This lesson was created by Northern Nevada Writing Project Consultant Rob Stone. If you're interested in using music in the classroom, you can join Rob's Music Inspires Writing! Ning.
Using The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, sung by Gordon Lightfoot as a model, students will write poems that tell a detailed story of a historical event. The poem will be brought to life using a combination of researched facts and descriptive assumptions. Student writers will convey strong details by including great verbs and adjectives, so their poetry can pick up where history left off and complete the story. Teachers: Click here to see the entire lesson plan.
6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:
The focus trait for this activity is word choice as students are expected to use strong, descriptive adjectives and verbs to bring the historical event to life
. The support trait is organization, which demands that students consider spacing and repetition as well as strong introductions, conclusions and titles
