Dulce Coaching and Poetry Definitions

Starter 8

• What do you find most interesting about war, violence, peace, or power?
• What unique thing do you have to say about one or more of these themes?
• What theme are you interested in exploring for your poem?  Why?

Coaching Steps: Dulce Et Decorum Est

• Fluid Reading: Make sure everyone in your group can read the poem fluidly and without stumbling.
• Close Reading: Go line by line through the poem, make sure every group member can summarize the meaning of each line in the poem.
• Coaching Handout: Go through and complete the coaching handout in your group.

IF YOU ARE ABSENT...Complete the coaching handout on your own, bring it to seminar tomorrow.

Definitions of Poetry

• Read through the list of Poetry Definitions (linked above), star your 3 favorites.
• For each of your 3 favorites, write what you think that definition is trying to convey about poetry.
• Choose one of the following topics:  War, Peace, Violence, or Power.  For that topic, write a series of at least 5 definitions that imitates the style of definitions that you've read.  Each definition should try to illuminate a different aspect of the topic you've chosen.

Memorization Poems

If you finish your definitions, look at possible poems to memorize!

HOMEWORK

• Finish Definitions, have ready at the start of class on Thursday.

Poetry Centers

Starter 7
On poem:  Bystanding--The Beginning of an American Lifetime
Complete all of starter on the text of the poem.

1. Circle the years, divide the poem into 8 sections (each section starts with a year except the first one)
2. What's the message/perspective for each section?  Write it on the poem.
3. What's the OVERALL message/perspective?
4. What's the most powerful part of this poem, and why?

When you've finished your analysis, watch her performing this piece (the spoken version is slightly modified).

Poetry Centers

Complete 5 of the poetry centers linked above.  Choose your best 3, and turn them in to Lori.  FOLLOW DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY!

Links for the ones with musics are below:

• Strange Fruit
• Time

Poetry Memorization Assignment

Read over the assignment handout linked above.  Poems must  be chosen by Tuesday, March 20th.

HOMEWORK

• Finish reading and annotating Dulce
• Finish Difficulty/Curiosity Journal, and PRINT it before class
• BOTH are DUE at the start of class on Wednesday

Complex Texts and Dulce et Decorum Est

Starter 6:

1. What is this poem trying to communicate?  Go beyond the title, and dig into the subtleties of the message!

2. List all the devices you see in this poem

3. How does the kinetic text affect your experience of this poem?  Explain.

Too Dumb for Complex Texts?

See article linked above.  For the 3 sections on pages 2 and 3 (A Willingness to Probe, The Capacity for Uninterrupted Thinking, and A Receptivity to Deep Thinking), read, and write the following in your Notes section:

1. Describe in your own words the strategy the author is talking about
2. Why does the author say this is difficult for students today?
3. Which of the 3 strategies is most important for poetry?  Why?

Reading a Poem Notes

Take notes on how to read a poem. If you were absent, notes can be found here:  Reading a Poem Notes (scroll down to about midway through the first page)

Dulce et Decorum Est

Poem is linked above.  Read and annotate the poem thoroughly, using all the skills we've covered so far.

Difficulty Curiosity Journal

Instructions are linked above.

HOMEWORK

• Read and annotate Dulce et Decorum Est
• Finish and TYPE Difficulty/Curiosity Journal
• BOTH DUE WEDS at the START of class.

Poetry Notes: Part 2

Starter 2

Watch the first poem.  (Well, you can watch the others, but the starter should focus on the first)

1. What is your favorite part of this poem?  Why?

2. What is this poem trying to communicate?  (Message, idea, experience, emotion)

3. Name one poetic device this poem uses, and talk about how it affects the reader/listener.

Poetry Notes Part 2

Look at the poems linked here:  Poems Part 2

Choose 3 of the poems to focus on.

For each poem, do the following steps:

• What devices do you see?  Label them on the poem.
• What is this poem trying to communicate (emotion, idea, message, experience)?
• What is the most powerful line, or set of lines? What makes them powerful?
• Choose one device, define it in your own words, and talk about how that device affects the poem and the reader.

Practice Poem

Choose 3-5 poetic devices that we've seen over the past two days.  Write a poem about the topic of your choosing that uses all of the devices you've chosen.

HOMEWORK

Finish practice poem.  See specific instructions above.  DUE:  Start of class Monday.

Poetry Notes: Part 1

Starter 1

1. What is the message of this poem?

2. What's your favorite part of this poem, and why?

3. What's the difference between poetry and other types of writing?

Project Introduction: 

1. Read over Poetry Project Introduction handout
2. Q & A with Lori
3. Look at examples of projects from the past

Poetry Notes Part 1

Looking at 3 poems, taking notes on them as a class about message, structure, and poetic devices.  IF YOU ARE ABSENT- get notes from a classmate, make an appointment to talk to Lori about what you missed.

Practice Poem

1. Choose 3-5 poetic devices from the ones we've covered today
2. Write a poem of at least 10 lines that uses those three poetic devices, on a topic of your choosing
3. Challenge yourself!  Think about what you are trying to say before you start writing, choose your words and phrases carefully.

HOMEWORK

Finish practice poem if you didn't finish it in class.  Instructions are above.  DUE:  Start of class, Friday.