XI. GOAL
11. Give students extensive practice in the interpretation of poetry.
A. CONTENT OUTLINE
1. "Four Ducks
on a Pond," William Allingham
2. "Crumbling,"
Emily Dickinson
3. "The Tide
Rises, The Tide Falls," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
4. "One
Perfect Rose," Dorothy Parker
5. "Faces,"
Sara Teasdale
6. "The Leaden‑eyed,"
Vachel Lindsay
7. "Dreams,"
Langston Hughes
8. "The Roar
of Silence," Karen Tallman
9. "Cavalry
Crossing a Ford," Walt Whitman
10. "I Never Lost As Much But
Twice," Emily Dickinson
B. INSTRUCTIONAL
MATERIALS
1. Selected poetry for discussion and
interpretation, arranged in an instructional sequence from simple to complex
skills, hence a "Poetry Ladder."
2. Teacher‑devised discussion guides for each poem.
3. Composition assignments for each poem.
C. TEACHING STRATEGIES
1. Periodic presentation of poems for
interpretation. (a) place poem on the board; (b) have students copy poem: (c)
have students write their interpretation of the poem as they understand it
before instruction and class discussion; (d) present, compare, and contrast
divergent interpretations; (e) derive, through class discussion and instruction
an appropriate or valid interpretation of the poem.
2. Present sample student themes on poems,
showing divergent interpretations, from Sample Theme File.
3. As one culminating activity, have
students take standardized tests on poem interpretation, as from old editions
of the California Achievement Test, etc.
4. If student interest warrants, provide
instruction on poetry writing and poetry quality. Use John Ciardi's Dialog
with an Audience.
D. EVALUATION PROCEDURES
1. Composition credit for written poem interpretations.
2. Oral credit for poem discussion oral participation.
3. Scores on standardized tests of poem comprehension.
4. Quality of student written poetry, if
student interest and response warrant this activity. [It could be possible to
develop a poetry writing ladder modeled after the one developed for teaching at
Cass Technical High School night school.]
