Poetry Anthology PBL

In this non-traditional PBL, students create an individual product, while collaborating extensively with peers throughout the process. The anthology is a collection of student-created poems and writings which culminate in a poetry slam (always a big hit!). I have facilitated this PBL in two versions: centered around a singular topic, specifically their own identity or culture, and centered thematically, allowing students to choose an overarching motif for their own anthology.

When I asked students to write about their own cultures and identity, this PBL accompanied Their Eyes Were Watching God. Part of the objective was for students to experience what Zora Neale Hurston had experienced when she wrote the novel in just 7 weeks from a hotel room in Haiti. Hurston analyzed, interpreted, and artistically expressed her own identity, culture, and life experiences. Then, she reflected that in her work. This version of the assignment expands students' understanding of culture and forces them to reflect on their own identity and life experiences.

The "thematic" anthology unit was a stand-alone poetry unit, which also asked students to analyze and mimic the work of a famous "poet of note" of their choice. The students had to develop a clear motif for their anthology, and each poem had to contribute to the overarching theme, while demonstrating their knowledge of a variety of classic and modern poetic forms and conventions.

For this project, I gave students autonomy in how they wanted to present their anthology, but students were encouraged to use resources like Google Sites, Canva or Piktochart. Most students ended up "app smashing", or relying on multiple tools on the way to their final product.

Because sharing their poetry at the Poetry Slam was optional (sharing your poetry requires vulnerability!), I supplemented the presentations using Brown-Bag Poetry, where students are given a collection of random images and trinkets that they must work metaphorically or literally into a collaborative poem. This ensured that students who were not ready to share their individual work, were still practicing oral presentation skills.