Unit Overview
Creative Thinking
In this module, you will read and listen to many poems to learn about:
- how to read a poem
- what makes a poem
- characteristics of poems (structure and features)
- what close readers do
- how you can find evidence in a poem to support your ideas
- how context clues can help to understand difficult words
- how authors use language to make poems come to life
You will use your creativity to write poems using a variety of structures and using some specific features, including language that can be used help to create powerful word pictures. You will be writing poems that follow specific patterns and you will be writing poems that allow for more freedom.
Creative thinking involves the generation of new ideas and concepts that are built on combinations of existing experiences and learning. Throughout the 4.1 and 4.2, as you read and examine poems, you will think about where poets get their ideas and learn what tools and forms poets use to develop their ideas. Then you will build from their ideas and tools to create some poems of your own.
By reading and writing poetry, you will develop creative thinking competencies, including:
Novelty and value:
- I can get new ideas or build on other people’s ideas, to create new things within the constraints of a form, a problem, or materials.
- I can develop a body of creative work over time in an area I’m interested in or passionate about.
Generating ideas:
- I deliberately learn a lot about something so that I am able to generate new ideas or ideas just pop into my head.
Developing ideas:
- I can usually make my ideas work within the constraints of a given form, problem, and materials if I keep playing with them.
- I build the skills I need to make my ideas work, and usually succeed, even if it takes a few tries.