Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY?

Curriculum as Inquiry Project: What is Poetry? Tim Brevart University of Pennsylvania

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? Part I: Teaching Setting and Curriculum Reflection After having read a large volume of research on the various issues regarding

many urban schools and having gained a years worth of valuable, practical experience in an urban classroom in Chester, PA, I feel entirely comfortable envisioning myself back in a similar context at the conclusion of the RWL program. To give some brief background information of what I experienced in Chester, the city itself was visually dilapidated: many buildings are left unmaintained and crumbling, the streets are cracked and graffiti adorns many walls and alleyways. The rate of crime is very high, with murders, rapes, and burglaries occurring regularly. The families that live in Chester are of lowsocioeconomic status, many of which are guarded by single parents with no college education and are on welfare, and the children attending school almost always require a free-lunch plan. The school I taught in was an Elementary Charter School that had many classroom resources, including overhead projectors, smart boards, and iPad tablets available for the students to use. The school itself contained approximately 300 students, grades 3rd through 6th, and the student population comprised 95% African-American and 5% Hispanic students. Special needs students were placed under separate instruction in the various resource rooms according to their needs. Although these circumstances are certainly not the case at all urban charter schools, I will base this reflection off of what I have experienced over the past year. One of the major issues in literacy I have seen students of any demographic, but particularly urban students, struggle with is the concept of poetry. Whenever we pose the question what is poetry? the thought that immediately springs forth in young students mind is complex, typically Shakespearean-style material that is irrelevant to them and

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY?

their context. The reason I chose this question, what is poetry?, is grounded in the facts that poetry is something that I am passionate about, and also that poetry is so much more than what children assume it all to be. Because my target population is primarily urban African-American students, I want to direct their attention to the forms of poetry that they normally would not at first recognize, specifically various types of music, and to refine further, the genres of rap and hip-hop. To introduce the topic of poetry, I would ask the students they understand poetry to be, list their responses, and save the list to modify over the course of the unit. I would then provide them with some examples from childrens authors (such as Shell Silverstein, Dr. Seuss, etc.), which would also be added to our classroom list. I would then ask them where in their lives do they see, hear, or interact with poetry (hinting toward the music they listen to everyday), and then get into the idea that lyrics in songs follow the rules of poetry in and of themselves. We would then talk about the different types of poetry that exist, as well as the purpose of poetry (Why do we write poetry?, Do all poems have to rhyme, and why?, etc.), and then I would read several short examples and ask them comprehension questions, or have them run through some activities such as acting out the happenings of whatever poem is at hand. A culminating project idea that I had in mind would be called The Mix-tape Project, which would involve the students getting into groups of 4, select a rhythm which they would then formulate individual verses to about a certain topic of their choice, record themselves reading/rapping their verses into a microphone, and using the iMovie software to add the rhythm they chose to their lyrics to create a mix-tape of their very own.

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY?

I personally feel very strongly about students being exposed to poetry at a young age, as it is a genre of literature that not only entertains, but also provokes deep thought by incorporating various literary devices, stylistic language, and the ability to elicit emotion simply through words. Poetry is a useful alternative for children who typically stray away from chapter books, so as a means of simply getting children to read something, I have found incorporating poetry books into the classroom library very successful. My proposed idea for a poetry unit/curriculum has always been something Ive wanted to try but have never had the opportunity nor the freedom in school to implement it. I have always observed that, whether it is through my own teaching or that of my colleagues, students respond best to material that the teachers themselves are passionate about. Poetry shaped my own literacy skills and was a doorway to a different genre of literature that strayed away from the academic norms, so I know that present day students will see just as much value in poetry, especially if it is presented to them in a way they can relate to.

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? Part II: Emerging Literacy Philosophy The dictionary simply and concisely defines the word literacy as the ability to read and write. As straightforward as this seems when examined through the literal scope, I think the definition that the dictionary provides harshly confines literacy to but one small aspect of what it means at its different levels of application. Literacy can

indeed be used as a tool for reading and for writing, but what does being able to read and write mean? Among other things, it means one can communicate with others who can read and write, which in itself can be subdivided into the different styles in which we read and write, the various understandings we have of reading, and in turn the formations of discourses amongst people with the same styles, understanding coming together to form communities. As a teacher with a background in urban educational environments, I, along with my students of the past year, had been reciprocating participants in an experience so rich that it can only be defined as a literacy experience, or one exposing all of us to literacy in the vastly expanded form of its definition. From this experience emerged my philosophy of literacy and allowed me to reflectively instill the value and importance of it in myself and in my students. One of the aspects of literacy that I find most important, as well as intriguing, is the fact that it is fluid. Literacy is an emergent technology, that is, a technology that constantly changes within the environment that it is used (Freebody, 1992), so essentially the possibility for variation of literacy is limitless. Literacy varies between countries, states, towns, schools, classrooms, and students, and each difference is a reflection of the context in which it is used. While working with my students in the 4th grade this past year, I thought it would be interesting to explore the different forms of literacy that they

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY?

knew and understood by playing a game appropriately called Code Switching. The way the game worked was that each student was given a short sentence and they would move around the room to the various Code Centers I had set up. Each Code Center had a different type of code, or language, that they would need to translate their sentence to fit, so the sentence Im going to go take a break would be adjusted in the Playground Code to say Ima go lunch out, in the Surfer Code to say Im gonna go and chill, dude, in the Classroom Code to say I am going to sit, relax, and reflect, and so on. This activity proved to be extremely successful in both allowing the students to develop their understanding that they themselves and fluent in multiple literacies, and that each context they enter will interact with literacy differently. They all had exposure to being participants in the four roles of successful readers (Freebody, 1992), including codebreakers (translating into different codes), text participants (understanding the meanings of their sentences), text users (knowing where and when to use each code), and text analysts (understanding the meaning of the sentence in the form of different codes). In addition, this activity also allowed the students to claim ownership over the literacy they used in the classroom, as they themselves determined how we were supposed to speak in school. It is through activities like this that I want to expose students to the novelty of multiple literacies and help them understand that literacy is not just a tool to be used in the classroom, but one that an be used to better oneself, move through various environments, and better comprehend society at large. The focus on reading and writing as the whole definition of literacy is certainly limiting and not entirely accurate, however learning reading and writing are central parts of both literacy and the lives of schoolchildren, so they certainly deserve to be discussed.

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY?

Getting students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds in urban school to enjoy reading is by no means a simple task, but I also dont believe that enjoyment of anything can ever be forced. According to Luke & Freebody (1999), determining how to teach literacy is not scientific, but rather a process involving a moral, political, and cultural decision about the kind of literate practices needed to enhance peoples agencies over their life trajectories. This idea that the student controls the direction of their own life is powerful because it allows for us as teachers to creatively, yet subtly, help drive students in the direction of high achievement via means undetectable to them. Code switching, mentioned in the previous paragraph, is one example of what I am referring to. Another, in the form of gaining an appreciation of reading and writing, is exposing students to the various forms that literature can take shape in. In my same classroom, I introduced a unit on poetry and heard unified groans of displeasure. What they didnt expect was the poem we began with was one by a famous African-American hip-hop artist, Tupac Shakur, titled The Rose that Grew from the Concrete. The moment they heard the authors name, the class as a whole sat with straight backs and listened intently. Throughout the unit, we explored poetry in many of its forms, including rap and hip-hop music lyrics, slam poetry, and other types thought to be non-conventional (read: unfamiliar to the dominant discourse). My students were all African-American, so I knew that the material that would get them hooked would have to be something that they could relate to and make personal connections with. Poetry, I have always thought, is a form of literature that allows us an escape from the norm of chapter books and conventional stories, which I thought to be perfect for my class, as chapter books and conventional stories were not variants of literature that they always agreed with. My students interest in the poetry of

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? rap and hip-hop lyrics and poems by black artists is a product of their own cultural practices that have been shaped and reshaped by different often competing and contending social institutions, social classes, and cultural interests (Luke & Freebody 1999). By feeding their desire for cultural relevance by reading, writing, and speaking

through the medium of poetry, I was able to subtly develop their literacy skills of creative language, critical thinking, verbal articulation. Creating and using a culturally relevant pedagogy with whatever population of students I end up teaching in the future will be central to helping develop their literacy skills, as their interest will be the driving force in their learning. When we think about literacy as teachers, the question is sometimes raised about whether literacy is something that actually can even be taught. What is the origin of literacy? Does it manifest on its own? And is the role of the teacher to empower students with recognizing the multiple literacies they already have, or to focus on standardizing literacy to fit the requirements of the institution? Whatever the case may be, I believe that allowing students to develop their literacy skills is also a means of developing their skills as a social being. Through the literacy practices of reading, writing, and speaking, they are also comprehending, forming opinions, developing their own discourse, and becoming more articulate all at the same time. My philosophy focuses on the goal of allowing students to realize that literacy extends far beyond the classroom, and far beyond the confines of simply reading and writing.

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? Part III: Text Set Week 1: Introduction and Exploration of Poetry

Monday Title: Mr. Tim Poem Type: Acrostic Rationale: This is a simple form of poetry will can be minimalistic enough to allow for an easy introduction to writing with expression, but can also be complex enough to cause students to really think deeply about what their name means. M Mighty R Relaxed . T Tireless I Intelligent M Man Tuesday Title: My Day Poem Type: Haiku Rationale: A haiku is another simple form of poetry that allows for students to write more about themselves than in an acrostic. It will also prompt students to begin thinking about the number of syllables in each line, helping prepare them to think about rhythm in the following days. My day is too long Kids yell at me all the time I love my job, right? Wednesday Title: Creators Canvas Poem Type: ABAB rhyme Scheme Rationale: Just as to use as a general example, this is a poem that simply and accurately displays the ABAB rhyme scheme that I want the students to see and understand. They will learn that rhyme comes at the end of the line, and that the lines have matching numbers of syllables as well.
Creators Canvas The colors caressing each other up high (rhyme: a) Mixing and mating to create something new (b) The setting sun painting a cloudy sky (a) Presenting to us a spectacular view (b) An early bird star playing peek a boo (a) The sun sneaking back with a half of an eye (b) The moon displaying it's particular hue (a)

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY?

This dazzling dance of light in the sky (b) The carving of this canyon so grand in the ground (a) Has harvested every accolade (b) God working his magic not making a sound (a) This breathtaking beauty He made (b) The promise of creation is born with the sun (a) A gift that daily comes true (b) This cycle of life is given by One (a) And kept for me and for you (b) These are some of the reasons that I do believe (a) That there is a greater being than us (b) But no greater proof that I can conceive (a) Are the children entrusted to us (b)

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Thursday Title: A Boy Named Nick and The Man from Peru and The Old Man with the Beard Poem Type: Limerick Rationale: This is a type of poem that will allow student to gain more practice in controlling rhythm and incorporating more about themselves and their family. Limericks are known for being short and sweet, so this will allow students to have some fun in writing them as well. There once was a young boy named Nick Who by chance was always being kicked He tried not to fight For he was smart, kind and bright So he learned how to run really quick -There once was a man from Peru Who dreamed he was eating his shoe He awoke with a fright In the middle of the night To find that his dream had come true! -There was an old man with a beard Who said, "it's just how I feared! Two owls and a hen Four larks and a wren Have all built their nests in my beard.

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Friday Title: One Drop Poem Type: Free Verse Rationale: Students will be able to see that not all poetry has to involve rhymes or a consistent rhythm, but that the main ideas of poetry are to convey emotion and make the reader feel a certain way. They will have a chance to experiment with expressive language and manipulating the rhythm with this type of poem. One Drop by Keri One drop, trickles down my cheeks. That drop, wetting my lips, telling me, don't worry, it'll be alright. One drop, slowly dripping down from my eyes, What made me start to cry. As I think of everything that's happened, That just saddens me more. But that one little drop, that trickled down my cheeks. That brought me dismay at first. But as I thought of it, It's just an angel, telling me, I'll be OK. And now, that one drop that trickled down my cheeks, Is that one drop that brought me hope in my tears.

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? Week 2: Digging Deeper Into Poetry

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Monday Title: Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too by Shel Silverstein Poem Type: Inconsistent Rhyme Scheme Rationale: Using this poem as more of a tool to develop students visual comprehension of what is taking place, I will have students try and illustrate the story of the characters in this poem to assess how they interpret and visualize text. By classic poet author Shel Silverstein. Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too Went for a ride in a flying shoe. "Hooray!" "What fun!" "It's time we flew!" Said Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too. Ickle was captain, and Pickle was crew And Tickle served coffee and mulligan stew As higher And higher And higher they flew, Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too. Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too, Over the sun and beyond the blue. "Hold on!" "Stay in!" "I hope we do!" Cried Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too. Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle too Never returned to the world they knew, And nobody Knows what's Happened to Dear Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.

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Tuesday Title: The Rose that Grew from the Concrete by Tupac Shakur Poem Type: Modified Rhyme Scheme, Free Verse Rationale: Considering my demographic of students, many of them will at least recognize the authors name as a musical artist and have their interest sparked. I will use this poem to have students consider the symbolism of the rose, and begin developing their skills in critical analysis of authors purpose, audience, etc. Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's law is wrong it learned to walk with out having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping it's dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared.

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Wednesday Title: A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes Poem Type: Free Verse Rationale: I use this poem in the context of learning about the civil rights movement and what kind of role the author played during that time period. Students will analyze the poem and consider whom Hughes was writing this for, what the dream he was referring to is about, and what individual lines in the poem could allude to.

What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?

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Thursday Title: Aint I a Woman by Sojourner Truth Poem Type: Free Verse Rationale: This is a classic poem also revolving around civil rights and the equality of women. I chose this poem because it is an example of how a writer uses evidence, in this case of their struggles and hardships, to prove a point, which is that she is a woman and deserves respect. Students will come to learn how to write persuasive poetry and see that poetry is possibly a more powerful tool to write persuasively than an essay. That man over there say A woman needs to be helped into carriages And lifted over ditches And to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helped me into carriages Or over mud puddles Or gives me a best place. And aint I a woman? Look at me Look at my arm! I have plowed and planted And gathered into barns And no man could heed me And aint I a woman? I could work as much And eat as much as a man-When I could get to it-And bear the lash as well And aint I a woman? I have born 13 children And seen most all sold into slavery And when I cried out a mothers grief None but Jesus heard me And aint I a woman? That little man in black there say A woman cant have as much rights as aman Cause Christ wasnt a woman Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with him! If the first woman God ever made Was strong enough to turn the world Upside down, all alone Together women ought to be able to turn it Rightside up again.

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Friday Title: Please Put Me in the Game by Tim Brevart Poem Type: ABCB Rhyme Scheme Rationale: To show the students that writing poetry isnt just considered school work that I make them do, I will bring in one of my own poems that I wrote when I was in 6th grade. I will read it emphatically and model good habits of public speaking and persuasiveness to allow them to hear my voice through my written words. They will then practice reading their poems emphatically themselves. I spend my nights in this gym Working as hard as I can I push myself to the limit I follow your plan But no matter how hard I try Even if I know the plays You barely acknowledge me On our important game days I want more than anything To help our team win But I sit on the bench Begging you to put me in You started to listen As our season came to a close But I wish you had seen before How I played like the pros My defense was better I could steal the ball My offense was great I executed it all I have pure dedication And am committed too I need more playing time So I can show you I have the potential I could be a starter But I have no more experience Than in the fourth quarter If you give me that chance To show you I can play I wont let you down, Coach I am here to stay.

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? Part IV: First Week of Unit Exploring Poetry

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The first week of the What is Poetry unit will be an exploratory period for students to navigate their way through some of the very basic elements of what poetry is, the reasons people write it, its various uses, and the different forms that it can be found in. Each day, students will work with a new genre of poetry, incorporating some aspect of themselves into their work. This will allow the students to learn about the different genres by integrating themselves into the process that will allow them to engage directly with the material. I plan on exposing students to poems of different genres everyday of the first week, with each genres writing style becoming increasingly more complex and incorporating different poetic elements. Everyday prior to getting started on their own poems, I will introduce them to the type that we will be covering by reading one to them. The first day, I will have students explore the very basic acrostic, in which they will write their first names down the side of a sheet of paper and attach a word describing themselves to each letter of their name. Because this form of poem is somewhat limiting in terms of volume of words, this will promote dialogue amongst the class, allowing students to elaborate on why they chose certain words. As the week progresses, the level of information they share will increase in tandem with the complexity of the poem. The second day, students will be exposed to the haiku, where they will write about one of their favorite memories in the form of three lines, with the first and third lines having 5 syllables total and the second line having seven. They will then be able to mount their poems on construction paper and get creative with the presentation of them in

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? any way they desire. The amount of text has increased over the first day, so now they have the space to share a little bit more about themselves. The third day will involve students working in pairs and will allow for them to

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practice the art of rhyme. They will learn about the ABAB rhyme scheme, and then, with their partners, they will each pick a random word out of a bag and work together to think up short verses using the each word as the word to rhyme with for either the A line or B line. This will allow the students to practice considering sensible rhyming words as well as helping inform each other in the creation of a collaborative poem. The fourth day we will observe the limerick and practice creating a limerick of their own about a family member, while practicing with this unique rhyme scheme. Students will have been instructed to have selected a family member the night before for homework and asked them a set of informational questions to help provide some substance and a starting point for their poems. The fifth day we will be observing free-verse poetry and working on writing with our senses in mind. Students will be instructed to pick a sense that they want to write about, and then something with which they use that sense to interact with. They will practice writing a short poem about how they use their sense, what they are interacting with, and upon completion have others guess what they were using their sense to interact with.The following week we will be exploring more complex elements of poetry, regarding symbolism, creating pictures from poems and vice versa, writing poems from certain perspectives, examining poems critically, and practicing reading with expression. These topics will be covered in great detail in the week two segment of the curriculum as inquiry project.

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? Part V: Second Week of Unit: Digging Deeper Into Poetry Lesson 1: Making Meaning through Illustrating a Poem

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Overview Text: Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too by Shel Silverstein Wilson: Chapter 4 Text Participant: Making Meaning Lesson Timeline: Week 2, Monday Target Demographic: Homogenously African American 6th Grade Literacy Classroom

Students settle into their seats and I instruct them to quiet down as I give directions about our activities in class today. We go over some of the basic elements of poetry as a warm-up where students volunteer terms and give their definition as well, covering terms like rhyme, rhythm, visualize, imagery, etc. I begin to frame the lesson for the day by posing the question what is art? and create a word web on the board, putting down their volunteered answers, which will include things like painting, sculpture, music, dance, and possibly others. I draw on the idea of music, as we had learned about songs with lyrics being a form of poetry in the previous week. I then hint by saying so if we have music as a form of art, and we said that music is also a form of poetry, what does that mean? Then hopefully students will catch on and realize that poetry is also a form of art, and I add that to the web. I pose the question has anyone ever seen any of these forms of art used together before? And if so, how and where? I expect answers such as music with dance, music with poetry, possibly even music with pictures referring to movies. I will then, if necessary, ask what about books? in an attempt to keep it vague and allow them time to process and interpret the question. I anticipate some students to respond by saying that there are pictures in books that connect words and pictures. I will

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? then clarify and ask, Do we think some books can be considered art? I will expect a unanimous yes in response. Having framed the topic for the day, I will instruct students that they are to get

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colored pencils, markers, crayons, etc., and bring them to their desks, as we are going to take a shot at combining two forms of art: poetry and illustration. I tell them that they are going to have a chance to use their imaginations to create a picture while I read a poem to them. I explain that it doesnt have to be perfect and that everyones pictures will have something different about them. Here, I draw on Wilson, regarding her concept that children are encouraged to interact with and ask questions of the text [and] that the texts are there for them; they can have fun with them (p. 75).

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? I planned on using the poem Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too by Shel Silverstein, so I begin by telling them that it is a story, so the picture can have different

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parts to it, or can even be multiple pictures. I begin reading with expression and emphasis on certain sensory aspects of the poem. Upon completion, I ask students if they would like me to read it again. I anticipate a resounding positive response, in which case I reread the poem. I then give students about 10 minutes to finish their drawings, at which point I come around to see the progress they all have made. After the 10 minutes elapses, I have students pair off with the person next to them. At this point, I will have the poem displayed somewhere for the class to see. I will then instruct the students to share their pictures with each other, and guide them into a conversation about each others pictures by prompting them to look at their partners picture and then ask them about a decision they made when drawing it and why they made that decision according to the text, as well as how they imagined the details that were not in the text. I will prompt the class with so now that weve had a little bit of practice in translating a story into a picture, I want everyone to take another shot at it with each of you writing a short free verse poem describing a mystery object that your partner will then try and draw according to what you say. The object can be anything you want, but do not tell your partner. The poem can be of however long you need it to be, but it should have enough detail that your partner can get some sort of visualization that will help them draw it. After that, come and take a random picture from the box in the front of the room, and then you and your partner will try and write a short free-verse poem about the picture. As they start working, I circle around the room and observe the progress the students are making. After the students appear to be finished sharing and interpreting

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each others poems and then writing about the mystery images, I ask for volunteer pairs to share the poem first, then the picture, and then the author shares the mystery object to determine correctness, followed by the pairs mystery image and their accompanying poem. I ask the class, What was the most difficult part of the activity? I expect them to answer with being the drawer and having to write about the object, since they were all images of unknown items. I then follow up with, Is it easier to understand a text when you have a picture to go along with it? They will respond, Yes! and I will conclude with the remark We see pictures in books along text all the time. After what we did today, do you guys think that when we read, we only read the words? They answer, No!, I follow up with, What else can we read? They answer, Pictures!, and I conclude with Excellent. We read both text and images and make meaning through both text and images. Well done!

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? Lesson 2: Understanding Purpose through Symbolism

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Overview Text: The Rose that Grew From the Concrete by Tupac Shakur Wilson: Chapter 5 Using Text: Reading for a Purpose Lesson Timeline: Week 2, Tuesday Target Demographic: Homogenously African American 6th Grade Literacy Classroom

I will have set up the room beforehand with various signs labeling things in the classroom and I will also have made several signs that I will be using to instruct students on what to do without verbally prompting them. As students come in, they all go and take their seats as per usual. I hold up a sign with a picture of a person making the Shhh! face. As they all begin to calm down out of interest (hopefully), a student will inherently call out and say something like, Mr. Tim, whats going on?, at which point I will show them the Shhh! sign again and reveal text on the board, saying Take out a notebook and a pencil. For the next 10 minutes, you will be communicating with the person sitting next to you with pictures. No Talking! As students begin to scribble furiously, I myself come around with a note pad, drawing pictures and using my hands to indicate simple messages, like Smile! and Good Work! After the 10 minutes is up, I ask, So, what did you and your partners talk about? Ill pick several volunteers to explain their use of symbols as means of communication, and then ask and open-ended question like, What did you all think of that? and follow up with What was the hardest part? I anticipate some students will answer with responses like Knowing what my partner was saying!, which I will respond with Did you sometimes think they were saying one thing, when they actually meant something completely different? Students will answer unanimously with Yes!, which is when I will harken back to the previous days activity and how

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everyone had a different interpretation of the poem Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too. I will prompt the class with, What is it called when you speak in pictures? Are these words? What is it called when you use pictures to represent something you want to say? I anticipate a variety of responses, but will be looking for the word symbolism. This is one of the elements of poetry that we discussed during the previous week of introducing poetry, so they will be familiar with it. I will ask for some examples of common symbols we see all the time, and provide some myself, such as stop signs, slippery-when-wet signs, bathroom signs, etc. I will then go on to ask them to volunteer ideas for symbols of more abstract concepts, such as happiness, life, victory, just to hear what ideas they come up with. At this point, I will hold up a sign with a picture of a CD and ask, What is this a symbol of? Students will respond with music, I will ask, What type of writing do we think of when we think of the lyrics in music? Students will answer Poetry! And then I will segue into our lesson for the day by asking if they have ever heard of Tupac Shakur. They will likely give me a look as if Im out of my mind and answer Yes! I will explain to them that Tupac was renown for talents as a musician, but that he first started out as a poet and became famous for his words alone before his music. I will explain that a lot of great poets and musicians use symbolism in their work, and that we are going to be examining a poem by Tupac that revolves around the symbol of a rose, titled The Rose That Grew From the Concrete.

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I explain that I will read the poem to them, as well as display it somewhere for everyone to see from their seats, and that we will try to figure out what the poem is about as a class by raising hands and speaking one at a time. I will go on and say that people may have similar thoughts, so if they do and agree with what the person speaking is saying, to put their thumb up. I read the poem and open the floor by asking, So, what is this about? I imagine some students will take it literally and say that its about a rose growing from a crack in the sidewalk. I will prompt, if needed, by saying, If its about an actual rose though, how could it walk? How could it dream and do those other things the poem says? This will hopefully guide them in the direction that the rose is a symbol. It is here that I incorporate Wilson and her discussion of reader purpose versus author purpose, as I want to have my students endeavor to identify underlying author purposes and working as a text analyst, thereby engaging in critical literacy (p. 103). I will prompt them with Do we ever see a rose growing from the concrete? Is it likely to happen? Students will respond with No! and I will ask, What does it sound like Tupac wants the rose to be? A flower? Students will answer No! and start volunteering answers like a person, a baby, etc. I will allow students to respond to each other and debate the meaning until we come up with some kind of overall meaning for the poem.

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At this point, we will shift into the next activity, in which I will instruct a student to pass out craft supplies (construction paper, markers, etc.), and give the directions that they are to practice using symbolism in a poem of a form of their choosing. I will give them some examples, such as an athlete could use the number 1 to represent winning or victory. I will add that they can get creative with the construction paper and cut it into shapes to help with the meaning of their poem and symbol. At this point, I will circle around to monitor progress. I dont expect the students to finish writing and creating the platform for the poem all in the same period, so I declare that anyone who hasnt finished can store their work and continue tomorrow. As were cleaning up, I pose the question, So, guys, what is a symbol? Ill anticipate answers like its something that means something, and it can be an object that means something. Ill then go on and ask, Can a symbol mean more than one thing? They will all answer Yes! And I will close the class by saying Excellent, think about everything your symbols can mean to help in writing your poems. Well done!

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? Lesson 3: Understanding Purpose through Symbolism

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Overview Text: A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes Wilson: Chapter 6 Critical Literacy: Reading as Text Analyst Lesson Timeline: Week 2, Wednesday Target Demographic: Homogenously African American 6th Grade Literacy Classroom As students file in the classroom, I stand at the front of the class until they all are at their desks. I instruct everyone to stand and tell them we are going to start class with a moment of silence, and that during that moment of silence, I want them to think of something they have always wanted to do but have never done or not had the chance to do yet. As we conclude the moment of silence, Ill ask them to remain silent while sitting in their seats, and then ask for volunteers to say what they had always dreamed of doing. I will take several answers, and then ask the question, So, youve had these dreams now, some of you for a while. Has that dream changed at all in the time that you havent lived it out? I will take several students answers, asking them how their dream had changed and allowing them time to explain. Ill then continue and ask them, Are there ever dreams that you have which you figure youll never live out, or that have just taken so long to get close to? If so, what happens to those dreams? Do they change? Do they die? I allow several students to volunteer answers here, and then move into the lesson. I tell the class that today we are going to be observing the poetry of an African-American social activist, at which point I will ask them what a social activist is. Responses may include a person who works to make life better for people, or a person who tries to make a change. Ill then go on to introduce Langston Hughes as a black social activist who lived during the civil rights movement. Ill then ask, So what do you think he did, as a social activist who lived during the time of that black people were getting treated

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? unfairly? Ill expect answers like he wanted to help get them treated fairly, or he wanted to change the ways things worked. At this point, Ill display the Langston Hughes poem A Dream Deferred for everyone to see.

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Ill have a student read the title, and then ask if they know the word deferred to clarify the idea of the poem. I will have a student read the poem all the way through, and then we will discuss it. Ill prompt the students with What do you think Mr. Hughes means by asking all these things about a dream thats put off? Students will likely compare it to what we did in the beginning of class, saying that a delayed dream may end up getting dropped because it will never happen. Here, I will begin to incorporate Wilson by engaging the students with the concepts of writers values, the decisions the writer

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? makes, that not all groups in society have equal power, etc. (p. 127-128). I will then

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explain that examining the context that a text is written in is very important to helping us understand the authors purpose and what drove them to write the text. I then will go on and ask them questions to test their critical literacy comprehension, beginning with Who do you think Hughes wrote this poem about? Students will likely say blacks during the civil rights movement. Ill follow up with What do you think the dream they had was? And students will likely respond with answers like equality, to be treated the same as white people, etc. Ill then go on and ask Are there parts of this poem that are true? And if so, what makes them true? I am hoping students pick at the lines of syrupy sweet and does it explode, as then we would get into a discussion of the historical events surrounding the civil rights movement and how life is today for African-Americans. After this discussion, I will allow students to continue working on their poems from the previous day and to be finished up by the end of class so that we have time to share them and possibly talk about the symbolism in their works. If time permits we follow that plan. At the end of class, we wrap up by me asking So when were trying to figure out what an author means, or what a symbol means, what do we want to think about to help us understand? Students will submit a variety of answers, but context is going to be their ticket out of the room.

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? Lesson 4: Taking Perspectives and Writing from them

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Overview Text: Aint I a Woman? By Sojurner Truth Wilson: Chapter 3 Code Breaking: Entering the Text Lesson Timeline: Week 2, Thursday Target Demographic: Homogenously African American 6th Grade Literacy Classroom Students enter the classroom and assume their seats and I begin by saying, So, guys, let me ask you something. Say youre trying to sell me this pen (I hold up a pen, and then create a web on the board around the word pen). What are some of the things you could say to get me to want to buy it? I take the hands of several volunteers, collecting answers and writing them on the web, some of which I expect will include things like its the best pen around, its cheap, its a good color, it will never run out, etc. As we wrap up the ideas, I ask them, So if you all were salespeople, trying to get me to buy your pen, and you were telling me all of these good things about it, what could I say that would make you have to work harder to sell it to me? Some students may answer with you could ask questions about if all that stuff is true, you could say its not that good, or I dont like that color. I would ask them next What is that called when two voices are trying to prove each other wrong? Someone would hopefully answer Arguing, and then I would move on to explaining the main subject of the lesson which is taking a stance on a position and defending it or, in other words, practicing being persuasive. I explain that we are about to look at the poem for the day, and I prime them with the idea of looking to see how the poem is trying to persuade someone (and to think about who that someone is) to do something, and what exactly that something is. I

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display the poem Aint I a Woman by Sojourner Truth for everyone to see and then have students read sections of it until completion. Aint I A Woman? By Sojourner Truth That man over there say A woman needs to be helped into carriages And lifted over ditches And to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helped me into carriages Or over mud puddles Or gives me a best place. And aint I a woman? Look at me Look at my arm! I have plowed and planted And gathered into barns And no man could heed me And aint I a woman? I could work as much And eat as much as a man-When I could get to it-And bear the lash as well And aint I a woman? I have born 13 children And seen most all sold into slavery And when I cried out a mothers grief None but Jesus heard me And aint I a woman? That little man in black there say A woman cant have as much rights as a man Cause Christ wasnt a woman Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with him! If the first woman God ever made Was strong enough to turn the world Upside down, all alone Together women ought to be able to turn it Rightside up again.

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? After finishing the reading, I ask student what they thought the poem was about. There will be a large variety of answers, so I will take a few and then drive the conversation

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toward the persuasiveness of the poem. I will then ask What is Sojurner Truth trying to argue? Students will say things like that shes a woman, or that she deserves respect/rights. Ill then begin to contextualize who Sojourner Truth and the context in which she lived was and then ask the same question again, followed by Who do you think shes arguing against? And Who do you think shes speaking for? I will then help them tie the concept of arguing and supporting arguments with evidence, allowing us to segue into our next activity. I incorporate Wilson here, requiring the students to build on their experiences with language outside of school, and how they experienced something firsthand which they can now practice writing emphatically about (p. 58). In this case, I will instruct the class to pair up with the person next to them, and that I will come around with index cards that I will place facedown in front of each person. When every person has one, I will tell them to flip them over and read that each pair will have something to argue over, with each pair having someone for or against their topic. In addition, as they are arguing, I will tell them to take notes of what is said, specifically, the points that you disagree with, the points you think are strong evidence for your side, and the language that is used. I give the students about 15 minutes to do this as Im walking around listening in on the pairs. Finally, we reconvene and I ask for volunteers to explain what they argued about and to reveal some of the points that were made. I will highlight certain aspects of the language that is said (i.e. this is better because) to emphasize how arguments are handled verbally and how you can make a point and support it with facts. I then instruct

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students to start writing a poem with persuasive language, in that it will include elements of poetry such as figurative language and symbolism to help emphasize the passion they feel about their points. I allow them the remainder of class to do this, and announce that tomorrow we will be having paired read-offs, and the class will vote on which side presented their argument more effectively. I congratulate the students on a good days work and bid them farewell.

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? Lesson 5: Using Expression to Convey Passion

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Overview Text: Please Put Me in the Game by Tim Brevart Wilson: Chapter 2 Early Reading Instruction Lesson Timeline: Week 2, Thursday Target Demographic: Homogenously African American 6th Grade Literacy Classroom Students enter the room and head toward their desks, and I instruct them to take out their work from yesterday and to immediately start working on it if they hadnt yet finished, and for those who had finished to edit or read silently for the next 15 minutes or so. As I see more and more students pull out books and begin reading after finishing their persuasive poems, I call the class to attention: Alright, everyone. Lets put our books away and get ready to start. Yesterday we practiced arguing, right? And now you guys have written poems based off of them. What type of poem is this again? Students will answer with persuasive. I will go on and explain that writing to be persuasive is an important skill to have for life, such as when you apply for a job, or to college, or if you have an idea for an invention that you are trying to sell. Being persuasive is all about being able to sell yourself with words. I liven things up by exemplifying: So when youre trying to sell something or make something look good, you kind of act out to make it sound better than it may actually be, right? Youre not talking like t his (imitates boring, deep voice), youre talking more like this (holds up pen, speaks enthusiastically): you will LOVE this pen! It will never run out of ink, its easy to hold, and you cant find another one like it. I anticipate students laughing, and continue: Today, were going to get some practice reading emphatically, or like I was just talking with lots of expression to make a point that you are right. I want you guys to put a little attitude in what you say! I then will incorporate Wilson, where I will model, through reading a poem of my

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own aloud, how they can hear my voice through my words and understand how a writing style sounds without necessarily being able to read it themselves (p. 24). I begin reading my poem, Please Put Me in the Game, emphatically and with great eye contact: I spend my nights in this gym Working as hard as I can I push myself to the limit I follow your plan But no matter how hard I try Even if I know the plays You barely acknowledge me On our important game days I want more than anything To help our team win But I sit on the bench Begging you to put me in You started to listen As our season came to a close But I wish you had seen before How I played like the pros My defense was better I could steal the ball My offense was great I executed it all I have pure dedication And am committed too I need more playing time So I can show you I have the potential I could be a starter But I have no more experience Than in the fourth quarter If you give me that chance To show you I can play I wont let you down, Coach I am here to stay.

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As I finish, I jokingly ask, So, would you put me in the game? And hopefully students will answer positively. I will then ask, What did you guys notice about the way I was reading, the way I looked as I read, and how I was looking out to the audience? Students will answer with things like you stood tall, you read like you meant it, You read like you really wanted to be in the game, you looked at me in the eye, etc. I will comment and say Yes, exactly, all of those things I did are what you do when youre trying to speak persuasively and when youre trying to convince someone of something. We will then transition to working with the poems they just finished. I will announce the next activity: Lets get poems in hand, and I want you to find anyone in the room who isnt your partner and practice reading your poems to them using all the techniques you saw me demonstrating up front with my poem. You guys can stand if you like, use hand gestures, do whatever comes naturally to you when speaking passionately. Students will pair off and begin reading to each other. As I see groups finishing up, I will say: Okay guys, heres what I want you to try this time. I want you to read your poem s emphatically again to your partners, and this time your partner will tell you everything he or she liked about the way you read it. Were not listening for what the poem is about, but simply look at their body language, their eye contact, and listen to their tone of voice. Then the one who just read will do the same thing. This will allow students practice into viewing their partners speech patterns critically and allow them to make suggestions. Finally, after they have finished, I will bring the class together and instruct them to sit in the pairs that they were in the previous day when writing the poems. I will then announce that we will be having the pairs come up and read over their poems on their specific topics, and then, as a class, I will have each student receive one compliment and one critique on their

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performance, and then we will vote on which side of the argument we prefer. This will be a fun activity to finish out the week, and I will instruct students to think about over the weekend certain things they like about their school and aspects of their school day that they enjoy and come in on Monday prepared to have some fun.

Running head: CURRICULUM AS INQUIRY PROJECT: WHAT IS POETRY? Part VI: Third Week of Unit: Culmination and Mix-Tape Project

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By this time, students will have been exposed to a wide variety of poetry and its different forms, and will also understand that poetry is a form of art and can be combined with other forms of art as well. On Friday of the second week, I instructed student to think about certain aspects of their school and their life in the classroom that they enjoy or feel strongly about and to bring in some ideas with them at the start of the third week The plan for this week is to create a culminating project of a mix-tape, in which the students will be broken down into groups of about 4, where they will all be responsible for choosing the type of poem format they want their tap to be recorded in. Each of them will be responsible for writing a segment of their groups poem, and then, as a group, they will use the GarageBand program to create a beat to record their lyrics to, essentially creating a mix-tape of their work. They will then have a chance to create an album cover and I will burn each of them a CD with their work on it for them to have. On Monday of this week, I will introduce the project and explain the guidelines. Not much more is required other than that students will each contribute to the groups poem and to the ideas that go into it, as well as the cover of their album. The poem doesnt have to be incredibly long, but I expect that they will have fun with this and it could get to be lengthy. Monday will consist of brainstorming ideas and possibly starting to write up verses. I will simply go around the room to assist groups with their projects. On Tuesday, students should have an established their roles in their groups and what they are going to write about in their poems and should continue working. By Wednesday, groups should be finishing their written poems and possibly starting to pick beats and record. By Thursday, I will have groups coming to work with me on in using

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GarageBand and we will hopefully finish recording every groups work. They will have been working on their album artwork in preparation for Friday, when we will put them all together and have a small celebration and listen to each groups mix-tape project.