Grades 6–12
3 Sessions, 45 Minutes Each
PoetryLessonsStudents will learn how to explore poetry that utilizes multiple languages, and the power that comes from speaking multiple languages.
Students will produce a poem that features multiple languages.
In this first session, students will read and listen to examples of bilingual literature and explore how language plays a role in one’s experiences and identities.
10 Minutes
Begin by asking students to guess how many active, spoken languages around the world. (Spoiler alert: According to Ethnologue, an annual catalogue of the world’s languages, there are an estimated 7,100 active languages!) If time allows, navigate to this page that shares the top 20 most-spoken languages this year and click through to learn more about where each language is spoken.
5 Minutes
Next, ask students to share a) the languages that they speak and then b) the languages they’d like to learn. All experience levels matter—only knowing a couple words, studying for years, or first languages. As students share, track their responses on the board in two different columns: languages currently spoken and languages to learn.
Editor’s Note: Add your languages, too! Does anyone speak Klingon, Elvish, or Dothraki?
15 Minutes
Educator Note: You will return to students’ responses to questions 2 and 3 below in Session 2. Be prepared to save their responses. We suggest taking a picture of the board so that it’s easy to display later.
Next, ask students to share thoughts on bilingual poetry:
Students will watch the two examples of bilingual poems that you chose—if time allows, watch all three! As students watch and listen to these poems, display page 1 of the Bilingual Poetry and the Power of Voice — Handout. Ask them to consider the two questions listed there:
After finishing the poems, ask students to turn and talk to a partner about the two questions. After two-three minutes of discussion, ask for volunteers from the pairs to share their answers.
Then, return to question 1 from the handout. Share with students that writers who are bilingual or multilingual have a variety of different reasons for writing in different languages. Many do it because they feel like using multiple languages best encompasses who they are—how they think, how they speak, or how they feel. There’s no right or wrong way to write in multiple languages.
10 Minutes
Next, share with students that they will have the opportunity to write a poem that features two languages. If students already speak a second language, they will be encouraged to write in that language. If students don’t speak another language, then they will be encouraged to explore a language they’ve always wanted to learn. [students who already speak another language are welcome to choose this option, as well. If students do not want to add additional language to their poem, that is also an option.]
Educator Note: This lesson is designed to introduce students to bilingual poetry and the unique power it holds for the writer and reader. All students should feel welcome to participate, whether they speak one or multiple language(s), and we encourage students to center their voice and interests in the writing process. For example:
Pass out page 2 of the handout to give students time to do a quick brainstorm of potential poem topics. This is an open-ended prompt; however, the handout provides several categories of topics to get students started. There are also open slots for students to create their own prompt. We encourage students to write about what inspires them, so the options are endless!
5 Minutes
Finally, ask students to take out their writing journals or a blank piece of paper and reflect on a question they’re currently sitting with: it could be about the poems, any of the conversations they’ve had, etc.
10 Minutes
To begin, write the phrase “endangered languages” on the board and ask students to share their thoughts on what they think it means.
If students did not call out this information already, share with them that an endangered language is one that is at risk of disappearing, due to there no longer being any speakers. Much like classifications of endangered animals, endangered languages can range from “Vulnerable” and “Dormant” all the way to “Extinct.”
Watch the linked portion of “How Languages Die” from PBS Storied. (4:01-8:28), to learn more about why languages disappear and what gets lost when they do. After watching the video, ask students to share their thoughts on the video:
Then, display the answers to questions 2 and 3 that you saved from Session 1. Review the previous questions and the answers. Then, ask students to turn and talk to a partner about these same two questions—this time, in context with the information they learned about endangered languages. After 2-3 minutes of discussion, ask for volunteers to share what they talked about with their partner.
If students don’t call out this information, share with them that there is power in speaking and writing in more than one language because of what languages represent—people. Spoken and written language is how we are able to keep our collective understanding about the world alive. Through artistic modes of communication, like oral storytelling, music, writing and poetry, we can capture the real stories of the people who speak the language. When a language dies so much gets lost with it.
5 Minutes
Next, guide students back to their list of potential topics from Session 1. Given the conversation about endangered languages, what other topics can they think of to add? Are there family stories they feel are important to document? Do they want to write about a mentor or a friend and the impact that person has on their life? Give students a few minutes to add to their list.
10 Minutes
Pass out page 3 of the Bilingual Poetry and the Power of Voice — Handout so students can begin brainstorming the details of their poem. Encourage students to use specific details, like dialogue, setting descriptions, and sensory language. Remind students that, when it comes to adding an additional language into their poem, they have three options:
15 Minutes
Once students have finished brainstorming, they can begin writing their poem in their writing journals. If students are writing in a language they already speak, they can either write their drafts in both languages, switching languages when they feel it’s appropriate—or, they may write their draft in the language they feel most comfortable with and then choose the words and phrases they’d like to translate during the revision stage.
5 Minutes
To wrap up today’s session, ask students to turn and talk to a partner about their poem: What are they excited about? What are they still thinking about?
In this session, students will read mentor texts, written by other students, to learn more about incorporating another language in their writing.
5 Minutes
To begin, ask for volunteers to share what’s been coming up for them over the course of the lesson:
After 2-3 minutes, ask for volunteers to share.
10 Minutes
Next, share with students that they will add their second language into the poem today, during the revision phase. To give them examples of how this could be done, display the mentor texts on pages 4-5 of the Bilingual Poetry and the Power of Voice — Handout and ask for volunteers to read each poem out loud. After both poems have been read, ask students to share their thoughts on the way the writers used two languages:
30 Minutes
Educator Note: Students will finish these steps at different paces, depending on the option they chose. If you have students who chose not to add a second language, we suggest that they act as a peer editor for students still in the revision phase—just get the rest of the students’ OK, first!
For most of the remaining time, students will work on revising their poems, with a focus on adding their second language. First, pass out page 6 of the handout and give students the opportunity to select parts of their poem to translate and to briefly reflect on why they chose those words or phrases.
After students have completed page 6 of the handout, provide them with page 7 so that they can go through the revision phase. After students have revised, they can rewrite the final version of their poem on pages 8 and 9.
Conclusion: To conclude, invite volunteers to read their poems and to share more about their translations, if they made any. After all volunteers have shared, ask students to share about what it was like to learn about writing in multiple languages. Would students who already knew a second language write another piece with it; do students who explored a new language plan to continue studying it?
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