Activities
(For approximately four to five 90 minute, block schedule class periods)
Lesson One
Objectives: Students will collaboratively develop a map of language "pockets" (also called "nodes") in their neighborhood communities through brainstorming, discussion, and research (making the invisible city visible); furthermore, students will be able to develop a piece of poetic/descriptive/expository writing around the question: "How does language play a role in your pocket of the neighborhood?" and "How is place important to language use?" using vocabulary introduced by the students' prior knowledge and extended by the teacher; finally, students will be able to reread, review, and revise a creative writing poem in a homework assignment for the next class meeting.
Materials: maps of the surrounding neighborhoods, city, country, and world; internet access, computer, projector, speakers; 3x5 inch note cards; writing paper; writing tools; a list of vocabulary terms (see below).
Standards: PA.CC.1.2.9-12.K / PA.CC.1.3.9-12.I – Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies and tools. PA.CC.1.4.9-12.A - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately.
Do Now: Describe the place you feel most comfortable speaking and what you can talk about there on a 3x5 note card, using whatever language necessary (Spanish, English, etc.) It might be helpful to project a sample response on the board, or a model paragraph such as might take 3-4 minutes to write:
My favorite place to connect with friends and interesting strangers is The High Point Café in Northwest Philadelphia, where a lot of teachers and writers gather to eat, drink, socialize, read and do work. They have good food, tea and coffee, but most importantly I feel safe and at home, even while I am on a sort of social stage. I know and like all the people who work there, I get free drinks, and I like the quiet music they play. In addition, the art on the walls is always entertaining and I usually meet someone exciting and new there during the active conversations we have together.
Direct Instruction: Project a map of the region for students; use it constructively to identify the location where you feel most comfortable speaking for yourself (ie. home, the local bar, café, religious center, etc.) For me this is The High Point Café, owned by my sister in the Mt. Airy section. This place, where "phatic communion", or small talk occurs, can be an introduction for students learning English to understand the meaning of phrases such as "What's up?" which is really a statement or greeting, more than a question in need of an answer with information (http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/phaticterm.htm). Here we discuss the kinds of expressions used to build community and create connections with people. Students can build a kind of camaraderie by using Google maps, Google earth, and hard copies of local maps to focus attention on their own language centers and communities, beginning to discuss and connect areas in common, as well as common expressions, as the invisible social landscape becomes more visible.
Guided Instruction: Distribute highlighter markers and copies of "A Place Without Shame" by David Baraza (available in "From Totems to Hip Hop", p.100-101 or in a pdf. through searching Google). Ask students to listen as you read the entire poem aloud straight through, and ask them to highlight any unfamiliar words or confusing phrases as you read, using the highlighter markers (this can also be done with regular pens or pencils, by circling and underlining, and can be easily followed with the next step: a close reading. Assign each student a partner (some may choose to work in threes) and have them seek to help one another answer the questions they have about the highlighted/ underlined/circled words and phrases, writing down explanations on the page as they discuss them. Some words that may arise include: "caravan", "invisibility", insecurity", "marginality", "bear hug", "explodes", "encouraged", "unintelligible", "shackles", and "self-doubt". Circulate as they work in this modified Think-Pair-Share activity, noting the words with which they struggle, as well as facilitating their cooperation and reiterating the directions (these could also be printed at the top of the poem paper). Reconvene and discuss each line of the poem word by word, line by line as a class, being careful to stimulate every pair to contribute and take turns explaining the lines to one another systematically. By the end of about 20 minutes the poem should be clear in meaning to everyone. Some of the key lessons will be around the following elements of:
Voice: the particular identity and characteristics of the speaker in the poem (it is important to note that this is not the same as the author), demonstrated in the repetition of the term "we" throughout the poem; also, the use of Spanish throughout the poem indicates the speaker is of Hispanic descent, as are his comrades and fellow travelers; pay attention to the beginning of the poem, where Baraza's speaker says
We come unnoticed from the barrios
and later
On arrival we leave our invisibility
In the car and lock the door.
As we enter the house
We wipe insecurity off our shoes
and hang our marginality on the rack
and still later
the voiceless are heard
the invisible take form
As the theme of this unit is that the invisible becomes visible, it is important to stress the metaphorical journey we take as individuals, and as a class, from our invisible connections with one another and move towards making them visible in the form of poetry on the page. One further way this is accomplished in the poem is also through:
Line Breaks: the way the poet breathes in the poem, and allows us to savor the moments described in its lines. Each line is a shot from the camera of the poet, focusing our attention on an important experience in the journey of the poem. Finally, this is not a poem with the flourishes of rhyme or alliteration, but it is rich in
Extended Metaphor, Imagery, and Personification: Baraza gives voice to fear, self-doubt, and confidence by embodying them in movements by the end of his poem: "runs", "crawls" and "dances", respectively. Ultimately, the shame of the title gives way to a much more enduring positivity, concluding his verse with music making "everything better".
Independent Practice: Next, students will embark on writing a poem that captures the place they described earlier in the "Do Now" exercise at the beginning of the class period, but paying careful attention to their own "voice" in the poem, the line breaks they use, and in developing some sort of metaphor, imagery, or personification of the place and emotions associated with the place they describe in their own poetry. In essence, the independent practice is where they synthesize and concretize all the work of the previous class work together, only now independently. Using the poem as a model, students new to poetry writing can focus on descriptive language, devoting themselves towards describing the place, and exploring how that place is more than it is. In other words, developing the place as larger than life, as a metaphor for something greater. A second element of doing so can be the use of personification, giving the place human characteristics, thus personalizing the place. Meanwhile, the bilingual student can look, either by necessity or out of a creative impulse, towards using Spanish throughout the poem, or whichever language is most comfortable. More advanced writers can play with the voice in the poem, challenging themselves to write outside of an autobiographical stance: developing the poem from some other person's point of view, or even from the point of view of that place of language use, to further use personification.
Review/Wrap-Up: Even if students are not entirely finished with their own poems (they will have time to finish them independently at home, though do not let them know this ahead of time to maintain a sense of urgency during class), use a moment to review the key concepts of the period: (1) language and its expression from and about place, as well as about itself and its own purpose (2) making the invisible visible through (a) having an experience with a poem, and (b) transforming that experience with our own experiences into (c) a visible poem, and (d) sharing that visible poem with the class.
Exit Ticket: Have students use another note card to write a reflection on the process: How did the invisible neighborhood of a language "pocket" become visible in their poem? Write a paragraph reflecting on the process (the experience) of creative writing. While they are writing, use an attendance sheet to mark down the progress every student has made towards a poem: ¼ page, ½ page, ¾ page, etc. In this way students will see they are expected to write during class, as much as they should add to that work at home.
Homework: Students should complete for submission to you a completed poem, mixed with Spanish or English, or whichever language they feel most comfortable writing their words. Later, they should be prepared to have the poem stand on its own, or be able to explain to the class the words that have no apparent translation. Each poem can be roughly a page in length (some more, some less). The additional time at home will allow students to make their poems closer to ready for prime time, in which (later) they will be expected to read the poem aloud for the class.
Lesson Two
Resources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paM03zurPQw = Mayda del Valle "Descendency"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa7IfuXT_Bc = Mayda del Valle "Tongue Tactics"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2O2EpxLY4w = Mayda del Valle "TEDx Youth"
Objectives: Students will be able to critique student poems from an earlier class with a focus on voice and narration after performing a close reading of a bilingual poem as a class and writing an analytical critique of that poem.
Materials: Previous drafts of poetry by students, internet access, computer with projector and speakers, copies of "Tongue Tactics" by Mayda del Valle (found in "Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway…and More", p.145-148). Take time to read the poem ahead of time to identify sections, phrases, and words from the poem into a list to assign to individual students, pairs, or groups (depending upon the size of the class, some may need to read more than one); internet, computer, projector and speakers.
Standards: PA.CC.1.3.9-12.K - Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading independently and proficiently. PA.CC.1.4.9-12.A - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately. PA.CC.1.4.9-12.C - Develop and analyze the topic with relevant, well-chosen and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic;
Do Now: Assign students the question: "What makes you angry about language?" and have them write an explanation in exactly 25 words, using both Spanish and English to answer the question, or a mix of their primary languages.
Direct Instruction: Explain that as speakers in any language we often experience difficulty coming up with satisfactory wording for what we desire to say; this process of choosing the right words to express ourselves in literature is called "Diction", as in "dictionary". Often we are criticized for our use of language, whether it is what we say or how we say it; what we hope to accomplish in this particular class period is a sense of group movement towards finding words that will not just communicate meaning but also express emotional power, and in so doing produce an exhilarating experience for readers and, in performance, an audience. Break students into groups as in the past class period, either in new arrangements (ideal, and can be done by explaining that this is a new assignment, or a new project) or in the same teams as before, depending upon attendance. Each person, pair, or team is responsible for explaining one of the assigned words, phrases, or lines (use your best judgment in distributing these responsibilities). Read the poem aloud for the class once then allow everyone to digest the material further through a video performance of the poem (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa7IfuXT_Bc = Mayda del Valle "Tongue Tactics").
Guided Instruction: Next, have students, piece by piece, explain their understanding of the poem's individual parts. Your job as teacher is to keep the ball rolling, facilitating the progression of the poem and looking for teachable moments in which to write vocabulary on the board (or even better, have students do so) and clarify key elements such as "voice", "story/plot", "diction" (word choice), and the "volta" (emotional "turn", or transition). In such a "close" reading of the poem, some exciting highlights can be found in the lines below:
"Pue vete p'al carajo cabron" (the first use of Spanish in the poem, that serves as an early "volta", and almost a foreshadowing of the power and anger we are to experience later in the poem)
and
"I'm declaring a state of language revolution…threatening to leave our civilization speechless… (she compares her poetry, and her flow, to an uprising)
and
"dictionaries are on Prozac…I'm crossing borders, abriendo puertas" (she opens invisible doors that nonetheless block our path, like stuttering, and like criticism from outside)
and finally
"I'll still be here
with these tongue tactics
never getting these gramatics correct" (teaches students not to worry about the
specifics as much as the flow, the rush, and the emotion of the poem).
Allow students to express their opinions of the poem here, in an open forum, so that in their written critique they have already had some practice formulating a stance, as well as allowing them the opportunity to hear other student voices on the content of the poem. There is no "correct" interpretation or critique of the poem, as much as there is no "correct" way to express oneself, though this is certainly one lesson of the poem. Ask them, does the Spanish ring true? Do words and expressions in one language sometimes ring more true compared with another language? Do you feel a surge in energy through any specific lines of the poem? How do the two languages flow together to create the overall poem's effect? I would find it helpful with my students to use a three-column "pros/cons/quotes" organizer, and even provide some guidance to struggling readers and writers by completing the organizer as a class before entering quiet, independent writing time, in which some students may also benefit from a word bank of poetry vocabulary terminology.
Independent Practice: In the last phase of class, followed by a sanctioned, if organized, break, through a viewing of a TED Talk by the poet (found through YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2O2EpxLY4w), students can discuss amongst themselves responses to the talk (about 6 minutes) and then settle into writing a critique of the poem for submission by the end of the period. "How is the poem effective, or not so, at communicating an emotional experience to its audience?" The written response can be accomplished within the structures established in your classroom (previous writing methods and techniques, graphic organizers, TAG-it-a-3, etc.) or by the simple structure of positioning them in relation to the two Common Core Standards: "Write informative / explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately (PACC.1.4.9-12.A)" and "Develop and analyze the topic with relevant, well-chosen and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic (PACC.1.4.9-12.C)", in addition to the guiding question. If students have access to computers or smartphones, they should feel free to do quick work of finding the poem and any ideas that stem from researching its origins, and its Spanish. (Be careful not to rely too much on this method, as it can ultimately be distracting and can draw the activity into a multiple class period exercise.) I've resisted providing a direct example here, as it can often become less a model and more of a template. In an effort to stress the importance of individual voice, I think students should struggle a little to find a voice in criticism as well as in writing poems; in a sense, they will find their own natural ability to "swim", though if a student seems to "sink", then as the teacher/lifeguard it becomes important to cheer them on a bit, and even to provide flotation devices in the form of sentence starters or phrase prompts.
Review/Wrap-Up: In bringing the class together again as a whole group, and as students conclude their paragraphs of criticism, it will be helpful here to have students raise hands and volunteer 3-4 highlights of the class period in a share-out. This serves to review and connect students to the material even further.
Exit Ticket: Finally, students should exchange poem drafts with one another for homework (it might be useful to have an intern or a student who finished earlier than others make copies of the poem drafts in case the work should get lost there is an original) and distribute them among partners and group/team members. *Be cautious not to violate students' privacy: some may want you and you alone to read their work, and one method can be to do so ahead of class critiques in an additional step to assure students their work is valid and worthy of close scrutiny; if so, exit tickets can instead consist of either reading one another's critiques (in which the same caution is advised) or in showing for the class one more video of Mayda del Valle (I recommend "Descendency" at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paM03zurPQw). You be the judge of what's best for your class.
Homework: Read another student's poem and provide a critique similar to the ones done during class time, if possible, using a rubric and 3 column graphic organizer.
Lesson Three
Resources:
http://www.connotationpress.com/featured-guest-editor/july-2012/1468-natalie-diaz-poetry = Natalie Diaz's poem "Mujers de Sal" (at the bottom of the page)
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2012/05/conversation-poet-natalie-diaz.html = Natalie Diaz discusses language(s) and identity
http://podcast.lannan.org/2012/11/06/natalie-diaz-reading-30-september-2012-video/ = Natalie Diaz poetry reading video
Objectives: Students will be able to assess a writer's style and tone in poetry; students will be able to reread, revise, and rewrite a draft of a poem, giving emphasis to methods of tone and style, in addition to earlier vales of voice, diction,
Materials: Internet access, computer, projector, speakers; copies of the poem for students; 5x7 inch note cards
Standards: PA.CC.1.3.9-12.K - Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading independently and proficiently. PA.CC.1.4.9-12.X - Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline?specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. PA.CC.1.5.11-12.B - Evaluate how the speaker's perspective, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric affect the credibility of an argument through the author's stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone. PA.CC.1.5.9-12.E - Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks.
Do Now: Where are you from? What are your origins and ancestry? How far back can you go while maintaining accuracy? What challenges do you face in doing so? Have students write to these topical questions on a 5x7 inch note card.
Direct Instruction: Is it possible we don't even know who or where we come from? All of us face this mystery at some point in our lives (some sooner than others-be sensitive here). Our intangible, or invisible heritage is visible in our speech patterns as much as in our bloodline. From developing a written voice earlier, we now move towards developing a spoken voice, as we listen more carefully to performances of poetry in the next two class periods.
Guided Instruction: Perform a close reading of Natalie Diaz's poem "Mujers de Sal"; the class should be able to do so more efficiently and quickly by now than in the past. For variety, assign individual students each line, depending upon the number of students in the room. Pay special attention to the line "she didn't know the language but smelled the meaning in their breaths"; it suggests that even with the mystery of language, our sensory perception allows us to find meaning through other methods. Lastly in this guided phase of student work, teachers should show to the class the video of Ms. Diaz: http://podcast.lannan.org/2012/11/06/natalie-diaz-reading-30-september-2012-video/ . (She does not appear until the 5-minute mark—take it from there.) Open a discussion: how does she use inflections to create a mood? How do her words, her very pronunciations present the stanzas of the written poetry in audio? How is her spoken reading of the poems a significantly different tone from her tone in conversation, in between the poems? Are her poems like prayers, like songs?
Independent Practice: Ultimately, students should learn to practice their own poems aloud. They should get their poems back from one another, or if you took the other route, from you, and begin to read them aloud to one another in pairs. The reading aloud should be preceded by a chance for everyone to read the criticisms quietly to themselves, with time to digest all the feedback, and possibly with a chance to revise and rewrite the poems as well. In fact, often the way a poem comes across orally can direct changes and a transformation in writing. By the conclusion of the class period, students will need a break, and a video of Natalie Diaz discussing her work and identity (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2012/05/conversation-poet-natalie-diaz.html) will round out her exemplary work and settle students back into a writing mode.
Review/Wrap-Up: Review the meaning(s) of identity, returning to the theme of the period, and how students can add into their poem a sense of their own identities and the meaning of their unique heritage, taking pride in and giving respect to that identity.
Exit Ticket: Have students write an "I Think/I Wonder" on the reverse side of their 5x7 note cards. Assign a written explanation of Natalie Diaz's work, as well as how students imagine themselves at the center of their own literary journey: "Who is Natalie Diaz and why does she write as she does? Who are you and why do you write as you do?"
Homework: In anticipation of learning performance methods directly in the next class, homework will be a final draft of the poem.
Lesson Four
Resources:
(http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/177383) = text of Martin Espada's "Alabanza"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3anIr7vAIQ = Martin Espada reads "Alabanza" live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crgrvnnE1ZU&list=FLFC8D-t3ziTQ8RKZG2iJSHg = Denice Frohman's "Unlitter Us" campaign advertisement in Spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NISakKDA_A = Kai Davis' poem "* I Look Like"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOnQch7bhVY = Denice Frohman's poem "Abuela"
Objectives: students will be able to evaluate and draw lessons from a variety of spoken word performances utilizing Spanish language, culminating in practice for a live performance in the next class period.
Materials: computer, projector, speakers; a graphic organizer (see "Direct Instruction")
Standards: PA.CC.1.5.9-12.E - Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks. PA.CC.1.5.9-10.C - Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source. PA.CC.1.5.11-12.B - Evaluate how the speaker's perspective, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric affect the credibility of an argument through the author's stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone.
Do Now: What do you praise? Who among us deserves praise? How do we judge one person over another? Have students write their responses on a 5x7 inch note card.
Direct Instruction: In this class period, we will observe and learn to critique video performances of others, as well as practice their own poems for a performance during the next class. We will learn to evaluate and score pieces based on their own merits, and emphasis will be upon finding the assets in our own poems, and upon enhancing those qualities we deem most successful to a public performance. We will use the scoring method of the Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement (PYPM) Slam League, though scoring methods vary across the country (and internationally), and the scores judges assign to any single performance ultimately depend upon their unique individual experiences, and is never an exact science. Poems are scored on a 1-10 scale; at PYPM performances there are 3 rounds, with each team competing in the first two, in which at least one poem must be a group poem. Teams scoring the highest in the first two rounds qualify for the third round, but the winner of the team scoring is based solely upon the single performance in the third and final round. Distribute a graphic organizer that allows space for a name, an overall score, and 3 categories: physical presence, emotional intensity, and diction, and have students familiarize themselves with the material. Lastly, show the poem "Alabanza" to them on video, and lead a discussion around the method of singing words: How effective is it? How corny? How powerful? Use the rubric/graphic organizer to score him as a group. Next, play Denice Frohman's video for "Unlitter Us": How does she annunciate her words carefully so that the message gets through to listeners? How is the music in the background effective at creating atmosphere? How could it be replicated with a second poet performing a song, a beat, or words or sounds? Finally, play Kai Davis' poem without the sound on, paying attention to only her physical movements and facial expressions, and discuss with students their predictions surrounding what she might be saying. You decide whether you even play the poem at all with the sound on-it's powerful, but you might want to think seriously about the language and what's appropriate in your school. Ultimately, end with a return to Denice Frohman and her poem "Abuela": How does she use Spanish as a means to establishing intimacy with her audience? How can you do the same? You can extend these activities to a more than one day, having students take note of their favorite parts, their "highlights", and their poetic flourishes, but all activities should lead towards students developing their own work, and their own performances.
Guided Instruction: Coordinate partners in the room. Students should read aloud their poems to their partner, several times, while the listener takes notes of highlights and acts as a coach, directing the reader towards possible changes, possible moments of emphasis, and possible opportunities for physical theater. Have them switch roles, and repeat the process. If you can bring in a teacher with theater experience, or if you have your own, this can enhance their work, but I believe young people have an inner critic who is the best judge of all; your job is to circulate and guide this criticism.
Independent Practice: Finally, students should return to the drawing board, so to say, and take notes on where their poem may need revision. If pressed for time, this can be done as homework, but emphasize an internal reflection here.
Review/Wrap-Up: Call on students to share out their insight into their work. Doing so is the culmination of a lot of work, so make it worth it.
Exit Ticket: Have students identify in a 3/2/1 activity 3 things they learned, 2 things they'd add to the process of discussion, and 1 question they still have.
Homework: Memorize poems for a presentation/performance in the next class period, or for a special event of some kind. Emphasize "practice, practice, practice" in rehearsal.
Lesson Five
Objectives: Students will be able to present poems in performance for the class, or even better, in a public forum: for a wider audience, for YouTube, for a documentary or film.
Standards: PA.CC.1.5.9-12.D - Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective; organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
Do Now: Have students turn in for publication a copy of their finished poem, and any biographical information or autobiographical writer's statements.
Direct Instruction, Guided & Independent Practice: up to the discretion of the teacher and based upon the parameters of your performance context
Review/Wrap-Up: Share your own reflections on the process of the invisible becoming visible: How has your consciousness, or understanding, of your own language evolved or changed since the beginning of this unit? How have your invisible emotions become visible through seeing poetry performed? (or through performing poetry)
Exit Ticket: Have students reflect on the writing and performing process as well, with the same questions you asked yourself to share in the Review/Wrap-Up.
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