×
Login Sign up
Grades level iconsGrades 7–12
Session time icon1.5 Hours
Genre information iconPoetry
Resource type icon

Where I’m From Poems

Author image
Meghan Dove McAfee, 826 Digital Educator Leader
Inspired by George Ella Lyon’s original poem, this lesson guides students through naming the people, places, and things that have shaped them.
Bookmark Resource Iconbookmark Download Resource Icondownload

What Your Students Will Learn

Your students will learn how to analyze, and gain inspiration from, a well-known poem.

Load More
What Your Students Will Produce

Your students will produce a memory map and a poem inspired by those details.

What You Will Do

The phrase “Where I’m from” is usually followed by a place—a city, a state, or a country—but in this lesson, students will think more about how their experiences and memories have lifted them up.

How to Begin

Share with students that, today, they will be reading a well-known poem called “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon. They will then analyze the poem’s structure and learn how to write a similar poem.

STEP 1 (15 minutes)

Open the audio link to George Ella Lyon reading her original “Where I’m From” poem and project the poem’s text from page 1 of “Where I’m From—Mentor Texts.” Ask students to close their eyes, listen to the audio, and visualize the images that are being shared. Encourage them to not get stuck on words or names they might not know and focus on the overall picture that’s being painted.

Login Blurred Image

See more Writings at this level

Grades 9–12
Fairy Tale Reconstruction

by Marini Drobish, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Narrative

This lesson invites students to write a modern day fairy tale. Students will reconstruct classic fairy tales by choosing to focus on altering one story element: setting, point of view, or resolution.

view
Grades 7–8
Concrete Poems

by Mallory Miller, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Narrative
Poetry

In this lesson, students will construct a short narrative told through concrete poems.

view
Grades 6–8
State Your Claim: Argumentative Writing

by Alana Herron, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Informational
Media
Persuasive

Students will craft an argument about a controversial topic they hold a personal connection to and record their argument to persuade their audience.

view
Grades 6–8
Authentic Dialogue

by Leah Tribbett, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Narrative

In this lesson, students tackle the art of writing authentic dialogue that reveals information about the characters, plot, and conflict.

view
Grades 11–12
Philosophical Journal Prompts

by Lindsay Thompson, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Narrative

Encourage students to confront abstract, messy topics in their writing with philosophical journal prompts.

view