Poetry Activities for Symbolism (w/ Witter Bynner & 'Driftwood')

Unlock the profound world of symbolism in poetry with this versatile poetry analysis resource featuring Witter Bynner's captivating work, "Driftwood." Delve into the depths of this literary concept through guided annotation, comprehensive literary analysis (including short answer and essay assignments), and a stimulating creative poem-writing activity.

Discover the power of symbolism as you navigate the lines of "Driftwood" alongside your students. With the aid of guided annotation, they will unravel the hidden meanings and intricate layers of this thought-provoking poem. Engage in literary analysis through thought-provoking short answer and essay assignments that deepen their understanding and critical thinking skills.

Teaching this resource is simple! Start by presenting and discussing the poem with the poem analysis activity, which makes an excellent bell ringer. Then, give students time to complete the guided annotation activity and answer the analysis question that accompany the lesson (answer key included!). Next, students have the opportunity to write their own poem using the poetic concept analyzed earlier. Finally, you can assess students understanding of the poem and its poetic concepts with a literary analysis essay. That essay assignment comes with a prompt, writing tips, peer review, and Common Core-aligned rubric!

Expand your poetry curriculum with this invaluable resource, designed to foster a deep appreciation for symbolism and its role in poetic expression. As your students explore "Driftwood" by Witter Bynner, they will develop their literary analysis skills, unlock their creativity, and gain a profound understanding of the power of symbolism in poetry.

Your download includes:

• A POEM ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Give students the opportunity to read Witter Bynner's "Driftwood” (text included) and analyze the poem via an annotation activity and accompanying analysis questions (answer key included). Ideal for a bell ringer!

• A CREATIVE WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Provide students the opportunity to further develop their understanding of symbolism with a creative poem writing assignment (tied to one Common Core Writing Standard). Ideal for sub plans!

• A LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY: This essay assignment builds on students' understanding of symbolism and Bynner's "Driftwood.” The assignment handout includes essay guidelines, analysis prompt, literary analysis writing tips, and a peer review checklist. The included rubric is tied to 4 Common Core ELA Standards and includes a link to an editable rubric that allows for grading customization and seamless integration into Google Classroom and many other Learning Management Systems (LMS's)

Although this resource can be fitted for any secondary Language Arts classroom, it has been carefully designed to work best in grades 9 through 12. The included rubric is subtly but specifically tied to Common Core ELA Standards for Language (1 and 2) and Writing (2 and 4). This resource is provided in print-ready, bookmarked, and adjustable PDF files and PowerPoint Show files.

This resource contains 5 pages and 1 Google Sheet.