Lesson Plan
Cleveland Poetry Scenes: Ray McNiece
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  1. Goal/s: Students will read a poem and present their analysis to the class.
  2. Relevant Standards/Benchmarks/Indicators: Students will meet the ELA 11-12 program benchmark by “communicating findings orally”.
  3. Behavioral Objectives: Students will summarize the findings of their group discussion, define two vocabulary words, and develop a creative way to present their poem to the class.
  4. Materials: Cleveland Poetry Scenes book, directions handout, paper, pen, dry erase board, dry erase markers
  5. Pre-Requisite Knowledge: Students will need to read and comprehend a poem, analyze the poem in a group setting, and organize a short presentation of their findings to present to the class.
  6. Procedures:
    1. Set Induction: Students will be given the Cleveland Poetry Scenes book and will read pages 246-249 silently before being given directions and divided into groups.\
    2. Development: Students will count off to create 3 groups. Each group will be given 1 of the poems written by Cleveland author Ray McNiece. Groups will be given 15-20 minutes to re-read their assigned poem and organize a short presentation to give to the class following the guidelines on the handout. Each group will be given 7-10 minutes to present their findings and will be graded as a group and on their individual contributions and responses.
    3. Question:
      • Explain what your group found to be the central theme or meaning of the poem.
      • How does the poem exhibit aspects of Cleveland? If this is not directly addressed, think about what the poem means to you and how this might relate to your particular community, or to someone else’s.
      • What do you think was the author’s inspiration for writing the poem? Refer to the author’s statement and address one of the reasons stated for why he writes; how does this influence the poem?
    4. Closure: After all groups have presented, I will give some general feedback on the presentations (articulation, organization, mannerisms, etc).
    5. Assessment: Students will be graded on the overall quality of the presentation as a group, and on their comments/contributions as an individual. The presentation will be worth a total of 40 points.
  7. Follow Up: Students will be examining and exploring more Cleveland authors in the poetry book. As this occurs, they will be able to compare and contrast the various styles and themes found within the different poems.
  8. Reflective Self-Evaluation:
    • Were the activities appropriately timed?
    • Did the students engage with the activity?
    • Was there enough to do to ensure that students were accountable in their group and on-task?
    • What may have helped make the lesson run more smoothly?
  9. College/MUST Outcomes Addressed:
    • Urban Schooling and Communities 1 & 3: This lesson uses poetry from the Cleveland area to make it directly pertinent and applicable to students’ experiences. Many of the references within the poems are particular to Cleveland and show students how poets and poetry are at work within every community.

Cleveland Poetry Scenes
Ray McNiece

Directions: Silently re-read the assigned poem for your group. When everyone has finished, take 15-20 minutes to discuss and answer the following points with your group members. You group will be given 7-10 minutes to present your findings to the class.
This presentation should include:

  • 2 new vocabulary words from the poem and their definition (write these on the board for your classmates).
  • Explain what your group found to be the central theme or meaning of the poem.
  • How does the poem exhibit aspects of Cleveland? If this is not directly addressed, think about what the poem means to you and how this might relate to your particular community, or to someone else’s.
  • What do you think was the author’s inspiration for writing the poem? Refer to the author’s statement and address one of the reasons stated for why he writes; how does this influence the poem?

Your answers and opinions may differ within in your group; feel free to tell the class about your different interpretations when you present. Think of creative ways to tell the class about your poem! Each person in your group must make at least one comment (a complete sentence) to receive full credit for the presentation. (40 points)

Credit: Beverly E. Byrd-Lloyd, Chair, English Department, John Hay High School, Cleveland Metropolitan School District