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Questioning: The Key to Transforming Traditional Poetry Analysis
Leslie Giraldo Waycross Middle School Waycross, GA
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Today we will… Learn about steps in poetry analysis.
Practice using steps of analysis. Discuss how analysis can be transferable. Determine how to select poems for analysis. See how analysis can be transformed into a final product.
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Inevitably in my classroom when I say we are going to begin a poetry unit, students begin to ask questions. “Why do we have to do poetry?” “What good is poetry anyway?” “How does anyone understand that stuff?” Great questions, right? I do suspect, however, that some teachers might have the very same questions, even though the questions may remain unvoiced...
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We can easily see how students and teachers might look at poetry analysis in a less-than-positive light. Consider one of the most prominent methods of poetry analysis, TPCASTT. For my students--particularly my students just learning how to analyze poetry-- TPCASTT is quite daunting. Just look...
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T=TITLE Before you even think about reading the poetry or trying to analyze it, speculate on what you think the poem might be about based upon the title. Often time authors conceal meaning in the title and give clues in the title. Jot down what you think this poem will be about. P=PARAPHRASE Before you begin thinking about meaning or tying to analyze the poem, don't overlook the literal meaning of the poem. One of the biggest problems that students often make in poetry analysis is jumping to conclusions before understanding what is taking place in the poem. When you paraphrase a poem, write in your own words exactly what happens in the poem. Look at the number of sentences in the poem your paraphrase should have exactly the same number. This technique is especially helpful for poems written in the 17th and 19th centuries. Sometimes your teacher may allow you to summarize what happens in the poem. Make sure that you understand the difference between a paraphrase and a summary. C=CONNOTATION Although this term usually refers solely to the emotional overtones of word choice, for this approach the term refers to any and all poetic devices, focusing on how such devices contribute to the meaning, the effect, or both of a poem. You may consider imagery, figures of speech (simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, etc.), diction, point of view, and sound devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, and rhyme). It is not necessary that you identify all the poetic devices within the poem. The ones you do identify should be seen as a way of supporting the conclusions you are going to draw about the poem. A=ATTITUDE Having examined the poem's devices and clues closely, you are now ready to explore the multiple attitudes that may be present in the poem. Examination of diction, images, and details suggests the speaker's attitude and contributes to understanding. You may refer to the list of words on Tone that will help you. Remember that usually the tone or attitude cannot be named with a single word Think complexity. S=SHIFTS Rarely does a poem begin and end the poetic experience in the same place. As is true of most us, the poet's understanding of an experience is a gradual realization, and the poem is a reflection of that understanding or insight. Watch for the following keys to shift: key words, (but, yet, however, although); punctuation (dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis); stanza divisions; changes in line or stanza length or both; irony; changes in sound that may indicate changes in meaning; changes in diction. T=TITLE Now look at the title again, but this time on an interpretive level. What new insight does the title provide in understanding the poem. T=THEME What is the poem saying about the human experience, motivation, or condition? What subject or subjects does the poem address? What do you learn about those subjects? What idea does the poet want you take away with you concerning these subjects? Remember that the theme of any work of literature is stated in a complete sentence.
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There is nothing wrong with this method.
However, for many of my students, the steps in this method seem just as complicated than (if not more complicated than) poetry itself! If a poem is already complicated, do steps of poetry analysis have to be very challenging as well? Surely there is a different way to approach poetry analysis, isn’t there? Great questions. Interestingly enough, questions are at the very heart of understanding the mystery of poetry.
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Robert Frost said, “I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew
Robert Frost said, “I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew. Writing a poem is discovering.” So, too, is reading a poem about discovery. Surely discovery begins with questions-- not just in poetry but in other forms of literature as well. Some works even illustrate the interrelationship between discovery and questions.
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Consider the contemporary dystopian thriller based on a classic literary piece, I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. In the movie a detective named Spooner is challenged to learn what happened to Dr. Lanning, an expert in robotic science. Spooner is stumbling through the murder investigation without much success until he realizes he has been left clues by Lanning prior to Lanning’s death. In fact, Spooner alludes to Hansel and Gretel and their breadcrumbs as clues.
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Such a realization of a “trail of crumbs” leads to Spooner asking questions.
He learns to ask the “right” questions. And the questions unlock the riddle of the case, allowing him to solve the mystery.
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In essence, his paradigm (seeing the case as a riddle) and his technique (questioning) are the keys to his success. So, too, will paradigm (seeing poetry as a riddle) and technique (questioning) be our keys to successful poetry analysis. Indeed, poets do provide readers with clues: “A poet must leave traces of his passage, not proof.” Rene Char
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Let’s begin our discovery.
What follows is what would be presented to students.
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Activating Strategy We’ll begin with a warm-up.
You’ll be getting several clues to a word that is part of a riddle. Each clue is given within a line or a pair of lines of poetry. When solving riddles, we need to think about clue words in different ways. Riddles often use tricks such as word parts, homonyms, and plays on word sounds in their answers. You need to examine and analyze each line carefully. Then you have to find an answer that fits all the clues. You might find a different answer than the “right” one; if your answer fits all the clues, it is also a good answer. If you are using slides from this presentation, you can start here, if you wish.
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That’s shorter than a tree, Bigger than a flower;
I’m the name of a plant That’s shorter than a tree, Bigger than a flower; Two presidents are named me. What am I? Tell me about your thinking in arriving at that answer. Students can engage in metacognition at the end of these activities which helps students be aware of and responsible for their thinking about their thinking, an important skill for all students. In addition, you will likely find that students will share one or more steps of analysis that you can easily point out in the “Connections” part of the lesson.
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The trees you often see On a Hawaiian shore; Or look deep in your hand And see what lies in store. What am I? Tell me about your thinking in arriving at that answer.
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Connections Analyzing a poem is a lot like solving a riddle.
What did you have to do when you tried to figure out the answer to the riddle? You had to carefully look at the “clues” within the lines—word choice, etc. Poetry is riddled with clues. Things are hidden by the poet for you to discover. You had to ask yourself some questions—Why was the line phrased like that? What other things could this word mean? In poetry, you can ask lots of questions, too. In fact, you almost have to ask yourself questions. Who is the speaker? What are the events in the poem? Why did the poet use this word instead of another word? What did the poet want me to get/to learn from this poem? See slide #20 for standards correlation.
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Connections You had to reread the lines until things made more sense.
Poetry will remain a mystery until you re-read it thoughtfully again and again (and again.) You had to justify your answer with information from the lines. There’s no one answer in poetry. Different interpretations are not only allowed but encouraged—as long as you can justify your response with lines from the text.
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Model I’ll model for you how to analyze a poem using many of the steps we just mentioned. Modeling is critical in this type of activity. Most students—even gifted learners—struggle with poetry analysis since it is such a challenging activity. To see the teacher go through the process—re-reading, questioning, deciphering, justifying—shows students that analysis can be learned and can be improved with practice. Poetry becomes a bit less intimidating, as does any text that can be analyzed. The next step, whole-group analysis, gives students a hands-on opportunity to try analysis. Throughout the unit, the analysis setting keeps changing to meet the needs of the learners—maybe more group analysis, pair analysis, analysis with the teacher—until each student is ready for individual analysis (specifically for a written analysis of a poem). Different poems can be selected for the learners depending upon their readiness throughout the unit to further customize educational experiences for students. Informal teacher observation of the process and product of analysis is key to determining the next step or lesson for students. Is there need a different group? Do students need remediation? Are some ready for written analysis? Who needs an especially challenging poem? You’ll note that the poetry activity is not from a textbook, although some of the poems you can use are surely found in textbooks. Students benefit from being to write on the poems as part of their analysis. Moreover, non-textbook resources often provide better opportunities to meet the readiness levels of students. (The disadvantage is that you will go through LOTS of paper in your efforts at differentiation.) Remember that students may have been asked to analyze poetry before, but they haven’t necessarily been taught how to analyze.
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Taking on a richer colour And new dimensions. One is not amazed,
Unfolding Bud by Naoshi Koriyama One is amazed By a water-lily bud Unfolding With each passing day, Taking on a richer colour And new dimensions. One is not amazed, At a first glance, By a poem, Which is as tight-closed As a tiny bud. Yet one is surprised To see the poem Gradually unfolding, Revealing its rich inner self, As one reads it Again And over again. During modeling, feel free to include poetic elements you have already taught/reviewed. Some elements will be more important than others (ex. Imagery is probably more important than alliteration) and will become key if the analysis is turned into a “final product.” This poem is perfect at the start of poetry unit since the poem itself talks about poetry. Even struggling learners can get the gist of this poem.
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Do you have questions about the process of analysis? Now you try it.
You will work in groups for this activity. Your group will have a poem on a large paper. Each group member will get a different color marker that can be easily read on the chart paper. I have found that writing on the poem is crucial to understanding the poem. Verbal questions are difficult to go back and answer, especially if the student has asked many questions. Also, when working in groups, students sometimes answer one another’s questions on the paper. In addition, having each student write with a different color marker ensures accountability. You might not be able to watch each student write or ask questions, but you can see who has done what when you monitor the activity or collect the work. In my experience, if students are not asked to write, the timid or struggling learner can easily avoid participation in an analysis activity. As you circulate, you can prompt the reluctant question-asker; likewise, you can reign in the overly dominant question-asker. Another benefit is, of course, the ease of having exemplary (or non-exemplary) work for future students. Finally, this is low-tech technology. Exemplary teaching has not occurred exclusively in the “technology” age. Instead, the use of a wide-range of available resources and tools—paper, chalk, markers, and computers—is technology. Variations of writing on poetry are suggested below. Note that some steps are a natural scaffold to independent analysis. Large paper for poem for whole class Large paper for poem for group Copy of poem for whole class Copy of poem for group Copy of poem for individual For students needing more practice before moving on to the next poem in groups, you can do a poem together. Students write on their copy of the poem while you write on the Smartboard copy of the poem.
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Make sure you write your name in the marker color of your choice.
Here are some samples of previous analysis. Which group do you think did a better job of analysis and why? * Follow the steps for poetry analysis that were modeled for you. Read and re-read. Read again. And again. Ask questions —write them down. Each person should write questions. Answer questions as you make discoveries. Discover the clues —word choice (diction), figurative language, etc. Decide on the theme —why did the poet write this? What does the poet want the reader to learn? Steps in poetry analysis can correlate to the following standards: Key Ideas and Details RL1—textual evidence RL2—determine theme and its development Craft and Structure RL4 – meaning of words and phrases; impact of word choice RL5 –compare/contrast structure (if analyzing more than one poem) *Obviously, you can delete this if you don’t have samples. You could make some “mock” student examples and non-examples if you want.
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Traveling through the dark I found a deer dead on the edge of the Wilson River Road. It is usually best to roll them into the canyon: that road is narrow; to swerve might make more dead. By glow of the tail-light I stumbled back of the car and stood by the heap, a doe, a recent killing; she had stiffened already, almost cold. I dragged her off; she was large in the belly. My fingers touching her side brought me the reason— her side was warm; her fawn lay there waiting, alive, still, never to be born. Beside that mountain road I hesitated. The car aimed ahead its lowered parking lights; under the hood purred the steady engine. I stood in the glare of the warm exhaust turning red; around our group I could hear the wilderness listen. I thought hard for us all—my only swerving—, then pushed her over the edge into the river. During the analysis process, I would periodically stop everyone and ask for questions students had generated (but not answer the questions). You can stop as often as needed. You can also ask for answers that students are beginning to get. You can ask questions, too: Why does the writer use “swerving” in the last stanza? Is the speaker still driving? Why “our group” instead of “the group”? Who is “us” that the speaker is thinking for? In the first stanza, why not say “ to swerve might more deer dead”? How can someone “hear the wilderness listen”? As students begin to grasp the fullness of the poem, you can recap the poem, asking for a summary, poetic elements, theme, answer to EQ, etc. This is a great time to explicitly connect to the standards. This poem is good for analysis for students at all levels. (The exception would be for students who are extremely sensitive to death in nature.) Beginners are not overwhelmed since this reads like a story. Students who are quick to see the story are slowed a bit when they start asking questions not about what happened but about word choice. To get you started, I have attached poems that I have used for different levels of students (regular to advanced) in different grades (8 – 12).
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Let’s recap our experiences in analysis.
How did the steps in poetry analysis help you unravel the poem? It is important to let students reflect upon their experiences. In fact, I often will have students complete some type of summary slip (3-2-1) so they can articulate what they went through in their analysis. This slide is more for teachers. I would include questions here (as mentioned in the notes on the previous slide) that I want students to respond to, either in writing or verbally.
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Transferability How is analysis transferable to longer works of fiction? Why does the writer use so much color imagery in “The Most Dangerous Game”? Why does the beginning of “The Scarlet Ibis” contain some much death imagery? How is analysis transferable to nonfiction? Students can use questions as they approach any text. Text can be visual, not just written. Analyze art, film, etc. Continue to teach students how to ask “good” questions. Note: This is where the slides for teachers continue. Since skills of analysis certainly are transferable, students can master not only RL standards but RI ones as well—in areas of key ideas and details and craft and structure. In addition, questioning can lead students to understand material that correlates with standards about integration of knowledge and ideas (RL and RI). If you haven’t yet taught the reading strategy of text coding, that might be a good follow-up, particularly for nonfiction. I like Harvey Daniels’ method in Texts and Lessons for Content-Area Reading. John Golden’s Reading in the Dark: Using Film as a Tool in the English Classroom is a terrific source to continue the use of inquiry.
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Selection of poems When selecting poems for analysis, perhaps the most important factor is the “ripeness” of the poem for analysis. That is, analyze the poem yourself first to see if it is appropriate for analysis for YOUR students. not too “simple” not too “complex” not too “mature” If you find that a poem doesn’t open itself when you ask questions, maybe try another poem. If you are getting stuck and questions are all that you are getting (the poem remains tightly folded), try another poem. Selection of poems at appropriate levels of complexity are the key to scaffolding. Start easier (for all levels of students) and let students work their way through progressively more challenging poems (particularly over a period of time). You might really have to hand-pick poems, especially for students adept at analysis. Note how selection of poems--and actually how you can scaffold the poetry analysis process--aligns very well with TKES Performance Standard 4--Differentiated Instruction. The Level IV indicator states that “The teacher continually facilitates each student’s opportunities to learn by engaging him/her in critical and creative thinking and challenging activities tailored to address individual learning needs and interests.” Power up by allowing students to select from various topics/concepts (see next page).
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Selection of poems Definitely consider the readiness of students.
new at analysis advanced at analysis You might even consider interests of students. Ex. nature, relationship, life/death By presenting poems at varying levels of complexity, students will be working on standard RL10 (range of reading/level of text complexity). Here is a Google Doc I have used to determine student interest. Poetry Subject Selection Select a subject below that interests you. You will have several poems from your selected subject when we begin the poetry unit soon. * Required Last name * First name * Block * Select a subject below. * Relationships Nature Life/Death
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Pairing of poems Consider pairing a poem with another work
another poem a short story (“Fifteen” and “Moustache”) an article (“Molly Sylvester” and CNN article letter-ireport/)
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Transformation of work into a final product
important poetic elements imagery, diction, etc. textual evidence justifying interpretation theme how poetic elements reveal theme sample traditional final product model from textbook or own student sample create a class analysis as scaffolding walk through a poem the class has done be available during the drafting process suggestion: keep all work in class to avoid plagiarism “chew your own food” sample digital final product Prezi Depending upon the final product selected, a student could be working with various writing, speaking/listening, and language standards/elements.
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Beyond Common Core Habits of mind Persisting Managing impulsivity
Thinking flexibly Metacognition Questioning and problem posing Thinking interdependently Analysis (whether of poetry or other text) can help develop students’ habits of mind. Listed above are just a few habits of mind students typically identify that they have used during analysis. (I teach the habits of minds that Costa and Kallick have identified.)
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Beyond Common Core Creativity Analysis can help develop creativity
“Learning activities designed to foster creativity cast students in the roles of problem solvers and communicators rather than passive acquirers of information.” Characteristics related to creativity: risk-taking motivated curious attracted to complexity open-minded intuitive original “Learning activities designed to foster creativity cast students in the roles of problem solvers and communicators rather than passive acquirers of information.” Starko in Creativity in the Classroom: Schools of Curious Delight
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Conclusion In our studies of language, shifting as the studies may be, poetry holds a special place. These writers say it powerfully: “The writer of prose can only step aside when the poet passes.” W. Somerset Maugham “Poetry is ordinary language raised to the nth power. Poetry is boned with ideas, nerved and blooded with emotions, all held together by the delicate, tough skin of words.” Paul Engle
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As we lead our students to uncover the greatness of poetry--or any the power and impact of any good writing-- questioning is key. And maybe, just maybe, once we have taught students how to analysis, the questions we will get will be memorable...but in a good way. Common Core demands a lot of our students. Analysis is definitely something that students can learn, especially when you give them the proper tools and provide proper scaffolding.
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My students had grumbled, but they kept asking questions.
One of the last times I taught the steps of poetry analysis, my class had struggled through “Hist Whist,” a poem by e.e. cummings--a challenging poet and a challenging poem, to say the least. My students had grumbled, but they kept asking questions. My students had mumbled, but they kept asking questions. And as time passed, the poem unfolded itself to students, one by one. Students really do mumble and grumble when given poems by cummings.
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And as she jumped she asked a question that I will never forget:
As students took in the wonder and power of the poem, they were very excited. I was just about to transition the class to another task when one student literally began to jump up and down. And as she jumped she asked a question that I will never forget: “Can we do another one?” And the class chimed in, “Can we...please?” Now those truly are great questions. What makes this even more dear to me is that this happened in a high-school class. Ninth graders begging for more poetry…wow!
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As you move forward as a facilitator of the steps of analysis, I am confident of this:
“Intelligence can be learned, nurtured, and grown. Ability is a repertoire of skills and habits that continuously and incrementally expands.” Arthur Costa I know that your students and their attitude toward analysis and their skills of analysis will be changed, transformed for the better. No question about it… If I can be of any assistance, feel free to contact me at
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