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Lesson 3

We will explore two poems, “The Lynching” by Claude McKay and “Between the World and Me” by Richard Wright, and we will draw connections among these literary texts and the unit’s informational texts to extend our understanding of the social and political context out of which the Great Migration grew.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I use connections among details, elements, and effects to make logical deductions about the authors’ perspectives, purpose, and meaning in the two poems?

  • Can I formulate and use questions to establish and deepen my understanding of the poems and the topic?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • “Between the World and Me,” Richard Wright, John Hawkins and Associates, Inc., 1935
    • “The Lynching,” Claude McKay, Public Domain, 1922

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read

We will continue our exploration of the social and political environment experienced in the south by reading “The Lynching.” we will read and take note of details that stand out to us using the Attending to Details Tool before exploring the poem’s language and structure in more detail.

Step 1

Share your response to the following question with the whole class:

  1. Based on the title, what do you know about this text?

Step 2

Listen and read along silently as your teacher reads the poem aloud and respond to the following guiding question using the Attending to Details Tool:

  1. What is this poem about?

Turn to a partner. Discuss the following question:

  1. What stands out to you as important?

Step 3

Reread the text on your own, this time focusing on specific words and phrases that create vivid pictures or evoke strong feelings.

Individually, mark at least five words or phrases that create vivid pictures or evoke strong feelings. For each marked word or phrase, identify the feelings evoked or describe your reaction.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss

We will analyze the poem’s language, structure, and meaning in more depth by discussing questions with partners.

Work with a partner to determine meaning and deepen your understanding, and then write down answers to the following questions in your Learning Log:

  1. Where does a shift occur in the poem?

  2. What is the significance of the shift? What is the tone of the poem?

  3. What is the speaker's perspective on the poem's topic?

  4. How does the speaker's word choice develop the tone and convey his perspective?

  5. How do specific words or phrases impact the meaning of the poem?

Be prepared to share your responses in a whole-class discussion.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss

The second poem for review is titled “Between The World And Me.” we will read and take note of details that stand out to us using the Attending to Details Tool before exploring the poem’s language and structure in more detail.

Step 1

Listen and read along silently as your teacher reads the poem aloud, and then respond to the following guiding question using the Attending to Details Tool:

  1. What is this poem about?

Turn to a partner. Discuss the following question:

  1. What stands out to you as important?

Step 2

Reread the text by yourself, this time focusing on specific words and phrases that create vivid pictures or evoke strong feelings.

Individually, mark at least five words or phrases that stand out to you because they create vivid pictures or evoke strong feelings. For each marked word or phrase, identify the feelings evoked or describe your reaction.

Activity 4: Read – Discuss

We will analyze the poem’s language, structure, and meaning in more depth by discussing questions with partners.

Work with a partner to determine meaning and deepen your understanding, and then write down answers to the following questions in your Learning Log:

  1. What is the tone of the poem?

  2. What is the speaker's perspective on the poem's topic?

  3. How does the speaker's word choice develop the tone and convey his perspective?

  4. How do specific words or phrases impact the meaning of the poem?

  5. What is the significance of the title of the poem?

Be prepared to share your responses in a whole-class discussion.

Activity 5: Discuss

We will discuss “The Lynching” and “Between The World And Me” as a pair and explore how they connect to the ideas we’ve been discussing and learning about in this unit so far.

Participate in a whole-class discussion to analyze the relationships between these two poems and the unit texts. Respond to the following questions:

  1. What connections do you see between these two poems?

  2. How are they similar? How are they different from each other?

  3. How do these poems enhance our understanding of the decision to migrate?

  4. What do these poems suggest about the relationship between the end of slavery and the Great Migration?

Activity 6: Read

For homework, complete the sources Note-Taking Tool for “The Lynching” and “Between The World And Me.”

For homework, complete the Sources Note-Taking Tool for “The Lynching” and “Between the World and Me” to deepen understanding by tracking and evaluating the effects of details. Use your completed tools from this lesson to help you respond to the guiding questions below:

Establishing Understanding

  1. What knowledge do I gain from this text? (Include page numbers for each note.)

  2. What questions do I still have after reading this text?

Deepening Understanding

  1. How does the organization of the ideas and information enhance my understanding?

  2. What stylistic elements stand out in this text? How does the style of the text enhance my understanding?

  3. What do the organization and style convey about the writer’s point of view and purpose?

Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.