|
Poets-in-the Schools » Bag of Tricks » Lessons
| Lessons » High School | | Persona Poems |
|---|
Author: Beata Tsosie Author's Website: Added: August 7, 2007
FOR: All ages- all levels
TIME: 60-80 minutes
MATERIALS: A wide variety of photographs (color or black and white), paper, pencils/pens, example persona poems (A well known persona poet is Patricia Smith), chalkboard and chalk.
GOAL: Students will learn that poetry can be written from a totally different perspective than their own, using an “I” voice (first person).With the help of photos, students will be forced to put themselves in someone (or something) else’s shoes and become a voice that they imagine.
SUMMARY: This exercise uses photographs to stimulate a story or poem based on what the student imagines. Persona Poems can be a great tool in teaching empathy. It can open up creative possibility in poetry by having students write from a perspective that is not their own.
DIRECTIONS: Exercise Directions:
1. As a warm up exercise, have students shout out names of objects and write them on the board. Tell them that poetry has many possibilities and outlets, one of them being that you can become the voice of something that doesn’t have one.
2. Have students write a short poem using the first person and “become” one of the objects that they listed on the board. Tell them to use their senses. What does the object see, feel, taste, hear, etc. The only rule is that they can’t use the name of the object in the poem.
3. Have the students take turns reading their poems, and when they’re finished, see if the class can guess the object whose perspective the student was writing from.
4. Next, lay out a wide variety of photographs on a table ( pre-cut ones save time, as students may have the tendency to spend too much time flipping through magazines or newspapers). Have students choose a photograph that grabs their attention or that they are drawn to.
5. Tell the students that they are to write a poem about the photo using the same “I” voice as the object exercise. They can either write from the perspective of a person or an object in the photograph. If you don’t want to save the pictures, have them glue the picture to their paper as a title.
6. Have students take turns reading their poems and enjoy!
EXAMPLE POEMS:
EXAMPLE STUDENT POEMS:
STANDARDS: STRANDS, CONTENT STANDARDS, BENCHMARKS, AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
Below are the possible Performance Standards that could be addressed by this exercise:
Strand: Reading and Listening for Comprehension
Content standard I: Students will apply strategies and skills to comprehend information that is read, heard, and viewed
Benchmark I-A: Listen to, read, react to, and interpret information
Grade 8 Performance standards
1. Narrate a personal account that:
• establishes a point of view and sharpens focus
• uses remembered feelings
• selects details that best illuminate the topic
• connects events to self and society
Grade 9 Performance standards
1. Narrate experiences that offer:
• scenes and incidents located effectively in time and place
• impressions of being in a setting and sense of engagement in the events occurring
• appreciation for the significance of the account
• a sense of the narrator’s personal voice
Grade 10 Performance standards
1. Produce reminiscences (about a person, event, object, place, animal) that engages the audience by:
• using specific sensory details with purpose
• explaining significance from an objective perspective
• moving effectively between past and present
• recreating a mood
2. Respond reflectively (through small group discussion, class discussion, journal entry, essay, letter, dialogue) to written and visual texts.
4. Evaluate the information, explanations, or ideas of others by:
• identifying clear, reasonable criteria for evaluation
• applying those criteria using reasoning and substantiation
Grade 11 Performance standards
1. Demonstrate increasing insight and reflection to print and non-print text through personal expression.
2. Reflect and respond expressively to texts so that the audience will:
• discover multiple perspectives
• investigate and articulate connections
• explore how life experiences influence a response to a selection
• recognize that responses of others may be different
Grade 12 Performance standards
1. Express reflections and reactions to print and non-print texts as well as to personal experience by:
• composing and presenting reflective texts that give an audience an understanding of complex thoughts and feelings, a sense of significance, and a sense of encouragement to reflect on own ideas
• responding to texts to make connections, reflecting on cultural and historical perspectives, examining own response, and recognizing features of the author’s use of language and how the writer relates to the subject so that the audience with empathize
2. Analyze and critique texts from various perspectives and approaches by:
• developing critiques based on establishing and applying clear, credible criteria for evaluation
• substantiating assessments with reasons and evidence
Strand: Writing and Speaking for Expression
Content standard II: Students will communicate effectively through speaking and writing
Benchmark II-B: Apply grammatical and language conventions to communicate
Grade 8 Performance standards
7. Revise writing for word choice, appropriate organization, consistent point of view, and transitions between paragraphs, passages, and ideas
Benchmark II-C: Demonstrate competence in the skills and strategies of the writing process
Grade 9 Performance standards
2. Use descriptive language to create images in the mind of the audience
Grade 10 Performance standards
1. Write to stimulate the emotions of the reader
Grade 12 Performance standards
1. Use and apply grammatical, metaphorical, or rhetorical devices to inform and persuade others
Comments
|
|
|
| |
|
|
