Assessment
There are a variety of assessment options that can help teachers effectively quantify the mastery of content by their students. But, just as importantly, these assessment options are also designed to help students feel empowered and inspired by giving them a creative outlet to share their voice.
Option 1 – Persuasive Essay: Many secondary education exit exams are known for their persuasive writing prompts. Thus, asking students to write following a persuasive prompt on the literary analysis of a poem's purpose, tone or mood is effective in that it not only helps teachers assess a student's ability to articulate their comprehension of a text but it also counts as great practice towards standardized tests.
Students can write an essay from a variety of angles regarding the texts of this unit. Students can be asked to persuade a reader why a particular poem is effective or ineffective, take a position on an author's tone, argue a poem's purpose, or defend a position on whether or not the poem induces mood 'x' or 'y.'
For more advanced learners, students can be asked to compare and/or contrast two poems that have similar/different purposes, tones, or moods. Students can write a paper on the people referred to as "they" in a poem. Lastly, students can be asked to write a persuasive paper on whether or not a particular poem in this unit should be considered 'activist' in nature. However, in doing the latter, a unit on social activism should precede this unit on social activist poetry.
Option 2 – Power Point Presentation: As a means to demonstrate content mastery students can create a power point presentation in which a poem's purpose, tone, mood, etc is analyzed in front of the class.
Students should choose a poem that resonates with them; a poem that speaks to an issue they deem significant. In trying to encourage students to become advocates for themselves by examining activist poetry, students may find they feel compelled to voice their opinions on issues they deal with in their community on a regular basis. Finding these poems can be difficult for students as they do not have the prior knowledge or access to content that teachers have. Finding a dozen poems or so for students to choose from may keep them from getting discouraged in the process, as well as give them more time to focus on interpretation and production.
Students' power point presentations should be no longer than 10 slides in length. For students who have not had extensive experience with power point, a template should be used. For example, slide topics should be: Cover slide, the poem, background on author, purpose, tone, mood, personal connections, and significance. The student can then walk the class through the interpretation of each aspect of the poem as a means to demonstrate their understanding and mastery to the teacher.
Option 3 – Writing a Poem: The third, and final, summative assessment option is for students to write a poem. In order to ensure this assessment appropriately reflects the content in this unit, the process of writing the poem should include focusing the majority of effort on communicating a particular purpose, tone and/or mood. Students should also be encouraged to write about a social or political topic that is deemed significant or relevant to the lives of teenagers.
Students should first choose a topic. It may be helpful to list a variety of topics to help students get in touch with their own feelings surrounding relevant issues. If students are struggling finding a topic, suggest the following: teen violence, teen pregnancy, teen drug use, abusive homes, relationships, role models, cleaner communities, minimum wage, etc.
Once students have chosen a topic, they should begin considering what they want to communicate about their topic. This stage of prewriting concerns primarily with the tone of the poem. Ask students how they feel about the topic and in turn, what they want to say about the topic. Tell students they should focus on communicating one or two aspects of their topic. Students may also find it effective to write down a list of colorful words they want to include that will help distinguish the tone of their poem.
Next, students will need to dedicate a handful of lines in their poem to communicating a message or demand. This will serve as the poem's purpose. Ask students what they want readers to take away from the poem. What is one action readers should feel more inclined to do after reading the poem?
Lastly, after students have composed their poem they can share their poems in front of the class. To help encourage appropriate audience practices, assign students the task of interpreting the purpose, tone and mood of their classmates' poems. This activity is also a great way to build community and empower students by giving them a creative outlet to use their voice.
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