Skip to content

Joy Harjo, Poet

The Power of Poetry (Season Two)

Overview

Back
Joy Harjo, Poet - The Power of Poetry (Season Two) - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"Storytelling is who we are." - Joy Harjo, The Thread

Joy Harjo describes growing up in Oklahoma and learning the stories of the Muscogee traditions and tragedies from elders. As the first Native American chosen to be our nation’s Poet Laureate and the 2024 recipient of the Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime achievement in poetry, Harjo unspools the threads of her life and the universal truths she has learned.

 

Watch "The Power of Poetry" 

Download Lesson
Access Transcript

Lesson Objectives

Social Studies

* Understand the impact of cultural traditions, including storytelling and rituals, on individual and community identity

* Explore the history of the Muscogee Creek Nation, their forced removal and experiences in Oklahoma, and their participation in The Battle of Horseshoe Bend

* Define systemic racism and its effect on Native American communities

English Language Arts

* Examine perspective taking from the point of view of one poet

* Analyze the structure and purpose ofa narrative, identify key themes in the episode, and synthesize information from a spoken text

* Analyze, reflect on, and discuss the title “The Power of Poetry” after watching the episode

* Write and read a poem and participate ina poetry competition as an elective activity

Social Emotional Learning: By offering engaging personal narratives, students can discuss and strengthen the five SEL competencies - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Media Literacy: Students will practice media literacy skills by analyzing information, points of view, and claims made in The Thread and be able to translate these strategies with all forms of media to make more informed decisions.

Joy Harjo, Poet - The Power of Poetry (Season Two) - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

First Take >

The "First Take" activity is a warm-up writing or conversation exercise created uniquely for The Thread to strengthen media literacy skills. Like an opening song in a musical, the first stanza of a poem, or even the first impression one person makes on another, the "First Take" asks students to reflect and share their initial thoughts and feelings about the episode’s opening and why the filmmaker and editor made these choices.

Download Joy Harjo's lesson to access her "First Take" activity.

Joy Harjo, Poet - The Power of Poetry (Season Two) - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

The Thread Up Close >

After watching the interview, students will debrief and discuss the life story and engage in a close read and analysis of her interview using the "The Power of Poetry" episode and transcript.

In this lesson, the suggested close read can connect with any units incorporating poetry or the importance of creative expression and its connection to cultural identity.

Download the lesson to access "The Thread Up Close" activity.

Joy Harjo, Poet - The Power of Poetry (Season Two) - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"The Power of Poetry" >

In this activity students will spend time exploring a small collection of Joy Harjo's poems on the Poetry Foundations website, select one poem to analyze in more depth, and share their interpretation in small groups. 

Download the lesson to see entire "The Power of Poetry” activity.

Resources

See lesson for resources

Back To Top