Poetry Activities for Theme (w/ Emily Dickinson & 'One Dignity...')

This comprehensive poetry analysis resource delves into the intricate literary concept of theme development through Emily Dickinson's powerful poem, "One Dignity Delays for All." Guided annotation, literary analysis (via short answer and essay assignments), and a creative poem-writing activity are employed to provide a versatile and engaging exploration of theme in literature.

Effortlessly adaptable, this resource can be utilized as bell ringers, short writing assignments, or sub plans by breaking it down into individual components. Alternatively, educators can seamlessly combine all three included activities to create a scaffolded poetry lesson spanning 1-2 weeks, delving into the captivating use of theme in literature.

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!

Your TeachSimple download includes:

• A POEM ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Give students the opportunity to read Emily Dickinson's "One Dignity Delays for All” (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 theme 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 theme and Emily Dickinson's "One Dignity Delays for All.” 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.