Unit Overview
Introduction
What can poems do?
Poems paint pictures.
Poems make us feel things.
Poems make music out of words.
What makes a poem a poem? How do literary devices enhance the meaning of poems? How can context clues be used to figure out the meaning of difficult words in poems? Where do ideas come from? How do poets play with words until they get just the right image, feeling, or sound? These are important questions that will be visited throughout this poetry unit.
Why think about these important questions and learning targets?
Developing skills is like becoming an all-star athlete. All-star athletes don’t start out as professionals. They think about their performance, get guidance from their coach and teammates, and set goals for improving. The same is true for becoming a skilled reader, writer, speaker, and listener. We all have areas of strength and areas for growth, and we are all responsible for practicing, getting guidance, setting goals, and improving. Before this unit even starts, you will write your first reflection in your learning guide:
Write a short response to the following question in your learning guide now: Do you enjoy poetry? Why or why not?
When you have completed your response, return to this lesson.