Ebru Goksel

English 112B

Unit of Study: Teaching of Poetry & Literature

Fall 2009

Unit Overview : Poetry and Its Meaning in Our Lives

EXPLORING MEANING WITH STUDENTS THROUGH POETRY AND ITS EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS

In today�s world, many teenagers tend to come up with questions like �What is my purpose for life?�, �What is the meaning of learning?�, and �How can I explore meaning in my studies?� Based on personal experiences and the YA novels we have reviewed thus far this semester, it becomes evident that many teenagers are in search for meaning in life one way or another. This becomes even more crucial as they begin to look for meaning in education. Adolescents, as they grow up, are likely to come across difficulties both personally and educationally; therefore, it is of significance to find effective ways to motivate students in the classroom. The goal of this unit is to show students that poetry, in fact, can add meaning to their lives.

Because meaning plays a crucial role for a teenager�s success both educationally and socially, the curriculum designed in schools should aim at making this target (meaning) more accessible for students. Teaching poetry is one way to do this.

This unit focuses on teaching of poetry and its smooth transition into literature. Furthermore, the overall goal of this unit is to engage students in interpreting the selected poems without overwhelming them with literary devices utilized in the poems. The emphasis of the unit is more on the language that is used; words, phrases, sentences, etc. that lead them to the understanding of the beauty of language. Through cooperative learning, students will have the opportunity to feel comfortable studying poetry with their peers and ultimately find meaning in poetry that they can transfer to their personal lives.

Learning Objectives

-Students will become engaged in the poetic process through making interpretations in clusters

-Students will be given opportunities to make connections between poetry and their lives in a meaningful way and share their connections with classmates in a creative way (i.e. poster reports, songs, writing poetry)

-Students will integrate ideas from the poems and pieces of literature selected for this unit.

-Students will appreciate the role of poetry in an individual�s life through finding meaning in the powerful language utilized in the poems.

-Students will be given an opportunity to increase their understanding of the cumulative effect of poetry and literature and it has the potential to create positive outlooks on life for students.

Materials

1. A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

2. Digging by Seamus Heaney

3. A Poem Should Not Mean But Be—Ars Poetica by Archibald MacLeish

4. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Launching the Unit

� Brainstorming activity on What is �Poetry?�

-In this activity, the teacher (T) will write the word POETRY on the white-board and will draw arrows stemming off of the the word poetry. She will then ask the students (Ss) what they think of when they see or hear the word poetry. (Ss will be encouraged to share their feelings about poetry) As Ss randomly share their ideas about poetry, T will write them on the board. (T will ask for a few volunteers to come up to the board and write their words) T will make sure to mention literary devices and poetic features such as rythm, form, and other esthetic qualities without bombarding them with a huge load of these characteristics. (There will be a later lesson where the T will introduce these). As related words and phrases are formed and written on the board, Ss then will form a definition of what they think poetry is in a sentence. Then, as a final note, T and the Ss will agree upon a definition of poetry which will be written on the board. This brainstorming activity is designed to get Ss comfortable with poetry and facilitate group discussion when studying poetry.

� Poetry Lesson

-A Poem Should Not Mean But Be—Ars Poetica by Archibald MacLeish

-Digging by Seamus Heaney

-A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

-Students will be encouraged to read both of these poems silently first. (This will give Ss a chance to get familiar with the writer�s style, language, and any unknown words that they might encounter). As they are reading, they will be asked to annotate the poem: highlight, circle, underline, mark, etc. any words, phrases, or lines that appeal to them. (i.e. that which appeals to their emotions or that which stands out as meaningful).

-Ss then will be asked to compare/contrast the similarities and differences in these two poems in groups of three or four. While student discussion takes place within groups, teacher will monitor student participation by going around the groups and jot down ideas that emerge from these discussions.

-As students discuss the poems in groups, they are to use paraphrasing strategies that they have been taught prior to this unit. That is, to promote more communication and learning in the groups, teacher will suggest to each group as she monitors them to paraphrase certain stanzas. After completion of the paraphrases, teacher will further ask groups to compare their paraphrases with another group.

-Once students are done with the group work, both poems will be analyzed as a whole class—this discussion will be more student-centered with assitance and support from the teacher and follow-up questions that will lead students to think more critically about the poems.

-The themes that will be brought up in the discussion of these poems will include the following: meaning in poetry, meaning in life, dreams & ambitions, use of poetry as a tool to enhance one�s quality of life, and importance of writing.

-This lesson also aims to teach Ss that feelings and emotions in poetry are just as important as the language utilized.

GOAL: The discussion of these poems may help students have a different, perhaps a more positive outlook, on life in leading them to find meaning in poetry and transfer it to their lives personally, socially, and educationally.

Extending the Unit

� Bringing Poetry Alive Activity

-In this activity students will use their creativity to show how they can bring poetry alive through using existing themes in the poems studied in the poetry lesson above.

-Specifically, students will be asked to use posters, flyers, overhead transparencies to �show� how powerful poetry can be and how students are capable of creating meaning through the use of poetry.

-In this lesson, Ss will be asked to write a poem of 1 to 2 stanzas using any of the themes discussed in the earlier lesson and present it class. (Ss have the option to work in pairs or individually on this mini-presentation)

-One important aspect of this oral report is to have Ss to give a brief explanation of how what they created (i.e. poetry) contributes meaning to their lives.

� Transition Into Literature...Poetry within literature

-The conanical text that will be used in this unit is The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.

- Since the novel contains a series of vignettes, Ss will be put in groups of 3 and will be assigned a section of the novel (i.e. 3 pages of text).

-Once every group in the class is given a portion of the text, every group is to pair up with another group to �teach� them what theme is presented in the given text and how it relates to the themes discussed in the unit by providing a specific quotation.

-Ss are encouraged to connect the text with the poems in class.

-T will make sure important themes such as the importance of writing is brought up to students� attention through analyzing the specific moments/instances in the novel.

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-The overall objective of this unit is to enable students to engage in a writing through a combination of the poems and the novel.

-Ss will be asked to compose a brief essay (3 pgs.) on a theme that occurs both in the poems and the novel. (A list of themes will be provided to the students though they will be free to choose thie own essay topics.)

-The novel is appropriate for this unit because it contains poetry and illustrates the importance of writing, in particular, poetry. Significantly, the novel covers important issues such as language barrier, identity, dreams and ambitions of a teenager, and connects to the overall theme of writing. It further suggests that writing can have a huge impact on a individual�s life (especially a teenager).

-It also introduces symbolism throughout the text which can be linked to the literary devices utilized in the poems.

Closing the Unit

� To increase Ss� awareness of the connection between reading and writing, T assigns Ss the Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera, another text that deals with identity, a teenager trying to hold on to her dreams and ambitions, and her attemps at being accepted and trying to �fit in�.

� Students are to read the novel and prepare an oral report on the similarities and differences that they find between this novel and The House on Mango Street.

� T will select days on which students will be asked to read aloud portions of the novel in class. This should give Ss a chance to ask any questions about significant passages in the novel.

� As Ss present their findings to the class either in groups or individually, they are to share with the class (every student must do this) what they learned about the importance of poetry overall and how they can apply what they learned to their lives.