Blackout: Selecting Meaning

Overview

Lesson 11 of 18 in Poetry: Craft, Revise, Perform. Students use teacher-created or self-written prose to make blackout poems, selecting and sequencing existing words to communicate a deliberate meaning. The lesson emphasises ethical source use, purposeful omission, visual structure, sound and revision.

Learning intentions

• WALT select existing words and sequence them to create a new poem with deliberate meaning.
• WALT use line breaks, spacing and omission for purpose and effect.
• WALT explain how a source text and a new poem can create different meanings.
• WALT revise word choices for sound, emphasis and coherence.

Success criteria

• I can select words that form a coherent poetic arc.
• I can use line breaks and spacing intentionally.
• I can explain the relationship between the source text and my new meaning.
• I can revise my selection for sound and emphasis.

Curriculum links

• Phase 3 Creating Texts: select, transform, structure and refine language for purpose and effect.
• Language: make deliberate lexical, syntactic and visual choices.
• Oral Language: listen, discuss and present ideas clearly for an audience.
• Developing the key competencies: thinking critically, managing self and participating and contributing.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 minutes – Discuss found language and permission Open with the hook and permission discussion. Ask: “Can words from an existing text become a new poem?” Establish that students may use the provided copyright-free passages or their own writing, but not an unlicensed book. Explain that the ethical choice is to use text they have permission to transform.

2. 4–9 minutes – Model the technique Display the blackout poem model and show the mentor text:

After the Storm the street is quiet except for water carrying leaves past broken branches toward the brightening

Present it as a mock page with only the selected words visible. Explain that the poem is original even though it uses language from a permitted source. Think aloud: “What story does the surviving language imply?” “Where does the eye pause?” “What word changes the emotional direction?” Point out how omission, line breaks and the final word shape meaning.

3. 9–14 minutes – Try a selection strategy Distribute the blackout poem planning sheet and direct students to scan their passage without blacking anything out yet. First, lightly circle possible anchor words: a character or subject, an action, a feeling and an ending. Students test three possible sequences on the worksheet, changing the order or removing words to make the meaning clearer. Remind them that blackout poems usually keep words in their original order unless the teacher has deliberately allowed rearrangement; selection and spacing do the main work.

4. 14–20 minutes – Create the first version Students choose their strongest sequence and black out or digitally hide the unused words. They should leave selected words clearly visible and use line breaks, spacing and the shape of the page intentionally. Circulate and ask: “What is your poem moving towards?” and “Which word carries the greatest weight?” Students write a one-sentence rationale explaining the relationship between the source and their new meaning.

5. 20–24 minutes – Revise for sound and emphasis Students read their poem quietly, then revise at least one choice. They might remove a weak word, alter a line break, add space before an important word or choose a stronger ending from the available language. Pair students briefly to read their poems aloud; the listener identifies one noticeable pause, sound or emphasis and asks one respectful question.

6. 24–28 minutes – Read and respond Invite three or four students to read their poems, showing the page or digital version. Use the sharing and response prompts to guide responses: “What meaning did the surviving language imply?” “Where did the eye or voice pause?” “What changed from the source text?” Keep feedback focused on craft rather than judging the writer’s personal interpretation.

7. 28–30 minutes – Reflect and set a next step Return to the self-assessment and reflection section. Students complete: “My most deliberate choice was…”, “The source text suggested…, but my poem suggests…”, and “Next time I will…”. Collect the sheets or photograph digital work for formative assessment.

Resources

• the complete blackout poetry lesson deck
• the blackout poem planning sheet
• Teacher-created, copyright-free prose passages
• Student-written prose passages, if available
• Black markers or felt-tip pens
• Tablets or a simple digital blackout/annotation tool
• Projector or interactive whiteboard
• Printed model page showing the mentor poem
• Timer

Assessment

• Observe whether students select words that create a coherent poetic arc and use omission purposefully.
• Check each poem and rationale for deliberate lexical, syntactic and visual choices.
• Use the reflection to identify students who need further support with sequencing, line breaks or explaining implied meaning.

Differentiation

• Provide pre-highlighted passages or word banks with possible subjects, actions, feelings and endings for students who need reduced cognitive load.
• Pair students for selection and oral rehearsal; allow digital hiding tools, enlarged text or speech-to-text for students with motor, visual or literacy needs.
• For EAL learners, briefly clarify key words in the passage, provide sentence frames such as “The source suggests…, while my poem suggests…”, and accept oral rationale before written recording.
• Extend confident writers by creating two contrasting versions from the same passage and comparing how syntax, sound, omission and final words alter the implication.