Comp/Lit 9: 2/3/2011

Music as Poetry

• We started the period with a grammar review on page 19 in the grammar workbook.  This covered: prepositional phrases, subjects, verbs, verb phrases (auxiliary verbs), inverted sentences and imperative (command) sentences.
• I then asked them to remember "I Am Not My Hair" by India.Arie and then write their own "I Am Not..." line.  In what way have they been unfairly judged?  What do they wish they could say they "are not".  Then I asked them to remember this line and these personal feelings as they go out to do service, and realize the people they work with most likely have their own "I Am Not..." line, like "I am not my wheelchair", "I am not my religion", "I am not the color of my skin".
• I then played the song "One Day" and asked them to listen, then write their initial reaction and the overall meaning or message of the song.  The second time I played the song, I showed the video as well.  I asked the students to also write about whether or not they had prejudged the type of person the artist was.  Most students will think he is a black man, possibly Jamaican. He is, in fact, a white Jewish man with a beard.  We then spent time discussing the overall meaning-Hope.
• I then showed them, "Lost Generation", which is a reversible poem.  I asked them, once again, to write about their immediate reaction, the meaning, and this time, I asked them to explain the difference between "One Day" and "Lost Generation".  We came to the conclusion that "Lost Generation" challenges us to make a change if we want to see a difference.
• I then explained the poetry homework;  they need to write either a reversible poem on any topic, a poem about their generation now or a "One Day" poem about what they want for their generation.
• The groups then had time to discuss their Self & Society poems.
• We ended the period with a presentation about "We Real Cool"
• Homework: VFA #17-18; Complete the reversible, "Lost Generation", or "One Day" poem; Work on the Found Poem-DUE Friday Feb. 11; think about the group you want to research/serve-DUE Wednesday Feb. 9