Curriculum Objectives
Content Objectives Regarding Unit Texts
What Whitman "I Hear America Singing"
Although this poem may not be considered activist poetry in the sense of containing a highly critical social or political message, it does, however, demonstrate a degree of consciousness surrounding the social order in America. It is this reason, coupled with its detailed imagery, which makes it a great starting point for struggling learners who are first being introduced to socially conscious poetry.
"I Hear America Singing" is a poem that aims to celebrate a vision of America that embodies tolerance, hard work and opportunity. Students should first be able to identify the poem's lower-order thinking elements. Students will come to understand that the persons in the poem are American workers of varied backgrounds and industries, singing an array of proud songs in celebration of their lives. Students will be able to identify the different types of workers and find significance in their variety. Furthermore, students will be able to consider the imagery Whitman uses to help understand the poem's purpose and its author's tone.
The clear vocabulary of this poem will help students identify Whitman's purpose. Words like 'singing,' 'strong,' 'varied,' 'carols,' 'belongs,' and 'melodious' help paint a picture of happiness, ownership and prosperity— thus allowing students to make clear distinctions surrounding Whitman's tone, or personal feelings, about the American worker.
Students should also understand the significance of this poem as a depiction of a country that stands up for opportunity, the working man (and woman), and his right to own what he works for. Some students may decide that Whitman's poem is about socialism: working class men and woman working for the betterment of the nation. However, Whitman's use of the words, 'Varied,' 'Belong,' and 'No one else' suggest private ownership and specialization. Nevertheless, this song illustrates a country that is filled with average men and women who make their country stronger by being responsible, hard-working individuals. It is the variety in the songs they sing that makes America such a harmonious place to live in Whitman's view.
Lastly, students should begin reflecting on their own feelings that have been evoked after thoroughly reading the poem. Students will be introduced to the concept of Mood and how poetry, when considered through the framework of one's own experiences, can stir many different but powerful emotions within a reader. Students may experience this poem as one that encourages pride, community, joyfulness, tolerance, etc. Conversely, students may argue that this poem is unrepresentative of the working man's experience. Either way, students will be encouraged to examine their own reactions to the poem and, most importantly, be able to identify what parts of the poem are responsible for those reactions.
As a final objective, students will create a number of questions that deal with the poem's topic, its depiction of that topic, or the author's intentions. The process of creating questions after reading Whitman's poem will help prepare them for poetry that is less accessible and contains more challenging topics.
Chief Dan George "There is a Longing"
Unlike Whitman's "I Hear America Signing," George's poem, "There is a Longing" highlights a divide between two cultures and the precariousness of Native American's future heritage. However, both poems challenge students to think about the relationships between peoples, both within and between societies. Students should understand the topic of this poem as follows: The speaker of the poem, presumably Chief Dan George, talks about a deep longing to solidify a prosperous future for Native Americans despite contentious and unresolved conflict with the White Man. He stresses the importance of having each generation stronger than the last and emphasizes this need by expressing his own feelings of impotence as a leader. George is convinced that if the heritage of Native Americans is to be protected, cooperation with the White Man is a necessity. However, the real struggle may be convincing the Native Americans to cooperate with the White Man. If students are having a difficult time understanding the topic of this poem in spite of using reading strategies such as 5W and Sum-it-Up, use the following line of questioning to help initiate lower-order thinking: what does the speaker long for? What is the speaker's greatest fear? What does the speaker want to happen? What is the problem the speaker faces? What is the speaker's solution to the problem?
Next, students will identify the purpose of the poem as a warning to the generations of Native Americans following Chief Dan George. Students may find purpose in the poem easier to identify when examining its literary devices. George's extensive use of metaphor and hyperbole help communicate a sense of urgency and magnitude: "There is a longing in the heart of my people to reach out and grasp that which is needed for our survival." Furthermore, George says, "The long years of study will demand more determination […] endurance. But they will emerge […] to grasp the place in society that is rightly ours." George's purpose is not only to instill fear or a sense of fragility in his people, but also to offer propositions to alleviate the fading Native American heritage. George states, "I shall grab the instruments of the white man's success—his education, his skills. With these new tools I shall build my race into the proudest segment of your society." Students should understand that the purpose of this poem is not to simply illustrate the divide between two cultures. When considering the last line of the poem, "ruling and being ruled by the knowledge and freedoms of our great land," George clearly wishes to peacefully coexist in a country that is not plagued by a fading heritage, but rather prospering in the collective harmony between two peoples who have learned to embrace their own history as well as the future histories of their "great land."
George's heavy use of literary devices and colorful vocabulary will also aid students in determining the tone of the poem. As stated above, George does not hold the White Man in contempt, necessarily, but rather acknowledges the White Man's place in society and thus hopes to benefit from their technology and education systems. However, that is not to say George is not discouraged. Students should focus on lines 16-19 where George speaks about his loss of power and inability to make war in the traditional sense. George acknowledges the new weapons of his people are his tongue and speech, implying that he is only as powerful as his audience will allow him to be. Using some of the reading strategies in this unit that focus on vocabulary, students will find George's tone as variably frustrated, discouraged, hopeful, ambitious, utilitarian and proud.
Helping students find the tone and purpose of this poem will help them form their own conclusions about this topic. Students of all backgrounds may relate to this poem as it can be interpreted in the context of a minority group being displaced, or simply the unraveling of one generation to the next. Have students record their own reactions to the poem and make meaningful connections to the topic of cultural disconnect. If students are having difficulty identifying their mood in response to the poem, ask them a series of questions: Have you ever felt a disconnect between your family or friends? When in History (or other literature) have we seen two cultures clash with one another? Do you believe the Chief's plan to work with the White Man is a good idea? Why or why not? These questions force students to consider the themes of the poem in the context of their own lives.
Bono and the Edge "Pride (In the Name of Love)"
U2's contemporary hit, "Pride" is a song that celebrates Dr. King's message of love, tolerance and peaceful resistance. Similar to the objectives concerning other texts from this unit, the objectives for this song focus on students considering why Bono wrote this song and how Bono feels about King as an activist.
Students will first examine the subject of this song. Bono writes about "one man" who has made a meaningful impact during his lifetime by sacrificing himself in the name of love. Students may draw an immediate connection to Jesus, or other spiritual leaders who have struggled to increase peace and love on earth, often at the expense of their own lives. Initially, students should not be told this song was written as a celebration to Dr. King's life work. Instead, students should first gain comprehension concerning the events in this poem. That is to say, "one man" was persecuted for his strict belief in love and tolerance. Students should be made aware that the figure in the song experienced great hardship through his resistance, and furthermore, was killed for his efforts. However, this man's discipline and zeal was clearly evident even after his death. His pride could not be taken from him despite having his life taken. Once students have gained an understanding of the events of the song, and the significance of the "one man," students can now begin to formulate ideas about who U2 is referring to. If students are having a difficult time identifying the "one man," attention can be directed towards the date of April 4 th. On April 4 th 1964, Martin Luther King was assassinated under the "Memphis Sky."
Naturally, the next objective is to have students consider the intention of the author in writing this text. Furthermore, what is the author saying about or feeling towards this "one man" and the "Pride" that could not be stolen? Looking at the repeating chorus may give students a direction towards identifying the purpose of this song. Bono sings, "In the name of Love, What more in the name of love?" Bono is most likely arguing that Dr. King made the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life while trying to create positive change in society, founded upon the cornerstone of Dr. King's teachings: love. Secondly, Bono's line, "Shots ring out in the Memphis sky, Free at last," implies sympathy towards King as he experienced intolerance and persecution. Bono feels that although King was taken from this world, his spirit is no longer bound to the hardships he experienced while he was alive. In a way, this departure from the earthly plane was the only way King could experience true freedom from persecution. Students should conclude that Bono's purpose in writing this song was to celebrate the life of Dr. King by honoring his struggle and acknowledging his unbreakable pride.
Students will also analyze the vocabulary of this song to better understand the tone. Bono's repeated use of "One man" to refer to King acts as a constant reminder that one individual was responsible for such contention and ultimately, a significant shift in race relations in the United States. Furthermore, Bono draws a clear divide between the "one man" and his persecutors by referring to them as "they" towards the end of the song. This distinction further demonstrates the challenge King faced as one man fighting against many. Bono uses metaphor to illustrate how King was, in effect, caught in a movement of social unrest but still had the strength to resist his oppressors. Bono sings, "One man caught on a barbed wire fence, One man he resist." Bono admires King for maintaining his strength and courage while in turmoil. Lastly, the title and subject of the song, pride, shed light upon one of many possible qualities Dr. King had that resonated with Bono. Bono clearly has a deep admiration for Dr. King and respects the sacrifices King made to ensure society was made aware of the injustices against people of color living in the United States.
More so than others, this text will evoke emotion within students. My objective is that students will learn to examine the mood of this poem by considering their own emotional responses. Using an activity or reading strategy in this unit, students will take inventory of their own reactions both during and after reading this text. Students will make distinctions about which parts of the text evoked a particular emotion within themselves.
Who Understands Me But Me by Jimmy Santiago Baca
Jimmy Santiago's poem, "Who Understands Me But Me" is one that many students can relate to, and thus, will be the more encouraged to practice their developing poetry interpretation skills. Broadly speaking, this poem is about how experiencing hardship in life can lead to personal discovery and appreciation. The content objectives for this poem center on students understanding the intention of the author, identifying the poem's tone and mood, and lastly, establishing the poem's significance in the framework of social activism.
Students should first acquire a general understanding of the events in the poem. It is broken into two stanzas, each expressing different feelings. The first stanza is structured, uniform and rhythmic. The first stanza tells the audience about things that have been taken away from the speaker. It is full of oppression and seizure. Here, Santiago starts every sentence with "they" to help highlight the difference between the speaker and those in the poem that have alienated the speaker from a variety of different commodities. The first stanza depicts a prisoner in a cell who has had his rights, necessities and feelings of hope taken away. The speaker eventually ends a line, however, with, "who understands me when I say this is beautiful? … I have found other freedoms." It is through this last line that the audience is freed from the rigid structure cataloguing oppressions in the first stanza.
The second stanza, by comparison, visually looks free and is clearly not obliged to follow the structured rhythm that makes up the first stanza. Unlike the first, the second stanza begins with topics that are framed in the positive. For example, the speaker says, "I can live with myself, and I am amazed at myself, my love, my beauty." Here the speaker talks about the beauty of self-discovery and looking inward. He states, "I have found parts of myself never dreamed of by me, they were goaded out from under rocks in my heart." Students should see a clear distinction between these two stanzas- both structurally and thematically.
Students will analyze the vocabulary and literary devices in the poem to help establish a sense of tone and purpose. Going back to the first stanza, the speaker of the poem clearly has contempt for those that are persecuting him. By repeatedly starting each line with "they," Santiago puts "them" in the spotlight, forcing us to think about who these people are and, just as importantly, why these people are depriving our speaker of his most common rights. However, Santiago still wants to make this poem about the speaker, as he routinely comes back to "I" and emphasizes the effect 'their' oppressions have had on the speaker. Thus, we can gather that Santiago may not be writing this poem solely to condemn an oppressive force, but rather to help us examine the consequences of this type of treatment. Furthermore, we are not given any context behind this scene and therefore cannot effectively arrive at any conclusion regarding possible crimes or misdemeanors of the speaker. We can only examine the transformation that speaker undergoes. Students will be able to more effectively identify the tone of purpose of the poem by interpreting the second stanza. The speaker's ability to not only live without his commodities, but actually thrive, will help students understand Santiago's purpose. This poem was most likely written to encourage people to not get discouraged when being faced with insurmountable odds and to be aware that often times, facing challenges can help you become a stronger, more aware individual.
Once students have become comfortable interpreting Santiago's poem, they will formulate the significance of the poem while paying special attention to whether or not this poem should be considered activist in nature. Unlike most activist poetry, this poem does not demand or encourage political/social action. Rather it uses an oppressive event to shed light upon the liberating effects of solitude. Students will have to determine what Santiago is saying about the oppressors in the poem, if anything at all. To encourage students to meet this objective, ask them: How do you think Santiago views "them" in the poem? How do we know? Do you think Santiago is condoning solitary confinement? Do you think Santiago sees positive aspects in having been imprisoned? These questions will help students develop their own opinions on the author's intention as well as assigning meaning to the poem.
Objectives in Student Ability
My overall objective for my students is to strengthen their interpretation skills and improve their reading proficiency and comprehension. My approach to tackling this objective is twofold: primarily, use a variety of reading strategies to expand my students' academic abilities and secondly, expanding student understanding and awareness of social, political and personal issues by exposing them to content that is relevant, empowering and personally meaningful.
For this curriculum plan I have divided my student ability objectives into two categories: student ability and student empowerment. Curriculum objectives surrounding student ability will center on skills that students will be taught either directly (for example, reading strategies) or indirectly (for example, independent practice making inferences through reading). Alternatively, curriculum objectives centered on student empowerment will focus more on students' developing meaningful connections and finding personal relevance while examining the content of this unit.
In terms of student ability, this unit is designed to teach students how to identify tone, mood and an author's purpose in poetry. That is to say, students will be able to use context clues and identify key words and phrases that were designed to convey the relationship between the author of the poem and the subject that the author addresses. Students will be able to articulate the significance of the vocabulary and phrasing the author employs.
Before students can effectively interpret an author's work, they must first complete all the necessary low-order thinking steps. Students will learn to identify superficial information in a text by using a commonly used reading strategy, which I have named 5W. 5W is an abbreviation for Who, What, When, Where, and Why. 'How' is intentionally omitted as 'How' will be addressed through a variety of different reading strategies that will be used once the basic information from the text is digested. My intention is that students will use the 5W reading strategy to record general information that can be gathered from a poem (as well as context and background about the text) using a graphic organizer. By learning how to identify, organize and record the "who, what, when, where, and why" of a text, students will be more equipped to develop sound interpretations surrounding the text, such as identifying the author's purpose and pinpointing the tone of the text. Students will use the 5W strategy for all future texts, thus creating a standardized initial approach to diving into text.
Students will learn how to summarize what an author is saying by using the post-reading strategy, Sum-it-Up. Sum-it-Up will be the first step in determining purpose as it will help students locate and record the main points, commands, and opinions of a text. By coupling the 5W and Sum-it-Up reading strategies, students will develop a strong, accessible way of identifying and organizing information, thus creating a strong foundational understanding that will act as a spring board into higher-level questioning.
Students will also learn how to make inferences about text, and consequently, begin to use words, phrases and excerpts as evidence in developing their own interpretation of text. Students will learn to locate sections of text that hint at the author's purpose and tone by using a graphic organizer entitled "Making Inferences." Initially, I will give students compelling phrases I have chosen from the text and have students infer what the phrase lends to the author, the author's purpose, and the author's tone. However, my aim is that students will learn to make inferences on their own through close examination of text. By teaching students to identify compelling components of text and, in turn, ask them to interpret said text's significance and meaning, students will be more equipped to, eventually, clearly identify the author's purpose for writing, and interpret the tone of a text.
Through the process of Making Inferences, in conjunction with additional activities and strategies, students will learn how to use text as evidence to defend their interpretations. With Common Core standards being implemented at my high school, teaching students to use text as evidence (not simply as a catalyst for making a meaningful personal connection with a topic or subject) is a primary objective. Towards the end of the unit, students will have the ability to arrive at their own interpretation, but more importantly, demonstrate how and why the text led the student to his/her conclusion by using said text as evidence.
Finally, as stated above, my primary objective is for students to interpret the tone, mood and purpose of a text. Students will know how to comprehend and articulate an author's purpose for writing by examining the context of the text, the vocabulary and phrases included in the text and making inferences using said vocabulary and phrases. Furthermore, students will demonstrate the ability to cite passages in the text as evidence to support their own interpretation of the author's purpose as well as the overall significance of the piece. Secondly, students will know how to establish a clear understanding of tone and mood within the text. Students will cite evidence to support their own interpretation of the author's attitude towards the subject of his or her text.
If we help students establish a framework for examining text that begins with lower-order strategies like 5W and Sum-it-Up, students can develop an effective approach to interpretation. Helping my students work gradually towards thinking critically about text, such as identifying purpose, tone and mood, will enable me as a teacher to improve students' reading proficiency, content comprehension and interpretation skills by avoiding the pitfalls in other methods of teaching lower performing students how to read and think critically about text.
Aside from my objectives centered on improving my students' ability in reading and interpretation, I also aim to increase my students' awareness surrounding the topics within the texts in a broad sense as well as help students to make meaningful connections to the texts we will be examining.
Objectives in Student Empowerment
Students in my High School often express a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness. While this curriculum unit is primarily about teaching students skills in interpretation, it is just as much about empowering students by encouraging them to be passionate, proactive and socially aware.
During this unit I hope students will find personal significance in some of the text. Students will be exposed to a variety of historical figures that range in age, race, gender, etc. Many, but not all, of these authors are figures who have expressed social and political criticisms in their times, often times leading to positive social change. I hope students will find a way to identify with some of these figures in their historical setting and thus "buy in" to the more academic components of this unit.
Furthermore, my wish is that students will find the text relevant to their own history or interests. Although many of the texts in this unit deal with broad social problems that America was faced with at a particular time in her history, almost all of the themes of these texts can be applied to the "daily grind" students are faced with in the hallways at school. For example, finding the courage to overcome self-consciousness, racism, stereotypes and gender roles, can be very difficult for a high school student. For a student to see that said historical figures have navigated through the darkest tunnels of oppression may give my students the hope, confidence and drive to circumvent some of their own sources of oppression.
Lastly, I want my students to become inspired and, in consequence, proactive in expressing, and/or combating oppression that they are faced with in their lives. Through this unit, I hope students will learn that change does not happen on its own; change is only initiated through action. As will be elaborated in my section on assessment, students will create their own piece of poetry or a speech that centers on a social, political or cultural problem that the student perceives. My objective is that students will take this opportunity seriously and recognize their assignments as a chance to express their dissatisfaction to some form of oppression that they are faced with on a daily basis. If the implementation of this unit is successful, students will learn that being a social activist or social advocate does not necessarily mean they are obliged to openly protest oppression on a daily basis, but rather that contributing to making this world a better place can take many forms, often peaceful but always rooted in expression.
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