Lesson Introduction
To develop a practice of writing poetry, external support can be a precious tool. Found and blackout poetry are techniques that allow the poet to compose an original new text drawing inspiration from other works or textual documents. In this case, students will pull from the Poetry In Voice anthology. Picking words and verses that speak to us to integrate them into our own poem can have surprising results. Constraints are a source of creativity, especially when playing with English and French. By allowing ourselves to integrate words and expressions in English into a poem written mostly in French and vice versa, we decipher the codes of bilingualism. Our comprehension of a text is enriched by our knowledge of both languages.
Learning Objectives
In this lesson, students will have the opportunity to:
- Become acquainted with found poetry
- Enrich their vocabulary and their capacity to analyze texts
- Compose one or two poems, in French, in English or bilingual
- Improve second-language skills
- Recite one or two poems out loud
Materials and Resources
- Access to the online Poetry In Voice anthology
- Pens or pencils (colours according to the students’ tastes)
- Loose Leaf Paper
Poems and Poets Used in This Lesson Plan
Selection of the source poems and poets for this lesson plan is up to the teacher’s or students’ discretion. You can use the roulette, explore tags & moods or search for a particular poet to emulate.