February 23 26

Miss Catherine’s ClassFebruary 23-26, 2015

Objectives

Life in Expression…What do we already Know

What do we Want to know?

What is Art?Is it only paintings? Or sculptures?

Can it include music?

Does it have to provocative to be considered to be art?

Reading WorkshopWho considers poetry to be art?

Life in Expression…

What do we already Know?Do you think this unit might be about art?

Any kind of art or does it need to include expressive art?

What is expressive art?

What do we Want to know?Does anyone know what type of art creates a revolution?

What is a revolution?

What is Art?

What is Art?

Is it only paintings? Or sculptures?

Can it include music?

Does it have to be provocative to be considered to be art?

Who considers poetry to be art?

Readers of Poetry……pay attention to the structure of poetry to notice how this affects the meaning.

Today we are going to begin our study of poetry!

Poetry is an amazing genre made up of different subjects, forms, and structures.

There are poems for everyone—and during our study, let’s all be on the lookout for poems that you connect to or really love.

Today we are going to get to know the poetry books that we will be reading and studying in this unit.

Reading WorkshopWe are going to read several different poetry anthologies (or collections of poetry) and poetry books as we become more enchanted readers of poetry.

Let’s start our work today be reading some of the poems from the collection, The Place My Words Are Looking For.

As we read, let’s think about two questions: 1. What is the poem about, or what is its subject; and

2. How does the poem look on the page?

Reading Workshop• Let’s start with

“The Sidewalk Racer” p. 9 by Lillian Morrison.

• Before we read this poem, turn & talk with your partner about what you think this poem might be about.

• Who would like to share their idea with the class?

Reading Workshop• Let’s also

consider how it looks on the page.

• What do you notice?

• What is the shape of the poem?

• What about the lengths of the lines?Read poem out

loud.

Reading Workshop• Now, what do

you think the poem is about?

• Let’s turn to “Enchantment” p. 69 by Joanne Ryder.

• Based on the title, what might this poem be about?

• What do you notice about how this poem looks on the page?

Reading Workshop• Now let’s turn

to “What I Remember About 6th Grade” p. 47 by Mark Vinz.

• Turn & talk to your partner about what this poem might be about.

• Now let’s talk about how this poem looks on the page.

Reading Workshop• Stanzas are

what we call lines of text grouped together in a poem.

• We can tell where each stanza begins and ends from the white space on the page.Read the poem.• Now what do

you think the poem is about?

Reading Workshop• We’ve made

some observations about the subjects and the appearance or structure of poetry.

• We noticed that poets choose how they use the white space on the page, how they shape their poems…

Reading Workshop

…how they break their lines to create meaning, and how they group their lines into stanzas.• We also

noticed that poets write about a range of subjects.

Reading Workshop• We will

continue to think about these elements as we move forward with our study to help us build our understanding of poetry.

Reading WorkshopWe are also going to explore the structure of poetry.

We are going to examine how a poem’s stanzas help organize the meaning of a poem and develop meaning across the poem.

We have already discussed how some poems are organized into stanzas.

A stanza is like a paragraph in prose—it is the division of a poem consisting of a number of lines. (like a chunk of text)

In a poem, each stanza builds on the next to develop the idea across the poem.

In turn, as readers of poetry, our thinking about a poem grows as we read from stanza to stanza.

Reading WorkshopWatch me as I read, “Black Hair” p. 83 by Gary Soto and discover how each stanza adds to my understanding of the poem.

After each stanza, I will ask, “What does this mean?”

Reading WorkshopNow that I have read the poem and done some thinking about each stanza, I step back and see how I can put these pieces together to help me think about the poem as a whole.

Reading WorkshopI can now see the admiration the young boy has for the baseball player, a fellow Mexican.

This binds the speaker and the player together.

Reading Workshop

Now you are going to have the chance to do the same thing…while reading “Spring Thaw” by Mark Vinz, examine each stanza to see how they each build meaning.

Reading Workshop

You and your partners should read each stanza, talk about what it means, and record it on your charts.

Read the first stanza together and write down the ideas presented.

Reading Workshop

Ask, “What does this stanza mean?”

Let’s share your thinking.

Now move on to the next 2 stanzas and do the same thing.Then ask yourself, “What is the overall meaning of the poem?” and write that down.

Reading Workshop

As readers of poetry, we understand that poets use stanzas to group their ideas and build meaning in their poems.This is so important to keep in mind when we read poetry, because it helps us organize our thoughts and examine a poem’s meaning.Let’s examine other structural elements of poetry.We are going to read some poems and analyze how the structure of the poems helps build menaing for us as readers of poetry.A poem’s structure is like the architecture of a building.Just as architects pay attention to the number of stories a building has and the placement of doors and windows, poets pay attention to the elements of poetric structure: lines and line breaks, stanza, and the use of space.

Reading Workshop

As readers of poetry, it is imporant that we consider how these structural elements contribute to the overall meaning of the poem.Let’s read “Happiness Poem” from Locomotion p. 73 to examine its structural elements.

Reading Workshop

Watch me as I read “Happiness Poem” and make observations about the elements of structure on the chart.

Read the entire poem aloud.

The 1st things I notice are the lines and where they break.

Reading Workshop

These lines are rather long and they break at unexpected times.I also notice that there are no stanzas.Notice also that there is very little white space on this page.This poem takes up a good deal of the page, so it is my only focus, and I am not distracted by anything else.

Reading Workshop

Now I step back and consider: What effect do these structural elements have on the overall meaning of the poem?The long lines, lack of stanzas, and lack of white space make me read the poem as just one long thought.There is a sense of urgency or importance about reading to the end.

Reading Workshop

Now that you have listened as I talked through my thinking about the meaning behind structural elements, you are ready to think about structure on your own.“Can I Please” & “What do you think?” will be posted on the blog tonight, so take this chart home to complete based on those two poems (chart will also be on the blog)

Reading Workshop

As readers of poetry, we understand that structural elements create meaning in the poems we read.We will continue to pay attention to these elements as we move forward with our study.

What is Art?The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh--1889• Does anyone know

anything about Vincent Van Gogh?

• Do you know that he died while in an institution because the world thought he was crazy?

• How about the meaning of this painting?

• This was a view from his window at the asylum!

Is this Art?The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali (a.k.a. The Melting Watches) 1931• Interpretations

suggest that Dalí was incorporating an understanding of the world introduced by Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity.

Why is this art?

The Scream by Edvard Munch 1893• Considered to be the

Mona Lisa of present day art…there were actually 4 versions of this painting done (one in pastel) and this one was sold at Sotheby’s Auction House in NYC in 2012 for over $119 million!

• Is it the price tag that makes it art? Or the expression on the figure’s face?

Does this Express Life?

http://youtu.be/8O7heJ5ILvM

Writing Workshophttp://youtu.be/j7uTcYvoEbU

When poetry is read aloud, we can identify its features, form and function.

Poets write with a variety of intentions in mind.

This poetry unit will focus a great deal on intention, allowing you to come together to identify and understand poetry on a new and more comprehensive level.

The more experience you have reading and hearing poetry, the more prepared you will be to explore and write poems of your own.

Remember that poetry is written to be read and the experience of reading poetry and responding to it naturally is crucial to appreciating and internalizing it.

I-PadsExplore the Art Apps and choose 3-4 pieces of art that you are then able to explain in a note you can send to me, how the piece of art may have made you feel…which emotion it touched on as well as what message you feel the artist may have been trying to convey or send when

creating the piece of art.

Writing WorkshopThe second reason we take the time to explore, enjoy and respond to a genre as readers is motivational.

Developing an appreciation for poetry and poets will help entice you guys to want to learn how to do it yourselves.

Poetry is a celebration of the beauty of language and expression.

Let’s use these clothes pins to display our poems as we write them…let’s celebrate your poetic creations.

Draw pictures to go with your poems that match the subject or the inspiration that may have led to the creation of them.

Create poems and give them as gifts to your family, friends or special others.

Writing Workshop

Everyone should now turn to “Tips for Reading Poetry Aloud.”

I’d also like to distribute poems to each group…any volunteers?

“Foul Shot” or “Absolutes”

Writing Workshop

Choral readings are an excellent way to teach important read-aloud skills and to notice the effects of voice, tone, volume and pace.

Let’s begin by reading out loud, “Into the Mud”

Writing Workshop

Next, let’s read, “Diving Beetle’s Food-Sharing Rules.”

Always remember that before reading a poem, you must first read the title of the poem and acknowledge its author.