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Lesson 2

We will continue the seminar discussion process by joining a team of peers who read the same lyrical poem. We will use a common question set to examine and discuss our poem, and we will individually develop a summary and explication of its central ideas, important details, and use of figurative language.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I participate collaboratively, offering ideas or judgments that are purposeful in moving the team toward goals and asking relevant and insightful questions in a seminar discussion team?

  • Can I paraphrase and summarize my team’s selected poem in ways that maintain meaning and logical order?

  • Can I use text evidence and original commentary to support analytical responses and claims about my selected lyrical poem?

  • Can I evaluate the poet’s purpose and message within my selected poem?

Texts

There are no texts for this Lesson.

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will continue the seminar discussion process by reviewing a set of task directions that our team will follow and a set of guiding questions we will use to examine and discuss the poem we have read.

Step 1

You will join a new seminar discussion team as assigned by your teacher, based on the lyrical poem you read for this lesson.

After joining your discussion team, introduce yourself and begin discussing the lyrical poem you read, considering these guiding questions:

  1. Why were you initially interested in this lyrical poem as one you wanted to read and discuss? What about its key words or summary drew you to it?

  2. What are your first impressions of the lyrical poem, the perspective of its author, and the central ideas it seems to be about?

Step 2

As a class, review what you will be doing as a seminar discussion team, guided by a set of Section 2 Task Directions Handout you will follow when reading, studying, and discussing personal lyrical poems. (Note: these directions mirror those you used for discussing a personal essay and those you will use from this point forward with any text your seminar team discusses.):

  1. Determine how you can access your poem so every member of your team can read it. If you are accessing it online, use the Seminar Texts Handout to provide information that will let you find it.

  2. Review the Personal Essay Guiding Questions on the Section 2 Question Set. Discuss what type of question each is and what kinds of details it might cause you to look for. Identify any initial questions or observations members of the team have that might be related to the topic of the lyrical poem.

  3. Determine a team strategy for rereading and examining the lyrical poem in response to the questions, and decide how to record and share notes or annotations (e.g., read individually, read as a team, or assign specific sections or questions to team members).

  4. Determine if and how you might use tools to develop responses to selected questions.

  5. Determine if you need to know more about the author and the poem, and if so, how you will research information. (Note: For poems, this will likely mean using the search features on either the poetryfoundation.org or poets.org website. Your teacher will show you how to use those websites.)

  6. Reread the poem (or a section of it) in response to one or more of the guiding questions.

  7. After rereading, discuss what you individually or collectively find interesting or important about the poem’s ideas, the story it tells, or the images, metaphors, or other figurative language used in it. Consider how the poem relates to the two Central Questions.

  8. Using a Summarizing Text Tool, individually develop a summary and explication of the poem and the meaning you have found in it.

  9. Compare and discuss your summaries and the various meanings you have found in the poem.

  10. Generate a list of key words or themes that you might want to pursue further as you extend your reading, and take note of any new team questions that arise during your seminar discussion.

Step 3

Review the Lyrical Poem Guiding Questions on the Section 2 Question Set:

Lyrical Poem Guiding Questions:

  1. Why were you initially interested in this lyrical poem as one you wanted to read and discuss? What about its key words or summary drew you to it?

  2. What are your first impressions of the lyrical poem, the perspective of its author, and the central ideas it seems to be about?

  3. What do key words and details in the opening section of the lyrical poem suggest about its author’s perspective on life and view of the world?

  4. How does the author use stories, a narrative voice, or other narrative structure to illustrate the central ideas or metaphors of the lyrical poem?

  5. How does the author use figurative language—paradox, imagery, metaphors, symbolism, or personification—to evoke responses in you as a reader and artfully present claims and ideas?

  6. What is the central claim, idea, or theme conveyed in the lyrical poem?

  7. What ideas, images, or metaphors are presented to develop the central claim, idea, or theme?

  8. In what ways does the lyrical poem comment on the first Central Question: What does it mean to live a life-well lived?

  9. Why might you consider using the lyrical poem and its central idea, story, or metaphors as a personal compass as you undertake your journey in the world?

Note that this question set parallels the set you used for reading a personal essay. You will use a similar set throughout the Section 2 seminar-based reading and research process.

Step 4

As a team, determine who will facilitate and lead your seminar discussion process for this text, who will monitor your progress, and who will record key observations made during discussions.

Activity 2: Discuss – Read

We will learn more about how to navigate two reference websites for studying poetry and how to use features on those sites to further investigate a poem, poet, key word, or theme.

Step 1

As you individually search for and read additional poems in this unit, you will likely be using one of two websites: the Poetry Foundation website (poetryfoundation.org) or the Academy of American Poets website (poets.org). Both sites have similar resources and search features, and you will want to be familiar with each.

Follow along as your teacher first demonstrates how to use the search features and links on the poetryfoundation.org website to further investigate a poem, poet, key word, or theme.

First, access the poetryfoundation.org website for a poem you have already studied in the unit, such as Robert Frost’s "The Road Not Taken."

Below the title of the poem, notice that the poet’s name is also a link that will take you to biographical information about Robert Frost.

Notice also the red arrow next to the title. Using this link will take you to an audio reading of the poem. Not all poems have this added feature.

Step 2

Notice that the poetryfoundation.org webpage has a red tab on the right side labeled "More about This Poem." Open this tab, and see that it begins with a photo of the poet and the opening section of his biography, with a link that lets you read the full biography (the same one you could access through the poet’s name link below the title).

Below this biography, notice that there are links that allow you to find related poets and poems from a region (in Frost’s case, the US and specifically New England) and to search for poems with related themes or key words in the "Quick Tags" section of the informational tab. In this case, you might search for other poems that deal with nature.

This section might also include icons that allow you to know if the poem is "suitable for children" or "suitable for teens" and if there is a related audio component.

Step 3

In the case of this poem, there is also a poem guide included, which you can access with the link to the right of the poem itself. This guide is in the form of a critical essay written by a Frost scholar; you might have discussed quotations from it during the lesson on this poem. Not all poems on the poetryfoundation.org website have similar poem guides.

Finally, scroll to the bottom of the webpage and notice that there are related resources and links available to explore. Here, you could access articles about the poem and additional poems by Robert Frost.

Step 4

Now access the Academy of American Poets website (poets.org). Notice what is similar and different about it. Very well-known poets and poems may be found on both websites. For practice, again access "The Road Not Taken."

Notice that you can find biographical information either by using the link on the poet’s name beneath the title of the poem or the link on the right side of the website titled "About Robert Frost."

If there is an audio recording for the poem, you can access it through the icon to the right of the poem’s title. In this case (different from the poetryfoundation.org recording), it is a reading of the poem by Frost himself.

Notice also that there are "Occasions" and "Themes" links for the poem on the right side of the page, which lead you to other, related poems. There might also be links listed under "About This Poem" that can take you to critical articles and other resources. In this case, there is an essay by David Orr that you might have read excerpts from in the previous lesson for "The Road Not Taken."

Step 5

You can also search on either of these websites for additional information and resources related to a poem or poet by inserting the title or name into the search window on the webpage. In this case, a search for "The Road Not Taken" would let you know that there is a TED Ed video—"There’s a Poem for That"— that was created for this poem. As you do your individual reading and research later in the unit, you might want to check out other videos from this series.

Activity 3: Discuss – Read – Write

We will use our agreed-upon seminar team processes and the Section 2 Task Directions Handout to begin reading, note-taking, and analyzing the lyrical poem we read.

Step 1

As a team, discuss the steps from the Section 2 Task Directions Handout, and develop some initial agreements about how you want to proceed. For example, for Steps 3 and 4, agree if and how you will use two-column notes and any relevant tools when responding to questions about the lyrical poem.

Discuss your team strategy and plan for the first five steps, then follow them to prepare for your reading of your lyrical poem.

Step 2

As a team, determine if you will read your poem completely before discussing it, or if you want to break it into parts and review notes and observations after each part.

Listen to your poem read aloud, either by a member of your seminar team or through an audio recording (potentially available on either the poets.org or foetryfoundation.org website).

Individually, reread your poem (or the first part your team chose to read). Take notes or make annotations that can be shared with your team after reading, using the two-column note-taking process or another format. Think about these guiding questions as you read:

  1. What do key words and details in the opening section of the lyrical poem suggest about its author’s perspective on life and view of the world?

  2. How does the author use stories, a narrative voice, or other narrative structure to illustrate the central ideas or metaphors of the lyrical poem?

Activity 4: Read – Discuss

Using the lyrical poem guiding questions from the Section 2 Question Set, we will re-examine and discuss our lyrical poem and develop some team observations about its perspective, use of language, central ideas, and meaning in relation to the unit’s Central Questions.

Step 1

After reading all or part of the poem, follow your facilitator’s lead as you share notes, observations, and responses to the guiding questions. Add any interesting words to your Vocabulary Journal.

Begin your seminar discussion by re-examining and discussing Questions 3 and 4 from the set:

  1. What do key words and details in the opening section of the lyrical poem suggest about its author’s perspective on life and view of the world?

  2. How does the author use stories, a narrative voice, or other narrative structure to illustrate the central ideas or metaphors of the lyrical poem?

Pointing to specific evidence from the text, develop a team observation about what you already know about the author’s perspective, life, and thinking from the lyrical poem’s opening section and stories. Individually record this observation in your Learning Log.

Step 2

Next, examine the language and imagery of the lyrical poem more closely, considering any relevant examples of figurative language, as guided by Question 5:

  1. How does the author use figurative language—paradox, imagery, metaphors, symbolism, or personification—to evoke responses in you as a reader and artfully present claims and ideas?

Pointing to specific evidence from the text, develop a team observation about the ways the author uses figurative language artfully in the lyrical poem and what responses its language and imagery evoke in you as readers. Individually record this observation in your Learning Log.

Step 3

Having discussed the ways the author communicates ideas in the lyrical poem, now discuss what you think those central ideas, metaphors, messages, or commentary are by focusing on Questions 6 and 7:

  1. What is the central claim, idea, or theme conveyed in the lyrical poem?

  2. What ideas, images, or metaphors are presented to develop the central claim, idea, or theme?

Pointing to specific evidence from the text, develop a team observation about the central claim, idea, or theme of the lyrical poem, and how it is developed through other supporting claims, images, ideas, or symbols. Individually record this observation in your Learning Log.

Activity 5: Write – Discuss – Present

We will individually develop a text-based summary for the lyrical poem we read, then compare our summaries and develop an overall observation about the lyrical poem and its relationship to the Central Questions, which we can share with the class as a whole.

Step 1

Using notes and ideas from your seminar discussion and a Summarizing Text Tool, individually develop a summary and explication of the central ideas and supporting details in the lyrical poem your team has read. Complete the tool to organize your thinking, then write a short paragraph that summarizes and explicates the lyrical poem and its meaning for you.

Step 2

With your seminar team, share and compare the summaries you have developed, noting what is similar and different about them, particularly in regard to the meaning you each have found in the lyrical poem. In explaining that meaning, point to evidence from the text that has led you to it.

As a team, complete Step 10 from the Task Directions:

  1. Generate a list of key words or themes that you might want to pursue further as you extend your reading, and take note of any new team questions that arise during your seminar discussion.

Start by considering the key words or themes already listed on the Seminar Texts Handout. Add to these based on what you discovered and concluded during your discussion.

Step 3

As a team, reconsider the two Central Questions of the unit and your lyrical poem’s relationship to them:

  1. What does it mean to live a life well-lived?

  2. What compass might you carry as you undertake your journey in the world?

Use the final two questions from the Lyrical Poem Guiding Questions from the Section 2 Question Set to guide your discussion:

  1. In what ways does the lyrical poem comment on the first Central Question: What does it mean to live a life-well lived?

  2. Why might you consider using the lyrical poem and its central idea, story, or metaphors as a personal compass as you undertake your journey in the world?

Discuss the commentary on life stated or implied within your lyrical poem and how it might be connected to the idea of a life well-lived.

Present your individual opinions about whether the lyrical poem might represent a guiding compass. Explain why.

Develop an overall team claim about the meaning of your lyrical poem and its relevance to the Central Questions, which you will share with the class as a whole. Individually, record this claim in your Learning Log.

Step 4

Present your seminar team’s claim about your lyrical poem, its meaning, and its relevance to the class as a whole. Respond to any questions from students who might want to read the poem later in the unit. Identify any additional key words you suggested for your poem to guide other students as they do their own supplemental reading.

As a class, discuss the “lyrical poem” genre and how it presents opportunities for a poet to tell stories, comment on life, and offer useful guiding ideas. Consider what you have learned from models of that genre and how you might apply them in writing your own personal reflections, personal essays, narratives, or even lyrical poems for the Culminating Task.

Activity 6: Discuss – Write

We will review and assess our discussion as a seminar team, then individually rate our contributions and review or set goals for Future seminar discussions.

Step 1

As a seminar team, review again the Academic Discussion Reference Guide—specifically the Discussion Norms section and the Discussion Checklist. As a team, review the discussion norms and reflect on what you have done well and what you might have done better.

Step 2

Individually, complete the Discussion Checklist. Assess how well you evidenced each of the checklist’s questions by indicating whether you have exceeded, met, or not yet met the expectations.

In your Learning Log, write a short reflection about how you did in this second seminar discussion. Review your previous reflection, which you wrote after the seminar on a personal essay. Identify at least one strength that you will continue to build on in later discussions and at least one specific goal for something you will work on to improve your contributions to discussion. You might add an additional goal or revise one that you previously set.

Activity 7: Read – Write

For homework, we will review the Supplemental Texts Handout and identify interesting options for the next text we want to read as we continue our investigations into what it means to live a life well-lived.

For homework, access the Supplemental Texts Handout for this unit, which is organized similarly to the Seminar Texts Handout.

Using the short summaries about the texts and the Themes/Topics/Keywords/Genre column, identify a few new texts that seem interesting to you and that might relate to your emerging sense of ideas and "compasses" that could guide your journey through the world around you.

Access the texts you find interesting online (using the title, author, and source information) and do a first, survey reading of them.

Come to class prepared to submit titles of text you might want to read to your teacher, so that new seminar discussion teams can be set up.