The Cremation of Sam McGee
Poetry Lesson Plans

McGee Poetry Lesson Plans Objective
Present and Discuss two types of poetry - narrative and lyric. Define different types of figurative language.

McGee Poetry Lesson Plans Materials

• Class Set of The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service
• Teacher Notes (for student use via overhead, handout, computer projection)
• A Picture of a winter landscape

McGee Poetry Lesson Plans Lesson
Warm Up
Look at the picture on the overhead. Describe what you see and predict what our poem today might be about.

Overhead Notes

Types of Poetry
Narrative - poetry that tells a story. Has plot, characters, and a setting. Unlike a fiction story the narrative poem uses sound devices such as repetition.

Lyric - poetry verse that expresses a poet's thoughts and feelings about a single image or idea. Written in musical language.

Figures of Speech
Simile - comparison of 2 unlike things using like or as.
Example: she sang like an angel

Metaphor - a comparison between 2 or more seemingly unrelated subjects that typically uses the phrase "is a" to join the first objects.
Example: that dog is a wet mop!

Hyperbole - exaggeration meant to produce a particular effect.
Example: the guard was twelve feet tall with muscles of steel

Personification - Giving human characteristics to nonhuman subjects. Example: the washing machine danced across the floor

Sam McGee Poetry Lesson Plans Work Period

1. Read The Cremation of Sam McGee once through as a class.
2. While reading together, students should raise hand when noticing one of the four defined figurative language examples above. They should also keep 4-column notes with each Fig. Lang. as a header. Write out any examples they come across.
3. Also during reading, stop at the end of each stanza and have students write one sentence explaining the main action of the stanza. Share and discuss.

4. After Reading as a class, answer question - which type of poem is Sam McGee?
5. Students answer on their own:
   * Is Cap obligated to cremate Sam? Why or why not?
   * Stanza 14 leaves three possible interpretations to what happened to Sam McGee. What are they? Which do you believe and why?
   Interpretations are: (1)Sam is dead, (2)Sam "thawed out" and came back to life, (3)Cap has gone crazy and thinks Sam is talking to him

Cremation of Sam McGee Poem and example warm up picture located in right column.

Sam McGee Poetry Lesson Plans Homework
Choose your favorite example of figurative language from The Cremation of Sam McGee. Explain which it is, how you know, and use it another sentence. Bonus points for a whole paragraph stemming from the phrase!