Write Your Own Ekphrastic Poem

This lesson features powerful imagery from the climate crisis, inspired by the California wildfires. Students choose one photograph and write an ekphrastic poem about that photograph. 

Step 1 - Inquire: Teacher facilitates a brief discussion using a photograph of the California wildfires in 2020.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students review photographs related to the climate crisis from Climate Visuals Gallery. Students select one photograph and write an ekphrastic poem about that photograph.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students share their poems with the rest of the class.

Positives

• This lesson features stunning images of the impacts of the climate crisis as well as climate solutions.

• There is a sense of mystery because students will write their poems before knowing the context of their chosen photograph.

Additional Prerequisites

• Before teaching the lesson, type your students' names into Slide 19 of the Student Slideshow.
  
• Make sure that all students have viewing access to the Student Slideshow and editing access to the Student Poetry Anthology Slideshow.
• Students may feel anger, anxiety, sadness, despair, fear, hope, or even excitement when viewing these pictures, writing their poems, or hearing their classmates’ poems. These emotions are normal and natural. Make sure students know it is OK to feel and express these emotions when confronted with the realities of the climate crisis.
• The information available for each image is varied. There is a lot of information about some of the photographs, but others do not have that much information.

Differentiation

• Be sensitive to the emotions of your students. Some of these photographs may remind them of personal loss or some other specific connection to the climate crisis.

• Students can use the "Ideas For Your Poem" on the slideshow if they have trouble starting.
• Some students may know of other climate-related photos that they'd like to use. Encourage students to use those photographs if they make sense in the context of the lesson.

This lesson introduces students to social-emotional learning and how to use ekphrastic poetry to write about an artwork. It also contains photography depicting impacts of pollution, environmental degradation, and the climate crisis for students to analyze, share their thoughts, and communicate their climate solutions. This lesson has satisfied the science review process, and it is recommended for teaching.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.

Supporting Standards

• English Language Arts
  • Language (K-12)
    • L.VI.6.4 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
    • L.VI.7.4 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
    • L.VI.8.4 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
  • Reading: Literature (K-12)
    • RL.TS.7.4 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text and how it contributes to the text as a whole, including how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning.
  • Writing (K-12)
    • W.NW.6.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
    • W.NW.7.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
    • W.NW.8.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

Note On Standards:

This lesson is aligned to SubjectToClimate standards. Review the aligned standards directly in the lesson plan document and teacher slideshow.