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Statement of Inquiry: Creative expression in poetry captures and reflects the psychological, social, and political transformations of its time, often becoming a powerful medium for knowledge production and personal or collective transformation.
Inquiry Questions:
Factual: What circumstances influenced Neruda’s psychological, social, and political transformation?
Conceptual: How does poetry reflect social, political, and psychological transformation?
Debatable: Does creativity reflected in poetry produce knowledge?
Unit Description
Unit Description
This unit focuses on an in-depth exploration of Pablo Neruda's Canto General, with an emphasis on Part I: Heights of Macchu Picchu and Part II: For Conquistadores. Students will engage in analyzing the text through the SMILE framework (Structure, Meaning, Imagery, Language, Effect), which helps break down the elements of poetry systematically. By examining Neruda’s work, students will study themes of conflict, particularly man vs. nature and man vs. technology, as well as historical and cultural perspectives of conquest and colonization.
Final Assessment Instructions
The final summative assessment for the IB HL Language and Literature Year II course is a focused analysis of one of Pablo Neruda’s Conquistador poems from Canto General. Students will select one poem and analyze it through three chosen aspects—such as structure, surrealism, global issue, conflict, or specific literary techniques—that deepen its meaning and impact. This 500-600 word analysis requires students to link historical context with Neruda's portrayal of the violent colonization of Latin America.
Each analysis should begin with a context-setting paragraph, noting key allusions and historical relevance. Subsequent paragraphs will focus on one of the selected aspects, supported by well- integrated textual evidence and thoughtful analysis. Through organized paragraphs and clear topic sentences, students will explore how these elements contribute to the poem’s message, ensuring a cohesive connection to its broader themes of identity, culture, and communication.
Formative Assessments
1. Quizzes on Poetic Devices and Structures: These quizzes can assess students' knowledge of different poetic devices and structures, including their function and effect. These can be given after the lessons covering these topics and will help ensure that students understand these critical components of poetry.
2. Reading Checks: Brief, informal assessments such as reading checks can be used to ensure students are reading the assigned sections of the poems and understand their basic content. These can take the form of short-answer questions, identification of key themes or ideas, etc.
3. Mini Literary Analysis Essays: Students can write short literary analysis essays on selected sections of the poems. This will assess their ability to interpret poetry, use evidence to support their interpretations, and articulate their thoughts in writing.
4. Group Discussions: Small group discussions can be used to gauge students' understanding of the poems' themes and how they relate to the poets' historical and cultural contexts. These discussions can also assess students' speaking and listening skills.
5. Peer Feedback: In writing workshops, students can give and receive feedback on their original poems. This can help develop their skills in using poetic devices effectively, structuring poems, and communicating themes or emotions through poetry.
5. Reflection Journals: Students can maintain reflection journals where they note their thoughts, interpretations, questions, and personal responses to the poems. This can assess their engagement with the poems and their ability to reflect on and articulate their responses.
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Bogan Computer Technical High School
7. Class Presentations: Students can present on a selected theme or section of the poems, demonstrating their understanding of the poems and their ability to communicate this understanding to others.
Unit Vocabulary & Key Concepts:
SMILE Framework: Structure, Meaning, Imagery, Language, Effect – essential for dissecting and discussing poetry. See Study Guide
Conflict Types: Man vs. nature, man vs. technology, man vs. society, and man vs. self, with an emphasis on how these manifest in the poetry.
Historical and Cultural Contexts: In-depth exploration of the Incan civilization, the impact of Spanish conquistadors, and Neruda’s vision of historical memory and resistance.
Discipline-Specific Knowledge & Skills:
Poetry Analysis: Students will develop skills to independently analyze poetic techniques and themes, linking them to the poet’s intentions and historical context.
Critical Thinking: Through a Deep Dive activity, students will analyze artifacts that illuminate themes within Heights of Macchu Picchu, synthesizing insights about historical influence and legacy.
Aims and Objectives
Subject group aims - Studies in language and literature
Develop skills in interpretation, analysis and evaluation
Develop an understanding of relationships between texts and a variety of perspectives, cultural contexts, and local and global issues and an appreciation of how they contribute to diverse responses and open up multiple meanings
Assessment objectives
Analyse and evaluate ways in which the use of language creates meaning
Essential Understandings
Students will know the following content:
The final summative assessment for the IB HL Language and Literature Year II course, Pablo Neruda: Poetry as a Social Mirror, centers on understanding how poetry reflects and comments on societal issues, serving as a mirror to the world in which the poet lives. Students will analyze one of Neruda’s Conquistador poems from Canto General through three selected aspects—such as structure, surrealism, global issue, or conflict—to uncover how Neruda’s work addresses universal themes of resilience, struggle, hope, and transformation.
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