Lesson Plans

Joan C. King

- Sample Lesson Plan -

Marriage of Visual and Thematic Aspects of Herbert's Poetry

In art class, students readily learn to appreciate the visual aspects of fine art (e.g., painting, sculpture, tapestry); in English class, teachers engage students in the aural aspects of poetry (e.g., rhyme, diction). This lesson will broaden a student's experience with poetry, opening a window to enable appreciation of both the aural and visual effects of a shape poem. Handling a poem as both a visual and literary work of art will equip a young reader to look (with eyes) for "art" in lines of poetry. Students who can enjoy both the aural and visual possibilities in poetry will have more fun reading multi-dimensional poetry. (This poetry can be taught singly, or with May Swenson's "The Universe").

Objectives
1. Students will be able to describe the relationship between the visual aspects of "Easter Wings" and the poem's subject, and theorize about the poet George Herbert's motivations in constructing the poem this way.
2. Students will demonstrate their ability to write a poem using the white space deliberately, forming the poem into the shape of a "plus sign."

Grade level: 8th

Time: Two 50-minute periods.

Materials
Overhead projector, blank transparencies, transparency with the text of the poem, transparency with the text of "Altar" (Plan B), transparency with a plus sign, transparency with the exit question, copies of assignment instructions for all students (including plus sign), transparency pens, blank index cards. Copier to copy student poems onto transparencies.

Resources
The English Teacher's Companion by Jim Burke, pages 34-39.
The English Oxford Dictionary (definition of skylark, fortunate fall).

Teaching Strategies and Exercises
1. DAY 1. Background/set-up, including articulating the purpose. "In the one-room country schoolhouses of the early 20th century, teachers covered all subjects and all grades (at once). In the 21st century, we're spoiled, but also a bit artificial, in that we separate our learning into distinct compartments (somewhat like recycling bins!). Today, I'm going to assume the role of the one-room country schoolhouse teacher, and tackle several subjects in one big soup. Today, I'm not just your language arts teacher, but I'm going to throw in some fine arts - visual arts - and also some aviary science and maybe even some physical education. Erasing artificial lines between things allows us to understand things the way they exist in the world, rather than in the neatly compartmentalized classroom. We can have more fun, too, if we ignore the label on my classroom and decide that we can enjoy both visual arts and the art of language in this class. To do this, we're going to tackle a poem about larks and their wings. I need a volunteer to demonstrate a lark in flight (this is the physical education part --- who needs a little exercise?)" 5 minutes
2. Discussion - part 1. What happens to the shape of the body as the volunteer extends his wings? And contracts them? What happens to the shape of the body as the lark builds up speed? Draw the shape of the poem on the overhead. The poet wrote the poem to fit this shape, with the first line long, tapering down then extending again. Why might he have done that? Write responses on overhead. What happens to the shape of the body as the lark soars? Does any figure, other than the figure of a lark, come to mind when you see the volunteer in this position? Write responses on overhead, until you get the Jesus answer. The title of this poem is Easter Wings, and it deals with the Christian concepts of crucifixion and resurrection. Let's look at it. 5 minutes
3. Following Burke's suggestions, a) read the poem straight through b) start with what you know - a toehold - ask students to compare lines 4 and 5, which rhyme with "more," with lines 14 and 15, which rhyme with "sin." It is nearly, but not quite, repeated. Discuss the poem's meaning from there. Compare the first two stanzas, dealing with man in general, with the second two, dealing with the narrator as an individual c) identify the narrator, and the narrator's belief system d) read the poem again e) discuss the use of white space on the page. 15 minutes

Assessment:
1. Assign students the challenge of writing their own shape poem. Using the transparency with the plus sign, brainstorm possible meanings of the shape, capturing them on overhead (e.g., health, addition, combination, positive, extra). Hand out and go over assignment instructions (e.g., the shape is intended to flow naturally from the number and length of words, not the size of the letters). Encourage students to choose a theme that fits the shape and get started. 25 minutes. Due in class tomorrow.
2. DAY 2. Reiterate the purpose. While a parapro or other assistant copies the completed poems, revisit Herbert's "Easter Wings," discussing larks and the fortunate fall. Ask a student to perform it "as a lark." Have each student then read his poem to the class using the overhead to show the visual effects. Encourage discussion on the short-vs-long lines, etc. 40 minutes.
Evaluation
Ask students to answer one question on an index card before leaving (show the transparency on the overhead). "Of what you saw, heard or did in the past two days in this class, what surprised you most?" 10 minutes

Plan B
If all students have studied "Easter Wings," try doing "Altar" instead. If all students have studied Herbert too much, use "l(a" by e. e. cummings.

Multiple intellegences
Does this lesson appeal to multiple learning styles (v, a, k)? y
Does this lesson encourage development of multiple intelligences?
Linguistic __x__ Interpersonal _______
Bodily __x___ Spatial ___x___
Intrapersonal ___x___ Mathematical ___x____
Musical _______ Logical ___x___