Classroom Applications America Seen Through Poetry

1. Classroom ApplicationsAmerica Seen Through Poetry Margaret S. Feldman, NBCT Salem Middle School 6150 Old Jenks Road Apex, NC 27523 mfedlman@wcpss.net

2. Why was this lesson developed? • Teaching poetry became an isolated unit – wanted to make better connections with other language arts strands and curriculum. • There was a lack of integration with other core areas. My school transitioned to year – round, which created more opportunity to work with the history/social studies teacher. • Lack of student engagement.

3. Integration of PoetryThroughout the Year • Using the resources provided by the Library of Congress, I am able to create lessons that: • Meet my state’s poetry objectives. • Engage all learners. • Use primary source. • Integrate other core areas – interdisciplinary planning. Make connections across disciplines. • Connect the elements of poetry to language arts strands. • Allow students to analyze and evaluate informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed. • Foster and enrich learning for ALL students – option to tier assignment

4. Overview • The focus of this year – round project is for students to explore in greater depth American figures and events and how they impacted and shaped who we, as Americans, are today. Throughout the year students will use several American memory collections, textbooks, and class novels to create their poetry. All created poetry will be kept in individual student folders. Language arts and social studies objectives will be integrated.

5. Objectives: • Students will create a number of poems about American figures, leaders, documents, and events and assess their influence/impact on America. • Students will conduct research using a variety of resources (American memory Collection, textbooks, and novels). • Students will analyze and evaluate informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed. • Students will write using well – developed content appropriate for the topic and use the writing process to create a poem. • Students will independently draw on prior knowledge and experiences when constructing meaning and responding to text. • Students will infer meaning. • Students will recognize and use, when appropriate, figures of speech and figurative language (e g. Similes, metaphors, personification, idioms, puns).

6. Time Required • This lesson allows for flexibility • It can be used during a unit or can be used as assessment. • In class or outside the classroom. • One class to teach the poem’s requirements (LA classroom). • Recommended Grade Levels – Grades 5-12

7. Where to begin? • Essential Question: • How is the future shaped by the past and the present? • This question is posted in both the language arts and social studies rooms. At the end of the year, students will write an essay that answers this question using specific examples from history. Students revisit the question with each new unit.

8. Procedures • Social studies and language arts teachers plan timeline. • Content is taught in the social studies classroom, and the writing is taught in the language arts classroom. • Both teachers evaluate poems. • Students will share work in one of the classrooms. • One type of poem can be taught per unit or poems can be tiered. • All work is kept in the student’s poetry journal.

9. Student Procedures (Historical content has been introduced.) • Using the American memory collections, students will locate 5 primary sources that connect to the topic/unit. • Students will write one paragraph for each primary source. • why they selected it. • any background information about the subject. • must justify how the person, event, document helps answer the essential question. • Students will select one of the primary sources and use it as the subject of their poem. How the primary source helps answer the essential question must be included in the poem (encourage figurative language).

10. Two Voice Poem(Tier 3) • Allows students to understand point – of – view. • Can be used in all core areas. • Strong tool to allow students to see two sides of any argument or opinion.

11. Example: The Civil War • From the America Memory collection – America Singing: • Nineteenth – Century Song Sheets.

12. The Civil War Fight of Views! By: Jeb S. I am a Confederate Boy! We are the Grey Backs Of the South! Jefferson Davis for President! Slavery is our right! Let the voice of Old Dixie be heard! From the Year of 1861! To the sad surrender of General Lee and his Men finally ending the American Civil War! The bloodiest war in American history! Our legacies will live On forever! Forever! Hurrah for the Confederate States Hurrah! I am a Union Patriot! We are the Blue Coats of the North! President Lincoln will always Be the leader of this Land! Slavery is wrong to practice! Let the voice of America be heard! With Fort Sumter of South Carolina fired upon! In the year of 1865! The bloodiest war in American History! Our legacies will live on, and we saved the country Our country is one again because of us Hurrah for the Union HURRAH!

13. The Day it Flew By Nicholas Roby I’m Orville Do you think it will work? Most don’t believe it won’t work Who will fly? Here we go Look, I’m flying I cannot believe it actually worked I flew 120 feet This is a great American achievement We must tell father. I’m Wilbur I am most certain They are scared of what would happen Why don’t you Ready our not I see you, I’m right here I cannot believe it actually worked Even thought it only lasted 12 seconds This is a great American achievement We must tell the whole world – we have change transportation forever! Example Two: The Wright Brothers

14. The Six Room Poem(Tier 2 and/or 3) • Six Room Poem (Adapted from a Kennedy Center Activity). I use this activity when I am teaching students how to improve their written expression. • Students create poetry that allows students to demonstrate their knowledge of sensory details in writing and display their understanding of material from other core classes.

15. Six Room Poem(Adapted from Kennedy Center) • Room 1 – Notice the details in the picture. Now describe this picture as accurately as you can in room one. • Room 2 – In room two think of the light in the picture. Is it a sunny or cloudy day? Are their shadows? Are there smells or tastes you associate with this picture? Describe the picture in terms of light, smell, taste, and touch. • Room 3 – Now picture your image and focus on the sounds. Are there voices? Is there silence? What kind? Empty? Lonely? Peaceful? Write down the sounds. • Room 4 – Write down questions you have about the image. • Room 5 – Write down your feelings about this image. How does it affect you? • Room 6 – In the last room select a word or phrase that is important to you that relates to the image and write it three times.

17. Example One: The Civil War Fort Fisher The Second Wave By Philip K – The first wave had gone in an hour earlier. You could still hear the pitiful moaning. My captain told us it was time. Running in I saw a horrible sight. People were littered here and there. If not dead already they would be soon. The Confederates were still holding firm. I started hearing the whistle of bullets over my head. I started to notice the people around me starting to drop. I knew my wave was going to die. Still I persisted and sent bullets zinging into my enemies. They fired their cannon into our tanks People sent flying through the air The explosion knocked me off my feet I lay there looking at what this war was claiming I could see boys laying motionless and asking for their mothers Everyone knew they would never see their mothers again Would the mothers always blame the North? Someone walked up to me and said, “He is dead anyway” “He is dead anyway” “He is dead anyway”

18. Example TwoInternment Camps Where Am I? by Pranav G. Where am I? A place filled with joy? Or a place filled with dismay? I am too small to understand All I know is I am not supposed to be here I am an American Why am I here? What have I done wrong? Is it the way I look? Is it because I am a child? Who are these people? Why are they in uniform? Why can’t I go home? Doo I still have a home? Where am I? Where am I? Where am I?

19. Cinquain(Tier 1) Cinquain American Memory Lesson • 1. Go to Today In History. • http://memory/loc.gov/ammem/today/today.html • 2. Select the date of the event. • 3. Read about the event. • 4. Print photos that represent the event. • 5. Take notes (Who? What? Where? When? Why?) • 6. Follow the format of how to write a cinquain.

20. Example of Cinquain and History Connection Granted Citizenship By Layla Native Americans Hard, Devastating Farming, plowing, working The end of poverty! Citizenship

21. Famous Face Bio-poems(Tier 1) American Memory Lesson • 1 go to Famous People: Selected Portraits from the Collection of the Library of Congress http://leweb.loc.gov/rr/print/235.aph.html. • 2. Select person and print and interesting photo or document about the person. • 3. Use other reference sources to learn about the person. • 4. A bio-person is a poem about a specific person. Use the following pattern to create a bio-person about the person you selected. • Line 1: First Name • Line 2: Four adjectives describing his/her character • Line 3: Who was (three words describing his/her career) • Line 4: Who loves (3 things) • Line 5: Who feels ( 3 things) • Line 6: Who needs (3 things) • Line 7: Who gives (3 things) • Line 8: Who fears (3 things) • Line 9: Who believes…. • Line 10: Who lived…. • Line 11: Last name • 5. Polish and Edit

22. Example: Pochontas By Tori Pocahontas Brave, peacemaker, Curious, Intelligent Who was the daughter of the Chief Powhatan Who loved John Rolfe, a Jamestown colonist Who felt love, peace, and mischievous Who needed love, guidance, and to be free Who gave back to the community, the world and her tribe Who feared failing slaver, and not being free Who believed in Christianity, peace, and bravery Who lived to make peace in the new world and for the future Rolfe

23. Found PoetryAll Tiers • Found Poetry – Allows students to examine, research, and explore primary sources and learn about a historical period. Found poetry provides students the opportunity to share and integrate their knowledge or poetic devices and research. • For a detailed description of this technique, go to the online lesson Enhancing a Poetry Unit with American memory. • http/memory/loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/98/poem.html

24. The Wright Brothers

25. Flight By Alex Y For some years I have been afflicted with a disease My disease is the belief that man can achieve flight With proper knowledge and skill And a devoted four month I will demonstrate the value of skill. Greater intellect, and sufficient dedication Practical experiments, patience. And chiefly skill not machinery I thrive on hope The hope that principle method after method will succeed. My beliefs have increased severely I fear this may take my life But if that is what it takes To demonstrate my beliefs, then so be it (Man can achieve flight We have changed the world) A found poem taken from exerts in the Wright Brothers letter to Mr. Octave chanute

26. Assessment • Rubric (Sample Provided) • Both teachers assess student work • End of Year Essay

27. Outcomes • Conversations about topics continue outside the history classroom. • A rise in unit test scores – data • Student engagement. • Meets the needs of all learners. • State Objectives • Critical Thinking Skills • Goes beyond the facts of history!