Joy Harjo: The First Indigenous US Poet Laureate
RL.5.1, RL.5.2, RL.5.4, RL.5.5, RL.5.6, W.5.3, W.5.5, W.5.8, W.5.10, RL.6.4, RL.6.5, RL.6.6, W.6.3, W.6.5, W.6.10This interdisciplinary poetry unit invites students to explore voice, identity, memory, gratitude, and interconnectedness through the lens of Joy Harjo’s poetry and worldview. Over the course of five multi-session lessons, students will read, analyze, and respond to poems by Joy Harjo—the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate—while crafting their own original poetry. Blending reading, writing, visual art, and social-emotional learning, the unit supports students in reflecting on their lived experiences and expressing themselves creatively.
