Strategic Intervention Materials in Teaching Asian Literature(Poetry)

General Introduction

People may perceive a difference between "literature" and some popular forms of written work.The terms
"literary fiction" and "literary merit" often serve to distinguish between individual works.Critics may exclude works
from the classification "literature," for example, on the grounds of a poor standard of grammar and syntax, of an
unbelievable or disjointed story-line, or of inconsistent or unconvincing characters. Genre fiction (for example:
romance, crime, or science fiction) may alsobecome excluded from consideration as "literature."

This SIMs contains literature, specifically poetry, by Oriental writers in English. It is givenmore prominence
not just for its own sake but or its built-in advantage as a vehicle for valueseducation. The selections are concerned
with values in the students' areas of experience and the manner by which individuals cope with conflicts,
sometimes beyond understanding. Study questions for understanding through the development of comprehension
skills, thinking skills, and appreciation of the literary material is amply provided.

General Objectives
At the end of SIMs the students should be able to:

A. Cognitive

1.Identify the images presented in the poem

2.Give examples that illustrates the ideas in the poem

3.Point out the similes in the poem

B. Affective

1.Appreciate the images formed in the poem

2.Appreciate the poems of the Asian heritage

3.Appreciate the contribution of poems in the values of the people

C. Psychomotor

1.Express ides in the poem through imagery

2.Formulate a poem through observation

3.Organize images that can be seen in the poem

Guide Card
Poetry, from the Greek poesis meaning 'making' or 'creating', has a long history. Poetry as an artmay out
date literacy itself. In prehistoric and ancient societies, poetry was used as a way to recordcultural events or tell
stories. Poetry is amongst the earliest records of most cultures with poeticfragments found on monoliths, rune
stones, and stelae. Poetry does not have to be painful. It can betaught in an enjoyable way. Students will learn to
love the timeless form of literature once they areable to grasp its basic workings. Once the students know what to
search for in a poem, they will beginto truly appreciate the beauty contained in its lines. In this SIMs, the students
will focus on Orientalpoetry, particularly from India, Japan and China.
Indian poetry has a long history dating back to Vedic times. They were written in various Indianlanguages
such as Vedic Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali and Urdu. Poetry in foreign language suchas Persian and English
also have a strong influence on Indian poetry. The poetry reflects diversespiritual traditions with India. Chinese
poetry can be divided into three main periods: the early periodfrom the Han dynasty to the fall of the Qing dynasty,
in which a number of different forms weredeveloped, and the modern period of Westernized free verse. Japanese
poets first encountered Chinesepoetry when it was at its peak in the Tang dynasty. It took them several hundred
years to digest theforeign impact, make it part o their culture and merge it with literary tradition in their mother
tongue,and begin to develop the diversity of poetry.

Specific Objectives:
A. Cognitive
Identify the images presented in the poem
B. Affective
Appreciate the images formed in the poem
C. Psychomotor
Express ideas in the poem through imagery

Activity Card

A. Word Study

Word study will help the students to expand their vocabulary knowledge about the selections thatthey have
read.

Direction: Arrange the words according to its meaning.

B. WritingThis will give writing opportunities for students to share knowledge with others.

Directions:

1.Go somewhere in the classroom where you can observe nature closely: look and listen.
Reflecton what you see and here, then write down, one-word descriptions of those things. Try puttingyour
thoughts in the form of poetry.

2.Write an explanat ion of the poem of Tagore and Lao-Tzu. After writing, illustrate them by form
of drawing.

C. Reading Comprehension

This will measure the comprehension skills and develop thinking skills following all reading passages.
Japanese

Poetry:

1.What objects of nature are mentioned in the poem 4? What does the idea does the
poemsuggest?

2.In the poem 2, what idea is he expressing? Does he express the idea dir ectly or indirectly?

Indian Poetry

1.What are being compared in the first and second poems?

2.Pick out the poem which has rich imagery . What beautiful images are brought up in your mind's
eye?

3.Which poem expresses a profound idea but has to be thought over or reflected upon for i ts
hidden meaning?

Chinese Poetry

1. W h a t a r e t h e r e a s o n s g i v e n b y L a o - T z u ?

2.What are the objectives or goals of a leader according to the poet?

Assessment Card

This assessment will assess their insights and understandings about their learning.

Direction: Encircle the letter of the correct answer.

Japanese Poetry

1.In poem 1, to what idea about man's life does he connect the image?

a . d e a t h b . h a p p i n e s s c .
S t r u g g l e s

2.In the poem Morning Glory, what relationship is suggested between th e morning glory and
hislife story?

a. death happens in the morningb. sleepingc. life begins in

the morning
Indian Poetry1 . W h a t d o e s t h e m e t a p h o r s a y i n p o e m 5 ?

a. light and dark b. smile and tears c. sun and rain

2.Point out the simile in the poem.

a. sun and rain b. cats and dogs c. man and machine

Chinese Poetry

1.What are the poet's idea about a leader?

a. help people b. kill people c. he doesn't care

Enrichment Card
This will help make the students give value to what they have learned.

Direction:
A. Recall the insights that you have gained from Oriental poetry. These insights have to do with concepts such as
the concept of good leadership, passive resistance, the bondage of finery, etc.
B. Choose one that you find particularly significant and write well-constructed paragraphs to express your ideas
and feelings about it.
C. Relate your experiences to your work through imagery

Reference Card
Ladera-de Leon, Helen Ponce. (2003). The New Dimensions in Learning English.Sampaloc, Manila. Rex Bookstore.

Key to Correction
Word Study
1 . c o n s p i r e
2 . c o n t e n d
3 . c o v e t
4 . g u s t
5 . w i t h e r e d
6 . b e c k o n s
7 . m e d d l e r
8 . c o n s t r a i n t Reading ComprehensionJapanese Poetry1 . b r a n c h , c r o w , a u t u m n 2 . a b o u t
d r e a m . I n d i r e c t l y Indian Poetry1 . f i r s t p o e m : l o v e a n d s u n l i g h t second poem: heart and wet
tree2 . F i f t h p o e m . F i r e f l i e s i n t h e d a r k s k y . 3 . T h i r d p o e m Chinese
Poetry1 . l e a d e r s h i p 2.open peoples hearts, fill their stomachs, calm their w ills, brace their
bones