Unit Overview: 

The objective of this project is for students to go beyond the traditional written form of poems and begin creating multimedia poetry, too. Odes, definition poems, found materials poems, and extended metaphor poems are the types of poetry explored throughout the unit. Lessons will walk students through the description of the poem type, the analysis of it, as well as directions and practice for writing their poems. After completing each poem type, students will also explore various multimedia platforms such as FlipGrid, Loom, and a podcast platform to accompany their written work.  The goal is for students to explore different avenues to express their poetry other than just writing. At the end of the unit, the students should have four authentic poems and four digital components. The students are then asked to utilize the Bulb App to create a digital poetry portfolio, presenting their unit work to a digital audience of their peers and parents. 

The students will be engaging with four different multimedia platforms (FlipGrid, Anchor.fm, Loom Screencast, and Bulbapp.com) during this unit; therefore, they will need scaffolded instruction to learn how to use them. Please refer to the last page of this website label "Media Resource Guide" for step-by-step instructions for how to guide your students in using these platforms during each lesson. 

This unit was inspired, in part, by lessons from Wit and Wisdom -- Grade 8, The Crossover Unit. 

Individual Lessons: 

Lesson 1: Ode Poem 

In this lesson, students explore the poetic form of an ode by first creating their own definition based on examples and then watching a short informative YouTube video about the definition of an ode to clarify its uses. This is followed by an analysis of a sample poem for the charactistics of an ode as well as the use of  figurative/sensory language on the communication of love. As a method of assessment, the students will create their own ode and self-assess their poems by highlighting the criteria. The lessson concludes with the students watching and discussing a performance of an ode by a teenage writer. Students will then practice and recite their ode using the FlipGrid platform, ultimately posting it on the class's FlipGrid and commenting on fellow peers' work. 

Lesson 2: Definition Poem 

In this lesson, students explore the poetic form of a definition poem by examining examples from the novel, The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. Students generate characteristics of a definition poem, a working definition of the type, and the purpose of the poem. This is followed by the students working through a brainstorm in order to write their own definition poem that applies to their life. Before submitting, the students will use a self-assessment form to create a script to reflect upon their poem. Ultimately, the students will be utilizing the anchor.fm platform to verbally perform their poem with purposeful background music, followed by their reflection in the same podcast. 

Lesson 3: Found Materials Poem 

In this lesson, students explore the poetic form of found materials poem by first briefly learning about the concept of fair use and exploring examples of found poetry on a poet's blogpost. This is followed by the students searching for an article of importance to them, annotating the article, and then employing it as the basis of a found materials poem. Before submitting, the students will be utilizing a screencast platform to visually perform their poem by pairing their words with visuals that enhance the theme of their work. Finally, the students will reflect upon their understanding of fair use by describing how their poem transforms the article into something new. 

Lesson 4: Extended Metaphor Poem

In this lesson, students explore the use of extended metaphors in poetry. Students start the lesson by brainstorming a list of traits and values that they hold as well as any objects that might represent those things. This is followed by a quick mini-lesson on extended metaphor that builds on previous learning about metaphors. Students are then asked to analyze a poem that uses an extended metaphor, analyzing the various comparisons made throughout the poem and how these contribute to the message of the text. The assignment for the lesson asks students to create a poem about themselves that utilizes an extended metaphor. This writing assigment is a modified version of an "I Am Like" poem from the Wit and Wisdom curriculum The Crossover Unit. After writing their poems and analyzing it for the reader, the students are able to choose a platform used in previous lessons to present their poem. Before submitting, the students use a reflection form to explain their multimedia choices. 

Lesson 5: Culminating Task

In this 1-2 week lesson, students are completing the culminating task for this unit of study, which is a digital poetry portfolio. Students explore the final task assignment sheet individually, followed by the teacher reviewing the final assignment. The students then go through the four poems they created within the unit and edit them based on the teacher's feedback on each rubric. This is followed by students creating a bulbapp.com account where they will post their polished poems and accompanying multimedia presentations on different pages. After uploading their poems, students write a reflection for each poem about how it is meaningful to them and about the digital format they chose to present it in. The students will then post those reflections on their poetry pages, too. At this point, students have four pages, which include their poem, their mulitmedia creation, and their poem reflection. After completing their poetry pages, students begin writing a reflection about the process of creating their digital poetry portfolios, as well as the unit as a whole. This final unit reflection is posted on its own page in their bulb account, and the final portfolio is shared with the teacher for grading. 

References: 

Alexander, K. (2019). The Crossover. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Great Minds (Ed.). (2016). Wit & wisdom: Grade 8. GreatMinds.

Hobbs, R. (2010). Copyright Clarity: How Fair Use Supports Digital Learning. Corwin/Sage.

Hobbs, R. (2017). Create to Learn. Wiley Blackwell.