Cane Lesson Plan

What Makes a Poem?

Kind of Activity:

Group Discussion

Objective:

Students will think critically about the distinction between poetry and prose, realizing how slippery genre classifications are.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.A; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5

Structure:

Begin by asking students to define 'poetry'. What makes a piece of writing a poem rather than prose? Expect answers such as rhyme, lines, figurative language, and so on—list all answers on the board so that everyone can keep track of them. As answers accumulate, be sure to point out counter-examples—do all poems actually rhyme, for example? Make a list of these ideas on the board.

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