Classroom Activity I
A Poet, I Am
Goals: Students will expand their thinking on poetry and what poetry means. Students will engage in discussion with peers in order for them to understand the multiple interpretations of poetry. Students will understand poetry as a social tool for change in their community. Students will gain new perspective of poetry by interpreting and analyzing poems written by African- and Caribbean-American poets. Students will reinforce their understanding of the connections between hip-hop and poetry through close analysis of the works of male artists and poets Talib Kweli - "Get By," Buju Banton - "Untold Stories," Common - "The People," Linton Kwesi Johnson - "If I was a Top-notch Poet," Claude McKay - "America," and Langston Hughes - "Theme for English B" and through the creation of their own poetry. Student will participate in class discussions. Students will recognize recurring themes and metrical strategies used in social change poems and lyrics. Students will practice oral speaking and reading skills in a group setting. Students will define poetry through brainstorming to form a consensus working definition.
Objectives: This lesson is designed for students in high school and can be adapted to serve students in learning support environments. PA State Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening 1.1.11.C; 1.1.11.H; 1.2.11.B; 1.3.11.A; 1.3.11.C; 1.3.11.D; 1.6.11.A; 1.6.11.C; 1.6.11.F; 1.7.11.B; 1.7.11.C. PA Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities 9.1.12.F; 9.1.12.J; 9.1.12.K; 9.2.12.C; 9.2.12.E; 9.4.12.C; 9.4.12.D.
Materials: Lined paper, printed poems/lyrics, glossary of poetry terms, LCD Projector, Interactive Whiteboard; audio speakers, Internet access, computer, microphone, iPod, or other recording and/or video devices. A blog can be created for the class.
Procedure: Day One: Using the works of the artist sampled above or using America themed poems by Whitman, Hughes, McKay, Angelou, and Heron. Write on the board, "What is Poetry?" Students can define it in a word, sentence, phrase, or poem. Their answer must be completed in 3 minutes. Have a timer available in the room on that day. Have two students come up to the board to write down answers given to the class. Then, call on various students to shout out their written response, only reading from their papers — no free style answers from the brain, only their paper. After all students respond, the teacher will show on the Interactive whiteboard definitions from Dictionary.com, Urbandictionary.com; and Wikipedia.com. Next students will be lead in a discussion comparing the multiple definitions. This discussion should bring in the comparison of prose, too..
Next post on whiteboard the lyrics/poem Heron's, "Winter in America," Whitman's, "I Sing America," and Angelou's, "America." Have students choose two of the poems for text rendering12. Share their picks around the room and then give writing assignment.
Day Two: Show Gil Scott Heron's "Winter in America" video clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGlRsjHTkbs). Have written on the board- What is the difference between poetry and prose? As they listen to the performance, they can write their brainstormed answers to the question in their notebook. Using a two columned note-taking style, one column should reflect thoughts and the other column should show sentences formed form their thoughts. The second column can be completed later for homework. Students should conclude that it is difficult to separate the two styles of writing. After this, student should reflect on their writing from the text rendering exercise to determine whether their writing is prose or poetry.
Day Three: All poetry pieces are to be presented in class. Have classroom set-up like a staged venue or coffeehouse. Prepare to video students for future use. Later in the week, ask to use the auditorium or library, those spaces will reflect the seriousness of the completed written projects.
Day Four: Blog post their prose writing, the posts should be written or in video or completed in a slide show format. This lesson can only be completed if a computer lab is available for the class' use.
Assignment(s): Day 1 - Write a poetic piece about America in your own words, using at least two terms (sentence/phrase/word) from your text rendering. Note which selection you are reflecting.
Day 2 - Review your piece and make it the opposite of what you intended (prose to poetic or poetry to prose).
Day 3 - Answer the following questions, how did the meaning of the piece change as it was re-written in a different genre? Did re-writing it change the interpretation of your piece? How did it feel to vocalize your words? Are there any changes you would make? Why or why not?
Follow-up activity: Students can prepare a show for the school or be entered into Poetry Slam venues across the city. Also, students can be scheduled to perform for parent group meeting at the school or any other special event. The teacher will determine if their performance piece is appropriate for the specific audience that will be addressed.
Assessments: Students will show an understanding of different writing genres, they will be able to express critically and analytically their interpretation of America through the poems/lyrics or their own writing.
Comments: