Denise's+Assignment

  I. **Results** A. Primary goal: What do you want the students to understand more fully about "Song of Myself"? Frame this as a question. - How is the prostitute included and perceived in Whitman's "Song of Myself and how does this reflect on the social issue of women during the 19th century?"

Why is this topic important to Whitman? - A blatant theme in the poem is about opening his arms to everybody in society, including those on the bottom rungs of the ladder.

How does this topic connect to other themes or concerns of the poem? - The overall theme of everybody having a place in society and the positive view of generally criminalized people> it's an american epic for everyone!

How might this topic or question engage students' interest and/or experience? How does this topic or question related to broader issues in literature? How does it relate to broader cultural or social issues? - It could reverse their conceptions of the Victorian era as oppressive or their conceptions of prostitution as lowly and possibly also as not belonging in poetry, just because this was a socially restrictive time for women doesn't mean that women restricted themselves. Student would think more outside the box, reevaluate prostitution in this context and perhaps lead them to other misconceptions.

B. Secondary goals: what do you want students to understand about reading poetry? about how to write about poetry? about how to connect text and context? - I want the students to understand the structure of the poem can be part of the meaning, i.e. the free verse is part of Whitman's American epic. (I think the idea would be that students can identify the use of lists and free verse in the poem as a way of emphasizing the broadness of all things being connected and included (women, prostitutes, etc) - It's such a monster of a poem!)

II. **Evidence of learning**: How will students demonstrate that they are answering the question? What will your evidence of student learning look like? 1. Free writes 2. Small-group question/answer discussion 3. Class-wide discussion

B. How will this show you that they've learned? how will you evaluate its success or failure in relation to your goals? - I should hear or read about structure, social issues (then and now), or public vs personal opinions in their discussion/free write

III. **Design** A. what knowledge or skills will students need in order to produce their evidence of student learning? - They will have to have to have personal impressions of Victorian era, basic knowledge about poetry (have encountered it), skills in reading and interpreting structure/form, skills in writing - posing and answering questions (from peers), free writing (spontaneous yet structured writing)

B. what kind of activities will develop these knowledges and skills? what kinds of things will students need to do to acquire these knowledges and skills? - Reading; writing; and collaborating - yeah!! - Have facilitators to keep discussion going (posing questions to start or reinvigorate discussion) - Free writes and discussion that are evaluated by teacher and increase in complexity as class progresses reading on victorian era - practice makes perfect! - Exercises with haikus and concrete poetry to show the relevance of form and structure, perhaps have students make haikus and concrete poetry

C. how will you structure these activities? do some have to come before others? which? why? are some more or less important than others? are some more or less formal than others? Here is the order that the activities should be in - the first two are to give students a backbone for context before getting to work with the poem; the third helps develop writing skills and the fourth hammers it all in. No particular hierarchy of activities, I think they're all important. 1 & 2. Reading on Victorian era with quiz to show that they have some basic knowledge of the time 1 & 2. Poetry exercises (haikus and concrete poetry) to show the relevance of form and stru 3. Prompts for free writes, which they can use for discussion. 4. Discussions that are evaluated by teacher (teacher walks around groups, listens and interjects) - interaction, bouncing idea, less solitude, collaboration brings everything together- Should have facilitators to keep discussion going (posing questions to start or reinvigorate discussion)