Grades 6–9
4 Sessions: 60-90 Minutes each
PoetryLessonsStudents will draw connections between poetry and social change. They’ll gain basic knowledge of the American Labor Movement, Feminist Movement, and Black Arts Movement, discussing mentor poems from each movement and writing their own poetry in response.
Students write three poems grounded in different social movements.
Student Writing Samples
by Regina, 826LA
From the forthcoming anthology, Poets in Revolt!, this poem expresses the realization that a cage is not the only obstacle to a bird's freedom.
by Mariah Valenzuela, Minneapolis, MN
From the forthcoming anthology, Poets in Revolt!, this poet uses her voice to speak up for those who have been silenced in the indigenous community.
by Maggie Munday Odom, Kailua, HI
This poem personifies Earth as a mother coping with the brutalities of climate change.
by Itzel Medina Luna, 826 Valencia
In this poem from the forthcoming anthology, Poets in Revolt!, a student walks through her neighborhood searching for hidden stories.
by Jeremy Hsiao, 826 National
From the forthcoming anthology, Poets in Revolt!, this poem reminds activists that "to change everything, we need everyone."
by Augustus Griffith Jr., 826 National
From the forthcoming anthology, Poets in Revolt!, this poem explores the aftermath and lasting impacts of school shootings.
by Isabel, 826 Boston
From the forthcoming anthology, Poets in Revolt!, this poem features a student battling with the voices constricting her freedom.
Hello teachers in revolt!
I’m so incredibly excited for you to bring this phenomenal curriculum by 826CHI’s
Ola Faleti to life. In this lesson, you’ll be showing your students actual historical
examples on the power of the pen. What’s more, you’ll help reveal to them the power
within themselves as they write. There’s no literary movement more compelling than
a teacher demonstrating to students how the pen is mightier than the sword.
As the daughter of a 6th grade English teacher, I’ve learned this lesson
instinctively. Growing up, my mother would come home from a long day at school,
brimming stock-full with stories of So-and-So who read an advanced book today,
or So-and-So who knows the fastest rap in Hamilton. Every day, I got the sense that
I wasn’t just hearing academic updates on a myriad of students. I was receiving a
special window into the lives of students, many of whom were students of color,
immigrants themselves or in mixed-status families, and low-income. They
understood language in itself as a most potent resistance. In lifting their pens
they dared to defy poverty, presumption, and even poetry itself.
I often draw from this idea of poetry as an inherent revolt against the status quo.
It’s guided me as the Inaugural U.S. Youth Poet Laureate of America, where I’m
frequently told not to make my poetry “political.” I just smile, because all poetry is
political. Just look at how it’s been used by all three waves of feminism, as well as
the Black Arts Movement. If you need any more evidence, look at how poetry ignites
your classroom!
When teachers open students’ eyes to the social potential behind poetry, you aren’t
just teaching revolution. You aren’t just participating in it. You’re writing it into the
very pages of our world.
Here’s to happy writing,
Amanda Gorman
Inaugural U.S. Youth Poet Laureate of America
Gather resources, pictures, and/or videos that introduce the Labor Movement to students. In the original workshop by 826CHI, the instructor identified 10 key events from the Labor Movement that provided an overview and timeline for students. We recommend checking out www.history.com to dive in.
10 Minutes
Start by finding some common ground with Community Agreements. We sometimes call these Writers’ Promises; promises that writers make to each other so they feel safe, supported, free to be curious, free to take creative risks, and free to proudly share their work. Brainstorm these collaboratively and write them on a gigantic sheet of paper, which you’ll hang on the wall during each session.
10 Minutes
M&M Icebreaker
Depending on when you lead this lesson, this M&M icebreaker will get students to know each other and get them thinking about their identity in relationship to the topics at hand: poetry and social change. Ask students to randomly pick one (or two) M&Ms from a bag then answer the question that goes with corresponding color:
Give students an overview of the lesson: they will learn about three different social movements and look at the poetry behind them, then write their own poems.
10 Minutes
Spark
Start with examining the language of revolt by sharing a quote from Adrienne Rich. Ask students to discuss their response Rich’s words. What do they agree, disagree, or otherwise connect with? Is there anything that surprised them? Review the bolded key terms.
“Yes, where poetry is liberative language, connecting the fragments within us, connecting us to others like and unlike ourselves, replenishing our desire…In poetry words can say more than they mean and mean more than they say. In a time of frontal assaults both on language and on human solidarity, poetry can remind us of all we are in danger of losing – disturb us, embolden us out of resignation.” – Adrienne Rich
15 Minutes
Labor Movement: Mini Lesson #1
Next, present the Labor Movement overview in 10 key events. Ask students what they know, or think they know, about the Labor Movement before starting. Afterward, check student understanding of the overall scope of the movement by asking: who was revolting? What were they fighting for? What, or who, were they up against? How do we, or workers and employees, benefit from the Labor Movement?
30 Minutes
Poem Share
Pass out copies of two poems from the Labor Movement. As a class, look over two poems, Langston Hughes’ “God to a Hungry Child” and “Statistics” by Jim Waters (located on page 21 of linked PDF). Starting with “God to a Hungry Child”, have students read the poem aloud as a class and then individually.
After reading, discuss the poem as a class. Feel free to provide a list of common poetic devices to your students to help facilitate dialogue.
Read “Statistics” by Jim Waters first as a class and then individually.
Discuss the poem like you did with the first one as a class. Connect both poems back to the Adrienne Rich quote that presented poetry as liberative or liberating. Pose the question to the class:
15 Minutes
Exquisite Corpse
Using either the first or second line from the poem, “Statistics”, tell students they will be writing a poem as a class, where each student writes one line. Once they have written one line, tell them to fold the paper so only the line they have just written can be seen by the next writer. You may choose to start a few different “chains” to allow for greater engagement among students. Once the entire class has completed the activity, read the poem aloud to close.
Gather resources, pictures, and/or videos that introduce the Black Arts Movement to students. In the original workshop by 826CHI, the instructor identified 10 key events from the movement that provided an overview and timeline for students. We recommend checking out www.poets.org to dive in.
5 Minutes
Spark
Set the stage for transitioning to the Black Arts Movement by projecting two quotes, one by Roger Baldwin and one by Steven Biko:
“Silence never won rights. They are not handed down from above; they are forced by pressures from below.”—Roger Baldwin
“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”— Steven Biko
Ask students to choose one quote to respond to in their notebook or journal. What does the quote make them think of? What stands out? After a few minutes, students can share their reactions with a partner and class.
20 Minutes
Mini Lesson #1
Start with a quick recap of the Labor Movement. Ask students to remember what we covered. Then, read (first individually, then aloud) and discuss Louis Untermeyer’s “Caliban in the Coal Mine”. In discussion, focus on repetition and rhyme scheme of the poem.
20 Minutes
The Modern Worker
Ask students: What struggles do you think the modern worker, or student, faces? What’s changed and has not changed, according to what you know?
Then, share this poem prompt: Looking at “Caliban in the Coal Mine”, write about the modern worker—or student’s—struggle. Think of it as a letter, using the person’s name that you’re writing to to serve as repetition. Use the AB rhyme scheme that Untermeyer uses (aim for 2 stanzas).
Ask students to share out in pairs or small groups. Students may choose to share both stanzas, one stanza, or one line.
20 Minutes
Play the song, “The Corner” by Common, featuring Kanye West and the Last Poets.
Ask the class why this song is relevant to the lesson. After the song/video, transition to talking about the Black Arts movement. Summarize the movement in under 10 major events. Ask students what they know, or think they know, about the Black Arts Movement before starting. Afterward, check student understanding of the overall scope of the movement by asking: who was revolting? What were they fighting for? What, or who, were they up against?
20 Minutes
Poetry Share
Distribute copies of “Ego Tripping (there may be a reason why” by Nikki Giovanni. Read the poem aloud as a class then individually. There are also beautiful audio versions of this poem, read by Giovanni, available online that you may choose to play. Afterwards, discuss the use of afrocentric imagery, history, and tone of the poem. Ask how it connects to the Adrienne Rich quote from session one.
Pose the question to the class:
Point out that many poems from this era were spoken and performed. Ask students to consider how a poem sounds when they begin writing it next class.
Gather resources, pictures, and/or videos that introduce the Third-Wave Feminism to students. In the original workshop by 826CHI, the instructor identified 10 key events from the movement that provided an overview and timeline for students.
10 Minutes
Spark
Project the below quote from Gwendolyn Brooks. Ask students to brainstorm what is happening in their life or the world right now that is exciting, disturbing, or otherwise worthy to write about:
“Look at what’s happening in this world. Every day there’s something exciting or disturbing to write about. With all that’s going on, how could I stop?” — Gwendolyn Brooks.
Students should pick one or two things from their list to write about. Students will have five minutes to free write on their topic(s). Once students are done writing, open up the class to share what they wrote about or one line from their piece.
20 Minutes
Mini Lesson #1 (20 Minutes)
Read Sonia Sanchez’s poem “9 Haiku” individually then together as a class. Afterwards, have the class discuss the purpose of the haiku, how the author changes it, and then her word choice.
15 Minutes
Power People Haikus
It’s time to write! Pose the prompt to the class: Sanchez’s haiku are written about people in power who she admires. Who do you admire? Write 3-5 haikus inspired by them. It can be 1 haiku per person or 3-5 haikus all about 1 person.
Once students are done writing, ask them to share who they wrote about and one line or one haiku with a partner or in small groups.
15 Minutes
Mini Lesson #2
Next, transition into the Third-Wave (or modern) Feminism Movement. Summarize the movement in 10-15 main events. If possible, you could show a relevant clip pertaining to the movement.
15 Minutes
Poetry Share
Read “For Teenage Girls” by Clementine von Radics individually, then as a class. After, play the video of the poet performing the piece, then discuss the poem as a class. What is liberative about the language in this piece? About the way it is performed?
10 Minutes
Spark
This last session starts with students taking a look inward. Start with a simple “who are you” exercise. Give students 1-2 minutes to list or map all of their identities, or parts of their identity, that they can get down on paper. Then, ask students: Are the identities you listed identities that you think of often? Do you ever feel limited by these identities? Do you face special issues with them? Reflect and write about the liberating and limiting aspects of their identities.
15 Minutes
Mini Lesson #1
Quickly recap the last class by asking students what they remember about Third-Wave Feminism. Mention how all poems are focused on some aspect of each poet’s identity. Think of how identity affects the way you speak/are heard.
Move on to discussion of a second feminist poem, “Saturdays” by Ana Castillo. Read the poem aloud and discuss: What are the aspects of identity can you glean from this? What makes this a feminist poem? Is this liberative?
20 Minutes
I Revolt! (20 Minutes)
Transition into writing time! Students will write their final poem addressing feminism or the identity they chose to write about for the Spark activity. Based on your group, you may consider adding a writing challenge for poets. This could be anything from adding a secret or lie in their poem to incorporating strong, liberative verbs throughout.
20 Minutes
Review and Revise
Bring out all poems that have been written over the course of the lesson. Have students pick their favorite to revise and share. You may choose to create a classroom chapbook comprised of their chosen poems, or plan to host a poetry reading to cap off the lesson.
10 Minutes
Conclusion
Ask students questions such as: What did they learn? Anything you think you’ll look at more? What do you think poetry is capable of? How do you think modern poetry will be affected by the current political climate, and how do you think the current political climate will be affected by poetry and other revolting artists?
Whether it’s the March For Our Lives, the Youth Climate Strike, or Black Lives Matter, young people are at the frontlines of combating injustice and changing the world. Poets in Revolt! brings together a diversity of student voices from communities across the country as they write to claim a brighter future.
by Katie Manning and Brandon Brown, 826LA
Students enter The Poetry Laboratory, no lab coats required, and use methods of observation and playful strategies to embark on the process of writing poetry.
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
Students will read a poem by Eve L. Ewing and learn to write a poem that retells or reimagines an experience.
by Dave Eggers, 826 Valencia
Over a flexible series of activities, students will learn to draw details from real life to create unforgettable characters and compelling stories.
by AT Bianchi & Kati Shanks, 826michigan
In this lesson, students imagine a fictional sport for fantastic beings, create a statistic for that sport, and write a newspaper article about the championship game.
by Debra Mitchell, 826CHI
Students become script detectives in this lesson, searching for the underlying structure of every play. Student then draw from memories to inspire original plays.
by Allie Mariano, 826 New Orleans
Students will tell stories about their neighborhoods and create maps that document change. The end result is a better understanding of a map’s ability to demonstrate the history behind fixed points.
by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC
Students investigate the plant life that grows within their community and then select a specific species to learn about in-depth and consider how that species interacts with the overall ecosystem.
by Abigail Jacobs & Taylor Jacobson, 826 Valencia & 826LA
This lesson teaches students to write proposals so convincing no parent can resist them.
by Ashley Smith, 826 Valencia
Students find gratitude all around as they thank ordinary objects in their lives in the form of an ode.
by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC
Students will work in a collaborative, constructive setting to create a vision for your classroom as a safe space for students and teachers.
by Stephanie Wykstra, 826NYC
A student’s guide for evaluating evidence and learning to spot misleading and false information.
by Dr. Anne Desrosiers and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia
The COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives. This lesson will support students in processing the changes in their everyday lives and help them to identify the creativity their community has exhibited.
by Aran Donovan, 826 New Orleans
Students (virtually) explore a local cemetery and write a monologue from a famous person buried there, including facts from their research and imagined details from a mapping exercise.
by Gem Carmella, Ministry of Stories and BBC History
In this Lesson, students will learn how to write comedy sketches inspired by "Monty Python’s Flying Circus."
by Jessica Barbaria, 826NYC
In this lesson, students dive into the many forms bullying can take, create scripts and role-play bullying scenarios, and reflect on their own experiences with bullying.
by Saiya Miller, 826 New Orleans
Students will collect dirt, map their neighborhood, and listen to music that explores low sound, depth of soil, and the psychological landscape of New Orleans.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826MSP, and Skylar Burkhardt, 826 National
Few expressions of gratitude are more meaningful than a personalized letter. In this lesson, students reach out to essential workers and return their acts of service and kindness by giving thanks.
by Meredith Goldberg-Morse, 826LA
In this lesson, students write about a cause that they are passionate about, imagine how they can create change, and come up with slogans to convince other people to take action.
by Catherine Calabro, with inspiration from Rachel Feder, 826michigan
Your students will use free writes, writing games, cheesy pop lyrics, and revision strategies to learn how to make connections between all of the points on their journey of writing a poem.
by Lisa Lutz, 826 Valencia
In this lesson by a young adult author and self-confessed superfan Lisa Lutz, students will learn letter-writing tips and create a fan letter.
by Robert Paterno, 826LA
A mock crime scene kick-starts this lesson, getting students to hone their inferencing skills and serving as inspiration for crime stories.
by Kyley Pulphus, 826 New Orleans
In this workshop, students will create a pourquoi tale, or origin story, of how a local delicacy came to be.
by Marya Spont-Lemus, 826CHI
Through brainstorming and drafting activities, students will learn the basics of personal narrative writing and craft an essay that they can use for college, scholarships, job applications and more.
by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC
Students examine relationships between art, poetry, politics, and current events, and reflect on personal experiences while writing social justice poetry.
by 826 New Orleans
In this lesson, students have an opportunity to write a letter expressing their views on issues that matter to them most surrounding an election.
by Allison Peters, 826michigan
Discover what’s possible through writing. In this lesson, students will write a thrilling new story about their future selves inspired by their curiosity and imagination.
by Bryan Wilson, Educator Leader, The Bureau of Fearless Ideas
What do you get when you mix foraging with metaphors? Metaphoraging, of course! In this interactive lesson, students will forage their learning space for metaphors.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP
Students will identify something they have inherited from their families, conduct interviews, and write a narrative essay. This lesson is especially well suited for English Language Learners.
by Ellen Lathrop and Malia Urbina, 826 Valencia
In this lesson, students will use descriptive language to write a poem about a favorite animal.
by Ryan Harty, 826michigan
By examining patterns in engaging published stories and applying a set of meaningful prompts, students will learn how to develop well-rounded characters that readers really care about.
by Ashlyn Anstee, 826LA
Using the classic battle between superheroes and villains as inspiration, students will create their own twist on a superhero comic, featuring believable characters and Marvel-worthy dialogue.
by 826 National, in partnership with Paramount Pictures
Imaginary friends come in all shapes and sizes! Inspired by the new Paramount Pictures movie, IF, students will create their own imaginary friend to take with them on their next adventure.
by Jayne Kennedy, 826LA
Gather students around the metaphorical campfire to craft a brochure for a Nature Preserve on another planet, complete with wild critters, plant life, unique geological formations, and park history
by Christopher Ankney, AT Bianchi, & Amy Wilson, 826michigan
Using Twitter as a storytelling medium, students will improve their understanding of perspective, editing for brevity, and the importance of word choice.
by Julius Diaz Panoriñgan, 826LA
Students explore multiple STEM disciplines and the importance of scientific modeling, all in context of an upcoming zombie apocalypse. They'll write technical notes and create an ongoing narrative.
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
Emotions play a big role in how we remember places important to us. Students explore this notion by writing memoirs, using plot, dialogue, and description to bring their stories to life.
by Alana Herron, 826 Digital Educator Leader
Students will craft an argument about a controversial topic they hold a personal connection to and record their argument to persuade their audience.
by Kelly Jones, 826 New Orleans
Through writing, drawing, mapping, and researching a chosen fruit, students will become more familiar with the often complex history of food and how people access it.
by 826 National
Inspired by George Ella Lyon’s original poem, this lesson guides students through naming the people, places, and things that have shaped them.
by Naomi Solomon, 826NYC
In this lesson, students will learn about different types of rhymes, identify rhymes in lyrics and generate rhymes to use in their own lyrics.
by Tom Molanphy, 826 Valencia
Students will learn to see home in a fresh way, to walk through doors and open windows they never noticed, and to find the stories that home holds.
by Rebecca Darugar, Liz Levine, and Brancey Mora, 826NYC and 826 National
Invite students to write about their personal experiences with social media and online platforms with this lesson from 826NYC.
by Miriam Nash, Ministry of Stories and BBC History
In this lesson, students will emulate Dylan Thomas’ famous drama, Under Milk Wood. Students will create imaginative works of fiction that examine their neighborhood in order to bring it to life.
by Tim Campos, 826 New Orleans
Through discussion, map-making, and writing, students will investigate the ways in which our knowledge of places is constructed and will uncover the ways that this knowledge is distorted by biases.
by 826 National
What happens when we start from a place of gratitude? In this lesson, students will use Ross Gay’s "Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude" as a catalyst for a daily gratitude journal.
Inspired by Angela Iton and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia
In this lesson, students will use mentor texts to hone their revision skills before turning to their own poetry drafts.
by Neil Gordon, 826LA
Using precise, clear instructions, each student will create a treasure hunt document that provides clues for finding a treasure hidden in a location of their choosing.
by Lindsay Ringwald, 826LA
In this lesson, students will imagine a narrative in the form of a craigslist advertisement to showcase a typically scary monster as a down to earth creature.
by Louise McCune, 826 Valencia
Working as budding archaeologists, students use artifacts as inspiration for several short writing pieces.
by Mallory Miller, 826 Digital Educator Leader
In this lesson, students will construct a short narrative told through concrete poems.
by Daniel José Older, author of Flood City.
Students will work together to produce a newspaper for the fictional Flood City. In the process, they will take on the roles of editor and journalist to source, draft, and present their newspaper.
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
Over the course of this lesson, students produce memoirs, poems, and essays that explore what it means to be a member of the LGBTQIA community in America today.
by Kim Adelman, 826LA
In this lesson, students imagine trading lives with a fictional character for a day and write about the fantastic possibilities that would ensue.
by Dr. Bunny McFadden, 826 Valencia
Imagination opens doors to new possibilities. This lesson allows students to exercise their imaginations by describing an imaginary door to the future and picturing what is beyond it.
by Jane Roschen, 826LA
This lesson prompts students to explore the exciting range of things they can do when they grow up and highlights the importance of education, curiosity, and role models.
by Mindy Misener, 826michigan
Students learn how poetry can “break the rules” then practice breaking the “rules” in their own poems by challenging the expectations, assumptions, and principles their work set up.
by Nathalie Lagerfeld & Jill Carey, 826CHI
Borrowing inspiration from out-of-this-world illustrations, students will create an amazing sci-fi story with a fantastical setting, realistic characters, and page-turning plot.
by Jory John, 826 Valencia
Students will explore the essentials of an effective “how-to” piece, while considering their own areas of interest and expertise to share with their peers and the world at large.
by Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia
Students write ekphrastic poems, exploring and creating connections between text and image.
by Laura Lisabeth, Ph.D, 826NYC
In this lesson, students experiment with the multimodal composition of Instagram and use this social media platform to promote a social justice issue.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP
In this lesson, students explore the genres of historical and speculative fiction before they reimagine a time they felt powerless and write a different outcome.
by Marini Drobish, 826 Digital Educator Leader
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.
by Erin Ruane, 826 New Orleans
In this lesson, students are challenged to reevaluate the way water and land are represented on a map.
by Emily Clader & Daniel Reck, 826michigan
Students will create infinite poems using fractals, imagine life on a doughnut, and speculate about a universe where time goes crazy. Along the way, they'll explore cool, new math facts and concepts.
by Ryan Harty, 826michigan
By examining patterns in engaging published stories and applying a set of meaningful prompts, students will learn how to develop well-rounded characters that readers really care about.
by Paris Hyun, 826LA
Students play the role of benevolent inventor. They identify and think critically about real world problems, and create an ingredients list and usage instructions for an elixir that fixes the problem.
by Rebecca Escoto and Cynthia Aguilar, 826LA
Students will identify the characteristics of a hero, familiarize themselves with heroes in their own community, and write an explanatory piece identifying a hero in their community.
by 826 National
Stories are the thread that connect communities. In this lesson, students learn more about culture and identity through Dakota and Hmong textile arts, as well as reflect on their own identities.
by Mariama J. Lockington & Peter Calhoun Hall, 826NYC
In this superlesson, students isolate DNA, design planes, build lairs, and engineer safe transport to help a hero save the day. Students will also take technical notes and explore new forms of poetry.
by Karla Brundage, 826 Valencia
In this Lesson, students will further their understanding of how language can impact identity through the process of naming.
by Klariza Alvaran, 826CHI
In this lesson, students explore the graphic novel genre with a focus on plot and character development, scripting dialogue, and visual composition.
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