POETRY CURRICULUM 2021-2022 EDITION
TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION II. UNIT OVERVIEW III. RACIAL EQUITY & SOCIAL JUSTICE IV. OBJECTIVES V. SEASON TIMELINE VI.) LESSON PLANS VII. APPENDIX
INTRODUCTION America SCORES New York seeks to create equitable opportunities for young people to experience sport, express themselves and inspire positive change off the field and outside the classroom. Using a social justice youth development framework, we emphasize racial equity, fair play, teamwork and youth voice as key drivers of building a better, more equitable New York City.
Teamwork, leadership, commitment: three words that our America SCORES program seeks to instill through our coaching to embody our mission. The following objectives will help coaches to ensure that these values are at the forefront of their students’ minds as they travel beyond the soccer field and classroom into their communities.
Social justice youth development is the focus - poetry is only the tool.
UNIT OVERVIEW
FOUNDATIONS TO POETRY & SOCIAL JUSTICE | 10 lessons The purpose of this unit is to build the foundation for the work you will do during the season. Poets will set ground rules and discuss what it means to have a safe and supportive space. Poets will learn how to use their youth voice for social justice and racial equity. Poets will explore what teamwork, leadership, commitment and being a part of a community represents. Poets will also explore some of the fundamental elements that will be used when writing poetry: lines & stanzas, rhythm and rhyme, descriptive language, alliteration, onomatopoeias, similes and metaphors. At the end of this unit, poets will come together with their teammates to create a group poem. DIFFERENT FORMS OF POETRY & EXPANDED SOCIAL JUSTICE TOPICS | 4 lessons Poets will continue to use their youth voice and write poetry in a variety of forms, explore the structure of different types of poems and themes based on social justice, racial equity, etc. (coaches can choose which four), and then write their own poems that follow that structure. Poets will be encouraged to incorporate the fundamental skills that were introduced in the Foundations to Poetry & Social Justice Unit. POETRY SLAM PREP | 8 lessons Poets will hone their presentation skills as they prepare to perform their original poems at the Poetry SLAM!. Poets will work individually, with other poets, and with coaches to strengthen and prepare final drafts of their favorite poems to display in a Poetry Anthology which documents their work over the course of the season. REFLECTION | 2 lessons Poets will reflect on their past lessons, poems read/shared and written, Poetry SLAM! presentation and overall season as a whole (including soccer). In addition, poets will choose which social justice topic means the most to them personally, which will lead into setting your team up for success in the civic engagement portion of the spring season.
RACIAL EQUITY & SOCIAL JUSTICE America SCORES New York (ASNY) is committed to advancing racial equity - equitable opportunity for everyone regardless of race, color, ethnicity, and how they intersect with other forms of identity - by combating individual, institutional, and structural forms of racism throughout all facets of its operations. Its dedication to free, high-quality after-school programming seeks to eliminate socioeconomic barriers to participation, promoting access, and inclusion. ASNY provides safe and welcoming program spaces for youth and families who identify as Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and all communities of color throughout New York City, where young people can express themselves through soccer, amplify their voices through poetry and connect with their communities on a deeper level through civic engagement projects. ASNY strives to ensure that staff, coaches, leadership, and Boards are reflective of the racial demographics of the communities it serves and incorporates anti-racist practices into all aspects of its programming including curricula design, implementation, and evaluation. It seeks to unite the diverse community it serves by celebrating and centering the voices of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people, as well as all communities of color. ASNY’s Statement on Racial Equity and Social Justice is a living document that will be revisited regularly, intended to guide the organization in every facet of its operations.
OBJECTIVES By the of the season, students will be able to: Understand and describe the difference between Equity and Equality, and be able to apply their knowledge to explore a wide range of social justice topics. Feel empowered to use their Youth Voice to talk about Social Justice and Racial Equity within their communities, and express their feelings and opinions in writing. Identify a line, line break, and stanza in a poem. Count the number of syllables in a single word and in a line of a poem. Write a poem that uses descriptive, vivid language. Identify and produce examples of alliteration. Identify and produce similes. Identify and produce metaphors. Describe several conventions of poetry (i.e., lines, rhythm, rhyme, etc.). Write poems in a variety of forms (epistle, free verse, haiku, shape, quatrain, etc.).* Confidently perform and fluently read their work in front of a group, speaking with expression at an appropriate speed and volume, making eye contact with the audience, standing with appropriate body language. Understand and execute the writing process: pre-writing/brainstorming, drafting, revision, editing, and creating a final copy, with the overall goal of having one original piece be published in the Poetry Anthology. Listen to, appreciate, and reflect on (through writing and/or discussion) a variety of published poetry on various social justice topics. Approach writing with increased enthusiasm and interest.
SEASON TIMELINE
COACHING FOR HEALING & SOCIAL JUSTICE As coaches and staff, awareness of trauma or adverse student experiences and being responsive as coaches can help sports contribute to the healing process. Students may not feel emotionally or physically safe in places that should feel safe, resulting in hyper sensitivity to safety threats. However, sport is uniquely suited to help young people heal from the impact of overwhelming stress or trauma (source: We Coach). Trauma short circuits our stress response and makes it hyper sensitive and overactive but playing a sport can help regulate this stress in manageable ways and build healing and resilience.
What ASNY can do: help to foster an environment where the soccer field and the classroom are safe spaces for our young people that focus on the individual and team as a support system. Relationships - trust is the antidote to stress. The Practice Positive Traditions more we can have small connections with young Circle Up before and after practice - circles are people, the more those connections will turn into a safe and inclusive trusting relationship. This is important for regulation Fair Play Norms Check-ins/check-outs, freedom of expression Sports are active (patterned, repetitive, rhythmic Team songs/cheers, warm up routines activity); this mimics our mother’s heartbeat, which Inclusive grouping strategies - ex: lining up by calms the stress response, that sound is associated height or birthday order, then splitting into teams; with feeling safe finding your “sole mate” (person that has similar shoes to you) Patterns of stress - the opposite of stress is not no TLC cards during practices and games stress, but dosed, manageable stress - for example; adding speed and picking up head as Create Contribution Opportunities - the opportunity to you learn to dribble. Controlled, moderate, and “do good” predictable stress builds resistance Help set-up/breakdown Help demonstrate/lead an exercise Predictable & Consistent Routine Opt-in/opt out - give players a choice Beginning and end of practice - warm-up and cool down Coach the Bench, Praise the Play “Forecast” of the day - knowing what to expect Though it is natural to direct most of your active creates a sense of security, safety and control coaching towards players currently in Focusing on one skill at a time - help build and competition/on the field, those on the bench are rebuild self-efficacy & self-esteem in the perfect situation to learn from your coaching Student centered - asking questions when points (calmer, less fatigued, better able to hear teaching a new skill you) Alternatives to consequences - “reset zone” when A coach shouting on the sideline can often just young people are upset, angry, or frustrated feel like someone shouting angrily which may have its own detrimental effect Connect within 60 seconds of a substitution - this is one of the most crucial moments in sports for children affected by trauma; the first minute is a great opportunity to help reframe player experiences and assumptions about the event
ORGANIZING YOUR PRACTICE As a coach, you lead your team in several ways: you are a teacher, a role model, and a source of encouragement. Organizing your practices is imperative to a successful season with your team. Here are some tips to help with practice planning: Try to find 10 or 15 minutes in your busy schedule to plan soccer practice ahead of time. Determine your objectives and themes, and use appropriate skill building exercises and games to teach and reinforce those objectives. Use the lesson plans provided in this curriculum to guide you - there are 10 weeks of lesson plans starting on p.__ Focus on one or two related skills - For example, consider focusing on just dribbling. Too many skills will be confusing and the poet-athletes will not retain concepts. Topic suggestions are split up by week and can also be found in the Lesson Plans. Emphasize the focus - In the beginning of practice, tell your team the focus and SEL Theme of the day (example - dribbling & self-control). Pay careful attention to coach your focus and not so much on other aspects of play. Allow your team to see the importance of the chosen focus to help them retain what they have learned. Healing-Centered Tip: This will help poet athletes to know what to expect in the practice and accordingly take any potential stress that might come with unexpected activities or pressure.
Get your team involved in leadership roles - From the very first practice, give opportunities for players to lead warm ups, exercises, and help demonstrate activities. Healing-Centered Tip: This will help establish leadership naturally and provide space for players to elevate their voices and take control over aspects of their sessions.
Progress from basic to advanced - As you are teaching a skill, move from performing exercises without pressure (defense or offense) to playing in a game-like situation (scrimmages), gradually increasing the pressure.
Healing-Centered Tip: This will help build fundamentals and allow for predictable and dosed stress, rather than introducing a concept and adding pressure all at once.
Activities should move from one to the next - Fluid transitions will not only make your practices more effective, but it will minimize downtime and keep your team focused! While they are finishing another exercise or taking a water break, set up the next activity or as a bonus ask them to help you set up the next activity and get them involved. Many of the activities throughout the Lesson Plans are designed so that you do not need to change the set up and disrupt the flow of the session too much.
LESSON PLANS As mentioned before, it is incredibly important to plan out your session ahead of time. Taking ten minutes to put intentionality behind your practice can make a world of difference for how your poet-athletes will enjoy their time, how productive it will be, and (perhaps the biggest incentive for you) how easy your day will go as a coach.
In this section, you will find an outline for a typical SCORES soccer practice session plan, a blank template you can fill out yourself, and dozens of carefully designed sessions that you can pull from whenever you wish!
Healing Centered Tip: Remember how important establishing a routine is for your poet-athletes! When they know what to expect, it is both easier for them to arrive at practice more relaxed and ready to go, but also enables poet-athletes to step up into leadership roles with rituals like team cheers or circle stretches.
SCORES SESSION PLAN CHECK IN + DO NOW| 5 minutes To start, coaches and students will circle up and check-in with each other. This is a great way to establish necessary routines, as well as give each student the opportunity to share how they are feeling ahead of the lesson. Coaches will introduce the theme of the day through a correlated SEL question, to be revisited at the end of practice.
ICEBREAKER | 10 minutes These activities strengthen the team and encourage a sense of community by getting both coaches and students comfortable with each other.
ACTIVITY | 20 minutes The coach will introduce the objective of the day, often asking for a volunteer to read aloud a Literary Moment that exemplifies the skills that poets will develop during the lesson. Many Literary Moments will highlight diversity, equity and social justice in a positive manner. Poets are provided an opportunity to work as a team, or in small groups to strengthen their understanding of the concept/skill.
PRACTICE | 15 minutes This portion of the lesson allows poets to apply the skills that were introduced and practice writing (and/or drawing, depending on their level) on their own, or in small groups.
SHARE OUT | 5 minutes Poets should have a chance to share out their work with the team. Not only will this hopefully help students feel comfortable sharing themselves with their teammates, this also allows poets to begin to build their skills as presenters and listeners ahead of their Poetry SLAM! Performances.
REFLECTION| 5 minutes To close, end the lesson by bringing students back in to their circle and pose another check-in, now that they’ve completed the day’s work. Ask the closing SEL question, give space for Hilos (shout-outs to teammates) and always close with an America SCORES cheer! Again, establishing routine here is key.
BUILDING TEAM CULTURE pt. 1 Week 1, Lesson 1 Objectives: Poet-athletes will get to know their coaches and teammates. They will talk about the America SCORES values of Teamwork, Leadership and Commitment. As a team, they will create the ground rules that they will follow throughout the season. They will create and practice a team cheer or handshake. SEL Theme: Relationship skills - contributing to the team CHECK-IN + DO NOW | 5 min Introductions! Start a conversation about teamwork. Ask: What does it mean to be a team? What is teamwork? What are some qualities that make someone a good teammate? Can you give an example? Write answers or key words on the board. Review the team’s schedule, the importance of attending both writing and soccer practices, and other logistics. ICEBREAKER | 10 min | Ball Toss Challenge Have poets stand in a circle with their hands up. One person begins by naming another person, then tossing the ball to him/her. Poets should put their hands down after they have had the ball. Time the team to see how long it takes to get the ball to each person. The last person to receive the ball should toss it back to the person who began the game. For the second round, toss the ball around the circle in the same order. It’s a memory challenge! From whom did you receive the ball, and to whom did you pass it? Repeat the game a third time but this time do NOT call out names—complete it silently. Play 23 more times, encouraging the group to complete it faster. If you have more than one ball, challenge the team by adding in 1-2 additional balls to the rotation. Alliteration Introductions Have poets stand in a circle. Each person should think of an adjective that describes them and begins with the first letter of their first name (e.g., Amazing Abby), as well as a unique movement or motion (e.g., jump up and turn around in the air). Coaches should start the game by saying an adjective and doing a motion for themselves. Then the whole group repeats the alliteration and the movement until each poet has had a turn.
BUILDING TEAM CULTURE pt. 1 Week 1, Lesson 1 Objectives: Poet-athletes will get to know their coaches and teammates. They will talk about the America SCORES values of Teamwork, Leadership and Commitment. As a team, they will create the ground rules that they will follow throughout the season. They will create and practice a team cheer or handshake. SEL Theme: Relationship skills - contributing to the team ACTIVITY | 20 min | Setting Expectations Talk about the SCORES core values of Teamwork, Leadership and Commitment. Add any words to the board that describe an excellent America SCORES team member. Describe Leadership and Commitment to your team. Ask for examples of how they can demonstrate Leadership and Commitment as a member of their SCORES team. Explain to your team that this SCORES season is about working and growing together. As a coach, it’s your job to make sure that everyone feels safe during SCORES practices and writing workshops without fear of being hurt by the words or actions of others. In order for us to be safe and have fun, we need to agree on ways that we will behave every day. PRACTICE| 15 min | Our Beating Heart Help your team develop their own team norms and values contract. This activity provides a group with some goals related to how they want to work together and some of the negative things that they want to avoid. Draw a big heart on the board/chart paper. INSIDE the heart, we want to write things we want to uphold to be successful - working together, being kind, staying positive etc. OUTSIDE the heart, write things we want to keep out - being negative, mean, put downs, physical harm, etc. Explain to the group that the "Beating Heart” is a living/breathing thing. Just like people, group dynamics can change over time. Explain that for this reason the group will revisit the "Beating Heart" periodically through the season to make sure that everything still applies to the group. Ideas can be added and removed throughout the year. COACHING TIP Try to display “the being” in the classroom or area where the group meets. This will serve as a tangible reminder of the norms the group made collectively. SHARE OUT | 5 min What did you contribute to our "Beating Heart" and why? REFLECTION | 5 min What is one thing you will do this season to be a good America SCORES teammate?
BUILDING TEAM CULTURE pt. 2 Week 1, Lesson 2 Objectives: Poet-athletes will continue to solidify team norms & begin to learn and share more about themselves and each other. SEL Theme: xxx CHECK-IN + DO NOW | 5 min To begin the class make sure the "Beating Heart” is out and displayed for the entire class. Finish or review it. If there are new group members see if one of your young people wants to walk them through the process of how the "Beating Heart" came to be. Have the new students add their ideas and provide space for returning students to add. ICEBREAKER | 10 min | Where the Wind Blows Give each student a small piece of tape and have the students stand in a circle. Ask one student to volunteer to be in the middle and take that students tape. All the students standing in the circle should place the tape on the ground in front of them. The tape indicates a placeholder. The person in the middle needs to say a sentence of something they have done before or that applies to them. The sentence should start with the phrase; “the wind blows for anyone who…” For example, “has been on an airplane”, “loves soccer”, “was born in NYC”, “has a pet”. If the person’s statement applies to someone standing in the circle, that person has to move from his or her place and stand in a different place in front of the tape on the ground. The person in the middle will need to try and get in front of one of the open place holders before the others. If they are successful they are no longer in the middle. The person left in the middle starts a new round by saying a different statement. Note: People cannot move one spot to their immediate left or right. For example, they can stand two places away, but they cannot move to the left or right of their current spot in the circle. Ask: What was one thing you learned about a teammate you did not know before today?
COACHING TIP This is a great way for poet-athletes to share whatever they feel comfortable sharing. Allow for a minute or two of informal socialization after the activity for poet-athletes to explore these newfound connections and similarities with their teammates.
BUILDING TEAM CULTURE pt. 2 Week 1, Lesson 2 Objectives: Poet-athletes will continue to solidify team norms & begin to learn and share more about themselves and each other. SEL Theme: xxx ACTIVITY | 15 min | Acrostic "SCORES" Poem Spell out "SCORES" vertically on a piece of chart paper or the board. As a team, you will create rules and expectations Begin with an example: S - safety first (this is a non-negotiable) C - confidentiality O - open-mindedness R - respect E - excellence S - service Ask poet-athletes what kind of behavior and values they would like to include in the team Acrostic poem. Post these rules alongside the "Beating Heart" in your classroom, visible to all. Tell the poetathletes these agreements will guide them the entire season. You may want to ask them to write down a copy of the team's acrostic poem into their journals as a written contract, or have every poet-athlete sign the chart paper. PRACTICE| 15 min | Team Name Now that you have established team culture, and decided on team rules and agreements, you are ready to name your team! Depending on the size of your group, you might need to split poet-athletes into smaller groups and then share out after brainstorming. Make sure to take a vote - every poet-athlete's voice matters! SHARE OUT | 10 min | Team Cheer Ask poet-athletes to come up a team cheer based on their newly decided upon name. I.e. "I don't know what you've been told, but TEAM NAME is as good as gold!" or "Who are we?! PS 139! What do we stand for? Teamwork, Leadership & Commitment - TLC!" REFLECTION | 5 min How will you help your team uphold your team agreements? How can we help others stick to these agreements?
EQUITY vs. EQUALITY Week 2, Lesson 3 Objectives: Define and find the difference between Equity and Equality Learn how some group of people have privileges and advantages Learn how equity can help balance out the disadvantages that exist in society SEL Theme: Social Skills/Social Connections - Teamwork CHECK-IN + DO NOW | 5 min How many of you have heard the word equity? How many of you heard the word equality? These are different and right now, we will try to learn how they are different
What is the difference between the two images? Explain: Equality - The state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. Everyone is provided with the same resources. Explain: Equity - Fairness and justice in the way people are treated. Explain: Although equality is what we should strive for, in order for it to be achieved we need to treat everyone equitably and fair based on their needs; to balance out the inequalities that exist within society. In other words, we need equity first before we hope to reach equality! ICEBREAKER | 15 min Divide poet-athletes into two groups by the month they were born or first letters of first names. (e.g. January-June and July-December or A-M, N-Z). Then do the following: Without explaining why they are being separated, direct students in each group to sit in different areas of the room/space.
EQUITY vs. EQUALITY
ICEBREAKER, Continued Decide which group will be the “favored group.” Then without explaining why, give each student in the favored group a new pencil/or any other item like a TLC card. Mention that only one group will get the item, and that group also will be getting other special privileges (Ask the groups what the word privilege means. Privileges are advantages granted to a particular person or group. Some of the other privileges awarded to the group include field trips to historical museums, professional soccer matches and/or musical theater concerts, etc.) Students in the other group likely will protest. After a few minutes (or until someone in the other group says, “That’s not fair!”) stop the exercise. Explain: You intentionally did this with a purpose of identifying a favored group vs non favored. Ask: Which group were you in, the favored group or the non-favored group? How do you know? How did it make you feel being a part of the non-favored group? How did being a part of the favored group feel knowing that one group was not receiving any of the advantages you were receiving? ACTIVITY | 20 min Explain: When we think about treating others equitably, we should think about treating others fairly and considering their needs. Write the word, “fair” on the board/chart paper. Ask students to think about what the word, “fair” means to them. Ask poet-athletes to work in pairs or small groups and to share their ideas about the definition of fair. Allow some time for sharing out with the team. Ask: Going back to the icebreaker and Do Now activities, How might it be done in an equitable and fair way? Give the pencils/privileges to students who earned them? Give to all students? Randomly picked students' names out of a hat? Or give out to students who need it most? PRACTICE| 15 min Ask: “Do you think our team norms in the classroom/space are equitable?” Coach Note: Refer to the team norms created together as a team. Write your responses in their journals to these following questions: Why do you think it is important that the rules in the classroom are equitable and fair? How would you feel if only certain kids got special privileges based on what they looked like or whether they were a boy or girl? Have you ever seen anyone being treated unfairly or treated someone unfairly yourself? What might you do if you think someone is being treated unfairly? SHARE OUT | 5 min REFLECTION | 5 min How can treating people equitably and fairly help the world be a place where everyone is equal?
SOCIAL JUSTICE THRU POETRY Week 2, Lesson 4 Objectives: Poet athletes will be able to define what Social Justice is and what it means to them SEL Theme: xxx CHECK-IN + DO NOW | 5 min Who remembers what the difference between equity vs. equality is? Treating people fairly often means treating them differently - not everyone is born with the same resources and access, and everyone has different needs. What does the word “justice” mean to you? Take two minutes to write down or draw what you picture when you hear the word “justice” Now think what does the word “social” mean to you? Same as before, take two minutes to write down or draw what you think when you hear the word “social” ICEBREAKER | 10 min | Stand Up If... Read out different scenarios below in which someone is getting discriminated against based on who they are, trying to cover all different potential themes Students stand up and shout “That’s not fair!” If they don’t think the situation is fair. Scenarios: A girl asks to play basketball at recess with the boys. The boys tell her, “No way- girls aren’t any good at basketball!” After coming to America from another country, a student who is still learning english has classmates who make fun of how they talk. Every day on the school bus, a girl teases a boy for his weight, calling him “fatso” everytime she walks past his seat. A student is bullied for having holes in their shoes and coming to school with the same outfit on multiple days in a row. A girl who likes to wear her hair short is told by the others on her soccer team that she is a boy and that she can’t play with them- she has to join the boys team instead. A boy who loves to act in the school plays is made fun of by the other boys, who call him “that gay kid” and don’t let him sit with them at lunch. Did you notice if any of these situations had anything in common? Were all of these people being discriminated against for who they were or what they loved? How would you feel if you were one of those people who was discriminated against?
SOCIAL JUSTICE THRU POETRY Week 2, Lesson 4 Objectives: Poet athletes will be able to define what Social Justice is and what it means to them SEL Theme: xxx ACTIVITY | 20 min Take those ideas from the Do Now and connect them to the Stand Up If icebreaker… what is the connection between EQUITY and society? How can we define “social justice”? Example- Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. Seeing EQUITY in SOCIETY - can you think of examples of equity in society? Can you think of examples of INequity in society? Why do you think they exist? PRACTICE| 15 min Ask for areas of social justice (examples: racial justice, climate change, gender equity, etc), then ask for them to choose one. Have the students write down which one means the most to them personally, and have them group together. In their shared groups, ask the students to dream up a society where their cause is treated equitably. OR Ask students to list topics from the Stand Up If exercise - write them on the board Students choose which is most meaningful to them, and they write a short story (or create a comic strip) about a superhero fighting for that specific cause SHARE OUT | 5 min Poet-athletes share out what they came up with during the practice portion. REFLECTION | 5 min SEL Question: What can WE do to help make our society more just and equitable?