Lesson Plan: Found Poetry

One of my favorite things to do with my students is to have them understand the poetry inherent in language without overwhelming them with the fear of writing a poem.

In this lesson, you can use any book you are currently reading in class -- fiction or non-fiction. It's often better with non-fiction because it really shows the students that a poem can be made using unexpected words. It also focuses on the concept of a poem being a concise work, which is able to create a message by being very specific with word choice.

This lesson can take anywhere from 1-2 hours, depending on the number of groups and the level of discussion that occurs during group presentations.

1. Model the process. Project a passage (1-2 paragraphs) from the text you are reading. Read it aloud at least twice. Have the students tell you what the non-important words/phrases are and cross them out. Continue until you have only the words/phrases that the students have deemed important. Read through the passage using only the words that are left. Give the students the opportunity to cross out more words. Try to pare down the passage as much as possible. Rewrite the passage using only the important words; focus on line breaks to create rhythm. Read aloud revised poem until the class is happy with what they have created. Compare the new poem to the original prose and discuss some of the differences.
   
2. Break students into groups. Hand out photocopies of passages from the text you are reading. Be sure no two groups have the same passage.
3. Groups create a found poem. Students should work within their groups to cross out words, as shown during the modeling process. Students should then rewrite their new poem, working on line breaks to create rhythm.
4. Students revise and edit. Encourage students to read the poem aloud (multiple times) within their groups to be sure the poem is as strong as the original prose. Does the poem use the right words? Do more need to be cut? Do some need to be added back in? Should the order remain the same? Is there a flow and rhythm to it? Do the line breaks need to be revisited? Does the poem need additional punctuation, or less punctuation?
5. Groups share their poems. Each group will read their poem aloud to the rest of the class. After each poem, the group will read the passage it came from. Have a class discussion to determine which is stronger in regard to emotion and message. Have students discuss the benefits of prose vs. the benefits of poetry.