Mini Lesson & Micro Teach Portfolio

Lesson Plan
Grade: 11 -12
Subject Area: English
Standard: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text,
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices
on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is
particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
(11‐12.RL.4)
Objective: SWBAT create blackout poems using an excerpt from Frankenstein.
Materials:
 Printed excerpts from Frankenstein
 Markers
 Google Slides on Blackout Poems
 Laptop

Opening Introduce thinking 3 minutes

questions via Google Slides
Importance of individual
interpretation

Model Share samples, briefly go 1.5 minutes

through them

Practice Allow students to create 3.5 minutes

blackout poems with a page
from Frankenstein

Closing Share ideas, connect to 2 minutes

larger project

Personal Connection to Topic

I was immediately drawn to blackout poetry when I first did it in ENG471 last year. My
class made poems with excerpts from YA Lit books, but for this mini lesson, I want to use
excerpts from classic books that are more often taught in the traditional high school
curriculum; since we are all secondary education majors in this class, I think it will be
more beneficial to practice engaging with texts that we will be more likely to teach in the
future. I love the concept of blackout poetry because it can help students practice various
skills, such as constructing knowledge/making interpretations after reading, identifying key
words, writing poetry, using visuals to reinforce meaning, and making connections from
poems to excerpts (i.e. “How does my poem connect to the themes/ideas of the original
excerpt?”). Students I have met in my internship classroom and at the tutoring center I
work at seem to be struggling with making their own interpretations/inferences—they are
used to having one uniform, clean-cut answer—so I think this activity can benefit them by
making poetry writing and interpretation more fun and creative.

Related Teaching Ideas and Extensions

● Although this mini lesson focuses on poetry based off a classic, it could also be done
with texts of all genres and time periods.
● Students can work in groups, and each group can be responsible for making a poem
based on an excerpt from one chapter/section.
○ Within the groups, students can assume different roles (e.g. artist, facilitator,
word finder), with each person documenting the duty they fulfilled for
accountability’s sake.
○ Every group will present their poem to the class to provide insight into their
chapter of focus; the completed poems will then be put up to line the walls of
the classroom and make a montage of sorts.
 Annotated Bibliography

Arizona Department of Education. (2013, October). Arizona's college and career ready

standards - English language arts 9-12. Retrieved February 8, 2018, from

https://cms.azed.gov/home/GetDocumentFile?id=550c579eaadebe15d072a9a9

It is important to know what students are expected to learn to better prepare them for

postsecondary education and/or careers.

DePasquale, J. (2016, April 15). Blackout poetry [Blog post]. Retrieved February 2,

2018, from Top Teaching Blog: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-

posts/john-depasquale/blackout-poetry/

Scholastic’s Top Teaching Blog offers countless ideas for purposeful and engaging

lessons/activities, which are contributed by teachers of all grade levels and subject areas.

Funk, G. (n.d.). Wreck a classic with blackout poetry: a close reading of Walton's Letters

in "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein". Retrieved February 4, 2018, from BetterLesson

website: https://betterlesson.com/lesson/589945/wreck-a-classic-with-

blackout-poetry-a-close-reading-of-walton-s-letters-in-mary-shelley-s-

frankenstein

BetterLesson allows users to explore thousands of lesson plans and instructional resources

contributed by teachers of all grade levels and subject areas. It is also helpful because users

can view standards, full-on units, and more.

Make Blackout Poetry [@makeblackoutpoetry]. (n.d.). Posts [Instagram feed]. Retrieved

February 7, 2018, from

https://www.instagram.com/makeblackoutpoetry/?hl=en
This Instagram feed displays countless inspirational blackout poems that could be used to

entice students. It really shows the power of creativity by presenting all sorts of designs,

colors, content, etc.

Shelley, M. (2016). Frankenstein; Or, the modern Prometheus (Rev. 1831 ed.). Retrieved

6, 2018, from

https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/s/shelley/mary/s53f/contents.html

The University of Adelaide provides online access to a vast number of classic books, as well

as information on their authors, research, additional resources, etc. This resource is a free

library and can help readers find texts that may be difficult to acquire physically.