The Poet X sparked my students’ interest more than I had anticipated. I was able to use their appreciation for this text as a way to keep them reading and writing everyday. Below are three of our favorite learning activities.
Learning Activity #1: This learning activity uses an anticipation guide with questions that would help students begin to think about the issues that emerge in The Poet X. Students first read and answered the questions individually, and then as a class we discussed our perspectives using a four corners activity. Students were able to reflect on their own beliefs and experiences while also considering some hypothetical scenarios they might encounter as young teens. Below you read all about this activity and my goals for the unit.
** Below is the Anticipation Guide worksheet given to students
Learning Activity #2: This lesson tasks students to narrate a story about their lives by curating a ten-song playlist. Students will then use the lyrics and titles of these songs to create a found poem. Lastly, students will present their playlist and found poems to the class and explain their writing process as well as the story that their poem and playlist tells.
** Below is reminder to students and instructions on how to complete this assignment from home
Learning Activity #3: The culminating assignment for this unit is a large writing portfolio. This portfolio tasks students to write a two-page essay, revise and edit previous creative writing assignments, and reflect on their experience engaging with poetry in this unit. Below you can learn more about this learning activity.
** Below is the worksheet given to students.
