Leading a Power Line Lesson in Imagine Reading

As students begin to encounter academic discourse about informational and literary prose, it is important for them to understand and use another form of writing: poetry. Understanding and using poetic language helps students "pursue discipline-based inquiries more fully and deeply and think creatively with more substance than they would otherwise." In an Imagine Reading Poetry Study, students read a poem and supporting prose that helps them better understand it.

The purpose of the Power Line Lesson is to help students “enjoy the poem for what it is on the surface and also understand the strong messages hidden in the language.” Although the structure of the Power Line Lesson differs from the Power Sentence Lesson in several ways, the focus on interactive, whole-class instruction and discussion remains the same. Each Power Line Lesson creates opportunities to explore and discuss key lines from a poem, thereby unlocking deeper meaning, deeper connections, and deeper insights into the poet’s craft. Throughout the lesson, students also apply their new understanding to the Focus Question, which helps them create connections between poetry and broader academic topics. At the end of each lesson, students have the opportunity to use what they learned to develop their own writing and strengthen their own poetic sensibilities.

The targeted language instruction in each Power Line Lesson benefits your students in multiple ways:

• Helps students discover the beauty and usefulness of figurative language when
  expressing ideas and emotions.
  
• Provides students with insights and ideas that enrich their own writing—both poetry and
  prose.
  
• Builds students’ understanding of poetic language, helping them engage with literature
  that builds empathy and emotional intelligence.
  
• Provides a model for students to engage in academic discourse.

Before Teachers lead a Power Line Lesson, they should prepare for the lesson and print offline materials, then follow the Power Line Lesson Plan.

To access the Power Line Lesson Plan

1. Log in to the Literacy Suite. If this is your first time logging in, choose Imagine Reading. 

   

2. Click Unit Library in the upper navigation bar to choose the poetry unit that you want to lead a Power Line Lesson for.
3. In the navigation pane, click the name of the Poetry Study that you want to lead a Power Line Lesson for, then click Power Line Lesson.

   

Teacher Preparation

Instructions on how to prepare for each Power Line Lesson are provided in the Lesson Plan. Read or review the Power Line Lesson Protocol, read the poem that includes the Power Lines, and print any offline materials.

Print Offline Materials

Before leading a Power Line Lesson, Teachers should print the Poetry Study found in the Power Line Lesson Plan.

To print offline materials

1. In the Power Line Lesson Plan, scroll down to Student Materials, then click Poetry Study.
   

   

2. Print the Poetry Study from the browser.

Follow the Lesson Plan

The Power Line Lesson Plan includes step-by-step instructions on how to lead a Power Line Lesson, including:

• Establishing Context for the Power Lines
• Deconstructing the Power Lines and Unpack the Meaning
• Connecting Ideas Between the Power Lines and Focus Question
• Reconstructing the Power Lines
• Transitioning to Close Reading
• Completing the Extension Activity (optional)