Lesson 1: Genre Study: Poetry

Students consider their own duality and share ideas with a partner using a Think-Pair-Share routine.

• Say: In this unit, we will study how people can be shaped by more than one connection at the same time. We will also examine and compare poetry and prose, talking about their structures and how each form of writing conveys ideas and feelings.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Take a moment to think of two or more roles that you fill in your life, such as being a big brother or sister, a player on a team, a student at school, or the leader of a group.

• Ask: Do you feel and behave exactly the same in your different roles? What is the same? What is different?

  • At school, I try to sound confident and independent, but at home I am quieter and I follow family routines. With my parents, I can feel very young, but when I take care of my little sister, I feel very grown up. But in all my roles, even though I might behave differently, I’m the same person inside.

Connection to Today's Learning:

• Say: We will be reading poetry and prose pieces that examine the idea of duality. Duality means “two sides.” For a person, it means the feeling of having more than one way of being, almost of having two selves.

Direct students to the poem “Two” in Red, White, and Whole and the first two paragraphs of “Fish Cheeks.” Display a Venn diagram. Write “Two” on the left portion of the diagram. Write “Fish Cheeks” on the right side. Write “Both” in the center.

Generating Situations, Context, and Examples

Say these Directions: We are going to read and compare the poem “Two” and the beginning of the narrative “Fish Cheeks.” As we read, think about the ways they are similar and different.

Read the texts aloud, while students follow along in their books. Ask the following questions after reading each text:

• Ask: What did you notice about the structure of this text? What did you notice about its theme?

  • I noticed that it was written in short lines. I noticed that it was about being Indian or not Indian.

  • I noticed that it was written in paragraphs. I noticed that it was about being Chinese in America.

Once you have finished reading aloud both texts, ask:

• Ask: What did the two have in common?

  • They were both about being both American and part of another nationality or culture.

Display a Venn Diagram and model the first steps of completing the diagram. Label the left column of the diagram, “Two,” and the right column of the diagram, “Fish Cheeks.” In the common section of the diagram, write “theme: cultural duality.” Divide students into pairs.

Say these Directions: Look at the Venn Diagram labeled “Two” and “Fish Cheeks,” with cultural duality already written in the “both” section. With a partner, complete the diagram by comparing the texts, noting similarities and differences in structure, topic, tone, and other details.

Give students 5 minutes to work on their diagrams, then reconvene the class to discuss the texts in a whole-class discussion:

Say these Directions: Discuss these questions as you complete your Venn Diagram graphic organizer:

• Ask: What tells you that “Fish Cheeks” is prose, not poetry?

  • “Fish Cheeks” is prose because it is written in full sentences and grouped into paragraphs without line breaks.

• Ask: How do the line breaks in the poem “Two” affect how you read the words?

  • The line breaks make me pause after each word, so each word feels more important.

Write “poetry” on the diagram under “Two” and “prose” under “Fish Cheeks.”

Connection to Today's Learning:

• Say: Now that you have a working definition of prose and poetry, you are ready to examine both genres more deeply, and to write your own poetry.

Students read “Two” aloud and analyze it in a whole-group discussion. In Part B, students draft their own poems discussing their personal duality.

Part A: Reading Poetry (RL.7.4) (10 minutes)

Have students read the poem aloud, switching readers for each stanza. Allow a moment for students to respond about the content after each stanza. Then, lead a class discussion about the poem. Give students a moment after each response to write answers in the Student Edition.

• Say: Now that we have identified the characteristics of poetry, let’s take a closer look at the poem “Two.” We have already identified the theme of the poem: cultural duality for a young person who is both Indian and American.

[SE note: Follow each question with 3-4 WOLs, depending on fit.]

Whole Group Discussion

Say these Directions: Read the poem aloud, switching readers for each stanza. Pause after each stanza to briefly discuss the content, then take a moment to write your responses. Afterward, we will continue with a whole-class discussion.

• Ask: Why does the poet start by saying, “I have two lives”?

  • The whole poem is about contrasting what she does with Indian friends and family and what she does in a non-Indian setting, such as school.

• Ask: What feelings about each “life” does the poet convey? How?

  • She shows that both “lives” are fun. For example, in both lives, there are “giggles about boys.” She names foods for both “lives,” but they are different foods. I get the feeling that Indian food is more comfortable.

• Ask: How does the poet use water as a symbol? How does the symbol of water change between the second and third stanzas?

  • In the second stanza, she swims in a river. In the third stanza, she floats in the sea. This gives the impression of more effort and maybe less control in a river, where she may have to swim and she may be carried by a current. Floating in a sea implies comfort and less effort. It seems more relaxed and easy.

• Ask: What is the effect of the last stanza and especially the last line?

  • The poet summarizes that she has good times in both “lives.” But the last line, “But only in one place do I have my parents,” suggests that she is much more comfortable at home with her family.

• Ask: How does the genre or text type, poetry, help convey the poet’s feelings?

  • Each line gives an impression, not just a description of something that happened. The reader can interpret lines by thinking about why the poet chose each word. When we read the poem, it makes us pause and take a moment to feel what is being said.

• Say: In the next activity, you will think more about “having two lives” or “having two selves” and get ready to write your own poem about duality. In “Two,” the poet describes duality based on two cultures. Your poem will talk about whatever duality you want to express, such as filling different roles at home and at school.

Part B: Draft and Revise a Poem about Duality (W.7.10) (20 minutes)

Students will use a Quick Write routine (3–5 minutes) to brainstorm ideas for their poem. They will then work with classmates to continue to shape their draft.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: You will write a short poem of your own called "Two," beginning with the line "I have two lives." First, you will jot down ideas in a Quick Write. Then you will shape them into a draft of at most 8 lines. Finally, you will work with classmates to revise and strengthen your poems.

• Say: Step 1: Quick Write In your Journal or Student Edition, begin with the line “I have two lives” and jot down phrases or lines about the idea of “Two.” (The “I” of the poem can be you or someone else in life or fiction.) You might write about:

  • A place that feels like home and a place that doesn't — or two places that both do

  • Two languages, two kinds of food, or two sets of rules

  • Two roles you play

Try to think of at least one specific image, sound, smell, taste, or feeling.

Students use ideas and language from their QuickWrite to develop a draft of their poem.

• Say: Step 2: Shape (a few minutes) Your Poem: Use your Quick Write to now turn your words into poetic form, focusing on one type of duality. Remember: It should begin with the line “I have two lives,” and have no more than 8 lines.

As you draft:

• Select one specific image, sound, or other sense memory that seems strong or interesting

• Develop another image, sound, or sense that contrasts with it

• Consider where to break lines to emphasize what is strongest or most important

Display the sample poem if students need more support or guidance.

Two

I have two lives,

one in sneakers squeaking on the gym floor,

one under a lamp with homework stacked like bricks.

In one, my name is shouted across the court.

In the other, it is softened over tea at home.

Both lives tug at me

like two hands on the same rope,

and I am learning to hold on to both.

• Say: Notice that this poem does not explain everything in a big paragraph. It starts with the line “I have two lives,” then each new line adds an image to describe those lives. The strongest lines use both sound and setting, for example: “sneakers squeaking” feels different from “tea at home.” The poem is short, so each line has a purpose.

• Say: Build your poem upon a clear contrast. Revise sentences that sound like an explanation. Like Rajani LaRocca’s “Two,” a short poem can feel very powerful when every word matters.

When students have completed their writing, reconvene the class and reorganize them into small groups.

Rehearse and Refine

• Say these Directions: In groups of three, read your poem aloud twice. The first time, listeners just listen. The second time, listeners use the Peer Feedback Form to jot one line that clearly shows duality and one word they want to hear more about. Then the writer chooses one line to revise.

If time permits, reconvene the class and ask students to share their plans for revision.

• Ask: What is one line you might revise after hearing your poem aloud?

  • I might revise “I am different at home” because it sounds too general. I could change it to “At home, my voice folds into the kitchen steam” to make the image stronger.

Have students reflect on how specific word choice or imagery helped them show contrast.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Today you learned that poets make meaning with line breaks, images, and carefully chosen words. Later in this unit, you will analyze how other poems in Red, White, and Whole use imagery or symbolism to show important connections. The poem you started writing today is practice for making those same craft choices on purpose.

• Ask: Which word, phrase, or image helped you show two sides most clearly today, and how will that help you in the unit performance task?

  • The phrase “quiet under the kitchen light” helped me see how specific words can show one side of a person without a big explanation. In my own poem, I used “locker slam” and “rice steaming” to show two parts of my life. This will help me later because I will need to notice and use imagery when I analyze and write poetry.

Instruct students to finish reading the essay “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan.

Ask students to respond to the following questions in their Journal:

• Is the essay about Tan as a child or an adult?

• What is the setting of the essay?

• Besides Tan, who else does the essay involve?