Dec. 2, Monday - SWBAT apply critical reading skills to The Devil and Tom Walker through a metacognitive reading log after developing a clearer understanding of Romanticism and Transcendentalism using a graphic organizer.
HW: Finish Reading "The Devil (...)" and the reading log. Due next class period.
Dec. 3/4 (Block) - SWBAT evaluate the effectiveness of Romantic poetry by summarizing, describing imagery, explicating figurative language, and connecting the poem's structure to its overall theme
IR
We will fill out this outline together in class during a class discussion.
Before we discuss the Reading Logs I want to remind the students that we are reading for more than just simple comprehension. I will play them this clip for the students that are worried they are "doing it wrong".
Discuss the reading logs finished for HW from our last class.
Review the values of Romanticism before reading some poetry from this time period.
Follow the same analysis process for poetry by Emily Dickinson. Before we begin analyzing the poem "I Heard a Fly Buzz..." students will get a brief introduction to Emily Dickinson's odd life and massive collection of poetry. Next, they will quickly scan several of Dickinson's poems to note some of the characteristics of poems written by Dickinson. The collection of poetry I will have them scan is:
We will be exploring the Walt Whitman poem, "I Hear America Singing," first. Then, we will explore and connect two response poems, Langston Hughes's "I, Too" and Angela de Hoyos's "To Walt Whitman." [From L3]
Class discussion
Hour Two of Class: Delving deeper in poetry
Independent practice of today's poetry analysis. I will provide a list of possible poems, and students will have to choose one to analyze: "The Soul Selects Her Own Society" (Dickinson); "My Life Closed Twice Before Its Close" (Dickinson); "Water is Taught by Thirst" (Dickinson) - Be prepared to discuss your poem next class; "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" (Whitman)
Groups will take turns presenting their poems that they completely analyzed. They will do the following:
Read the poem aloud,
Provide an objective summary of the piece, stanza-by-stanza.
Describe what they envisioned for a "poetry video," which is the idea I use to encourage students to tune into their mental imagery of written work
Connect the specific words or phrases the author used with the images described in the "poetry video" explanation.
Explain and give evidence for any "deeper meaning" of the poem from symbols, imagery, etc., and articulate and support a theme.
Connect the poem to other literature in its genre of Romanticism
HW: Prepare for NB check #2 & Book Talk #2
Dec. 5, Thursday - SWBAT analyze "Horton Hears a Who" in both a text-embedded metacognitive reading log and an allegorical investigation process sheet.
IR
Reviewing poetic element and metrical descriptions of poetry
Use the class period to prepare notebook
HW: Prepare for NB check #2 & Book Talk #2 - Due Tomorrow
Dec. 6, Friday - SWBAT discuss the second book they've read for independent reading by giving their second Book Talk.
IR NOTEBOOKS AND BOOK TALK #2 DUE TODAY
HW: Read "The Minister's Black Veil" and complete a reading log - Due Monday.
Dec. 7, Monday - SWBAT apply scientific elements to the Transcendentalists' distrust of their senses using videos from Dan Simon.
IR - Return notebooks
Discuss "Minister's Black Veil" (Reading Logs Due today)
Review allegory and direct characterization
Transcendentalism - We will review the characteristics of Transcendentalism and discuss the major tenets of the school of thought, especially focusing on their ideas about nature and the possibility that a person's senses are not very reliable.
Read "Nature" Chapter 1 and Discuss its Transcendental Elements.
Watch short clips and discuss how our perceptions of reality may mislead us - how does this relate to Transcendental ideology?
Compare "Nature" to Annie Dillard's Excerpts of "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" and Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience"