Unit Summary:
In this unit, students will read and study a group of poems written by various poets in various styles. They will understand poets use various poetic devices to help them convey the meaning. Students will focus on textual details to draw inferences. Upon completing the unit, students will write an analysis comparing two poem on the same subject through research and in-depth reading. Students will share a discussion of the poems in-depth focusing on seven tiered teacher-generated questions in a Socratic seminar.
Common Core Learning Standards: RL 9-10.1, 2, 4, 5 & 11; W1, 2, 4; , SL 9-10.1
RL 9-10 1.
1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
5. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
Writing
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts,
b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Listening and Speaking
1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
c. Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.
d. Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.
e. Seek to understand and communicate with individuals from different perspectives and cultural backgrounds.
Enduring Understanding
| Overarching Enduring Understanding(s) Students will understand that…
Topical Enduring Understanding(s) Specific to Unit:
|
Overarching Essential Question(s) To understand, students will need to consider such questions as….
Topical Essential Question(s) Specific to Unit:
|
Students will be able to-
- Read and understand poems in depth
- use seven habits of a good reader to help them dig deep into the meaning of texts
- write an analysis of selected poems and compare and contrast them from a specific perspective
Students will be able to understand-
- poets use poetic devices to enhance their meaning
- poetry is not only to express emotions but also tell stories and share philosophical views.
- Poetry is part of our daily language but in a different form.
Assessment Evidence
Diagnostic Assessment(s):
- journal writing, class participation, completion of daily assigned reading, small group discussion, exit slips
- Synthesis journals
- Poetic devices quizzes
Summative Assessment
- In a Socratic seminar, students will have a shared discussion about the two poems, “Boy and Father” & “Papa’s Waltz” guided by a set of tiered and open-ended questions generated by the teacher. Each student’s performance during the seminar will be evaluated based on the Listening and Speaking rubric. Through the seminar, students will deepen their understanding of the poems by listening, asking questions, sharing his/her views on the topic as well as building on each other’s discussion.
| Task:Students will write a literary essay on the two well-studied poems “Boy and Father” & “Papa’s Waltz” focusing on the father-son relationship through the analysis of poetic devices such as imagery, symbolism and point of view. They will develop a claim on the topic based on the poems and write an EBC essay on how each author uses literary techniques such as imagery to develop an overall meaning on the relationship between a father and son. |
Academic Vocabulary
- Symbolism
- perspectives
- meter
- claim
- evidence
- reasoning
- inference
Texts: “Boy and Father” by Carl Sandberg, “Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke
Materials: Hard copies of poems, EBC Worksheets, Listening and Speaking rubric, lesson tools, Depth of Knowledge chart, Bloom’s Taxonomy question stems
Lesson 1
Theodore Roethke- “Papa’s Waltz”
Learning Objectives: Students will identify the key imagery in the poem and analyze the meanings they connote based on the close reading of the poem “ My Papa’s Waltz”.
Aim: What’s the key imagery in the poem? How does it help reveal the central idea of the poem?
Agenda
Do Now: Read the passage about the author Theodore Roethke and jot down three notes( or questions) that you’d like to share with the class .
Mini Lesson
- Listen to the poet’s reading of the poem- http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoem.do?poemId=9505 and annote while listening. Identify one example that you believe is an imagery.
| My Papa’s Waltz The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy.We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother’s countenance Could not unfrown itself.The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle.You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt, Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt. Theodore Roethke |
- Imagery and its meaning: share the examples in pairs and explain why the particular imagery stood out for you and what it might mean.
- What is imagery? According to the poetry archives website, “Imagery is the name given to the elements in a poem that spark off the senses. Despite “image” being a synonym for “picture”, images need not be only visual; any of the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell) can respond to what a poet writes.”
- For example, the 1st line “The whiskey on your breath” suggests rank breath, intoxication and the unconscious repulse from the speaker, etc., which immediately reveals the situation and character and emotional reactions.
Student Independent Practice: Each group reads an assigned stanza of the poem and complete the lesson tool below based on the group discussion.
- Read the stanza out loud to each other one more time
- What imagery do you see? How does the author use specific word choice to depict the imagery? What effects does it create it? If one or two words were changed, would the meaning remain the same? Why or why not?
- Each group presents its findings.
| Examples of Imagery ( Stanza# ) |
What the image reveals to me | What it may connote relating to the central idea of the poem |
Quick Write: Based on the imagery we have discussed in the class, what do you believe is the poet’s claim about father-son relationship?
Homework: Write a paragraph beginning with a claim ( what you conclude the poet’s views on the father-son relationship). Cite specific evidence of imagery from the poem to support the claim.
Lesson 2 TP-CASTT: A Tool To Use When Analyzing Poetry
T=TITLE:
- Ponder the title before reading.
- Brainstorm what the poem will probably be about.
Read the poem aloud at least twice to understand it!
P=PARAPHRASE:
- Put the poem in your own words—line by line and stanza by stanza.
- Circle words you do not know. Look them up and record their definitions.
- Rephrase inverted lines.
C=CONNOTATION: Examine the poetic devices, focusing on how those devices contribute to the meaning. These poetic devices include:
- Rhyme (ex. rhyme scheme [i.e. ABAB CDCD EE FF], true rhyme [i.e. right/height], slant or approximate rhyme [i.e. thin/skim], internal rhyme [rhyme within a line of poetry], end rhyme [the last word on a line rhymes with another word that is the last on its line])
- Figurative language (ex. metaphor, simile, personification, imagery, allusions, apostrophe)—identify examples AND explain their purposes/effects.
- Symbolism—Identify symbols and explain their purpose/role in the poem.
- Use of paradox, oxymoron, and irony—identify examples AND explain their purposes/effects.
- Sound devices (ex. alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia)—Identify them and explain their roles, purposes, and effects.
- Diction—Consider the connotative meanings of words that “stand out”—those that are particularly specific, memorable, or striking.
A=ATTITUDE (TONE): Describe the attitude (or MULTIPLE attitudes) that is (are) present. Look again at diction, imagery, details, language (figurative), and syntax—anything that conveys the TONE of the poem. Consider both the attitude of poet toward his/her subject as well as his/her attitude toward the reader/audience.
S=SHIFT: A shift in attitude or tone will often point to the real significance of a poem. Here are some ways in which a poet might signal a shift:
- Key words (but, however, yet, although)
- Punctuation (hyphens, periods, colons, ellipsis)
- Stanza divisions
- Changes in line or stanza length (or both)
- Effect of structure on meaning
- Changes in sound that indicate changes in meaning
- Changes in level or connotation of diction (such as colloquial to formal or elevated or optimistic to pessimistic)
T=TITLE (AGAIN): Now examine the title on an interpretative level. Compare your original response to your “informed” response.
T=THEME: Theme is a controlling idea or a subject for philosophical reflection in a literary work. It is what the poem (or other literary work) is really about (NOT just what is on the surface, literal level).
The poet conveys theme—a universal truth about life—through BOTH the structure and content of the poem. In order to determine theme:
- List general subjects of the poem (ex. death, dying, love, growing up, aging, war, grief, loss).
- Write a declarative sentence that expresses the poet’s specific viewpoint on each subject. THESE
SENTENCES ARE THE THEMES. For example, a theme statement might read as follows: “War affects everyone, not just people who are fighting on the front lines.” A theme cannotbe expressed in terms such as “The theme is war.” WHAT, SPECIFICALLY, IS THE POET SAYING ABOUT WAR? The
answer to THAT QUESTION is the theme!!
Student Independent Practice
In small groups, complete the lesson tool using the poem “ My Papa’s Waltz”-
| Title (Brainstorm what the poem will probably be about.) | |
PARAPHRASE:
|
|
| C=CONNOTATION: Examine the poetic devices, focusing on how those devices contribute to the meaning. | |
| ATTITUDE (TONE): Describe the attitude (or MULTIPLE attitudes) that is (are) present. | |
| SHIFT: A shift in attitude or tone will often point to the real significance of a poem | |
| TITLE (AGAIN): Now examine the title on aninterpretative level | |
| THEME: Theme is a controlling idea or a subject for philosophical reflection in a literary work | |
Lesson 3
Learning Objectives: Students will learn to use textual evidence to determine a central idea on father-son relationship based on the close reading of the poem “ My Papa’s Waltz”.
Aim: How is the father-son relationship portrayed in the Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz”?
Mini Lesson-Avoiding the Cliche and Generating a Claim about the father-son relationship
1. “Here’s a poem by a Michigan lad, Theodore Roethke, whose father ran a nursery and greenhouse business in Saginaw. This poem avoids all psycho-babble about love-hate relationships, childhood idealization of the father, family tensions and conflicts, the borderline between play and violence, whatever. It avoids those cliches and trite formulations by instead seeing specific things and moments of experience — by imagery, in a word.
As you read it, avoid cliché reactions having to do with dysfunctional families, alcoholism, child abuse, and other newspaper topics. Such matters are real enough, but stock responses can block your perceptions. Instead, concentrate on the particulars.
Every image here deserves to be pondered and tasted to the full, for its emotional richness. The overall tone and feeling contains love and pain and humor and nostalgia all blended. ” ( cited from http://homepages.wmich.edu/~cooneys/poems/roethke.papa.html)
2. Making an EBC ( Lesson Tool)
| Detail 1 (ref: ____ ) |
Detail 2 (ref: ____ ) |
Detail 3 (ref: ____ ) |
| What I think about detail 1 | What I think about detail 2 | What I think about detail 3 |
| How I Connect the details: | ||
| My claim about the poem on the subject of father-son relationship: | ||
Independent Practice:
Use the lesson tool to generate a claim about the father-son relationship as conveyed in the poem. Provide details to support your claim.
Group members share the claim and evidence. Each group selects the best claim from the group to share with the class.
Copy the claim on a post-it and adhere it to a poster board. Copy the evidence on a post-its and place them under the claim.
Gallery walk and critique.
Homework: Revise the claim based on the gallery walk. Type the TP-CAST chart to show your in-depth understanding of the poem.
Lesson 4: Socratic Seminar
Culminating Assessments:
Performance Task: How does Roethke portray the father-son relationship in his narrative poem “Papa’s Waltz”? How does he use imagery effectively to convey the complex relationship? After reading “Papa’s Waltz” and “Boy and Father”, write an essay in which you analyze how Roethke and Sandburg use imagery of two boys’ momentary contact with their fathers to illustrate the theme of father-son relationship. Include a claim that is based on your reading of both poems. Provide specific examples to support your claim and analysis of the evidence ( refer to specific line number labeled). Avoid summary of the poems.
Seminar Plan
1. We will read the poem out loud one more time. Annotate while listening.
2. Choose a personal Goal: a. Ask a question b) share an idea from the text you are uncertain about c) build on others’ discussion by referring to the text d) contribute a new idea to the conversation
3. Our group goal today is to a) make eye contact with your peers when speaking b) articulate your ideas c) paraphrasing d) practice active listening
- Articulate one’s idea ; make eye contact while speaking
- Accurately analyzing a complex text
- using precise evidence to support their claim
Homework: Illustrate assigned poetic terms on a construction paper. Underline the term; define it; illustrate it with an example from the poems we have read in class. If you can not find an example from our poems, find a poem on your own and identify an example. Be sure to cite the poem ( author and title)where you find the example
Lesson 5: Poem ” Father and Son“- author’s background and first reading
Learning objectives: Students will read another poem about the same subject- father and son relationship. They will compare the two poems and analyze how each poet reveals his central idea about the father son relationship.
Aim: How does Carl Sandburg describe the father-son relationship in his poem “Boy and Father”
Carl Sandburg (1878–1967). Smoke and Steel. 1922.
| Boy and FatherTHE BOY Alexander understands his father to be a famous lawyer. The leather law books of Alexander’s father fill a room like hay in a barn. Alexander has asked his father to let him build a house like bricklayers build, a house with walls and roofs made of big leather law books.The rain beats on the windows And the raindrops run down the window glass And the raindrops slide off the green blinds down the siding. The boy Alexander dreams of Napoleon in John C. Abbott’s history, Napoleon the grand and lonely man wronged, Napoleon in his life wronged and in his memory wronged. The boy Alexander dreams of the cat Alice saw, the cat fading off into the dark and leaving the teeth of its Cheshire smile lighting the gloom.Buffaloes, blizzards, way down in Texas, in the panhandle of Texas snuggling close to New Mexico, These creep into Alexander’s dreaming by the window when his father talks with strange men about land down in Deaf Smith County. Alexander’s father tells the strange men: Five years ago we ran a Ford out on the prairie and chased antelopes.Only once or twice in a long while has Alexander heard his father say “my first wife” so-and-so and such-and-such. A few times softly the father has told Alexander, “Your mother … was a beautiful woman … but we won’t talk about her.” Always Alexander listens with a keen listen when he hears his father mention “my first wife” or “Alexander’s mother.”Alexander’s father smokes a cigar and the Episcopal rector smokes a cigar and the words come often: mystery of life, mystery of life. These two come into Alexander’s head blurry and gray while the rain beats on the windows and the raindrops run down the window glass and the raindrops slide off the green blinds and down the siding. These and: There is a God, there must be a God, how can there be rain or sun unless there is a God?So from the wrongs of Napoleon and the Cheshire cat smile on to the buffaloes and blizzards of Texas and on to his mother and to God, so the blurry gray rain dreams of Alexander have gone on five minutes, maybe ten, keeping slow easy time to the raindrops on the window glass and the raindrops sliding off the green blinds and down the siding. |
Agenda
Do Now: Describe the relationship between the father and child as revealed in the poem “Boy and Father”.
Mini lesson- Allusion, Imagery,
- Who is the speaker? What kind of poem is it, lyrical, narrative or dramatic?
- How is the boy described in the poem? Provide three examples to illustrate your interpretation.
- Why are such allusions to Alice and Napoleon used in the poem?
- What is the purpose of repeating the image ” rain” and “raindrops”?
- What do the references to “New Mexico” and “Deaf Smith County” indicate or reveal about the character Alexander?
- According to the briefly quoted speech by the father, what do we know about Alexander’s mother?
- What does the line “There is a God, there must be a God, how can there be rain or sun unless there is a God?” tell you about Alexander?
- What’s the purpose of the last stanza? How effective is it by repeating the imagery?
- What are the major poetic devices used in the poem? How do they enhance the main ideas of the poem?
- What is the main idea?
- How do you feel about the poem?
Independent Practice: Share and revise the TP-CAST worksheet on “Boy and Father”
Exist Slip: How does Sandburg describe the relationship between the boy and father?
Homework:
- Respond to : How does Sandburg describe the relationship between the boy and father?
- Prepare three open-ended questions
- Make one connection between “My Papa’s Waltz” and “Boy and Father”
- ( revise) Use TP-CAST to analyze the poem.
Lesson 6: Socratic Seminar about the poem “Boy and Father”
Culminating Assessments:
Performance Task: How does Roethke portray the father-son relationship in his narrative poem “Papa’s Waltz”? How does he use imagery effectively to convey the complex relationship? After reading “Papa’s Waltz” and “Boy and Father”, write an essay in which you analyze how Roethke and Sandburg use imagery of two boys’ momentary contact with their fathers to illustrate the theme of father-son relationship. Include a claim that is based on your reading of both poems. Provide specific examples to support your claim and analysis of the evidence ( refer to specific line number labeled). Avoid summary of the poems.
Skills Addressed-
Reading CCR1 Citing Evidence
Writing: CCW1 Write arguments to support claims
Speaking and Listening: CCSL 1a: Come to discussion having read material; CCSL 1b: Work with peers to have a collegial discussion; CCSL 1d: Respond to diverse perspectives
Content: Literary element: theme; literary techniques: extended metaphors, imagery, allusion, symbolism
Seminar Plan
1. We will read the poem out loud one more time. Annotate while listening.
2. Choose a personal Goal: a. Ask a question b) share an idea from the text you are uncertain about c) build on others’ discussion by referring to the text d) contribute a new idea to the conversation
3. Our group goal today is to a) make eye contact with your peers when speaking b) articulate your ideas c) paraphrasing d) practice active listening
- Articulate one’s idea ; make eye contact while speaking
- Accurately analyzing a complex text
- using precise evidence to support their claim
Lesson 7: Drafting the essay
Use the step-by-step instructions as well as the model essay as an exemplary to follow, write the 1st draft of the essay based on the essay prompt.
Lesson 8: Revising the essay
Objectives: Students will edit their essays after the grammar lesson. Students will also use the rubric to help them finalize the essay.
Aim: How do I vary sentence structure in my writing?
Resources:
- http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/index.htm
- http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/grammar/
- http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/composition/composition.htm ( Principals of Composition)
Do Now:
Click the Workshop Link to review some grammar rules.
Mini Lesson:
1. Writing sentences with various structure
Please click the link to see the workshop contents-
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/sentences.htm
2. Using transitions
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/composition/composition.htm
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/transitions.htm
Independent Practice
Peer Review:
Focus for peer review-
- subject verb agreement
- variety of sentence structure
- punctuation
- transitions
Select a specific area you feel you need support with, go to that page directly to get instructions-
- http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/grammar/
- http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/composition/composition.htm
Lesson 9
Harlem Renaissance
Objectives: Students will examine the works that represent the Harlem renaissance . They will analyze the works through a lens that is represented by a critical statement made by a known critics of the Harlem Renaissance.
Aim: What does the quotation reveal about Harlem Renaissance ? How is the movement represented in the poems and artwork?
Do Now: Share the critical lens ( quotations) you have selected from your reading. What does the quotation reveal about the Harlem Renaissance?
Resources:
- http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/harlem/harlem.html
- http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson252/websites.html
- http://www.iniva.org/harlem/home.html
- http://www.okcmoa.com/wp-content/uploads/Harlem_Docent_Educator_Resource_Guide_web.pdf
Mini Lesson
1. Based on Activity A –Read an article that provides detailed descriptions of the Harlem Renaissance movement. Read the article and take notes to show your understanding of the movement. Organize your notes into sentences that explain what the movement was about and stood for. Cite one direct quotation that highlights the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance.
We’ll select one quotation from each group and see how it sheds light on the Harlem Renaissance Movement.
Critical Lens: Choose one of the following critical lenses to compose your essay:
- “The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife – this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. In this merging he wishes neither of the older selves to be lost.”
—W.E.B. Dubois – The Souls of Black Folks, 1909 (excepted in “Song of the Seventh Son”)
- “Thus all art is propaganda and ever must be despite the wailing of the purist…”
—W.E.B. Dubois – “Criteria of Negro Art”
- ““We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame….We know we are beautiful. And ugly too….We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves.” – Langston Hughes – “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”
- “Mine is a quiet explorations quest for new meanings in color, texture and design. Even though I sometimes portray scenes of poor and struggling people, it is a great joy to paint.” -Lois Mailou Jones
- “…Our problem is to conceive, develop, establish an art era. Not white art painting black…let’s bare our arms and plunge them deep through laughter, through pain, through sorrow, through hope, through disappointment, into the very depths of the souls of our people and drag forth material crude, rough, neglected. Then let’s sing it, dance it, write it, paint it. Let’s do the impossible. Let’s create something transcendentally material, mystically objective. Earthy. Spiritually earthy. Dynamic.” – Aaron Douglas
- “I’ve always been interested in history, but they never taught Negro history in the public schools… I don’t see how a history of the United States can be written honestly without including the Negro.”- Jacob Lawrence
- “Being a Negro writer these days is a racket and I’m going to make the most of it while it lasts. About twice a year I sell a story. It is acclaimed. I am a genius in the making. Thank God for this Negro literary renaissance. Long may it flourish!”
– Wallace Thurman - “Thurman’s Harlem Renaissance is, thus, staunch and revolutionary in its commitment to individuality and critical objectivity: the black writer need not pander to the aesthetic preferences of the black middle class, nor should he or she write for an easy and patronizing white approval.~ Siggh and Scott
2. Examine and analyze the poems and artwork from the perspectives of a selected critical lens.
Read the poem by Langston Hughes’ I Too Sing America
an Essay “The Negro Artist and Racial Mountain”
Read a poem by Claude Mckay “If I Must Die”
Click the site to view paintings by Jacob Lawrence
An essay by Ernest Allen ” The New Negro Identity” http://www.umass.edu/afroam/downloads/allen.newnegro.pdf
An Essay ” When a Negro in Vogue” by Hughes
(b. Examine three works from the Harlem Renaissance period ( 2 poems by two different poets and one art). Write a paragraph based on each work discussing how each writer or artist uses his/her artistic creation to chant in the movement.)
c. Be sure to provide the citations( website url, author’s name, title, year of publication, etc) for all four sources ( an informational article about the Harlem Renaissance, two poems by different poets and a painting or collage).
Independent Practice:
Your task: Write an essay in which you discuss two poems and an artwork from the Harlem Renaissance period from the particular perspective of the “critical lens” statement of your choice. In your essay, provide a valid interpretation of the statement, agree or disagree with the statement as you have interpreted it, and support your opinion using specific references to appropriate literary elements from the one essay and literary works (see chart).
Critical Lens: Choose one of the following critical lenses to compose your essay:
- “The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife – this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. In this merging he wishes neither of the older selves to be lost.”
—W.E.B. Dubois – The Souls of Black Folks, 1909 (excepted in “Song of the Seventh Son”)
- “Thus all art is propaganda and ever must be despite the wailing of the purist…”
—W.E.B. Dubois – “Criteria of Negro Art”
- ““We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame….We know we are beautiful. And ugly too….We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves.” – Langston Hughes – “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”
- “Mine is a quiet explorations quest for new meanings in color, texture and design. Even though I sometimes portray scenes of poor and struggling people, it is a great joy to paint.” -Lois Mailou Jone
- “…Our problem is to conceive, develop, establish an art era. Not white art painting black…let’s bare our arms and plunge them deep through laughter, through pain, through sorrow, through hope, through disappointment, into the very depths of the souls of our people and drag forth material crude, rough, neglected. Then let’s sing it, dance it, write it, paint it. Let’s do the impossible. Let’s create something transcendentally material, mystically objective. Earthy. Spiritually earthy. Dynamic.” – Aaron Douglas
- “I’ve always been interested in history, but they never taught Negro history in the public schools… I don’t see how a history of the United States can be written honestly without including the Negro.”- Jacob Lawrence
- “Being a Negro writer these days is a racket and I’m going to make the most of it while it lasts. About twice a year I sell a story. It is acclaimed. I am a genius in the making. Thank God for this Negro literary renaissance. Long may it flourish!”– Wallace Thurman
- “Thurman’s Harlem Renaissance is, thus, staunch and revolutionary in its commitment to individuality and critical objectivity: the black writer need not pander to the aesthetic preferences of the black middle class, nor should he or she write for an easy and patronizing white approval.~ Siggh and Scott
Guidelines:
• Provide a valid interpretation of the critical lens that clearly establishes the criteria for analysis.
• Indicate whether you agree or disagree with the statement as you have interpreted it.
• Use the criteria suggested by the critical lens to analyze the works you have selected.
• Do not summarize the plot but use specific references to appropriate literary elements (for example, theme, characterization, structure, language point of view) to develop your analysis.
• Organize your ideas in a logical and coherent manner.
• Specify the titles and authors for the works you chose.
Discuss the impact or legacy the Harlem Renaissance had on American culture or literature.
• Follow the conventions of standard written English.
Homework Assignment : Read and select one quotation from above. Explain why you have chosen this quotation as your critical lens.
Lesson 10
Objectives: Students will analyze the quotation of their choice and make an interpretation.
Aim: How do we interpret a complex quotation?
Do Now: Share your quotations at your group and explain why you have chose this particular one.and how you have derived a this interpretation.
Mini Lesson : How do we interpret the the following statement?
“The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife – this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. In this merging he wishes neither of the older selves to be lost.”
—W.E.B. Dubois – The Souls of Black Folks, 1909
- Identify the key words- strife, longing, attain self conscious, merge, double self to better and truer self, neither of the older selves lost
- Look for repetition or opposing ideas (binaries)- “strife, double self, older selves”; ” longing, self conscious, better & truer self”
- Analyze: The pattern- “strife, double self, older selves” indicate the unhappy former self and ” longing, self conscious, better & truer self” indicates a new self.
- So what: So Harlem Renaissance is about consciously inventing or voicing a new self to overcome one’s old shameful and suffering image and yet still being deeply rooted in his past.
Independent Practice:
Use the same strategy to analyze your quotation. Remember your interpretation will be incorporated into your essay as a claim.
Exit Slip: What have you learned about close reading from today’s lesson?
Homework: Analyze your quotation by using the “Notice & Focus” method. Make a clearly stated claim based on your interpretation of the quotation.
Lesson 11
Objectives: Students will revise their interpretation of the selected quotation. They will read two poems from the Harlem Renaissance period and see how each poem supports or augments the claim they have made.
Aim: How does the poems support or augment the key ideas implied in the quotation?
Do Now: Share your interpretation of the quotation with a partner and explain how you came to such a conclusion.
Mini Lesson- Read the poem by Langston Hughes’ I Too Sing America
My Claim ( interpretation of one of the quotations by W.E.B. Dubois): So Harlem Renaissance is about consciously inventing or voicing a new self to overcome one’s old shameful and suffering image and yet still being deeply rooted in his past.
Use the claim as a critical lens to examine the following poem-
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.
Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed–
I, too, am America.
- …darker brother/They send me to eat in the kitchen ( segregation, the past)
- Tomorrow,/ I’ll be at the table ; ” laugh”, “eat well”, “grow strong”.( new voice and image , fighting for equality and being one’s true self)
- They’ll see how beautiful I am/And be ashamed– ( a new self)
- Method: Hughes uses the monologue form in this dramatic poem to deliver an intense and intimate confession from the speaker whose skin color is dark and dissatisfied with being coerced into separation- eating in a kitchen instead of being ” at a table”. The two metaphors ” kitchen” and ” table” refer to the two vastly different worlds the speaker lives in-one proud and open , the other hidden and degraded. Hughes uses future tense in the line (8) ” I’ll be at the table” to show his hope and the ” Nobody’ll dare” to accentuate his optimistic tone of challenging such a humiliating act. In addition, Hughes uses the transitional word “beside” to soften his feisty tone and express his sense of pride that is expressed in his word choice “… how beautiful I am”. “Beautiful” can refer not only the physical beauty but more or so the character and talents. The refrain ” I, too, am American” expresses Hughes’ hope for the White Americans to recognize their connection to the black Americans through history.It also is a declaration of all black Americans that proudly ” I’m American ” above all differences.
- So What: Hughes expresses a new voice , a awakened black American who wishes to be treated equally and fairly. Through the speaker, he hopes to see that black Americans should no longer live in shame or hide in disgrace but stand up to demand equal rights and treatment because they are also Americans, proud Americans, part of the landscape called America.
Independent Practice:
Select a poem you have prepared for your Halem Renaissance project and do an analysis from the perspective of your chosen critical lens.
Exit Slip: How does the perspective provided by the lens give you insights when analyzing your poem?
Homework: Write a complete paragraph to show your analysis of the poem ( topic sentence, evidence, analysis and so what).
Lesson 12- Writers’ Workshop
Objectives: Students will finalize their interpretation of a critical lens ( a quotation from an article about the Harlem Renaissance) through which they will examine and analyze a specific poem from the Harlem Renaissance era.
Aim: How do we read and analyze a literary work such as a poem through a specific perspective provided by the critical lens?
Agenda
- Review the lesson objectives and aim
- Do Now
- Mini Lesson- review and explain
- Independent practice- revision
- Exit slip
- Homework
Do Now: Share your written paragraph with a partner ( exchange your work). Peer review the paragraph about the poem through the perspective of the lens. Use the following checklist to help you review-
- Is the interpretation clear? How many points are included in your partner’s interpretation?
- Does the analysis address each point included in the interpretation?
- Is there evidence for each point?
- Is there a ” so what” part to highlight the meaning of the critical lens?
Mini Lesson- Review
| Read the poem by Langston Hughes’ I Too Sing AmericaMy Claim ( interpretation of one of the quotations by W.E.B. Dubois): Harlem Renaissance is about consciously inventing or voicing a new self (1)to overcome one’s old shameful and suffering image(2) and yet still being deeply rooted in his past(3).Use the claim as a critical lens to examine the following poem-I, too, sing America.I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong.Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table When company comes. Nobody’ll dare Say to me, “Eat in the kitchen,” Then.Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed–I, too, am America.-Langston HughesHow does the poem support or illustrate the claim that oppressed people ( African Americans) are consciously inventing or voicing a new self to overcome one’s old shameful and suffering image and yet still standing deeply rooted in his past?Sample Analysis:
|
Independent Practice
It is crucial to express your interpretation in a clear and well-structured sentence, possibly, two at most. With a confusing interpretation as your claim, it’ll be even harder to try to use it to examine the poem you are to analyze.
Use the notes from the class and your partner to revise your interpretation. Be sure to provide a unique perspective to examine the poetic work by a Harlem Renaissance poet.
While the class is working on the revision guided by the check list, I’ll have individual conferences with those who need further clarification on how to interpret the quotation as well as the analysis of the poem.
Exit Slip: What stood out for you today in today’s workshop?
Homework: Write two paragraph of your final essay-an introduction and a complete paragraph of the analysis based on the first poem
Through the perspective provided by the critical lens, analyze the 2nd poem from the Harlem Renaissance period. Be sure to provide a hard copy of the poem.
Use the following template for your introduction and the 1st body paragraph-
Template for the Introduction
|
Template for the body paragraph
|
Lesson 13
Objectives: Students will analyze the 2nd poem from the Harlem Renaissance period following the rubric indicated in the template.
Aim: How do we analyze the 2nd poem from the same perspective of the critical lens without sounding redundant?
Agenda
- Review the objective and aim
- Do Now
- Mini Lesson
- Independent Practice
- Reflect
- Homework
Do Now:
Use the template for a peer review. Put a check next to the part you see in your partner’s writing and x to the parts missing.
Mini Lesson- How to keep the analysis fresh and sharp?
- Use a poem that is dissimilar from the one that you have analyzed in the areas of diction, style
- Select the poem that shares the similar message but with a different twist
- Select a poet of a different gender to see how she expresses her protest or new voice in the work
- Or pick a poem of different style- narrative , dramatic?
- Or a poem where you can see a more advanced idea ( progressive ideas)- from being acknowledged to demanding equality, etc.
- Continue to use the template below to guide your writing
Template for the Introduction
|
Template for the body paragraph
|
Exit Slip: Reflect-How convinced are you as a writer that ” a pen is as mighty as a sword”?
Homework: Complete the 2nd body paragraph of the essay.
Lesson 14
Objectives: Students will use the checklist to revise their analysis of the 2nd poem by a Harlem Renaissance writer. They will also learn the techniques to critique a painting or collage.
Aim: How do we compare two poets’ works that share similar themes? How do we use art as evidence to support a claim?
Materials:
- The Harlem Shadow by Claude McKay
- I, too, Sing America by Langston Hughes
- Jacob Lawrence ( Resource 1- http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/arts/lawrence.html ; resource 2: http://www.georgeking-assoc.com/gointochicago/paintings/painting.html; resource 3: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?id=2828
| Harlem ShadowsI hear the halting footsteps of a lassIn Negro Harlem when the night lets fall
Its veil. I see the shapes of girls who pass To bend and barter at desire’s call. Ah, little dark girls who in slippered feet Go prowling through the night from street to street!
Through the long night until the silver break Of day the little gray feet know no rest; Through the lone night until the last snow-flake Has dropped from heaven upon the earth’s white breast, The dusky, half-clad girls of tired feet Are trudging, thinly shod, from street to street.
Ah, stern harsh world, that in the wretched way Of poverty, dishonor and disgrace, Has pushed the timid little feet of clay, The sacred brown feet of my fallen race! Ah, heart of me, the weary, weary feet In Harlem wandering from street to street.
|
Mini Lesson
A. What do Hughes and McKay’s poems share and differ?
- They both depict the sufferings of the race- one is the degradation and the other struggle of everyday life such as poverty.
- The tone is similar in a way they both demand social reform and justice but they also differ- one is more proud and determined and the other subdued and weary.
- Hughes uses a dramatic monologue and metaphors to depict two different worlds the African Americans live in while McKay narrates the life of a young black girl struggling to survive.
- The effect is the same. Both poets call for change and justice- one is more direct and the other subtle.
B. Transitional Paragraph between the 1st two paragraph
While Langston Hughes uses his poetry to voice his concerns about the black race and social injustice, Claude McKay uses his to portray the destitute lives and struggle of black people. We see more vividly individual sufferings of the black people, in this case, a young African American girl who tries to survive in the street.
C. Transitional paragraph between 3rd and 4th paragraphs
When poets use words either to dramatize the lives of or tell true stories about the African-Americans, artist like Jab Lawrence use paintings to showcase the social inequities and injustice that were common factors among them, which adds another dimension to the narrative and distinctive “voice” to the movement.
D. How do we analyze a painting? See The Migration of the Negro #17 (1941)
Jacob Lawrence art depicts the African American’ lives during the historical periods such as the the Great Migration and World War II and reveals hunger, segregation, lynching and other sufferings endured by the black people. His artworks tell stories and capture typical moments of those who experienced the lives of the Migration and war. Today Lawrence is considered one of the most acclaimed African American artist of the 20th century. He once said , ” I want to communicate. I want the idea to strike right away.” In his painting “ The Migration of the Negro #17″ (1941), Lawrence depicts two African American laborers who have just left south and come up north to work as sharecroppers. Their backs are deeply bent from carrying a heavy bag that will be weighed on a scale. From the physical portrayal of the characters, they look hungry and tired. They look small and thin compared to the white man keeping a record of their crop. They bodies lean forward as if to plead with the man that they need money to buy food while the white man shows only interests in the crops they have brought forward and barely notices the starving men. Lawrence uses dark colors to portray the two workers, their low hanging hats, the brown shirt and partial grey background creating a depressing mood. With the pleading look, bent backs and bags that look heavier than their skinny bodies, Lawrence shows his sense of injustice and inequality. His voice is clear as the day as portrayed in the painting: injustice is committed in the broad day light as a common factor of these people’s lives. They work hard and yet still live in poverty and starvation. The narrative tells a compelling story of AA’s suffering, which forces viewers to question justice and fairness of the society. ( So What) Similar to Hughes and McKay’s poems, Lawrence uses his painting to communicate a similar message that African Americans’ treatment is unjustified and changes must be made to achieve equality. The suffering by the black race needs to be seen and acknowledged , which may serve as the dawn of a new society , equal and fair.
Exit Slip: What have you learned from today’s lesson? What questions do you still have?
Homework: Finish the analysis of the painting in a complete paragraph.
teh