Core Curriculum Objective(s):
Interpret and draw conclusions based upon text selection and cite supporting evidence in order to synthesize ideas to form an hypothesis.
(8-CM-13)
Restatement: Students will make inferences based upon one-line from a poem and group comparison.
OVERVIEW: The Poetry Tea Party, a strategy developed by Dr. Jeff Wilhelm, is a way to assist students in developing inferential reading.
FOCUS/ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S):
* What is the meaning of your line from the poem?
* What do the lines held by other students have in common with your line?
* Are there any patterns?
* How does your line of poetry fit in with other lines from the same poem?
TIME FRAME: This activity will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
RESOURCES: An individual line from the poem Grandmother Grace for each student, a full copy of the poem for each student, activity rubric
ASSESSMENT: Students will be assessed on their ability to work well as a group and on their hypothesis.
INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
- Prior to beginning the activity, photo copy the poem Grandmother Grace, which is attached. Cut the poem into strips so that each child only gets one or two lines of the poem. (If giving two strips, do not give lines that are next to each other in the body of the poem.)
- Have each student read the line(s) of the poem he or she was given. Students should write their line at the top of their piece of notebook paper. Based on the information on their slip only, each student should write 2-3 sentences predicting what the main idea of the poem is and explaining why they are predicting as they are.
- Next, students should mingle around the room reading each other's lines of poetry and discussing what they think the poem is all about. Encourage students to look for similarities, patterns, key words, etc.
- After providing 5-10 minutes for this, have the students return to their seats and revise their predictions as to the main idea of the poem.
- Pass out the copy of the entire poem to the students. Read the poem together.
- Have the students revise their prediction yet again.
- Lead the class in a discussion regarding the evolution of their understanding of the poem. Allow and encourage children to share their earlier predictions and those made after gathering more information. Discuss the content of the poem, the symbolism, the emphasized words, and especially the main idea of the poem.
- Have the students revise their main idea prediction for a final time.
Grandmother Grace
I didn't give her a good-bye kiss
as I went off in the bus for the last time,
away from her empty house with Jesus
on all of the walls, with clawfoot tub and sink
with the angular rooms that trapped all my summers.
I remember going there every summer -
every day beginning with that lavender kiss,
that face sprayed and powdered at the upstairs sink,
then mornings of fragile teacups and old times,
afternoons of spit-moistened hankies and Jesus,
keeping me clean in Williamsburg, Iowa.
Cast off, abandoned, in Williamsburg, Iowa,
I sat in that angular house with summer
dragging me onward, hearing how Jesus
loved Judas despite his last kiss,
how he turned his other cheek time after time,
how God wouldn't let t6he good person sink.
Months later, at Christmas, my heart would sink
when that flowery letter from Williamsburg, Iowa,
arrived, insistent, always on time
stiff and perfumed as summer.
She always sealed it with a kiss,
a taped-over dime, and the words of Jesus.
I could have done without the words of Jesus;
the dime was there to make the message sink
in, I thought; and the violet kiss,
quavering frail, all the way from Williamsburg, Iowa,
sealed some agreement we had for the next summer
as certain and relentless as time
I didn't know this would be the last time.
If I had, I might even have prayed to Jesus
to let me see her once again next summer.
But how could I know she would sink,
her feet fat boats of cancer, in Williamsburg, Iowa,
alone, forsaken, without my last kiss?
I was ten, Jesus, and the idea of a kiss
At that time made my young stomach sink.
Let it be summer. Let it be Williamsburg, Iowa.
--Ronald Wallace
ACTIVITY RUBRIC
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POETRY TEA PARTY |
Yes |
No |
| Main Idea Predictions |
| Initial Prediction - the student's prediction is based upon his/her poetry fragment |
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| Prediction After Sharing Slips with Other Students - the student's prediction is revised based upon talking to the other students |
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| Prediction After Reading Full Poem - the student's prediction is revised based upon the full reading of the poem |
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| Final Prediction - the student's prediction is revised based upon the full-class discussion |
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| Group Process Skills |
| Stayed on task |
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| Maintained proper voice level for situation |
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| Worked for the good of the group |
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| Contributed ideas to the classroom discussion |
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| Was not dominant nor passive |
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| Showed appreciation for the contributions of others |
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GRADING SCALE
The number of statements earning a "Yes" determines the student's grade.
10 "Yes" = 100/A
9 "Yes" = 90/B
8 "Yes" = 80/B
7 "Yes" = 70/D
6 "Yes" = 60/F
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