Grade Level:  9-12

Subjects:  Language Arts, Social Studies, Study Skills, Music

Learner Outcomes:

Students will

• Read a variety of Civil War poems
• Understand concept of voice in poetry
• Write a poem which conveys a distinct voice

• Civil War poetry Internet site
• Current Literature text discussion of voice in poetry
• Internet site documentation form
• Poetry rubric

• Word processing program
• Selected internet sites (see resource list below)

• You may preselect any of the poems in the recommended site for student viewing

Day 1

Journal Writing:  If you were called to fight in a war, describe one typical day.  Write a letter home from the war to someone you care about revealing your feelings about what is going on around you.

Pair students up to role play being a soldier and receiving a letter from one far away in battle.  Allow them to discuss feelings about each side of the situation based on journal writings.  List varying responses on the board.

Use your current text to present a mini-lesson on voice in poetry.  Use a sample poem on overhead to illustrate how to determine voice in poetry.

Use  to guide discussion of sample poem.
poetry analysis form

Day 2

Search the designated Internet sites for samples of Civil War poetry.  Have students document their search with the documentation form .  They should read a minimum of 5 poems and fill out the documentation form.

After the search, discuss information collected from the searches identifying various voices in the poems.

Assign students to write their own poem using any free verse format they want.  They should create a distinct voice in their poem that expresses a consistent tone toward the subject in a minimum of 10 lines in any form they wish.
 
 
 

Modifications:

The assignment may be modified according to student needs
 

Enrichment activities:

• Have students listen to their favorite song lyrics to identify voice and tone in the song
• Read Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage, the voice of a young boy in the face of war.
• Interview relatives who are war veterans about the feelings of being in a war zone.
• Interview relatives who waited at home for people away at war.

• Internet search documentation form
• Poem rubric

Social Studies 9.30, 9.42, 10.60

National Standards

This lesson plan corresponds to Language Arts IGOs 9-12 in the following categories:

• writing skills
• reading comprehension
• listening/speaking
• computer technology
• study skills

• The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
• Current Literature text
• Civil War poetry
• The Dying Comrade, sample poem
• More poetry

Created by Jane Meador, Linda Meadows, Betty Jo Williams, Summers County High School, Hinton, Summers County, West Virginia.