Classroom Activities
Before beginning the activities, I will assess the students' knowledge about the concept of voice by asking the question, "What is voice?" I will write a working definition of voice on chart paper. I will write: Voice is the person behind the words on the page that speaks to the reader. As students work through the activities, they will create a list of definitions below the working definition. The same poem will be used for Reader's workshop and Writer's workshop.
Activity One: "I Dream a World"
The students will read a familiar poem with expression.
The students will identify poetic devices and incorporate them in oral and written language.
The students will write a poem that captures the reader's interest.
Reader's Workshop
Before the Learning: Discuss the dream Martin Luther King Jr. had for the world. Tell the students that dreams can be wishes for family, children, the school or the world. Ask the students, "What is your dream for the world?" Model how to respond to the question by sharing your dream for the world. You could say, "I dream a world where powerful books capture children." Let students express their dreams for the world orally. Pass out copies of the poem, "I Dream a World" by Langston Hughes. Share background information about Hughes's experiences with segregation and racial injustice. Write these questions on the board, "What is the author's purpose? Who is the speaker in the poem? How does the speaker feel?" As you read the poem aloud, tell the students to close their eyes and listen to the speaker of the poem. Have the students read the poem aloud with you. Tell the students to think about the speaker of the poem and how he feels. The students will write their thoughts in their reading journals. Introduce the "I" voice. Explain that the "I" voice is the poet speaking directly to the reader.
During the Learning: Divide the class in groups. Assign each group four lines of the poem to practice choral reading. Tell them to highlight words or phrases that they will emphasize. Encourage the students to speak with feeling and emotion when they read aloud.
After the Learning: Each group will read their section of the poem to the class.
Writer's Workshop
Before the Learning: Tell the students to use their writing journals to take notes. Write the definition of personification on the board. Personification is a figure of speech which gives the qualities of a person to an animal, an object or an idea. Give examples of personification in "I Dream a World." Tell the students to highlight "Where wretchedness will hang its head" and "Where love will bless the earth." Have the students find another example of personification in the poem. Create a list of dreams for family, children, the school, or the world on chart paper. I will add my dream: I dream a world where powerful books capture children.
During the Learning: Give the students a sentence starter of "I dream a world where… or let them create their own words. Tell them to write two to four phrases to state their dream, using personification. Tell students to write their own poem about their dream. Encourage them to use the poem, "I Dream a World" as a model.
After the Learning: The students will share their writing with the class.
Activity Two: "My People"
The students will use oral language for different purposes.
The students will summarize the content of a poem.
The students will identify the meaning of poetic devices and incorporate them in oral and written language.
The night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people.
The stars are beautiful,
So the eyes of my people.
Beautiful, also is the sun.
Beautiful, also are the souls of my people. 12
Reader's Workshop
Before the Learning: Share background information about Langston Hughes's father. When Langston Hughes visited his father in Mexico, he didn't like his father's demeanor. His father was angry and bitter because of racism and poverty in America. Hughes's father, who was wealthy, blamed African Americans for the conditions that they lived in. Hughes was not pleased with his father's attitude or beliefs. Pass out copies of the poem, "My People." Read the first line of the poem aloud. Ask the students to read the next line. Continue this sequence until you have completed reading the poem aloud. Ask questions for discussion such as: Why did Hughes write this poem? What is the message Hughes is trying to express? What words grab your attention? How does this poem make African Americans feel? Why did Hughes use the night, the stars, and the sun to describe people?
During the Learning: Have students summarize the poem. Tell the students to highlight a phrase in the poem. Suggest that the students describe what it means to them and why it is important. Tell them to write a summary of the poem in their reading journal.
After the Learning: Have the students share their summary with the class.
Writer's Workshop
Before the Learning: Tell students to use their writing journals to take notes. Write the definition of a simile on the board. A simile is a figure of speech which involves a comparison between two unlike things. The words like or as are used in the comparison. Give examples of comparisons used in the poem, "My People." Tell the students to highlight "the night is beautiful and "the faces of my people." Explain the comparison of night and African American people. Write the simile: The night is like the faces of my people. Write more similes using phrases from the poem. Explain how the phrases express the beautiful elements of African American identity.
During the Learning: Have students write phases from the poem several ways. Stress that they make the phrases engaging to the reader by using similes. Tell the students to write their own poem using Hughes's poem as a model.
After the Learning: The students will share the writing with the class.
Activity Three: "Mother to Son"
The students will use oral language for different purposes.
The students will make judgments and inferences about characters and events.
The students will prewrite to generate ideas, write a rough draft, reread to revise, and edit to correct.
Before the Learning: Explain the invisible voice (imaginary speaker). Tell the students that Hughes uses an imaginary voice instead of his own voice to create the voice of the speaker. Share background information about Hughes's childhood. Pass out the poem, "Mother to Son." Write on the board: Who is the speaker? Who is the speaker talking to? What is the speaker's message? Do you know someone like the speaker? Read the poem aloud, changing your tone of voice at various lines of the poem. Tell the students that Hughes uses words in unique ways to share his message and feelings. Discuss the phrase, "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair." Explain the use of nonstandard English (dialect) in this poem.
During the Learning: Have the students read the poem silently and with a partner. Tell the students to respond to the questions in their reading journal. Remind them to find evidence in the poem to support their answers.
After the Learning: The students will share their responses with the class.
Writer's Workshop
Before the Learning: Tell the students to use their writing journals to take notes. Have students select someone in their life that gives them advice. Create a list of advice given by a teacher, mother, grandmother, or other significant person. Create a list of titles for their poem: Mother to Daughter, Grandmother to Son, Father to Son, and Teacher to Student.
During the Learning: The students will follow the steps of the writing process to write their own poem using Hughes's poem as a model.
After the Learning: The students will share their writing with a partner.
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