A. Engage the Learner - W.7.5 (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 9.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

Encourage students to create a checklist for a theme paragraph and share it with their partner and then the group. Record and refine student responses until students have a strong sense of what to give feedback about on Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 9.

• Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review responses, highlighting exemplary specific feedback.

• Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as in previous lessons.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

Encourage students to discuss their feedback in pairs before writing it. As necessary, provide students with sentence frames to respond to Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 9:

Your sentence(s) about structure / figurative language / theme were good because ...

Could you try (adding an example / explaining the example / telling how it develops theme) ...

Sentence frames decrease anxiety and increase comprehension and confidence.

A. Read and Analyze “Hope” – RL.7.2, RL.7.4, RL.7.5 (30 minutes)

• Review appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can analyze how the structure of ‘Hope’ contributes to its meaning.”

“I can determine the meaning of figurative language in ‘Hope.’”

“I can identify a theme and explain how it is developed over the course of ‘Hope.’”

• Inform students that, as in the previous lesson, they will read and analyze a poem, using the Techniques anchor chart and Analyze Poetry: “Hope” note-catcher to support them. In this lesson, they will work in pairs or small groups to analyze the poem “Hope” by Georgia Douglas Johnson.

• Ask students to retrieve their copies of One Last Word and turn to page 56 of “Hope.”

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In Work Time A, reinforce the poetry terms introduced in Lessons 7 and 8 by asking students to work in pairs to find examples from the poem “Hope” of each term on the Techniques anchor chart. Students can share these with the class and record them on the Techniques anchor chart next to each term. Reviewing the terms and applying them in a new context will ensure students have a thorough grasp of them.

• Read the poem aloud, asking students to close their eyes and listen. Read the poem aloud a second time, asking students to follow along. Finally, read the poem aloud chorally as a class.

• Note that students may not know what all the words in the poem mean, but they can note structures of the poem and get a general gist of the poem even before they understand all the words. Invite students to briefly Turn and Talk to a partner about their first impressions of the poem, including the gist, what they notice, and what they wonder.

• Focus students’ attention on the first line of the poem and Think-Pair-Share:

“Who is the speaker? To whom is she speaking?” (The speaker is not named. The speaker is speaking to the “frail children of sorrow.”) Ask students to use context and background knowledge to determine the meaning of the word frail (weak or sickly).

“How can we use parts of words to understand the meaning of dethroned in this line? What does it mean to be ‘dethroned by a hue’?” (The word dethroned breaks down into de and throne, so it must mean to be “taken off a throne.” The word hue means “color,” so the phrase must mean “taken off a throne because of a color.”)

• If necessary, provide the meaning of the word hue (a particular color).

“Why do you think the speaker calls them ‘children of sorrow’?” (The speaker may call them “children of sorrow” because they’ve been treated poorly because of their color.)

• If necessary, ask:

“Why have the children been ‘dethroned’? To what does the speaker refer when she says ‘hue’ or color? Color of what?” (They have been dethroned because of the color of their skin.) ▲

• Add frail, dethroned, and hue to the academic word wall with translations in home languages where appropriate, and invite students to add the words to their vocabulary logs.

• Confirm for students that the rest of the poem should be read with the understanding that the speaker is addressing the children that the speaker mentions in the first line, who have been treated poorly simply because of the color of their skin (because they are black Americans).

• Ask students to Turn and Talk about what they notice about the poem’s structure:

“How is the poem organized? How does the structure compare to the structure of ‘Calling Dreams’? What do you notice about the punctuation of stanzas?” (This poem also has rhyming couplets and is organized in stanzas—three instead of two. The first two stanzas end in periods, while the third stanza ends in an exclamation point.)

• Tell students that as they did with “Calling Dreams,” they should determine the gist of the couplets, then analyze the gist of each stanza. Note that this poem has rhyming couplets to show how smaller ideas are related. Each stanza also contains a bigger complete thought. Explain to students that in looking for meaning in poems, it is often helpful to find those areas where poems have repeating ideas or structures, and that is what they will do to begin their analysis of this poem.

• Use a total participation technique to determine the gist of each couplet with the class. Record the responses on the board:

  • 1st couplet: mistreated children, there is still hope in darkness

  • 2nd couplet: no difficulty can last forever

  • 3rd couplet: the oak takes a long time to grow, but nettles and weeds grow quickly

  • 4th couplet: wait calmly and you can rise at the right time

  • 5th couplet: time moves according to a plan

  • 6th couplet: we are connected to the past, and everyone has a time to shine

• Distribute copies of the Analyze Poetry: "Hope" note-catchers and ask students to form small groups. Assign each group a stanza to analyze and discuss.

• Ask students to work in their groups to find the gist of each stanza. (Since there are likely more groups than stanzas, several groups will find the gist of the same stanza.) Determine the meaning of unknown words using strategies such as context, word parts, and a dictionary.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In Work Time A, encourage comprehension of the poem by allowing students several minutes to highlight key words (such as unfamiliar vocabulary and also familiar words—possibly using different colors for known and unknown words). Students can also illustrate the poem in the margins or on sticky notes.

Also, encourage students to use a blank copy of the Analyze Poetry note-catcher ▲ from Lesson 7, which is a generic note-catcher that students can use throughout this unit. This resource supports student writing and comprehension with sentence frames.

• Tell students that they should note “1st stanza, 2nd stanza, and 3rd stanza” in their gists box and record the gists after they share out.

• Ask students to share out the gists they identify for each stanza. Because there are likely several groups analyzing each stanza, invite volunteers from each group to add to or correct the gist that other groups share. See the Analyze Poetry: “Hope” note-catcher (example for teacher reference) to guide student discussion.

• After a few minutes, ask volunteers from each group to share their responses about the meaning of the last line in each stanza.

  • 1st stanza: “No night is omnipotent, there must be day!” means that night can’t last forever or overpower day. Ask students to explain the meaning of the word omnipotent (all powerful).

  • 2nd stanza: “And rise with the hour for which you were made” means that the speaker is encouraging her listeners to rise and achieve their dreams.

  • 3rd stanza: “And each has his hour — to dwell in the sun!” means that everyone has a chance to shine.

• Ask students to Think-Group-Share:

“What do the last lines of these stanzas have in common? How do the final lines help to convey the ideas of the stanzas?” (The last lines of the stanzas all express hope of some kind. They help to convey the idea that even if things are difficult, eventually they will get better.)

“How do the stanzas in the poem relate to each other? For example, do they discuss different ideas, develop similar ideas, tell a story, etc.?” (The stanzas in the poem discuss a similar idea in different ways. They all talk about how difficult times pass eventually, although they use different images. The first stanza talks about night passing into day, the second stanza discusses an oak growing from a seed into a tree, while the third stanza talks about the “cycle of seasons” passing so that “each has his hour.”)

• Congratulate students on their work identifying the gists of each stanza and how they build on each other. Ask students to record these ideas on their note-catchers. Consult the Analyze Poetry: “Hope” note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as necessary.

• Ask if any student volunteers can identify a theme in the text. (Difficulties don’t last forever; no matter how difficult life is, there is always hope.) Have students record this theme on their note-catchers. Consult the Analyze Poetry: “Hope” note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as necessary.

• Tell students that to explore this theme more closely they will work together to analyze figurative language in the text.

• Write the following examples, one from each stanza, on the board, and assign one to each group, based on the stanza they have been analyzing thus far:

  • Stanza 1: “Shadows are flecked by the rose sifting through”

  • Stanza 2: “Oak tarries long in the depths of the seed”

  • Stanza 3: “We move to the rhythm of ages long done”

• Ask each group to discuss the meaning of the figurative language. Groups should discuss not only what the words mean, but the point they are making in relation to the theme they identified for the poem. Remind students that figurative language is often used to convey an abstract idea the author has about a subject in an interesting and vivid way. Students should consider what ideas these images convey.

• After several minutes of analysis, ask groups to share out the meaning and purpose of their line of figurative language. Write the words “Meaning” and “Purpose” below the examples of figurative language to make the task clear. Because there are likely several groups analyzing each stanza, invite volunteers from each group to add to or reinterpret the analysis.

• Stanza 1: “Shadows are flecked by the rose sifting through”

  • Meaning: Even shadows have other pretty colors like rose in them.

  • Purpose: to show that darkness still has hope in it, which means that even if you are going through a tough time there is still hope

• Stanza 2: “The oak tarries long in the depths of the seed”

  • Meaning: The tree is a seed for a long time before it becomes a tree.

  • Purpose: to show that things in nature must be patient before they grow and become what they are meant to be, in the same way that people must also be patient before they can become who they are meant to be

• Stanza 3: “We move to the rhythm of ages long done”

  • Meaning: We are affected by the long ago past.

  • Purpose: to show how things can take a long time to develop and change

• Invite students to add these examples to their note-catchers in the Figurative Language section. Consult the Analyze Poetry: “Hope” note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as necessary.

• Inform students that they will now independently write a paragraph explaining how the poet uses structure and figurative language to develop a theme in “Hope.” Remind students that they have written similar paragraphs as a class and in pairs over the past few lessons. Direct students to write their paragraph on the lines on their note-catcher. As they do so, display the Harlem Renaissance Themes anchor chart. Use a total participation technique so that students can share their responses. Record these on the anchor chart. For possible responses, see the Harlem Renaissance Themes anchor chart (example for teacher reference).

• Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

A. Discussion Norms - SL.7.1 (10 minutes)

• Remind students of their work generating discussion norms as a class in Unit 1. Refer students to the Discussion Norms anchor chart and ask students to Think-Pair-Share to generate questions they can ask to expand the conversation by comparing ideas, agreeing/disagreeing with ideas, adding onto ideas, or explaining ideas. (How is ___ different from what ___ said? Do you agree or disagree with what ___ said? Why? Who can add on to what ___ said? Who can explain what ___ said?) Add student responses to the Discussion Norms anchor chart under the "Cues" column.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In the discussion, encourage students to draw on evidence from the Analyze Poetry note-catcher ▲, but challenge students to not read their notes but rather practice the conversation cues and natural discussion language structures.

• Ask students to Think-Pair-Share on responses they could make to these new questions or cues. ("_____ said _____. That's different from what _____ said because _____."; "I agree/disagree because _____."; "I think what they said is _____ because _____."; "I think what they are saying is _____.") Add student responses to the Discussion Norms anchor chart under the "Responses" column. Refer to Discussion Norms anchor chart (example for teacher reference) as necessary.

• Share with students any of the Conversation Cues listed on the example anchor chart that they have not yet arrived at as a group, and inform students that these cues can be used to help one another ask for more information from peers.

• Tell students that they will have a chance to practice these cues today as well as the ones they identified in Module 1 as they engage in a whole class discussion about how the author develops the theme in the poem "Hope." Remind students of the work they did completing the theme section of the note-catcher at the end of the previous lesson, as well as the paragraph they wrote for the previous lesson's homework. Encourage students to use similar questions in guiding their class discussion of how the author develops the theme in the text:

  • What is the subject of the poem?

  • What is the theme of the poem?

  • How is the poem structured? How does this structure contribute to the meaning of the poem and the development of its theme?

  • What are some examples of figurative language the author uses in the poem? How do these examples contribute to the meaning of the poem and develop its theme?

• Ask one volunteer to begin the whole class discussion on themes in the poem "Hope" with a question or a statement.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In the discussion, encourage students to use the sentence frames from their theme paragraphs on the Analyze Poetry note-catcher ▲ from Lesson 7 because their theme paragraphs address the same prompts as the discussion. Inform students that they will use similar sentence structures to independently write a theme paragraph in their end of unit assessment. Facility with the sentence frames will help them succeed in the discussion and on the assessment.

• Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.