Poetry Through Rap

Preface

This unit is designed to teach poetic devices through a fresh new frame of rap music to middle school or early high school students. According to the common core, high school students should be able to, “determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.” Students will create a piece to demonstrate their comprehension of rhythm, rhymes, alliteration, assonance, metaphor, and worldplay. Multimedia connections to popular icons in youth culture will help create an engaging pedagogical experience for all students, including those who are disengaged and typically shy away from poetry. Through writing workshops students will meet with myself as well as other students to efficiently plan, edit, and revise their pieces. After creating the project students will write a metacognitive piece, allowing them to explain their rhetorical uses of poetic devices. As an extra credit option students will be able to perform their pieces creating a tighter classroom community and give students a chance to speak in front of their peers. All research that inspired the pedagogical design of this project came from: Richard Beach, Teaching Literature to Adolescents 2nd Edition (2011); H Sam Alim Roc The Mic Right: The Language of Hip Hop Culture (2006); Tom Romano Blending Genre, Altering Style (2000).

 

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