Don't Let Me Be Lonely Lesson Plan

Lyric, Prose, and Avant-Garde

Kind of Activity:

Group Work

Objective:

Students will research lyric poetry, prose poetry, and avant-garde poetry to better understand the genre of Don't Let Me Be Lonely.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.9, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1

Structure:

Don't Let Me Be Lonely is a unique work that defies easy categorization. Begin by having students discuss how they would classify the book. Does it fit with their understanding of poetry? Does it seem more like an essay or even an unusual novel? Remind students that Rankine has explicitly referred to the work as a "lyric," which is a genre...