purpose of

Students will explore many different poets and poems and choose a favorite.

this lesson

Modeling the Poetry Foundations Poem of the Day feature, they will prepare
poetry podcasts to be broadcast on the schools morning announcements each
day. Students will listen to their classmates podcasts and respond with
comments about each chosen poem or podcast.

Activity

1. Present model for podcast project:

Show website for the Poetry Foundations poem database:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/browse/

Show Poem of the Day feature:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/features/audio?show=P
oem%20of%20the%20Day

2. Explain that students will each prepare their own poetry podcast for
broadcast to classmates and on the morning announcements each day.

First they will select a poem they like from one of the
books in class or from the Poetry Foundation website.
(The poem should be appropriate for a middle-school
audience and the length of the poem should be no more
than two minutes when read aloud.)

Students will use the royalty-free music and sound effects

from Soundzabound (http://www.soundzabound.com) to
add interest to their podcast. The music and sound effects
should help illustrate the poem in some way.

Students will then use Audacity to record their podcast.

3. Show students the following screencast tutorial and exemplar created

by the teacher on how to make a simple podcast using Audacity.
http://screencast.com/t/hLtCYYmrE
4. On their own: Students will research their poem, select one, and make
sure they comprehend it so they can read it with meaning. Any questions

4
about vocabulary or interpretation can be discussed with teacher.
5. On their own: Students will select music and sound effects.
4. On their own: Students will record their podcasts.
5. Podcasts will be played for class, who will respond with
comments/critique.
Assessment

The teacher will listen to the students podcast to assess the students apparent
comprehension of the poem he or she read. (10 points) The teacher will assess
the quality of the presentation, appropriateness of music and sound effects, and
correct use of the technology. (10 points) The teacher will also assess the
thoughtfulness of critique in students responses to peers podcasts. (5 points)
TOTAL: 25 points

This lesson plan adheres to numerous ISTE-T standards as well as the TSIPs. ISTE-T
1encourages teachers to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. By creating a
poetry podcast and listening to numerous others, students learn about poetry and poems.
Because they have to choose appropriate music and sound effects and read with expression and
demonstrated comprehension, they are engaging in an oral performance that demonstrates
their creativity.
This activity is an authentic learning experience that satisfies ISTE-T standard 2 as well,
integrating contemporary technology tools with a fairly traditional poetry task. By creating a
screencast demonstration on how to make a podcast with the chosen tools, the teacher models
digital-age work and learning and the use of educational technologies, which aligns with
ISTE-T standard 3 and TSIP 1, 3, and 6. And, by encouraging the use of royalty-free music from

5
the subscription site Soundzabound, the teacher is modeling good digital citizenship, which
aligns with the fourth ISTE-T standard and TSIP 8.