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Lesson 12

We will read and deconstruct Rita Dove’s poem “Parsley.”

Lesson Goals

  • Can I read a poem with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension?

  • Can I express an accurate understanding of the central ideas of texts?

  • Can I analyze how an author’s perspective influences the position, purpose, and ideas of a text?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • “Parsley,” Rita Dove, Carnegie Mellon University Press, 1983
  • Tradebook
    • In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2010
  • Digital Access
    • “Parsley by Rita Dove,” Rita Dove, YouTube, 2012

Materials

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Write

We will read the poem “Parsley” by Rita Dove.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the same island—Hispaniola—which is divided into two separate and independent nations: the Spanish-speaking Dominican Republic and the French-Creole-speaking, mostly Black, Haiti. On October 2, 1937, Rafael Trujillo ordered 20,000 French-speaking Black Haitians killed because they could not pronounce the letter "r" in perejil, the Spanish word for parsley.

Read the poem one time silently to yourself. Jot down any initial thoughts, questions, or points of confusion in the margin.

Activity 2: Listen – Write

We will listen to the poem “Parsley” by Rita Dove.

Step 1

Listen to "Parsley." As you listen, underline five to six lines that speak to you or that you think are important.

Listen as your teacher or one of your peers reads the poem. This time, read the lines you underlined with your teacher. Respond to the following questions:

  1. What do you notice about the lines that were read? Did any of you choose the same lines?

Step 2

Debrief with a partner or in a small group by answering the following questions:

  1. Why did you choose your lines?

  2. If you chose the same lines, why do you think that was the case?

Step 3

Discuss your understanding with the class.

Activity 3: Write

We will write about “Parsley.”

Select one line from the poem and do a five-minute quick-write responding to some or all of the questions below:

  1. What stood out to you in the line you chose? Why did you choose that line?

  2. Can you make any connections or write any questions about the poem based on the line you chose?

Activity 4: Discuss

We will connect “Parsley” to In the Time of the Butterflies and other materials from this unit.

Discuss in your small group:

  1. How does your line connect to In the Time of the Butterflies or other material from this unit?

  2. Where does the poem diverge from the materials we have discussed in this unit?

  3. What new questions do you have after reading "Parsley"?