| Objectives: |
- Students will learn, listen, read and discuss jazz poetry and concepts of improvisation and interpretation - This relates to Illinois Learning Standard 1.B.4a.
- Students will write, edit, and present orally a poem reflecting jazz poetry genre - This relates to Illinois Learning Standards 3.A.4, 3.A.5, and 4.B.5a.
- Students will discuss meaning and attributes of poems (their own and published authors) - This relates to Illinois Learning Standards 2.B.5a and 4.A.4a.
| Activities: |
- Discuss prior knowledge of jazz
- Listen to jazz poetry readings
- Listen to jazz songs; visualize scene for writing
- Discuss concept of improvisation
- Brainstorm/Organize: Narrator, setting, character, plot, etc.
- Group Writing - Students in will selectively pair/triad/quad and write a collaborative poem
- Group Poetry Reading - Students will read their poem to the class
- Discussion
- Revisions and Submission
- Discussion - How did it go? What did you learn? What do you want to learn more about?
"Blues" (1929) Archibald J. Motley Jr.
| Materials: |
- CD Player
- Audio - "The Weary Blues" - Langston Hughes
- Music - "Strange Fruit" - Billie Holliday
- Music - "(What Did I Do T Be So) Black and Blue" – Louis Armstrong
- Music - "The Mooche" - Duke Ellington
- Music - "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" - Ella Fitzgerald
- Music - "Acknowledgement" - John Coltrane
- Music - "Resolution" - John Coltrane
| Assessments: |
- Students will create a poem reflecting jazz concepts and/or themes
- Discussion
- Music critics and historians often refer to jazz as a metaphor for American ideology. Why?
- What did you like about this lesson? Elaborate.
- What did you dislike about this lesson? Elaborate.
- If we had more time in class, what would you like to explore further?
- How might today’s ideas and activities influence your future writing?
"Jazz is a music that really allows a person to express his deepest self, his most personal self… improvisation being the key." – Harold Land
- Demonstrate understanding of genre through writing
- Language is descriptive, clear, and interesting
- Presentation shows engagement
