Detailed daily lesson plans, ready-to-print materials, a focus on contemporary writers -- this puppy's got it all.
 
Students have loved this course in the past. These lessons make room for them to express themselves, help them get over any fear they have of poetry, and get them to write pieces they're proud of.
 
This zip file includes:
1. POETRY: A Creative Writing Unit Plan
-A unit plan doc with daily lesson plans (and essential questions, CCSS, and all daily materials conveniently linked in document)
- A ready-to-print poetry packet containing the following poems:
“O Captain, My Captain!” by Walt Whitman
“Daddy” by Sylvia Plath
Excerpts from a critical analysis of Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy”
“Morning” by Billy Collins
“Ode to the Belt Sander & This Cocobolo Wood” by Matthew Nienow
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Sonnet for the Bicycle Rider’s Leg by Jack Agueros
When Romeo & Juliet meet
“The Sword Swallower's Valentine” by Sandra Beasley
“A sestina for a black girl who does not know how to braid hair” by Raych Jackson
Article: “For this poet, community, hair and self-worth are interwoven” by Corinne Segal
“Sestina” by Ciara Shuttleworth
“This Is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams
“He Remembered Her” by Argus Paul
“Form N-400 Erasures” by Niina Pollari
“Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold
“The Dover Bitch” by Anthony Hecht
“This Is Just to Say” by Laura Creste
“Musee de Beaux Arts” by WH Auden
“The Fall of Icarus” by WCW
-Instructions for 4 assignments written in clear, student-friendly language:
Poem #1: Elegy or Ode
Poem #2: Sonnet or Sestina
Poem #3: Found Poem or Erasure Poem
Poem #4: Poem Inspired by Another Poem or Poem Inspired by an Image
- Detailed, original poem rubric
- Poetry analysis graphic organizer
- Handout on how to workshop poetry
- Handout on Prose Poetry vs. Microfiction (makes a great transition)
 
2. FICTION: A Creative Writing Unit Plan
-A unit plan doc with daily lesson plans (and essential questions, CCSS, and all daily materials conveniently linked in document)
-Ready-to-print handouts on how to discuss fiction, the parts of a metaphor, and how to spice up the verbs in your writing, and point of view
- Interactive lessons on point of view and setting
- Slides for mini-lessons on character, setting, and plot/story structure-
- Slides of targeted journal prompts for each lesson
- Independent listening activity using the New Yorker Fiction podcast and small-group discussions for each option
- Links to creative writing games to play with students
- All texts provided:
“Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid
“The School” by David Barthelme
“Self-Reliance” by Edith Pearlman
Student's choice for New Yorker Fiction podcast independent listening assignment: “You Are Now Entering the Human Heart” by Janet Frame, “My Life is a Joke” by Sheila Heiti , or “Roy Spivey” by Miranda July
 
3. ZINE-MAKING: A Creative Writing Unit Plan
-A unit plan doc with daily lesson plans (and essential questions, CCSS, and all daily materials conveniently linked in document)
- The following ready-to-print materials for students:
Instructions for booklet construction
Assignment instructions and rubric
A letter inviting them to "Zinefest" so they can share their zines with each other
Bonus: instructions for long-arm stapler and lettering examples to have available