Lesson 11:

What is poetry?

The core novel for this unit, Locomotion by Jacqeuline Woodson, is written in verse. To prepare students to read the novel, students read a few poems and reflect on what makes them poems (as opposed to prose). Students should come away from this lesson with a beginning understanding of line breaks and sound elements of poetry (what poems look like and sound like), and that poems usually tell a story that can be about anything. The lesson plan suggests creating a T-chart as a class to develop these understandings.

The lesson plan suggests that the first two poems (“This is Just to Say” and “Ping-Pong Poem”) should be read aloud as a class, and the third poem (“Speak Up”) should be partner reading. All three poems could be read as a class if you prefer. Each poem should be read multiple times, including reading it aloud at least once. A live synchronous discussion of the characteristics of poetry is essential to build a foundation for understanding the novel.