3.

Understanding Poetry
1. Dramatic significance of
Title
2. Biographical Influence
3. Persona vs. Poet

2. Poetic Devices
1. Sound Devices
2. Poetry as Pictures
3. Mood and Tone
4. Additional Poetic devices

4. Poetry Comprehension
1. Vocabulary and
Question Analysis
2. Answering
Comprehension Questions
3.Poetry Analysis

1. Introduction to Poetry
1. Riddle Poems
2. Bio Poem
3.Songs
as poems

Poetry
SKILLS
1. Analyzing
2. Identifying
3. Performing

Topic/Sub-topic

Concept / Skills /

Attitudes
1. Cooperating
2 Respecting

3. Appreciation
Objectives

Activities

Assessment

Reference

Attitudes
Topic: Introduction
to Poetry

Subtopic: Riddle
Poems

Materials:
Newsprint, markers,
tape, riddle poem
features handouts

Concept
Riddles are an excellent
vehicle for introducing
students to poetry and
poetry writing. The riddle
interactive encourages
students to use language
in such a way as to
present a common thing
as unfamiliar, asking their
readers/listeners to guess
what it is central to the
tradition of these poems
the use of language. Good
riddles rely on the creative
use of language.

Activities
Students will be
able to:

Make the
connection between
poems and riddles
Solve riddle poems
Generate their own
riddle poems

Skills:
1. Writing
2. Identifying
3. Revising

Try to figure out

riddle What Kills
Kings, Ruins
towns, beats high
mountains down?
Ans. Time.
Share riddles
Share views on
Poetry
Will be given a
handout that covers
the features of
riddle poems. The
class will review
the handout

Writing riddle
poems
Solving riddle
poems
Filling out exit
slips
Each student
will be tasked
with writing
his/her own
riddle poem for
assignment.

World of
poetry for
CSEC page
172
English B for
CSEC page
118
www.tnellen.c
om/cybereng/
ars.html
http://www.le
arnnc.org/lp/p
ages/2984

In groups write
their own riddle
poem

Attitudes:
1. Cooperation
2. Understanding
3. Appreciation

Topic/Sub-topic

Concept / Skills /

Objectives

Activities

Assessment

Reference

Attitudes
Topic: Introduction
to Poetry

Subtopic: Bio Poem

Concept
A bio poem is a poem
written about self. The
poem emphasizes
personal character traits,
feelings, goals, etc.

Materials:

Skills:

Newsprint, markers,
tape, recipe for bio
poem, rubric

1. Reflecting
2. Writing
3. Demonstrating

Attitudes:
1. Respect
2. Confidence

Activities
Students will be
able to:
1. Develop a
positive attitude
toward self as a
unique and
worthy person.
2. Document
personal
strengths and
assets.
3. Recognize,
accept, respect,
and appreciate
ethnic, cultural,
and individual
diversity.
4. Demonstrate
respect for self
through
completed bio
poem.

3. Appreciation

Teacher will
distribute to each
student a copy of
the recipe for the
Bio-Poem and will
explain/discuss the
Bio-Poem.
Go over the ten
lines that form the
poem. Brainstorm
ideas together.

Displayed BioPoems will be

evidence of
desired
outcome.
If desired,
teacher can
devise a rubric
to check off
each phase of
this writing
project.

World of
poetry for
CSEC page
172
English B for
CSEC page
118
www.tnellen.c
om/cybereng/
ars.html

Students begin the

writing process.
Allow students to
choose the font type
and size. (This
makes final
products look
great.)
Have students work
together in pairs to
proof, edit, etc.
Have a sharing
period, wherein
each student reads
his/her poem to
class.

Topic/Sub-topic

Concept / Skills /

Objectives

Activities

Assessment

Reference

Attitudes
Topic: Introduction
to Poetry

Subtopic: Songs as
Poems

Materials:
Mp3 player,
speakers, copy of
lyrics (school
appropriate)

Concept

Activities
Students will be
able to:

Many times students have

a negative view of poems 5. Make the
connection
but they love to listen to
between songs
their own music and if
and poems
they realize that it is really
6. Compare songs
poetry, they will be more
to traditional
interested and receptive to
poem
study poetry.
7. Responding to
the idea of
Skills:
songs as poems
through a
1. Listening
reflection.
2. Responding
3. Connecting

Attitudes:
1. Receptive
2. Confidence
3. Appreciation

When students step

into class they will
be greeted by music
(Firework by Katy
Perry)
Students will be
given a lyric sheet
at the door with
grouping
information
attached
Class will sing
along with the
song.
In groups students
will be asked to
respond to
questions about the
song.
The numbered head
technique will be
used to ensure all
students are ready
to respond.
Share views with
the class
Each group will be
given another song
lyric to read and
answer questions
and share with the
class

Reflection on
Songs as Poems
with reference
with Fireworks.

World of
poetry for
CSEC page
172
English B for
CSEC page
122 -124
http://www.te
achersfirst.co
m/winners/mu
sic-poetry.cfm

Topic/Sub-topic

Concept / Skills /
Attitudes

Objectives

Activities

Assessment
Activities

Reference

Topic: Poetic
Devices

Concept
Rhythm is a musical
quality produced by the
repetition of stressed and
unstressed syllables.
Rhythm occurs in all
forms of language, both
written and spoken, but is
particularly important in
poetry
The most obvious kind of
rhythm is the regular
repetition of stressed and
unstressed syllables found
in some poetry.
Writers also create rhythm
by repeating words and
phrases or even by
repeating whole lines and
sentences
A rhyme (sometimes spelt
rime) is a repetition of
similar sounds in two or
more words and is most
often used in poetry and
songs. The word "rhyme"
may also refer to a short
poem, such as a rhyming
couplet or other brief
rhyming poem such as
nursery rhymes.
Skills:
1. Listening, 2.Identifying
3. Connecting
Attitudes:1. Receptive
2. Respect,3. Appreciation

Students will be
able to:

Watching a video of
Kamau Bratwaite
performing his
poem Calypso.

Work in groups
to add music
(drums) to a
poem.

World of
poetry for
CSEC page
186

Discuss the rhythm

and rhyme in the
performance of the
poem

Perform poem
for the class.

English B for
CSEC page
122 -123

Subtopic: Sound
Devices ( Rhythm
and Rhyme)

Materials:
Garifuna drums,
handouts on rhythm
and rhyme,
projector, computer,
speakers

8. Identify rhythm
and rhyme in
poems
9. Perform poems
using rhythm
and rhyme
10. Identify the
effect(s) that the
rhythm and
rhyme have on
the readers

Class will be
divided into 3
groups. Using the
numbered heads
method, the class
will discuss and
share the notes on
rhythm and rhyme.

http://www.yo
utube.com/wa
tch?
v=AGmMJX
mk1z4

Topic/Sub-topic
Topic: Poetic
Devices

Subtopic: Sound
Devices (Assonance,
Alliteration,
Onomatopoeia)

Materials:
Sound Devices
Handouts, poems,
news prints, markers

Concept / Skills /
Attitudes
Concept
Alliteration occurs when a
consonant sound is
repeated. Notice that ph
sounds the same as f, and
can sound similar to s, so
to detect alliteration you
must listen to the sound
and not look at the
spelling. The alliteration
may mimic the sound of
whatever the poet is
talking about. Quite often,
too, alliteration works in
much the same as a
highlighting pen it
draws your attention to
the specific words.
Assonance is produces by
the repetition of the same
vowel sound. Again you
must listen to the sound
and not be distracted by
the spelling: caught,
mourn, port have the same
vowel sound, yet the
spelling of each is quite
different.
Onomatopoeia is a poetic
device that we use
regularly in everyday

Objectives

Activities

Assessment
Activities

Reference

Students will be
able to:

Use a concept
attainment matrix
differentiate
between the 3
sound devices

Each group will

share their
findings with
class.

World of
poetry for
CSEC page
186

Reflection on
the effect of
using sound
devices in
poems.

English B for
CSEC page
122 -123

Differentiate
between
alliteration,
assonance and
onomatopoeia
Identify sound
devices within a
poem
Determine the
effect of using
sound devices in
poems

Class will be
divided into 6
groups. Each group
will be assigned a
device. The groups
will be given notes.
They will discuss
devices and come
up with their own
examples. Jigsaw
method will be used
to share info with
the class.
Whole class
discussion and final
thoughts. Each
group will be
assigned a poem
which they will
need to place on
news print and
identify, annotate
and explain to the
class.

A
Comprehensiv
e English
Course CXC
English A
page 137 140

speech: braps, badup are

onomatopoeic words that
we find in Creole, but we
also use words like pitter
patter and splash. In other
words, onomatopoeia
occurs both in words that
we invented to try to
mimic a particular sound
and in words that have
been invented by others
and have found their way
into the dictionary. For a
word to be an example of
onomatopoeia, it must try
to imitate the sound it
refers to.
Skills
Differentiate
Identify
Analyze
Attitudes
Respect
Value

Topic/Sub-topic
Topic: Poetic
Devices

Subtopic: Poetry as
pictures (Simile,
Metaphor,
Personification,
Allusion)

Materials:
Notes on devices,
poem, news prints,
markers

Concept / Skills /
Attitudes
Concept
Simile, a figure of speech
in which an explicit
comparison is made
between two things, using
like, as or than, as
in the sun toils like a
fisherman with a hard tide
to beat (The Tourist p.
107)
Metaphor, a type of
figurative language in
which one thing is
described in a way that
identifies it with
something else, for
example when the poet
likens the heartbeat to a
frightened mare in these
lines from (Coming Out
page 29)
A frighten mare
Galloping down cobbled
Streets on a stormy night
Your heartbeat fills the
room
Personification, when the
poet refers to an inanimate
object or an abstract
quality as though it were a
living person, as in John
Donnes lines, Death be

Objectives

Activities

Assessment
Activities

Reference

Students will be
able to:

Review of devices

Draw a picture
of the poem

World of
poetry for
CSEC page
119

Identify the picture

devices within
poems
Differentiate
between the
different devices
Draw a picture of
the poem

Jigsaw to share info

on different devices
and poems
Identify devices
within poems

English B for
CSEC page
126 - 129

not proud, though some

have called thee/Might
and dreadful (p. 158)
Allusion is made when the
speaker expresses his or
her thoughts or chooses
language in such a way
that we are reminded of a
similar situation outside of
the poem usually in
other literature. Biblical
allusions are common in
European literature.
Skills
Differentiate
Identify
draw
Attitudes
Respect
Value
Appreciate

Topic/Sub-topic
Topic: Poetic
Devices

Subtopic: Mood and

Tone

Materials:
Instrumental music,
original songs,
computer, projector,
news prints

Concept / Skills /
Attitudes
Concept
Mood and Tone
When you say something,
you use a particular tone
of voice. You may use a
sincere tone of praise or a
sarcastic tone of mockery.
The tone in a poem refers
to the attitude (the tone of
voice) of the speaker. In
Dulce et Decorum Est, the
speakers tone is one of
admiration, reverence and
prayerful longing to be
like the flowers, in
harmony with Gods will.
The poem has a religious
tone. As you can see you
may well use more than
one adjective to describe
the tone of the poem the
attitude of the speaker to
what he or she is speaking
about.
Similarly with mood you
may need several
adjectives --and
remember that the mood
created in the poem may
change from one stanza to
the next. The mood refers
to how the poem makes

Objectives

Activities

Assessment
Activities

Reference

Students will be
able to:

Listen to
instrumental music

Identify mood
and tone with in
a poem

Describe how
certain instrumental
songs make them
feel.

Identify how the

music makes them
feel

World of
poetry for
CSEC page
186 - 187

Identify the mood

and tone in three
samples of music

List words that

describe how they
feel when music is
playing

Distinguish
between mood and
tone

Predict what type of

songs based on the
instrumentals

Identify mood and

tone within poems.

Compare the words

of the song to the
feeling
Distinguish
between mood and
tone

English B for
CSEC page
130 - 131

you feel about the subject

matter. In South, Kamau
Bratwaite creates the
mood of Nostalgia as the
speaker recalls his island,
and then of unbounded
joy and hope as he sees
the beach and the urchins
play there. In contrast,
though, in the same poem
there is a mood of
bitterness and oppression
as the speaker
contemplates what he has
gone through in his
sojourn in the northern
lands, and the way those
northern people have
historically oppressed the
peoples of the islands.
Skills
Describe
Identify
Distinguish
Attitudes
Respect
Value
Appreciate

Topic/Sub-topic

Concept / Skills /
Attitudes

Objectives

Activities

Assessment
Activities

Reference

Topic: Poetic
Devices

Concept
Diction
When we are discussing
diction it could mean the
poets choice of words. In
West Indies, USA
Stewart Brown wants to
highlight the contrast
between the rich and the
poor, the haves and the
have-nots in San Juan. He
suggests the wealth of
some folk by using diction
associated with a
technologically developed
society: toughened tinted
glass, shimmiring tarmac,
condominiums polished
Cadillacs. And on the
other hand he uses diction
associated with poverty to
evoke the wide gap
between rich and poor:
galvanized shanties, push
carts.

Students will be
able to:

Define diction.
Read the notes and
use the numbered
head method to
facilitate sharing
and class discussion

Reflection on
the effect of
diction on mood
and tone of the
poem

World of
poetry for
CSEC page
186

Subtopic: additional
poetic Devices
(Diction, Repetition)

Materials:
Devices Handouts,
poems, news prints,
markers

Define diction and

repetition

English B for
CSEC page
130

Identify and explain

Class will be
diction and
divided into 6
repetition within
groups. Each group
poems
will be assigned
poem. The groups
Determine the
effect of the diction will be given notes.
Identify and explain
and repetition on
the diction of the
the mood and tone
poem
Jigsaw activity to
encourage share
information around
the class.
Whole class
discussion and final
thoughts.

Skills: Define, Identify

Determine
Attitudes: Respect, Value

Topic/Sub-topic

Concept / Skills /

Objectives

Activities

Assessment

Reference

Attitudes
Topic:
Understanding
Poetry

Subtopic: Dramatic
Significance of title

Materials:
Devices Handouts,
poems, news prints,
markers

Concept
Dramatic Significance
Some CXC questions
contain the term dramatic
significance. Sometimes
the term stumps some
students. Significance is
synonymous to symbolize.
Symbolize is related to
symbols.
A useful definition of a
symbol is this A symbol
is itself, and it also points
out the meaning outside of
itself.
In Themes for English
B the college is literally
on the hill above Harlem.
But that hill is also
symbolic meaning the
black student in Harlem
will have a great climb to
get up to that college, and
that they will never
belong to the privilege
white world, but will
always have to go back
down into the poverty and
stigma of Harlem.
The title is not the only
symbol that can be found
in poems. Sometimes the
reader has an idea of what
the poem is about based

Activities
Students will be
able to:
Define and explain
symbolism
Identify universal
symbols
Analyze the symbol
of the title in the
poem The Raven
by Edgar Allan Poe

List the different

color ribbons and
what they
symbolize
In groups create a
list of universal
symbols.
Share and discuss
lists with class.
Discuss why some
symbols are
meaningless in
some parts of the
world.
In groups discuss
what ravens
symbolize and
make predictions of
its role in the poem
In groups read
poem The Raven
by Edgar Allan Poe
Comment on the
effect of the raven
and what it
symbolizes

Draw a picture
of the poem

English B for
CSEC page
132
http://www.bri
ghthubeducati
on.com/home
work-helpliterature/4996
0-symbolismin-the-raven/

on the title but sometimes

the title gives nothing
away.
Skills
Define
Identify
Analyze
Attitudes
Respect
Value

Topic/Sub-topic

Concept / Skills /
Attitudes

Topic:
Understanding

Concept
Just how relevant is an

Objectives

Activities

Assessment
Activities

Reference

Students will be
able to:

A biographical
video on Maya

Students will
be asked to

English B for

Poetry
Subtopic:
Biographical
Influence
Materials:

strips, tape,
markers,
biographies,
samples of
writers works,
videos,
computer,
projector,
matrix

authors private life to

our appreciation or
understanding of his or
her work? Many would
argue that we should
disregard it entirely.
Others might point out
that while you can
thoroughly enjoy a
novel or poem without
knowing who wrote it,
any deeper grasp
requires at least some
basic information.
Skills: 1. Identifying
connections between
poets biographies and
their poems
2. Analyzing Poems
3. Generating
hypotheses
Attitude: Valuing the
importance of studying
the poets and their
poetry

1. Generate
hypotheses to
answer the
question How
does a persons
life influences
his/her poems?
2. Analyze
poems and
biographies
3. Revise
hypotheses and
make
generalizations
4. Appreciate the
diversity in
human
experiences and
how they affect
Literature

Angelou will be
played for the
class; the class
will discuss it and
fill in a matrix
placed on the
board. The class
will discuss and
fill in the areas of
characteristics
and experiences.
The poem Still I
Rise by Maya
Angelou will be
played for the
class and the
class will discuss
it and fill in the
area under
works. Another
poem In and Out
of Time will be
played and the
class will repeat
the activity.
Each group will
be given a poem
and a biography
of the poet.
Teacher will walk
around to render
aid as students
complete this
activity.
Students will
read the
biography and
the poem and
pull out the main
ideas. In their
groups students
will discuss if the
experiences of
the poet played

look at the
matrix on the
board and
come up with
some final
thoughts.
Students will
be asked to
share their
final thoughts
on
biographical
influences
with the
class. How
does a
persons life
influence
his/her
poems?
Students will
be
encouraged
to explain the
reasoning
behind their
hypotheses
and
generalization
s.
The class will
review the
entrance and
exit slips. The
students will
be given 5
minutes to fill
out their exit
slips. A few
students will
be asked to
share the
contents of
their exit slips

CSEC page
132
http://www.bri
ghthubeducati
on.com/home
work-helpliterature/4996
0-symbolismin-the-raven/
http://cour
se-outlinefor-cxcenglishb.html
World of
Poetry
p.96

any role in
influencing the
content of the
poem.
Students will be
given strips to fill
out the
characteristics,
personal
experiences and
the sample work
of the poets.
The strips will be
placed on the
matrix on the
board and a
member of each
group will
present their
findings and
explain to the
class whether
they have made
any changes to
their hypotheses
after the activity.

with the
class.
To close off
students will
be asked to
turn over
their exit slips
and answer
the question
Given the
days
activities and
findings how
important is it
to study the
poet when
analyzing and
poem?
Entrance /
exit slips will
be collected
by the
teacher for
further
assessment.

Topic/Sub-topic

Concept / Skills /
Attitudes

Objectives

Activities

Assessment
Activities

Reference

Topic:
Understanding
Poetry

Concept
The speaker of a poem is
referred to as the persona.
The speaker is not the
poet but a mask the poet
assumes, just as an actor
assumes a role.
When the poet writes he
or she pretends to be
someone else: a lover, an
OlHigue, a school boy.
Some poems have most
unnatural speakers: an
unborn child, a mirror, a
cat.

Students will be
able to:

Define poet and

persona

Explain the
difference between
poet and persona

Read the poem

from Elma Mitchell
and identify the
persona.

Rewrite the
poem using a
different
persona

English B for
CSEC page
119

Subtopic: Poet vs.

Persona

Materials:
Gospel of John,
Chapter 8, Copy of
Poem, notes on poet
and persona

Skills
Explain
Identify
Decide
Attitudes
Respect
Value
Cooperate

Identify and
describe the
persona in Elma
Mitchells A
Stones Throw
Decide whether the
poem would be as
good if a different
speaker was used.

List the advantages

of having one of the
Pharisees as the
persona
Discuss whether the
poem would be as
good if a different
speaker / persona
was used. Why?

140 - 141
http://www.bri
ghthubeducati
on.com/home
work-helpliterature/4996
0-symbolismin-the-raven/
A World of
Poetry for
CXC pg. 96

Topic/Sub-topic

Concept / Skills /
Attitudes

Objectives

Activities

Assessment
Activities

Reference

Topic: Poetry
Comprehension

Concept
Reading Comprehension
One of the first steps to
answer reading
comprehension questions
is to understand exactly
what the questions are
asking. If we do not know
what the questions are
asking then we do not
know where to begin
answering.
- Answer in
complete
sentences
- Refer to question
- Avoid starting
response with a
pronoun
- Avoid starting
responses with
because

Students will be
able to:

Define words
commonly found in
comprehension
questions.

Share responses
and create
model answers

A
Comprehensiv
e English
Course CXC
English A
page 133

Subtopic: Vocab and

Question Analysis
Answering
Comprehension
Questions
Answering
Comprehension
Questions

Materials:
Reading Comp,
Dictionaries

Skills
Define
Analyze
List

Define words
commonly found in
questions
Analyze
comprehension
questions
List dos and donts
of answering
comprehension
questions
Answer 5
comprehension
questions

In Groups analyze
comprehension
questions
Make a list of
things to do and
things not to do
when answering
comprehension
questions
Read an extract an
answer 5
comprehension
questions
Share responses
and create model
answers

Complete a
reading
comprehension
from the text
book.

A
Comprehensive
English Course
CXC English A
page 133

English A for
CSEC p. 160 2

Attitudes
Respect
Value
Cooperate

Topic/Sub-topic
Topic:
Understanding
Poetry

Concept / Skills /
Attitudes

Concept
Paraphrase
Put the poem into
everyday language while
paying close attention to
the punctuation of the
Subtopic: Poetry
poem.
AnalysisTen Steps What is the subject of the
poem?
Who or what is the
audience?
What situation is
Materials:
presented in the poem?
Title
Steps to Analyzing
Examine the title early in
Poems Handouts,
the reading process.
Poems
Later in the process of
analysis, reexamine the
title on an interpretive
level.
Why did the poet choose
this title above all others?
Imagery
What images are used?
How do they relate to one
another? Do they
represent a motif in the
poem?

Objectives

Activities

Students will be
able to:

Class will be
divided into pairs.
Each pair will be
Review the 10 steps assigned a step.
to analyzing a poem
Students will read
Apply steps in
and discuss the step
analyzing a poem
in relations to the
poem they received.
Present their
analysis to the class

Jigsaw activity to
ensure that the
information on all
10 steps is shared
with the entire
class.
In Groups or 5
Analyze a poem
using the 10 steps

Assessment
Activities

Reference

Present analysis
to the class.

English B for
CSEC pages
116 170

For assignment
each individual
will be assigned
a poem from the
text to analyze
and present

Which images are the

most vivid? What do they
say about the authors
message?
What tone or mood do
these images evoke? What
do they achieve?
Diction
Carefully consider the
denotation and
connotation of words. Do
any words have unusual
or special meanings?
Look for repetition. Why
are these words repeated?
Are there several words
throughout the poem that
have similar meanings?
Why are these used?
Does the weight of the
language say anything
about the subject matter?
Figurative Language
Identify all figures of
speech? How do they
contribute to the tone and
meaning of the poem?
Do inanimate objects take
on human traits? Does the
poet address abstractions?
Does the poem overall
contain irony or
understatement? Does it
portray a paradox?
Speaker
Who is the speaker?
Describe the speaker.
Does the speaker address
a specific audience? Or is
the poems message meant
to be universal?

Examine the speakers

attitude toward self, other
characters, and the
subject.
Examine the poets
attitude toward the
speaker, subject, and
reader.
What is the speakers
tone? What mood does
the poem evoke? Note
shifts in attitude or mood.
If this occurs, why?
Arrangement
How important is the form
of the poem?
Why did the poet use this
point of view?
Consider the punctuation?
Why is it used as it is?
How is form related to
function?
Concentrate on opening
and closing lines.
Does the poet use parallel
structures?
Sound devices
How important is rhyme
and rhythm in the poem?
How do they affect tone
and meaning?
Note the meter and rhyme
scheme used.
Check for sound devices
such as alliteration,
assonance, caesura, etc
and what is their effect?
What words, phrases, or
verses are repeated? What
is the significance of this
repetition?

Background information
Does the poem come from
a specific culture? time
period?
Who wrote it? When?
How does this affect the
poem?
What category does the
poem fall into?
Theme/meaning
Given all of the above,
what does the poem
mean?
Skills
Explain
Identify
Decide
Attitudes
Respect
Value
Cooperate