Free Verse Classroom Activities
Day 1– "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes
To begin this lesson, as a class we will brainstorm words of advice that parents give to their children. Ask students to share some advice that their parents gave them about life. Share with students that everyone goes through times where things do not always work out as they planned, and ask them what kinds of things their parents tell them when these things happen. Write these on the board as they list them. Pass out the poem "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes to each child. Have them read it to themselves, and then read it aloud as a class. To help students with comprehension, go through the SOAPStone questions (Appendix A) and have students come to the general knowledge of the poem. 1. What is the subject of the poem? The mother is giving advice to the son. What is it talking about? The mom has had a hard life with a lot of obstacles, but she continued going and working harder. Life was not easy for her. 2. What would make the poet write the poem? To share wisdom to others. Or to share the information that his mother shared with him. When would someone read this poem? When they have gone through a hard time and need some advice whether to give up or keep on going. 3. Who is the author writing for? Anyone Who does he want to read his poem? Anyone who needs encouragement to not give up. 4. Why did the author write the poem? To persuade people to keep trying and that life is not going to be easy. 5. Who is the speaker in the poem? The mother is speaking. 6. What is the tone of the poem? It is very serious, encouraging us to take things seriously.
After going through the questions, have students practice reading the poem out loud with fluency, to see how it should be read, and in what kind of voice. Let students practice this with a partner.
Day 2– "Magic Words Inuit Poet" after Nalungiaq
Begin lesson by asking students to remind us of the poem we talked about the day before. Who was the author? What was the poem talking about? Who might want to read the poem? Inform students that today we will talk about a different poem. A poem that describes the power of words.
Begin by asking students to say why words are important. What do words do? Students can share responses and also look for the answer to this question within the poem. Display the poem on the overhead, or opaque projector. Read the poem out loud to students two times. Again take students through the SOAPStone questions for comprehension. What is the subject or object the poem focuses on? Words: what happened when people and animals spoke. What would make the poet write the poem? To make people think about what they say. Who is the author writing for? Anyone who wants to read. Who does he want to read his poem? People with an imagination. Younger people. Why did the author write the poem? To entertain. This probably not real. Who is the speaker in the poem? Maybe the author. What is the tone of the poem? Is it funny and very playful. What is the author trying to make the reader feel? The author is trying to get the reader to think outside the box and use their imagination. What is the theme of this poem? After we have finished the questions, ask students to think about any other meanings that this poem could have. Did the poet really mean that people could be turned into animals and animals people? Could the poet have been saying that sometimes people behave like animals?
Give time for students to reflect on this poem in their reflective journals. Students can write their thoughts about this poem, or draw an illustration of the poem. Students can paste a copy of this poem into their journals as well.
Day 3–"Halfway Down" by A.A. Milne
Ask students if they have a special place where they like to go that no one else goes to. Discuss their special places and have students keep this in mind as we look at the poem. Begin taking students through the TPCASTT series of questions. Look at the title, predict what you think this is going to be about based on its title. Pass out the poem to each student. Allow students to read the poem to themselves and then read the poem out loud as a class. Ask student to paraphrase the poem, telling what the poem was generally about. Talk about the poem with students. Have students share their thoughts about its meaning and why the last line says " It isn't really anywhere, it's somewhere else instead!" See if students understand the playfulness in the author's tone. Is there a shift in speakers? How many are there? What does it mean now that the poem is read? What is the poem's overall theme? What is the author trying to tell you about the place on the stairs?
Have students write down their special place in their journals, and write one line explaining why it is special to them.
Day 4– Evaluate Free Verse
Have students look at all three poems that we have talked about this week and ask them how the poems are alike, and how they are different. Make a T chart on the board to write down student responses. Students should notice the many differences among the poems, but they should also look at how the poems were written. Guide students into noticing that although these are all poems, they do not follow any particular external rules. The author starts and stops a line wherever they want to. Students can also notice that some words rhyme and others don't. They can also notice how one gives advice, another tells a story, and yet another shares about a secret place. Explain to students that this kind of poetry is called free verse. It doesn't conform to any rules, yet it is clear and concise about sharing what it wants to say. Make sure that students understand that many authors write in free verse and that it is one of the easiest kind of poems to write about.
Have students take some time to look through some of the poetry anthologies in the classroom library and find examples of free verse poems. Have students share and practice reading the poems to the class and as a class, identifying why the poem fits in that genre.
Day 5– Writing
Now that students have a general knowledge and have worked with examples, they can practice writing their own. Have students use their own anthology to get ideas from their "world" in the back of their poetry books, and write a free verse poem about whatever they want. Urge students not to obey the rules of rhyming and explain to them that this is their chance to be free and not follow the rules of perfect grammar and punctuation. At the same time, make sure that students remember that poetry is a short way to express their ideas, and not to use a lot of words. After students are finished their final drafts they can copy them their personal anthology books under the label "Free Verse."
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