chardtke

Courtney Hardtke

UNIT TITLE: WOMEN’S POETIC JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

Prefatory Statement
This unit will increase the student’s awareness and understanding of the struggles, issues
and stereotypes women have encountered as poets and as human beings since the beginning of
time. For the last 20 years, we have encountered a feminist approach to the study of women. Feminists wanted to find the woman’s story and had to do so under the patriarchy, in which they had lived and studied. They wanted to understand why she had become marginalized. It is a good time to look at these issues because I believe the feminist approach has been successful. Women are now turning what they have learned into humanism and are sharing it with their sons, husbands and fathers.
I chose this unit because it is relevant to all students. Male students are sons of mothers and brothers of sisters. Ideally, this unit would coincide with another unit on male poets. This would allow the students to study the poetry from both view points and then study them in light of each other. Instructional approaches have begun to turn away from women’s studies and men’s studies and have turned instead to gender studies.
The students will look at a variety of poetry written by women. They will study poetry from different cultures. All of the poetry will deal with the theme of identity. I will introduce the poetry unit to them through the use of song lyrics. Each student will be asked to come to class with a copy of the lyrics of their choice. They will work in groups and analyze or discuss the lyrics. I hope that the use of music will grab the students attention and interest. It will also provide a basis for poetry. The students will be asked to create their own small poetry anthology. It will contain biographies, poems, comprehensive questions and photos. Because of limited time, they will also be asked to give an oral presentation on a poet of their choice. This will allow the entire class to learn about poets they didn’t encounter in their own research. These projects will give the students more freedom to read what they enjoy. They do not have to read poems that they find boring or intimidating. These projects will also teach the students about the importance of group work. They need to work well together. There is a lot of research and preparation, but only a short amount of time to complete it all.
This unit will complete half of the poetry performance package. The other half would be completed during a unit of male poetry. The poetry anthology and presentation will complete parts A and B under Literature and Arts Analysis and Interpretation. During the unit, the students will be asked to describe the elements and structure of poems; and the historical, cultural and social background of the selected poems. They will also be asked to apply specific critical criteria to interpret and analyze poems.

Class Specifications
This unit would work well with an eleventh or twelfth grade class. The theme of the poems used may be changed to better suit a given group. Depending on the racial make-up of the classroom, the teacher may decide to emphasize a certain culture’s poetry. This unit on poetry by women could also be easily shifted to units on short stories, novellas or novels. Using a similar theme throughout all of the poetry will help the student to grasp meaning and become more confident in reading and analyzing poetry. I’ve chose to use identity as the theme for my unit. We will discuss the issue of identity by analyzing poems written by women at different times in history and from various cultural backgrounds.

Significant Assumptions
- Students will have had some experience working in small groups.
- Students will have access to computers.
- Students will have a basic understanding of the element of theme.
- Students are capable of collecting data independently.
- Students are aware that there are many different cultural groups that live on this planet.
- Students understand that issues that seem unimportant to them, hold meaning and relevance to
others.
- Students understand that there isn’t one right interpretation of a poem. Each individual brings
their own meaning to a poem.
- Students have knowledge of the elements of poetry.

Outcomes
Completion of Minnesota High School Graduation Standard 3.2.
With this unit, I hope that students will begin to feel that poetry is worth their time and effort. I want my students to realize that poetry is a form of artistic expression. They will learn to analyze and evaluate poems. The students will learn about the stereotypes and prejudices women have been fighting against throughout time. They will learn about social and historical periods in which the poets lived.

Possible Whole-Class Activities
- Discussion of the purposes of poetry.
- Discussion of poetic elements.
- Discussion of the historical and social roles of women.
- Brief history discussions of Chicanos, Native Americans, African Americans, etc.
- Read assigned poems.
- Read additional essays, which provide insight into the fight women were waging.

Possible Small-Group Activities
- Discussion of assigned poems
- Brainstorming and research collection for group project and presentation.
- Conferencing with teacher about progress.
- Discussion and analization of poem for group presentation.
- Discussion of poet’s biographical information that may be interesting to the class.

Possible Individual Activities
- Journaling
- Individual work on poetry anthology.
- Individual work on group presentation.
- Reading assignments.

Possible Ongoing Activities
- Students will be asked to keep a journal throughout this unit. The students may write about anything from class that interests them or they have ideas about. They may also journal about their lives outside of school. Journals will be handed in weekly.
- Research and preparation of poetry anthology.
- Work on group presentations.
- Student-teacher conferences.

Student Resources
- Poems to be handed out by teacher.
- Other anthologies and books provided by the teacher.
- Library access
- Notebook
- The Internet
- Copies of performance packages

Unit launch Week One, Day One

Rationale: This lesson (two days) will introduce the idea of poetry through music. The students will have already selected their favorite song lyrics (written by women) and have brought them to class. This activity will allow the students to work with material that they feel is relevant to them. It will give the students a chance to identify basic poetic elements within familiar song lyrics.

Objectives: Students will interpret and evaluate music lyrics in terms of poetic elements. The students will see the connection between music and poetry.

Methods:
1. As a class, we will discuss and review the various elements of poetry. (10 minutes)
2. The class will be divided into groups of about three or five. Each group will select one music lyric from those which have been brought in. The groups will then read over their song in order to become familiar with it. They will assign the members of their group different roles for their presentation. There will be a reader, a group writer, and so on. They will then use the poetic elements we talked about in class and use them to analyze the lyrics. They will look for similes, metaphors, alliteration, assonance, consonance, tone, etc. They will be asked to look for meaning. The students will prepare a short presentation for the following day, in which they analyze their song for the class. When it is their turn to present, each group must read their song aloud and then explain it. (35 minutes)
3. Wrap-up. The groups will turn in their lyrics so that the teacher can provide copies for everyone tomorrow. (5 minutes)
Evaluation:
I know the students are learning by their participation and progress in small group work.

Week one, day two

Objectives: Students will interpret and evaluate music lyrics in terms of poetic elements. The students will see the connection between music and poetry. They will begin to interpret and analyze art works.

Methods:
1. I will hand out copies of song lyric and answer any questions the students may have. (3 minutes)
2. I will present an analysis of my song lyric. (5 minutes)
3. Group presentations (35 minutes)
4. Wrap-up and hand out poems to be read for the next class period. (3 minutes)

Homework: They will be asked to read Dickinson’s #732 and Gilman’s “The Mother Charge.”

Evaluation: I will know my students are learning by the content of the group presentations. Each group is responsible for providing an accurate analization of their song.

Week one Days three, four and five
We will look at Dickinson, Gilman, Amelia Lanyer and Sorjourner Truth. I will use the two poems named above and “Eve’s Apology” and “Ain’t I a Woman!” The students will become more familiar with analyzing poems and finding meaning. During the first week, I will provide the students with information about the different struggles and stereotypes women have confronted. They will learn the roles of women various historical and social contexts. For example, during the Renaissance women were stereotyped as vain, shrew, and seductive. The “good” women of this period were pure and passionless. Two social factors working against women were marginalization and illiteracy. In the medieval and renaissance periods, women lived in feudal societies organized for war. In other words, they lived in a masculine world. The goals of women were to affirm their worth and look at equality issues in the lives of women as depicted in characterizations. We will focus on the theme of identity. The students poetry readings will be supplemented with readings from Half Humankind. On day 5, the students will hand in their journals.

Discussion Questions: “She Rose To His Requirement” by Emily Dickinson
1. How would you describe the woman in the poem?
2. What causes her to give up her girlhood?
3. Is she happy with the new state she has found herself in?
4. Why might she be disappointed?
5. What might the poem be saying about the woman’s soul?
6. What is the sea a symbol of?
7. What do you think the splitting of the woman and the sea represents?
8. What statement does the poem seem to make about marriage?

“The Mother’s Charge” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
1. What type of rhyming is used in the poem?
2. What does the mother mean when she says “My duty once—I never failed to try—But for some reason I am going to die?”
3. Why might the mother be giving these instructions to her daughter?
4. What instructions is she giving to her daughter?
5. What is the poem saying about the role of women?
6. Do you think that the mother lived a happy and fulfilling life?
7. What is the significance of the last two lines of the poem?

“Eve’s Apology” by Amelia Lanyer
1. Why do you think the poet chose to write this poem?
2. What is the poem saying? Summarize it.
3. Explain the poem’s title.
4. According to the poem, is Eve responsible for the fall of man?
5. How does the speaker defend Eve?
6. Why does Eve share the apple with Adam?
7. Why didn’t Adam refuse to eat the apple?

“Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sorjourner Truth
1. What assertion is the speaker making about black women?
2. Why do you think she repeats the question “Ain’t I a woman?”
3. Describe the poem in relation to the bible. What is the point the speaker is trying to make?
4. How does the speaker feel about the role of women?
5. How does the speaker feel about the role of men?

Week two Day one

Objectives: The students will be assigned to groups and will begin to evaluate poetry as they prepare for work on their anthologies. They will brainstorm poets they wish to include in their anthologies. They will discuss the historical and cultural information that is important to their projects.

Methods:
1. I will hand back journals and give a quick, general response to them. ( 5 minutes)
2. I will introduce and explain the poetry and group presentation to the students. I will give them a copy of the performance package. Also, at this time, I will provide them with examples and a handout of what is expected of their projects. (20 minutes)
3. The class will be divided into groups of four or five. The groups will then begin brainstorming ideas for the performance project. They will be asked to discuss possible historical and cultural background that may provide an interesting context for their projects. (20 minutes)
4. I will answer any questions the student have and assign the homework for the next day. (5 minutes)

Homework: Each student is to come to class with a list of three female poets they would like to know more about.

Evaluation: I will know my students have met my objectives by the progress they make towards the completion of the performance package. I will also know they are learning from the small group discussions.

Week two Days two, three, four and five
I will continue to set aside class time for their projects. We will also take a trip to the library to begin research. Each group has until the end of the week, day five, to submit a list of poets and poems they will use in their anthologies. We will continue our in class discussion of women poets by looking at more poetry which focuses on identity. Some will look at cultural identity and others at gender related identity. All of the poems will be by African American women poets. Some possibilities are: “Yes, I am an African Woman,” by Nilene O.A. Foxworth, “The Bridge Poem,” by Donna Kate Rushin, “For My People,” by Margaret Walker and “Anti Apart Hate Art,” by Michelle Clinton. On day five, journals will be collected.

Discussion Questions:
“Yes, I am an African Woman” by Nilene O.A. Foxworth
1. Why might the speaker feel that she is “the Eve of Adam,” “Queen Hatshepsut,” and a “Nefertiti?”
2. Why are ancient Pharaohs watching over her?
3. How would you describe the speaker?
4. What does the speaker mean by “PRIMARAY HUMAN colours?”
5. Why has the speaker been pushed to the ground?
6. What wars or battles might she have fought?
7. Why is she fearless?

“The Bridge Poem” by Donna Kate Rushin
1. Why does the speaker she herself as a bridge?
2. What must she explain to those around her?
3. Why is she done explaining?
4. What is the speaker is saying about whites?
5. How would you describe the speaker?
6. How does her bridge change throughout the poem?
7. What does she need to translate?
8. When will the speaker see herself as useful?

Week three
We will look at Native American poetry. I would use “Indian Blood,” by Mary Tallmountain, “Sure You Can ask Me A Personal Question,” by Diane Burns, “The Avalanche,” by Linda Hogan, and “Blue Horses Rush In” by Luci Tapahonso.
Discussion Questions:
“Indian Blood” by Mary Tallmountain
1. Do you think that the speaker is ashamed of her culture?
2. Why do the children laugh at her?
3. Why does the girl speak in her language for only three words and English for the rest?
4. Why doesn’t she stand up for herself?
5. How does the poem deal with stereotypes?
6. What is the mood of the poem?
7. Would you have reacted differently?

“Sure You Can Ask Me A Personal Question” by Diane Burns
1. What message does the poem convey?
2. Explain the stereotypes in the poem.
3. How does the speaker feel about white people?
4. How does the speaker feel about her culture?
5. Is she tired of answering the same questions about herself and her culture?

The selected poems will contain the same theme of identity. I am using a similar theme for all of the poetry because I feel it is easier for the student to connect and find meaning. I also want the students to see that women of different cultures are striving for the same results. Week three will contain a test on the materials presented in weeks one and two. It will be an essay test, which asks the students to elaborate on topics, and ideas already discussed. During this week, the students will also conference with me, in groups, concerning their performance package progress. The students should have their poets and poems selected. They should also have three questions for each poem completed. Each group will be asked to select the poet they would like to present to the class.

Week four
As a class, we will look at Chicana poetry. Some possible literature is “Apa,” by Rosalinda Hernàndez, “On Touring Her Hometown,” by Lorna Dee Cervantes. I suggest supplementing the poetry with short stories. The groups will need to complete their explanations of the three literary periods. They do not need to be elaborate, just well thought out. They will also need to divide up the work for the biographies. Once again, these do not need to span pages. They need to be original and include important details of the poet’s life.

Discussion Questions:
“Apa” by Rosalinda Hernàndez
1. What does “m’ija” mean?
2. What is the speaker’s home life like?
3. What assumptions can you make about the mother?
4. Why do you think that the mother could only fight her battles with stones?
5. What do the lines “plagued by shadow/a darkness you could not escape” mean?
6. How is the speaker like her mother?
7. Why does the speaker feel that she must fight her battle with stones?

“On Touring Her Hometown” by Lorna Dee Cervantes
1. Describe the emotions of the speaker.
2. What is the speaker looking for?
3. What is the speaker fleeing from?
4. Describe the location of the speaker.
5. What is the tone of the poem?
6. What words in the poem contribute to this tone?
7. Why do you think the speaker wants to go back to where she came from?

Week five
Students will have the entire week to work on completing their projects. They need to finish the biographies and choose which visual aids they will include in the anthology. We will need to scan any pictures they wish to add to their projects. There will be computer lab time available, but the majority of their work should already be saved on a disk. The students will need to conference with me and discuss the oral presentation. Journals will not be collected this week.

Week six
Each group will give their presentation. We will tie up our discussion of women poets. The students will also put the finishing touches on their anthologies and have them ready to hand in by midweek. Student grading of group members. There will also be another short test on materials from weeks four and five. As part of the test, students will also be asked to write about specific information from the presentations. The students may use their notes for the test.

Unit Assessment
90% = A
80% = B
70% = C
60% = D

The students will be graded on the content and appearance of the poetry anthologies. The poetry anthologies are worth 100 points. They will also be graded on the oral presentation. The presentation should be interesting and informative. They are worth 20 points. They will receive points for their journals. The journals need to include three entries per week in order for the student to receive the 20 points. The students have the option of turning in extra journal entries for extra points. They will receive a possible 20 points for their progress throughout the unit and their ability to work in groups. There may be pop quizzes, worth 10 points, on different topics of concern to the students. There will be two 100 point essay tests.

Teacher Resources

Abrams, M.H., et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. I. 6th ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1993.

Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women: The Traditions in English. 1985. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1996.

McMichael, George, et al., eds. Anthology of American Literature: Realism to the Present. 1993. 6th ed. Vol. II. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1997.

Ward, Jerry W., Jr., ed. Trouble the Water: 250 Years of African-American Poetry. New York; Penguin Books, 1997.

YOUR SCHOOL -
Performance Package
Minnesota Profile of Learning

Content Standard: Arts: Arts Analysis & Interpretation Level: High School
Title of Package/Activity: Poetic Perspectives

Summary Statement of Content Standard:
Interpret and evaluate poetry in terms if specific criteria that represent an informed opinion or response.
          -apply specific critical criteria to interpret and analyze the selected literature.
          -Describe the elements and structure of the poems; the poet’s intent; and the historical, cultural and social
           background of the selected poems.
          -Describe how particular effects are produced by the artist’s use of the elements of the art form.
          -Communicate an informed interpretation using the vocabulary of the art form.

Description of Student Performances:

Task 1: Create an anthology of poetry written by women.

Task 2: Oral presentation on the poet of your choice.

Task 3: Essay on male poet in which student shows an understanding of specific poetic elements.

Task 4: Group presentation on male poet’s point of view.

FINAL ACHIEVEMENT: Use the following scoring criteria when evaluating student performance.

Scoring Criteria
4 - Performance on this standard achieves and exceeds expectations of high standard work.
3- Performance on this standard meets the expectations of high standard work.
2 - Work on this standard has been completed, but all or part of the student's performance is below
high standard level.
1 - Work on this standard has been completed, but performance is substantially below high standard level.
No package score is recorded until ALL parts of the package have been completed.
PERFORMANCE PACKAGE TASK 1
Poetic Perspectives

Content Standard: Arts: Arts Analysis and Interpretation Level: High School

Specific Statement(s) from the Standard: Describe the elements and structure of the art form; the artistic intents; and the historical, cultural, and social background of the selected art works.

What students should know: Students should be able to interpret and evaluate poems based on specific criteria that demonstrates an informed opinion or response.

What students should do: Read, discuss and analyze a variety of poets and poems.

Product(s): Small Poetry Anthology

Task Description: Create an anthology of poetry written by women. Each group will write comprehension questions for each poem and these questions should test the readers on the basic elements of poetry. The biographies and descriptions of literary periods should include information on the historical, cultural and social context of the poet and poem.

Special Notes:
The poetry anthology may be altered to meet the needs of all classrooms. The teacher may decide to assign a particular theme to each group. The teacher also must decide on the length and content of the anthology. It will benefit the class if they are given information on the historical, cultural and social background of the material.

PERFORMANCE PACKAGE TASK 1
Poetic Perspectives

FEEDBACK CHECKLIST FOR TASK 1

The purpose of the checklist is to provide feedback to the student about his/her work relative to the content standard. Have the standard available for reference.

Y=Yes
N=Needs Improvement

Student Teacher

__ Each poem contains an original and well thought out biography of the poet. _________

Explanations of at least three literary periods.

________ The Anthology includes at least ten different poets.

Includes three questions for each poem which test for comprehension.

________ Includes visual aids. (Maps, photos, diagrams)

________ All information taken from other sources is cited. ________

Overall Comments (information about student progress, quality of the work, next steps for teacher and student, needed adjustments in the teaching and learning processes, and problems to be addressed):
PERFORMANCE PACKAGE TASK 2
Poetic Perspectives

Content Standard:Art: Art Analysis and Interpretation Level: High School

Specific Statement(s) from the Standard: Apply specific critical criteria to interpret and analyze a selected poem.

What students should know: Students should be able to interpret and evaluate poems based on specific criteria that demonstrate an informed opinion or response.

What students should do: In small groups, students should select a woman poet and prepare a presentation for the class.

Product(s): Oral presentation, which includes a formal analysis of a poet and a poem. Each group should explain the author’s intent, the use of the art form and use poetic vocabulary.

Task Description: Because of limited class time, each anthology group will give an oral presentation on the poet of their choice. Each presentation should contain information on the poet, especially why the group chose to speak about her. There should be some description of the poet’s historical period. Each group should also present an analysis a poem by their author. The teacher should conference with each group in order to track their progress and answer questions about the presentation.

Special Notes: The majority of the work for the presentation will be completed as the students work on their anthologies. The teacher may want to introduce this assignment along with the anthology assignment. This will allow the students to select the poet and poem for the presentation when they encounter them in their readings.

PERFORMANCE PACKAGE TASK 2
Poetic Perspectives

FEEDBACK CHECKLIST FOR TASK 2

The purpose of the checklist is to provide feedback to the student about his/her work relative to the content standard. Have the standard available for reference.

Y=Yes
N=Needs Improvement

Student Teacher

_________ Student-teacher conference on presentation.

_________ Presentation includes important poet information.

_________ Presentation is well planned and elaborate.

________ Presentation contains historical or social context.

________ Presentation contains a comprehensive analysis of a poem.

_________ Presentation includes a visual aid.

Content Standard: Level:

Specific Statement(s) from the Standard:

What students should know:

What students should do:

Product(s):

Task Description:

Special Notes:

PERFORMANCE PACKAGE TASK 3
(Title of Package)

FEEDBACK CHECKLIST FOR TASK 3

The purpose of the checklist is to provide feedback to the student about his/her work relative to the content standard. Have the standard available for reference.

Y=Yes
N=Needs Improvement

Student Teacher

Content Standard: Level:

Specific Statement(s) from the Standard:

What students should know:

What students should do:

Product(s):

Task Description:

Special Notes:

PERFORMANCE PACKAGE TASK 4
(Title of Package)

FEEDBACK CHECKLIST FOR TASK 4

The purpose of the checklist is to provide feedback to the student about his/her work relative to the content standard. Have the standard available for reference.

Y=Yes
N=Needs Improvement

Student Teacher