Poetry Writing Lesson: Amanda Gorman
Lesson Plan
1 hourGrades6, 7, 8English Language Arts
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Written by Dan Castrigano
About this lesson
In this lesson, students will analyze Amanda Gorman’s poem “Earthrise” and write their own poetry.
Inquire: Students watch Amanda Gorman perform her poem “Earthrise.”
Investigate: In groups, students analyze one stanza of “Earthrise,” take notes, and then share their thinking with the rest of the class.
Inspire: Students write their own poem, drawing inspiration from “Earthrise.”
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Everything you need to teach it
How to edit these materials (video)Teaching tips
Suggestions
- Teachers can highlight specific poetic devices to review or teach, including alliteration, internal rhyme, metaphor, personification, and enjambment. Students can find examples of each poetic device and create their own in the Inspire section.
- Students will engage in lively group discussions. This poem is abundant in deep meaning and rhyme.
- Students can research and engage in spoken-word poetry and analyze Gorman’s use of gestures, pacing, and tone.
- Students can research other young climate activists like Autumn Peltier, Jordan Sanchez, Aniya Butler, Ayisha Siddiqa, and Xiuhtezcatl Martinez. Students can compare how their poetry and calls to action differ in style but share a common goal.
- For an art or visual connection, students can create a found poetry collage. Students find images that represent the metaphors in "Earthrise" and weave the text into a visual art piece.
- For a musical or experiential connection, students can create an "Earthrise" playlist compiling instrumental music or nature sounds to connect to the ethereal mood of the poem. Students can listen to the playlist while writing their own poems.
- Students can be encouraged to write a poem in their native language. For students who are multilingual, they can write the same poem in two different languages, read them aloud and share the differences or limitations of each language.
Prerequisites
- Before class, share the following with your students:
- Student Slideshow: Make a copy of the Student Slideshow and grant your students editing rights, as they will be writing together in the same slideshow.
- Full Text of the Poem “Earthrise”: Students will need viewing rights.
- Student Document: Each student needs their own copy, as they will be writing their own poem on this document.
- Amanda Gorman is most famous for performing “The Hill We Climb” at Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration on January 20, 2021.
- Amanda Gorman delivered a TED talk called “Using Your Voice is a Political Choice”.
Differentiation
- Teachers can select students of all abilities to read part of the poem after they have watched the video.
- The six stanzas selected for group discussion are of various lengths. They range from 6 lines to 19 lines. You can assign emerging writers to the shorter stanzas.
- Teachers can create groups of mixed abilities.
- Students may be unfamiliar with some of the vocabulary in “Earthrise.” One student in each group can be assigned to write down the words that the group does not know.
- Groups can look up definitions and create their own vocabulary word chart with a definition and an illustration.
- Students can use the two linked dictionaries on the resources slide to find definitions of unfamiliar words.
- Auditory or language learners can listen to the audio on headphones while they read the text to help with decoding and rhythm.
- Teachers can provide a poem writing template with sentence starters:
- "I see a world where..."
- "The Earth is like a..."
- "We must [verb] the [noun] now."
- Students can be required to use three specific devices Gorman uses: one instance of anaphora (starting lines the same way), one internal rhyme, and one metaphor.
- As a challenge or extension, students can "translate" or rewrite one stanza of the poem into a persuasive speech or a news headline, then discuss how the meaning changes when poetic devices are omitted.
From the scientist review
The lesson introduces students to basic literary techniques and how to use poetry skills to communicate climate change and solutions to a diverse audience. There is no science to verify, but the resources, accompanying materials, and links in the lesson are credible and ideal for teaching. This lesson has passed our review.
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About the teacher writer
Dan Castrigano
Academic Teacher at Burlington YouthBuild
Dan Castrigano taught STEM and humanities at elementary, middle, and high schools for 11 years. From 2021-2023, he served as the Chief Content Officer at SubjectToClimate. Dan advocates for climate education and organizes for climate, social, and racial justice.
