Poem Analysis

Preparation

Choose a poem or song.

Familiarize yourself with the historical background of the piece.

Duplicate copies of the graphic organizer for each student.

Download and duplicate one copy per student of the printed primary source version of the chosen piece. Or, arrange for the class to view the document on screen.

Decide how students will hear the song or poem. Poems or song lyrics may be read aloud, and recordings of songs may be played from the Web or from the accompanying CD. A song can also be sung or played from the sheet music.

Initial Response

Give students a few minutes to look at and read the printed document silently.

Read or play the piece aloud for the whole class to hear.

Have students respond to the piece. Possible responses include paraphrasing the message, free-writing a response, and drawing a picture.

Analytical Response

Give each student a copy of the graphic organizer for individual note taking.

Have students work in small groups to discuss and analyze the piece as a historical artifact, writing down their individual responses on the organizers.

Discussion

Have a spokesperson from each group share the groupЎЇs findings with the class.

Hold a class discussion based on some of the following questions:

Who was the piece written for?

What was the purpose of the piece?

What topic or concern of the era does the piece represent?