Teaching Strategies
The forms of assessment for this curriculum unit include a critical analysis essay, an original poetic composition and an oral presentation. In addition to the course work inside of the classroom, students will participate in field experiences that include visits to local museums and art spaces. During these visits, students are expected to follow a specific protocol to ensure they are collecting information and ideas for their writing and presentation. Additionally, students will be given both a writing rubric and an oral presentation rubric to assist with their final products. To ensure that students are receiving differentiated and rigorous instruction as well as practice with the Writer’s Workshop model, the following teaching strategies will be used:
Close Reading
One of the ways that readers make meaning of poems and uncover their hidden truths is by participating in close reading. Close readings can be conducted over a series of lessons with the goal of breaking poems into digestible pieces that makes the content more accessible and relatable. There is no true formula for conducting a close reading, but I have found success using the following protocol:
During the first read, students number the lines of the poem and the stanzas and read the poem silently, enabling them later to reference certain lines and sections of the poem with more ease and accuracy. At the second read, the teacher reads the poem aloud, taking care to fuse proper voice inflection, observance of appropriate line endings and proper enunciation of words into their reading. It is after this reading that the teacher shares with students very specific annotations (these may vary) that will help them to make more meaning of the poem. Such annotations include inviting students to consider who the speaker is, in what form the poem is written and the time period and physical setting/historical setting. Students should also write questions about unfamiliar words, phrases, and confusing lines or passages, and identify any connections they can make with the poem. To respond to and clarify some of the students’ questions and concerns based on their annotations, the teacher can pair students and have them work together on breaking down the annotations and then conduct a whole group share out of their findings with the teacher guiding the share out and clarifying misconceptions, helping to make meaning and checking for understanding. The third read of the poem will ask students to write a gist statement (a 2-3 sentence summary of the poem) that considers the following: What does the poem say? What is the poem’s purpose? What does the poem do? The fourth read will invite student to uncover the poem’s theme and select evidence from the text that supports the theme in a second round of annotations. Students can pair-share their theme annotations and responses and discuss any ideas, comments or questions they can answer among themselves before getting more guidance and direction from the teacher.
Viewing Art
To most people, there exists a notion that viewing art involves a right and a wrong approach. Much like poetry, art can leave us feeling that we are just not getting it and we begin to doubt ourselves, questioning our interpretation, which can in turn make us reluctant to share our thoughts for fear that we appear clueless about the artist’s intentions. To prepare students for viewing the art integrated in this curriculum unit and for the field experiences in various art museums (digital and physical), this teaching strategy will focus on two ways that students can view and appreciate works of art; formal observation and content observation. Formal observation focuses on a work of art’s physical features and characteristics. Content observation asks questions about the meaning of the work, the artist’s intentions and how the art makes us feel when we view it. The formal observation approach to art will require students to spend time with the work of art as there is an investment of time required to fully appreciate it. Students will be invited to determine the basics of the work of art by identifying things such as its medium, genre, scale, format, framing, lighting, etc. These simple acts can help students build a foundation for a better understanding and more appreciation. Students will then be directed to take note of how their vision moves across the work of art. As we know, artists are masters of drawing our eyes to the points in the work where they want them to go. It is suggested that when students connect with a work of art, they do a bit of research to get more insight into the work and the artist to deepen their appreciation. Regarding content observation, students will be invited to view the work of art and comment on how the piece makes them feel. Because art is largely about the artist communicating and expressing ideas, it is helpful for viewers to recognize what they are feeling and recognize what feelings are evoked in them. A good next step is to explain to students that if there is a certain style of art that does not appeal to them, they need not fret as there is something for everyone in the world of art. Appreciating art very often requires us to move beyond our own initial subjective response and invest our time and curiosity to unlock its intentions. Next, students are encouraged to use their memory as their guide to understanding and unlocking the secrets of the work of art. It is surprising how much latent knowledge is activated when viewing a work of art. Many of our own life experiences are brought to the forefront which helps us connect to the work of art. Next, students will begin to explicitly unlock the meaning of the work of art by first determining whether the art is realistic, allegorical or free from recognizable association. Finally, students will determine if the art is thematic or abstract, an aspect of formal analysis that is partly based on knowing an artist’s creative orientation.
Critical Analysis Essay Pre-Writing
In preparation for the critical analysis final product, students will respond to the following essay prompt: Choose a theme from the poem “Bellocq’s Ophelia Letters from Storyville 1911” and explain how the author develops its theme. After close reading the poem, the class will discuss the possible themes that emerge in the text (this can be done during the Paideia Seminar) and will have the option of choosing one of the themes upon which to write their essay. Using a graphic organizer, students will record information during the pre-writing portion of the writer’s workshop. Sections of the organizer include identifying the chosen theme, providing at least 2 pieces of evidence to support the theme and then analyzing the evidence.
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