Teaching Poetry with To a Child by H.W.

Longfellow
Grade: 9th
Student Learning Objective: Students will be able to annotate poetry to identify figurative language and analyze its meaning through written
response.
Materials:

To a Child Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Printed or Digital Copies)

Highlighters
Notebook or paper for note-taking
Katy Perrys Firework lyrics (printed or digital copies)

Preparation for the Activities:

Students will have read this poem before coming into class so that their second reading will be a deeper one. Students will have become familiar in
previous lesson with key terms of figurative language such as rhyme, simile, metaphor, alliteration, personification, Onomatopoeia.
Text Information: Longfellow, H.W. (1866) The Complete Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Boston, Massachusetts: Ticknor & Fields
Link to Text: http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/71/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-selected-works/5039/to-a-child/
Flesh-Kincaid Readability Level: 9.0
Order of the Lesson:
Introduction: The teacher will post a series of statements on the board that introduce the topic and future discussion of figurative language and its
meaning. Students will be given a few minutes to write a short response to the statements: figurative language enhances an authors meaning,
figurative language is better than a more literal language.
Before Reading Strategy: Students will engage in mindstreaming in which they scan the poem for any examples of figurative language they recall
from their previous out-of-class reading of the poem. They will briefly exchange with a shoulder partner to point out these initial findings.

2014Cherie Behrens

During Reading Strategy: Students will annotate the poem themselves using text-coding with highlighters. As they do so, they will record their
findings using the power notes strategy. After that, they will participate in a triad with two other students where they will discuss an assigned chunk
of the poem and work together to create a one sentence summary of figurative language in their chunk. They will then present this to the class.
After Reading Strategy: The students will work with their triad to create a group power notes summary, competing for the most comprehensive list.
They will then be instructed to refer to their initial responses to the anticipation guide statements and record a new response that describes whether or
not they agree with their original response or new thoughts on the subject.
CONTENT AREA STANDARD:
Discipline:
English Language Arts
LAFS.910.RL.1.1: (Links to an external site.) Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what
the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
ANCHOR STANDARDS FOR READING, WRITING, LISTENING, and SPEAKING:
CCSS
Reading
Writing
Anchor
Standard
Addressed:
K-12 CCSS
Anchor
Standards
with Link
and
Standard
Written
Out:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.910.4
Determine the meaning of
words and phrases as they are
used in the text, including
figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the
cumulative impact of specific
word choices on meaning and
tone (e.g., how the language
evokes a sense of time and
place; how it sets a formal or

2014Cherie Behrens

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of
substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and
relevant and sufficient evidence.

Listening and Speaking

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.910.1
Initiate and participate
effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions (oneon-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on
grades 9-10 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others' ideas
and expressing their own clearly
and persuasively.

informal tone).
Correspondi
ng Before,
During and
After
Strategies

Before Reading (Task 2):

Students will participate in a
mindstreaming exercise based
on their previous reading of the
poem. Students will take a brief
moment to scan the poem and
to recall if they remember any
examples of figurative language
that stood out. They will then
pair with a shoulder partner and
share these ideas and recall
their knowledge of figurative
terms, matching them with text
examples they recall.

During Reading (task 1):

Students will read through the
poem and use the text coding
strategy to annotate any
instances of figurative language
by highlighting, which, before
doing so, will be demonstrated
by the teacher. Different colors
may be used for different.
While marking the poem,
students will record their
findings using the power notes
strategy, organizing phrases,
related terms, and theorized
2014Cherie Behrens

Before Reading (Task 1): Students will be given a

series of statements as an anticipation guide.
Statements will be written on the board such as:
figurative language enhances an authors meaning,
figurative language is better than a more literal
language. They will write a brief opinionated response
to each of these statements.

After Reading (Task 1):

Students will reflect on their power notes with a
power note summary. They will work with their Triad
team members to create a comprehensive list of
evidence and reasoning for intended meaning from the
poems author, grouping main ideas and support to
organize their future writing. The teacher will
determine a winning team that has the most
comprehensive and well-supported outline.

After Reading (Task 2):

As an exit slip, the teacher will ask the students to
refer back to their short responses to the anticipation
guide statements. They will write a new short response
to their initial response; they will write whether they
agree with their initial assertions, why or why not?
They will hand this in to the teacher as they leave.

During Reading (Task 2):

Students will get into groups of
three participate in a triad, for
their second in-class reading.
Each group will be given a
chunk of the poem, and one
student will read their selection
out loud to the group, another
will pick out the phrases or other
examples of figurative language,
and, after discussing with
partners, the final member will
create a one sentence summary
of the phrases and their meaning.
Then each group will present
their summaries to the rest of the
class.

meanings.

Evaluation
Using
Formative
Assessment

Before Reading (Task 2):

Teacher will float through the
classroom throughout the
mindstreaming exercise to
ensure that students are staying
on task and participating in
sharing.

During Reading (task 1):

Teacher will float through
independent reading to make
sure students are properly
annotating poem, providing
assistance when needed. Power
notes will be turned in to check
for comprehension.

2014Cherie Behrens

Before Reading (Task 1): The exit slip that the

teacher will receive at the end of the lesson will
include the initial responses to the anticipation guide.
Blank responses or no exit slip will result in a loss of
points for the lesson.

After Reading (Task 1): The teacher will have to

check each power notes summary to determine a
winning team, therefore each summary will be
reviewed. Teams that do not have sufficient
summaries will be instructed to independently modify
the summary and turn it in to receive full credit.

After Reading (Task 2): The exit slip will also have
the reflection on initial responses to the anticipation
guide. Again, blank responses or no exit slip will
result in a loss of points for the lesson.

During Reading (Task 2):

Teacher will float while triad is
taking place to ensure each
member is participating and
contributing. Also, will listen to
presentations from students and
provide facilitation of class
discussion on language devices
and ask for clarification on
authors meaning, if needed.

Estimated Time: Most likely, the lesson would take two class periods (50 Mins). The poem is quite lengthy and the elevated language in a 19th
century poem may prove complex for the students. Also, time should be allotted for in-depth discussion on figurative language key terms to refresh
students background knowledge. Class discussion of triad presentations and power notes competition will be time-consuming.
English Learner Strategies: Scaffolding (Gradual Release Model), Group reading, Note-taking, close reading, rereading text, surveying text
features, making an initial prediction, writing, annotating text, reading, writing, listening, speaking.
Hess' Level of Cognitive Rigor Matrix: Level 3: Strategic Thinking/Reasoning
Rigor Explained to Show Meeting this High Level of Cognitive Rigor: Students have to explain and connect ideas related to figurative language
by using supporting evidence from the poem and describe how the language affects the interpretation of the text. They apply their new knowledge of
figurative key terms in analyzing poetry and use reasoning, planning, and evidence to support their inferences and therefore develop a logical
argument.
Reference Information for Hess' Level of Cognitive Rigor Matrix:
http://static.pdesas.org/content/documents/M1-Slide_22_DOK_Hess_Cognitive_Rigor.pdf
2009 Karin K. Hess: Hess Cognitive Rigor Matrix, khess@nciea.org
The Gradual Release Model:
About the scaffolding technique called the Gradual Release Model (I do it, We do it, You do it):
I do it: explicit teaching (explaining what they need to do)
We do it: guided practice (where you provide support by doing the activity with them)
You do it: independent practice (when the students practice the skills they learned on their own)
Gradual Release Model for the Strategies in this Lesson

2014Cherie Behrens

Before Reading (Task 1):

During Reading (Task 1):

I Do: Teacher explicitly

describes what a response to the
question would sound like. For
each statement, the teacher will
give an example of the thought
process: think about what the
statement is saying, formulate an
opinion, and express it in
writing. For example, for
statement 1 figurative language
enhances an authors meaning,
you might think, does using
things like similes and
metaphors make the authors
point more clear? So I think to
myself I think thats true,
because I relate to things more if
an author compares an
expression to something else.
Then I would write that in a
well-written sentence: The use
of figurative language allows the
author to better describe ideas
by making comparisons.

Annotating

I Do: This strategy involves teams

to compile their power notes into
I Do: Using the Firework lyrics, one overall power note for their
you can show students how to
team. The teacher may use power
annotate. Teacher will highlight
notes from the Firework activity
certain phrases that either contain to show students which ideas are
figurative language, or convey
strongest, explicitly stating why
meaning. For example, saying I
some ideas are better due to better
see like a wasted space. I know
evidence. The teacher explains that
similes use like or as to compare. you want to have the most
So Im going to use yellow for all comprehensive list of main ideas
my similes. This phrases is a
and strongest support for those
metaphor so Ill use pink for
ideas with evidence from the text.
those.

We do: The teacher then gives

them a non-related statement to
practice the process. For
instance, Chocolate ice cream

You Do: Teacher then asks the

students to use their highlighters
to find other examples in the
poem.

2014Cherie Behrens

We Do: Teacher then asks the

students to give another example
of something that qualifies as
figurative language or may
convey meaning. And asks them
to explain their reasoning. Ask
them what color highlighter
should be used.

After Reading (Task 1):

We Do: Students will form groups

and compete in a guided practice
round by using the Firework
lyrics to practice their strategies.
Each team will review their power
notes from the Firework exercise,
and they will discuss their strongest
arguments. The teacher will ask
each group to share their strongest
main idea and to explain it. The
teacher will select the strongest
main idea, then instruct the entire
class to find evidence supporting
that main idea. The ones to come up
with the best evidence of that idea

is the best flavor. The teacher

will call on a student and ask
them to describe what the
statement is asking. The teacher
then calls on another student to
ask what they think of the
statement. The teacher will then
call on another student to
provide how they might express
their classmates thought in
writing.

You Do: The students then

perform the anticipation guide
on their own.

Before Reading (Task 2):

wins.
Power Notes:
I Do: Teacher will first show the
students the power notes format.
Explain that this will serve as an
outline for creating an argument
for a writing. It involves noting a
main idea and then finding
evidence to support a claim. So
use the Firework lyrics to model
how this is done.

We Do: Teacher will use a

partially completed power notes
outline for the Firework lyrics.
For example, some main ideas
will be on there and teacher will
ask for evidence that would
support that idea. Or a set of
supporting evidence will be given
and the teacher will ask a student
to compose a main idea sentence
that summarizes that information.

I Do: Teacher will instruct how

to mindstream using Katy
Perrys Firework lyrics. Using
this accessible form of poetry,
rife with figurative language, the
teacher can teach students how
to scan for figurative language
You Do:
with a partner. The teacher will
put the lyrics on screen, and then Students will then be given an
demonstrate how to scan it. Tell opportunity to independently
practice this strategy in reading
2014Cherie Behrens

I Do: Students will independently

complete this exercise using the
Longfellow poem. The teacher will
select a winner after review each
teams power notes summaries.

After Reading (Task 1):

I Do: Teacher will refer back to the
anticipation guide given at the
beginning of the lesson. They will
demonstrate how to compare their
initial reactions to how they feel
about the statement now. For
instance, the teacher may say that
after these exercises, they still
believe The use of figurative
language allows the author to better
describe ideas by making
comparisons. And they model how
to explain why or why not, through
providing a written response.

We Do: Teacher engages students

in a guided practice by asking a
student to share their initial
response to one of the anticipation

the students explicitly not to

read the entire piece yet, just
simply look for any phrases that
jump out like youre a
firework, or like a plastic bag
and discuss with your partner if
any of your background
knowledge on key terms might
indicate a use of figurative
language. Tell the students that
right now they are just looking
for clues and hypothesizing.

the poem individually. They will

share these notes later with their
triad groups.

During Reading (Task 2):

I Do: Teacher will demonstrate

how a triad works by explaining
the roles of each group member.
The Firework lyrics can prove
as an example. After given a
chunk the teacher explains what
each group member should be
We Do: With the Lyrics still on responsible for: One reads it
the board as the students to point aloud, one looks for evidence, one
writes one-sentence summary of
out another phrase they see in
the phrases and their meanings.
the lyrics that might be an
example of figurative language. The teacher will model what each
of these roles looks like.
One student may say like a
house of cards. Then you can
ask the student, what kind of
We Do: The teacher will then
figurative language might that
give the students a guided practice
be? Have another student
in which the class will look at one
comment on what that might
portion of the Firework song.
mean for the poem.
The teacher asks someone to read
it aloud, then asks another student
I Do: Have the students scan the to pick out any figurative phrases.
Longfellow poem. Float through The teacher then writes down
what they said and asks a student
the students to make sure they
how they can turn that into a oneare staying on task and asking
2014Cherie Behrens

statements. The teacher writes that

on the board and asks the student
whether they agree or not with the
statement they initially made. Next,
the teacher will ask what
throughout all of the lesson makes
him believe that or challenge that
thought.

I Do: Each student will now

independently respond to their
initial responses to anticipation
guide. They will write it on the
same paper as their initial
statements and turn it in as an exit
slip.

each other questions and

contributing through
mindstreaming on their own.

sentence summary, coaching on

writing strategies to properly
express thought.

I Do: Students will then be

expected to independently do this
in the Longfellow poem within
their triad group. They then
present their one-sentence
summaries to the class so that
each student hears about every
section of the poem.

Strategies and Links:

Before Reading:
Anticipation Guide:
http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/curriculum/AcademicCore/LanguageArtsandReading/SecondaryReading/BeforeReading.aspx
Mindstreaming:
http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/curriculum/AcademicCore/LanguageArtsandReading/SecondaryReading/BeforeReading.aspx
During Reading:
Text Coding:
http://familieslearning.org/our-solutions/introduction-to-the-coding-text-strategy.html
2014Cherie Behrens

Power Notes:
http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/curriculum/AcademicCore/LanguageArtsandReading/SecondaryReading/DuringReading.aspx
After Reading:
Power Notes Summary:
http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/curriculum/AcademicCore/LanguageArtsandReading/SecondaryReading/AfterReading.aspx
Exit Slip:
http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/curriculum/AcademicCore/LanguageArtsandReading/SecondaryReading/AfterReading.aspx
Reflection:
The students are given a variety of strategies to be able to understand the role and function of figurative language, in poetry in particular. Being able
to understand how complex text works, especially poetry, will help for future lessons. These strategies can be applied across content areas, and if
done early on in the year, would not be necessary to repeat throughout the year. The teacher could simply instruct the student to perform the strategy
and they will know how. The strategies in this lesson significantly benefit the overarching goals of being able to cite examples of figurative language
in text.
Objectives Connection:
The direct objective of the lesson aims to teach students how to annotate poetry and provide evidence for conveying meaning through analyzing
figurative language. Each of the strategies present students with some varied way of explicitly performing these tasks. Scaffolding students to be able
to do these exercises through the gradual release model provides students with the tools to be able to do this both individually and in a group setting.

2014Cherie Behrens