Heritage Month Lesson Plan: Logan Bateman

Grade Level and Content Area: Fifth

Heritage: African American Month: February
Nevada State Content Standards:
➢ Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including
how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in
a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
➢ Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
➢ Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons
and information.
a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational
structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose.
b. Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
c. Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases,and clauses (e.g., consequently,
specifically).
d. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
Objective(s):
● Define unknown words in a text.
● Identify important themes in a text.
● Produce a poem using themes from previously read text.
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY:
● The teacher will begin by passing out three poems to each student.
● The teacher will then explain that each of the poems were written by an African
American poet.
● The teacher will ask the following questions:
○ What do you all know about African American history?
○ How do you think African American history will be represented in these
poems?
○ Do any of you know any influential African American poets?
○ Who can name some other influential African American figures?
● The first poem that the class will read together is I, Too by Langston Hughes.
● The teacher may either read the poem themself or have a student read aloud to
the class.
● After completing the read the class will discuss what the poem is about and
highlight any words that are unknown in the poem individually.
● The students will then write the unknown words on the backside of the poem and
will be required to define them using a dictionary, computer, or help from the
teacher.
● Next, the class will read Caged Bird by Maya Angelou aloud.
● After completing the poem the class will once again discuss what the poem is
about and highlight the unknown words before defining them on the back of the
poem.
● The final poem that the class will read together is Song of the Feet by Nikki
Giovanni.
● The class will once again highlight any unknown words and define them on the
 back of the paper after discussing what the poem is about.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
● Now the students will begin a poetry slam.
● The teacher will explain that poetry slams were popular African American traditions that
spread all over America and allowed poets to go full-time.
● The teacher will also explain that a poetry slam is the reading of poetry that is then
ranked.
● Using the three previously read poems as inspiration the students will be required to
take out one sheet of paper and write their own poem using similar themes as the three
poems.
● When writing their poems students will be required to use at least five of the words they
defined in the previous three poems in their own.
● The students’ poems must be at least five stanzas long.
● After each student has written a poem that has been approved by the teacher they will
then participate in a poetry slam.
● The students will read their poems aloud to the class and, in true poetry slam fashion,
the class will rank the poems.
MATERIALS:
● I, Too Print Out
● Caged Bird Print Out
● The Song of the Feet Print Out
● White College Ruled Paper
● Highlighter
● Pen/Pencil
ASSESSMENT:
● Students will be assessed on their understanding of the text’s theme and on the
creation/presentation of their own original poem.
LEVELS OF BLOOM’S TAXONOMY FOR THIS LESSON: Check all that apply to your
lesson.

_X_ Knowledge (Know) _X_ Comprehension (Understand) _X_ Application

(Apply)

__ Analysis (Analyze) __ Synthesis (Evaluate) __ Evaluation (Create)

LEVELS OF DOK FOR THIS LESSON:

__X___ Level 1 ___X__ Level 2 ___X__ Level 3 _____ Level 4

Resources: Specific website names and addresses:

● WeAreTeachers Staff on September 25, 2014 Facebook Pinterest Twitter. "7 Fresh Ideas for
Black History Month." WeAreTeachers. N.p., 09 Feb. 2017. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
● Hughes, Langston. "I, Too." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 03 Jan. 2017. Web. 20
Mar. 2017.
● Angelou, Maya. "Caged Bird." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Mar.
2017
● Giovanni, Nikki. "The Song of the Feet." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 20
Mar. 2017.