Grade Level & Content Area: 8th grade ELA Overall Goal of Learning Environment:

Title/Topic: Exploring the issue of bullying through poetry

Duration: 7 days

Students will explore the issue of bullying by reading poetry on the topic. Students will learn to draw inferences, determine the meaning of figurative words and phrases, and recognize the impact of word choices on meaning and tone in poems. At the end of the unit, students will be prepared to analyze poetry on a variety of topics. Lessons & Synopses: Day 1 Why do we write poetry? Students will be introduced to poetry. Students will learn that authors sometimes write poetry to share feelings or experiences. Students will learn that poems are often symbolic and that the authors style of writing can convey feelings and emotions. Students will discuss why its important to write to share our feelings and how knowing more about our peers can help strengthen relationships. Students will write I Am poetry. Students will listen to spoken-word poetry (To This Day by Shane Koyczan) and find examples of figurative language used by the author. Students will use contextual analysis to make meaning of figurative language. Students will examine poetry (Speak Up by Janet Wong) to practice making inferences about the speakers/authors of poetry. Students will develop character profiles for each speaker and analyze whether the exchange taking place in the poem is an example of bullying based on their inferences. Students will watch a video on word choice (The Case Against Good and Bad by Marlee Neel). Students will explain why authors choose language deliberately when writing. Students will refer to the poem To This Day and discuss how the authors word choices contributed to the tone of the poem and what feelings were elicited as a result. Students will work in groups to brainstorm words/phrases that describe students who are bullies, students who are bullied, students who stand up for their peers, and students who neither participate in bullying nor stand up for their peers. Students will explore rhythm, beat, and rhyming in poetry. Students will work in groups to write and perform anti-bullying raps with an emphasis on speaking (using inflection to convey meaning). Students will individually to locate and analyze a poem about bullying. Students will identify and explain examples of figurative language, make inferences about the author/characters described in the poem, and explain how the author used specific words and phrases to contribute to the tone of the poem. Each student will present his or her work.

Day 2

Figurative language Drawing inferences

Day 3

Day 4

Word choice

Day 5

Music & Poetry

Days 6-7

Analyzing poetry

Technology Use: Padlet walls for whole-group collaboration Lino board for private group collaboration/brainstorming/organization PowerPoint templates for presentation Class blog Online collaborative environments Circle rug for whole group discussions Student tables for small group collaboration Intervention table for small group or individual intervention Computer station for small group collaboration

Learning Stations:

Contribution to Learning Goals: The learning stations listed above will give students a place to work collaboratively as a class and in small groups. Because work in the identified learning stations will be collaborative, students have the ability to discuss ideas, teach each other, and learn from each other. Students will be able to discuss bullying in a supportive and respectful environment, and through collaborative learning stations, will build relationships while learning important skills. Learner Information: 20 students in a suburban public school

1 diagnosed learning disability (ADHD) 2 students with emotional/behavioral data