Performance Tasks

Directions: Follow the instructions to complete the tasks below as required by your teacher.

As you work on each task, incorporate both general academic vocabulary and literary terms you learned in this unit.

Writing

Task 1: Literature [RL.9-10.4; W.9-10.9.a]

Analyze Figurative Language in a Poem

Write an essay in which you analyze the figurative language in a poem from this unit.

• State which poem you chose, and explain why you chose it.

• Identify a key metaphor, simile, or other example of figurative language in the poem. Explain why this figurative language is important to the poem's meaning.

• Analyze the meaning of the figurative language. Explain your analysis clearly.

• Explain how the figurative language contributes to the tone of the poem. For example, explain how the poet's word choices build or maintain a sense of formality or informality. Cite details to support your ideas.

• Edit your essay for correct punctuation and spelling.

Task 2: Literature [RL.9-10.5; W.9-10.9.a]

Analyze the Structure in a Narrative Poem

Analyze how a poet uses structure to present events in a narrative poem from this unit. Consider how the order of events creates an effect such as mystery or suspense.

• Give a brief summary of the plot.

• Describe how the poem is structured, or arranged in lines and stanzas.

• Explain how the poet uses the structure to organize information and tell the story. For example, consider how the poet uses the structure
to introduce characters, describe the setting, or show action.

• Explain how other structural elements, such as rhyme scheme, add to the poem.

• Consider whether the poet uses any devices to manipulate time. For example, explain whether the poet uses a flashback or alters the pacing. Explain the effects of these choices.

• Cite specific details from the poem to support your analysis.

Task 3: Literature [RL.9-10.5; W.9-10.2.b]

Compare Forms of Lyric Poetry

Compare two different forms of lyric poetry from this unit, and show how the form of each helps to express the speaker's thoughts and feelings.

• Review the different forms of lyric poetry from this unit-sonnet, haiku, and free verse. Choose two poems, each with a different structure, as the basis for your comparison.

• Analyze each poem, explaining its structure and form.

• Show how each poem's structure aids the speaker in conveying important thoughts and feelings. Provide specific examples from each poem.

• Compare and contrast the structures of the two poems, explaining how the patterns of rhythm or rhyme affect the overall mood and feeling each expresses.

• Finally, evaluate the two poems, explaining which poem, in your opinion, better uses its structure to convey the speaker's ideas. Use text evidence to support your judgments.