This is the culminating activity for this unit. Students will embark on synthesizing their learning and create new meaning by means of an original group newsletter. Students will also learn desktop publishing, especially importing text and graphics and layout.

Students should have successfully completed all previous lessons in this unit. Students should have a working knowledge of computers and word processing.

Lesson 5: Project: creating a newsletter on a theme Students will be assessed on how well they complete each of the criteria listed below: 1. Give your newsletter a name. 2. Select at least four poems from this lesson. 3. Write a narrative of each poem. You may use words or phrases from the poem. 4. Accompany each poem with an original drawing, graphics, or digitized photos. 5. Prepare fictional stories, ads, notices of the characters in the poems. 6. Write short memoirs or an original poems centering around the theme. 7. Write a letter to one of the characters giving advice or stating your opinion about his/her actions. 8. In the voice of a character from a poem, write to a character from another poem either giving or asking for advice.

Project: Students regroup to create a four-page newsletter using a desktop publishing or word processing program such as Adobe PageMaker or Microsoft Word on the theme of Loneliness. Use the following suggestions to enhance your ideas: 1. Give your newsletter a name. 2. Select at least four poems from this lesson. 3. Write a narrative of each poem. You may use words or phrases from the poem. 4. Accompany each poem with an original drawing, graphics, or digitized photos. 5. Prepare fictional stories, ads, notices of the characters in the poems. 6. Write short memoirs or an original poems centering around the theme. 7. Write a letter to one of the characters giving advice or stating your opinion about his/her actions. 8. In the voice of a character from a poem, write to a character from another poem either giving or asking for advice. Newsletters are "published" around the classroom.

There should be enough computers for students to work in groups to produce their articles (at least two computers per group), access to scanners, digital cameras, and laser printers to print the finished product. Although a desktop publishing program is not a requirement, using Adobe PageMaker would help the students learn layout more readily. Word processing applications usually have templates for newsletters, but creating one from scratch is more meaningful.