The unit encompasses both Language Arts and Social Studies strands of teaching and study. Students will learn that poetry is an expressive art form that combines human ingenuity and experiential outlet. They will also learn that America was built on people moving into and around this country, growing their cultural legacies around centers, most notably big cities, and contributing to the formation of modern urban culture that makes available such rich art and history. Poetry is such a rich outlet to explore alongside urban migration because it illustrates the struggles and triumph of these populations through art. Students will be privy to provocative confessions, dazzling wording, effective metaphor, and human wonderment, to only name a few advantages of studying the creative perspective of migrating populations in American history.
They do this through both historical learning activities, and poetic study and creative writing. Each "Lesson" outlined in this unit encompasses several class periods of instruction.