english literature - overview 

The following activities and questions are designed to help your students use their noticing skills to move through the poem and develop their thinking skills so they understand its meaning with confidence, using what they’ve noticed as evidence for their interpretations. Read more about the framework upon which these activities are based.

1. 
   Warm-up: Free write: Who or what makes us who we are? Why? If you feel comfortable, share with a partner or small group. What patterns, if any, did you notice in what was shared? What might that tell us about people?
   

2. 
   Before Reading the Poem: Listen to the song “Welcome Home” by Radical Face. What words or phrases stand out? Why? How does the song make you feel? Why?
   https://poets.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e329a0cb6f08842f08a05d822&id=3d918fa416&e=6228d2dda3 

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4. 
   Reading the Poem: Silently read the poem “Ongoing” by Jenny Xie. What do you notice? Note any words or phrases that stand out to you, or any questions you might have. Or you might enjoy watching this video of the poet reading the poem. 
   

5. 
   Listening to the Poem: Enlist two volunteers and listen as the poem is read aloud twice. Write down any additional words and phrases that stand out to you.
   

6. 
   Small Group Discussion: Share what you noticed about the poem with a small group. How does the poem connect to the resources and your discussions from the beginning of class? Why? How might you describe the speaker in the poem? Why?
   

7. 
   Whole Class Discussion: What enjambment do you see in the poem, and how does it contribute to the poem? What do you make of the last two lines of the poem: “She had trained herself to look for answers at eye level, / but they were lower, they were changing all the time”? Why?
   

8. 
   Extension for Grades 7-8: Imagine the poem that might come after this one. What might the speaker say? Write the next poem. Share it with your classmates. 
   

9. Extension for Grades 9-12: In honor of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, read more poems by Asian Americans. In a class celebration and poetry reading, bring one or more poems to read. Participate in three small mini discussions or speed dates in which you share your poem and what you like about it. If you find a poem that you enjoy, swap it for a new poem and repeat the same process. 

Teach This Poem was developed for in-person classrooms, but it can be easily adapted for remote learning and hybrid learning models. Please see our list of suggestions for how to adapt this lesson for remote or blended learning. 

The Forest for the Trees

Rena Priest

I have seen a tree split in two

from the weight of its opposing branches.

It can survive, though its heart is exposed.

I have seen a country do this too.

I have heard an elder say

that we must be like the willow—

bend not to break.

I have made peace this way.

My neighbors clear-cut their trees,

leaving mine defenseless. The arborist

says they’ll fall in the first strong wind.

Together we stand. I see this now.

I have seen a tree grown around

a bicycle, a street sign, and a chainsaw,

absorbing them like ingredients

in a great melting pot.

When we speak, whether or not

we agree, the trees will turn

the breath of our words

from carbon dioxide into air—

give us new breath

for new words,

new chances to listen,

new chances to be heard.

The following activities and questions are designed to help your students use their noticing skills to move through the poem and develop their thinking about its meaning with confidence, using what they’ve noticed as evidence for their interpretations. Read more about the framework upon which these activities are based. (Teachers, please note this lesson has been adapted from the Teach This Poem archive.)

1. Warm-up: Ask your students to make a gesture that describes something they hope for in the world—not a material thing, like a car or a toy, but something more abstract that would benefit their family, community, country, or even the world.
    

2. Before Reading the Poem: Play the video of “We Shall Overcome” by Pete Seeger in front of the class twice. Write down what you notice in the video. Then, gather in small groups to discuss what this song might be about. What do you think shall be “overcome”?
    

3. Reading the Poem: Now, silently read the poem “little prayer” by Danez Smith. What do you notice about the poem? Note any words or phrases that stand out to you or any questions you might have.
    

4. Listening to the Poem: (Enlist two volunteers to read the poem aloud.) Listen as the poem is read aloud twice, and write down any additional words and phrases that stand out to you.
    

5. Small-group Discussion: Share what you noticed in the poem with a small group of students. Based on the details you just shared with your small group and the song from the beginning of class, what questions do you have about this poem? Can you help one another answer some of these questions?
    

6. Whole-class Discussion: Who might the “him” be in this poem? What might the “it” be in the last line? What evidence do you have for your interpretations, based on what you noticed in the poem? To what kind of “ruin” do you think the speaker in the poem is referring? Think about your discussion of “We Shall Overcome” when you answer these questions. How is the poem similar to or different from the song?
    

7. Extension for Grades 7-8: Research how “We Shall Overcome” was used during the Civil Rights Movement. What did the song mean then? What does this song mean now? Why? How does the song make you feel? Write a list poem of all the things you think we need to overcome today so there will be peace. What gives you hope that those things will be overcome?
    

8. Extension for Grades 9-12: Write an essay about one or two important issues we need to overcome today for peace. What gives you hope that those things will be overcome?