Digital Poetry Unit

Nicole Kronzer

This unit is designed for Creative Writing II, an 11th and 12th grade elective class at Champlin Park High School. CPHS has block scheduling with 85 minute periods.

Day by day activities:

Day 1:

Goal: Introduce the concept of digital poetry.

Formative Assessment: Lists of traits of digital poetry developed by students

Materials: computer lab, pre-chosen URLs of digital poetry

Go to the computer lab and send them to a wiki (or our class blog) that has a number of URLs of different digital poems. With a partner, have students make a list of characteristics of digital poetry (ex: some requires user input, some has vocal track, some has music, some has sound effects, some has text that appears too fast to read, some has no linear movement through it, etc.)

Pairs share with another pair to compare their lists, then share as a class.

Intro creative commons and talk about copyright law.

Homework: bring in a short-ish poem that resonates with you

Day 2:

Goal: explore the concept of visual metaphor

Formative Assessment: drawings of visual metaphors for their poems

Materials: paper, markers/crayons/colored pencils, magazines to cut up, scissors, glue

Have each student take that poem they brought in as homework (if they forget, have a few books of poetry, invite them to look on the internet) and develop a visual metaphor for it. (Think theme)

Show some examples (eventually, examples from former students, but at first, examples that you develop or find)

For this initial practice, provide students with markers/colored pencils/crayons and have them draw their metaphor. Share with a partner, share in small groups, invite students to share with the class.

Then move on to using images to represent smaller chunks of their poem. They can draw or use magazines to cut out pictures. Have them develop a visual metaphor for each logical chunk of thought in their poem. Share these in a similar manner.

Day 3:

Goal: explore the concept of audio metaphor

Formative Assesment: audio metaphors on Garage Band

Materials: Computer lab, Garage Band (or audacity or some such equivalent)

In the computer lab, teach students how to use Garage Band (or some such equivalent) and invite them to develop an audio metaphor for their entire poem.

Show examples (of previous students, or ones you develop yourself)

Share.

Then have students develop audio metaphors for the different chunks of their poem. Invite them to read their poems out loud while the audio plays with them. Or, have them record themselves reading their poem, the audio pieces timed along in synch.

Share.

Days 4-6:

Goal: Create an original piece of digital poetry.

Summative Assessment: Student-produced digital poetry

Materials: Computer lab with PowerPoint and the internet

For students who have never used PowerPoint, do a mini-lesson demonstrating.

Students have three computer lab days to develop a digital poem of their own, keeping in mind the use of audio and visual metaphors.

Give them the rubric so they know the grading guidelines.

Invite students to share as they go, asking each other for suggestions/comments.

Day 7: Present final products. Grade as they are presented. Allow time for comments/questions.