Self-expression is a key component that adolescents at a certain stage of development (eighth grade) need to be aware of and understand. Students are undergoing dramatic change during this time of their lives--they are moving from Erikson's Industry versus Inferiority stage to Identity versus Role Confusion stage. Poetry is a literary genre in which adolescents can learn to express themselves and find their identity. This curriculum unit introduces poetry and increases student interest in poetry, especially poetry of the Harlem Renaissance, with Nikki Grimes's "Bronx Masquerade" as a perfect bridge to the study of Harlem Renaissance poetry. The unit is designed for eighth-grade English at Scotland School for Veterans' Children where the student body is predominantly African American and considered at risk. It follows the rule that using culturally relevant literature is the key to motivating and engaging students. The unit incorporates art, music, history, geography, and even mathematics, as well as the Internet. It also incorporates Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. Poems included in this curriculum include: "Seal" (William Jay Smith); "Harlem" (Langston Hughes); "The Negro Speaks of Rivers (To W.E.B. DuBois)" (Langston Hughes); "If We Must Die" (Claude McKay); and "Hurricane" (Bob Dylan with Jacques Levy). The unit is divided into the following parts: Rationale; Curriculum Web; Multiple Intelligences Web; Objectives; Lesson 1; Lesson 2; Lesson 3; Lesson 4; Lesson 5; Lesson 6; Lesson 7; Lesson 8; Lesson 9; Enrichment/Sponge Activities; Inclusion Modifications; Description of Learning Experience; and a 33-item bibliography, as well as a 7-item webography and a 7-item discography. (NKA)