Lesson Plans

"What I Didn't Know Before": Using the Volta

By Sarah Kortemeier

Students will write a poem that features a volta (a change in the poem's argument), using Ada Limón's "What I Didn't Know Before" as a model.

Education Level:

High School, University, Adult

The Logic of Lineation

By Matthew John Conley and Sarah Kortemeier

Students will explore the effects of line endings by discussing lineation in an existing poem and generating lineated poetic text. Students will also listen to and transcribe poetry.

Education Level:

High School, University, Adult

"Ballad in O": Sound, Sense, Play, and Place

By Sarah Kortemeier and Ryan Winet

Students will use assonance to reinvigorate and examine their relationship with a familiar place.

Education Level:

High School, University, Adult

My Name Is...

By Sarah Kortemeier and Julie Lauterbach-Colby

Students use prompts drawn from Roger Bonair-Agard's "allegory of the black man at work in the synagogue" to write about the identities they inhabit.

Education Level:

High School, University, Adult