Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 42994
Emily Dickinson: Poet Extraordinaire of Language, Time,
and Space: Part 1
In this lesson (part one of three in a unit), students will work in small groups to analyze the language of Emily Dickinson's poem, "Tell all the truth
but tell it slant". Student interests will generate research on Emily Dickinson's poetry, her time, and audiences to better understand the recursive
nature of writing that authors practice. While individually developing language skills, students will practice a close reading of the poem "The Soul
Selects her own Society" and create a re-envisioned poem using language resources and vocabulary development exercises. Class discussions will
center on evaluating the effectiveness of the Dickinson poems studied. The culminating activity will include a response paper that examines the
recursive nature of writing as experienced through the small group, research, individual exercises, and class discussion.
Subject(s): Social Studies, English Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 9, 10
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter,
Computers for Students, Internet Connection, LCD
Projector, Overhead Projector, Microsoft Office
Instructional Time: 4 Hour(s)
Resource supports reading in content area: Yes
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: Emily Dickinson, poetry, language skills, diction, vocabulary development, thesaurus, dictionary,
figurative language, connotation, denotation, biography, peer editing, audience, purpose, writing forms, response
paper, research, historical context
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative
ATTACHMENTS
Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Poem.docx
DICTION ANALYSIS.docx
FIGURES of SPEECH.docx
Peer Editing Guidelines.docx
Probing Questions Dickinson diction discussion.docx
Response Paper Assignment.docx
Response Essay Rubric.docx
The Writing Process.docx
DICTION ANALYSIS Answer key Tell All Truth with a Slant.docx
Creating a Reenvisioned poem.docx
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will determine the denotation (meaning of words and phrases) in the selected poems, as well as the figurative and connotative meanings using the diction
analysis chart.
Students will review the nuances of language by examining how the language of Dickinson's poems evokes time and place.
Students will conduct research about the historical context of Emily Dickinson to better understand the poet, language, and time as it relates to her poetry.
page 1 of 5 Students will conduct a group discussion on the impact of word choices on audience and purpose.
Students will write a re-envisioned poem by demonstrating understanding of word relationships, interpreting figurative language, and nuances in word meanings
from the original poem.
Students will edit peer writings and annotate editorial choices.
Students will write a response paper that addresses the recursive nature of writing by examining their small group discussions, classroom exercises and
assignments, and research the practice and value of revision as a necessary tool of writers.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
The ability to define diction and analyze diction in simple exercises.
The ability to understand the relationship between diction and tone, as well as purpose and audience, and the interrelationships of these concepts.
The ability to define figures of speech i.e., imagery, metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole, alliteration, onomatopoeia and the purpose and effect of the
figures of speech has on the context of a sentence or passage.
The ability to understand how writing form is determined by purpose and audience.
The ability to apply and evaluate writing and peers' writing using the writing criteria for the class by implementing the writing rubric.
The ability to use the dictionary and thesaurus as vocabulary development and a historical resource.
The ability to write analytically in the context of class readings.
The ability to use writing tactics to generate ideas such as word mapping, clustering, and substituting words.
The ability to conduct small focused research assignments from broad to narrow topics using a variety of sources to address a problem, solution, or issue.
The ability to conduct a close reading of a given passage.
The ability to understand and apply the nuances of language and multiple meanings to a given sentence or passage to convey similar meaning.
The ability to use the tools for language development such as the thesaurus, the writings of other writers, conversations, observations, experiences, and
combination.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
How does language affect purpose, audience, and meaning?
How does word choice (diction) and tone create impact or affect meaning, thoughts, and accomplish the purpose of the writing?
Is my writing considerate of my intended audience according to the established writing goals?
How is writing a recursive process?
How can I revise my writing? What do I need to do to better accomplish my purpose and convey my message to my reader?
How can punctuation convey semantic content?
What do I learn about my strengths and weaknesses in my writing by examining the revision process.
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
1. The teacher will present photo stories in PowerPoint of Emily Dickinson's environment to capture the context of the writer. Photo stories will include her home, the
gardens, her room, family, her favorite books, and artifacts of her time. The photostory PPT can include "The Homestead", the gardens, and "The Evergreens". The
photostory will illustrate the connection of the the poet's life to her writing. http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/about_emily_dickinson
2. Students then will read a brief biography of Emily Dickinson and determine the connections between the photo stories and her life. The brief biography can be
gathered from the available websites:
http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/timeline
http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/ed/node/85
http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/ed/node/15
[ Keep the biography to one page.]
3. The back story of Dickinson makes it possible for students to develop a context of the writer, her times, and her writing.
4. The teacher should make the connection of writers' use of the recursive process, writing and rewriting for audience and purpose, especially Emily Dickinson poetry
and letter writing. Dickinson edited her words, used certain words repeatedly throughout her collection, and reordered sentences and text.
5. Additionally, students can see in her manuscripts how her writing was always under revision i.e. Emily Dickinson Lexicon Project. Samples of the writing and the
recursive process can be seen at the following sites:
http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/collections/modern/dickinson.cfm
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674676220
http://www.emilydickinson.org/
http://edl.byu.edu/index.php
6. Before reviewing the writing process handout the teacher can review some of the sites for students' understanding of the recursive process that writers and editors
will undertake to improve and finish their writing. These steps are included for students to see and understand the necessity of the recursive process, writing and
rewriting, and the peer editing exercise they will engage in later in the lesson.
7. Students can get practice with simple sentences to better understand the diction analysis assignment. Springboard into whole class instruction of simple sentences
to be revised for different reasons i.e. purpose, audience, or to convey introducing the terms diction.
Definitions:
Audience-the reader or listener of a text;
Purpose is the reason for the writing persuasion, narration, exposition, or entertainment.
8. Allow students to experiment with some of the following sentences by the changing the word choice from informal to formal; audience and purpose:
John hung out at his old lady's crib.
Mary's recalcitrant disposition had her excommunicated from her society club (formal to informal, club president to counselor).
Let's shoot the breeze after class.
I was informed of my malady after excruciating medical investigation.
The case was puzzling and full of lies.
He was put out.
page 2 of 5 9. Take suggestions from students to continue the discussion.
10. Some questions to ask students to connect to prior knowledge: What is the relationship between form and purpose? How does your language and word choice
change in different settings and audiences? How does word choice change meaning and impact writing? How does changing the type of sentence from simple to
complex impact the reader?
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
1. The teacher can now begin a simple sentence diction analysis conducted as a whole class instruction. Use diction analysis chart as guideline
2. Simple sentences for diction analysis can include lines from Dickinson's poems - "Success is counted sweetest," 'I felt a Funeral, in my Brain," or "After great pain a
formal feeling comes-. (See answer key).
3. Transition into this next activity by reminding students that the small group discussion and analysis of Dickinson's poetry will add to their understanding and
confidence individually, so it is important that they participate and question their group members. The small group assignment will allow student to experience close
reading and prepare them for the subsequent assignments.
4. Set the purpose for reading the poem by posing a possible question such as:
How should truth be presented to a person?
Does telling the truth change according to the person or incident?
5. Suggest that the audience of the poem is anyone dealing with telling the truth, and the purpose of the poem is to inform; it's didactic. During small group
discussions of the poem, "Tell all the truth but tell it slant," the teacher will sit in on diction analysis discussions to guide and redirect students. The teacher will
ensure that the students are understanding the diction analysis chart and completing the chart. Additionally, the teacher can use some of the suggested probing
questions to prompt students and support small group discussions. Ask the questions from general to specific about Dickinson's use of the words. During a
discussion the questions can serve as a springboard to further investigate diction. It is more important that students think about the use of diction with several
ideas, thinking critically, instead of trying to arrive at a one answer to the question. See answer key.
6. Students conduct research on the audience and purpose of Dickinson's poem(s), "Tell all truth but tell it with a slant," "Success is counted sweetest," 'I felt a
Funeral, in my Brain," "After great pain a formal feeling comes" or "The Soul Selects her own Society" and report back to the group. It is advisable that students
and the group keep notes and conclusions as reported by group members.The research is designed to provide students with the opportunity to investigate the
audience and purpose of each poem to set the poem in context. It is not necessary for all poems to be researched but within groups several poems can be
researched or each group can research a different poem. The research will support student knowledge and understanding of the poem and provide good
references for the subsequent class discussion on author's style.
7. As a whole group discussion, first define author's style as:
Style - involves the author's point of view, diction, the structure of the sentences, the arrangement of paragraphs, figures of speech, devices (rhetorical and
literary), mood (atmosphere), and tone (writer's attitude toward a subject)
8. Define the author's style and make observations about Dickinson's style in light of the definition based on the small group discussion and the simple sentence
assignment. The rationale for this is that style includes all the elements students have already discussed in the small group discussion and simple sentence
assignment.
9. Create a class style chart. Students can have a copy of the chart at their desk to keep notes from the class style chart.
10. Reiterate that style is characteristic of the individual writer or person. Explain to students that your style of clothing, speech, and writing tells about you as a person
in the same way it reveals information about an author. Further, an author's style is the sum total of the writing, the recursive process- rewriting, editing , deleting,
sentence, and syntax, word order, etc. to embody their personal style of writing.
11. Students will now have the opportunity to practice with an original Dickinson poem and re-envision the poem from their context. The assignment will require
students to apply their knowledge from prior assignments and apply them to their re-envisioned poem.
12. After creating the poem the students will undergo the peer editing process to better understand the recursive process of writing and rewriting to improve the poem
as indicated by their peers. By using a poem, students are required to be more specific and focused in their revisions and choices.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
1. Students will practice a close reading of a Dickinson poem, “The Soul Selects her own Society” by identifying Dickinson’s choices regarding diction and style in small
groups:
Student groups can use probing questions to reinforce their understanding of the poem.
Students can take notes of the groups' answers to the probing questions in their notebooks.
Students can reference the prior handouts on diction and style, but it is not necessary for them to complete the charts in their entirety unless the teacher
decides to collect for pre-writing and preparation for the re-envisioned assignment.
In the small groups students can investigate audience and purpose informally to provide background information for the group.
2. Students will practice using the dictionary, thesaurus, word mapping or clustering with original Dickinson poem to supplement diction that is appropriate for
audience and purpose. Supplementing the diction allows students to change the words to fit the audience and purpose of the poem that they will create.
Some suggestions for re-envisioned poem: Students can take a modern look at the purpose and audience by having an athlete share the code of conduct about
the topic of death to his teammates; a parent might share to their young child a "kid-friendly" version of death, a friend might write to a deceased friend about
death.
page 3 of 5 These are a few ideas for students: Audiencefor the poem can include: society, a particular type of person- the athlete, the scholar, the teacher, the student,
religious people, popular, unpopular people to name a few. Purposeof the poem can include a book on friendship, protest, a petition, a decree, a love poem, an
excerpt in a code of conduct, and more.
3. Students will discuss/defend their choices for diction and style in their group to create a group re-envisioned poem.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
The teacher will assist students in organizing and integrating the new knowledge gained from the lesson by creating a class list of guidelines to follow in diction
analysis, revising writing for audience and purpose, and peer editing.
Additional option: Students can present their re-envisioned poems to the class.
The probing or guiding questions can be used by the teacher to discuss the student poems with the class.
Summative Assessment
1. Students will analyze the effectiveness, reader appeal, audience, and purpose of each poem. A handout has been provided to assist with this activity.
2. Students will write a response paper based on their poem from research, group, and class discussions, as they apply to the poems.
To help students write this paper they will be using their notes and charts from the activities to fill out the suggested chart steps before they begin writing the
Response Essay Assignment. Refer to response assignment guidelines and rubric for response paper.
Formative Assessment
1. Students will chart diction analysis in small groups of three.
2. Small groups will conduct a group discussion on the impact of word choices on audience and purpose using the chart diction analysis.
3. Students conduct research on the audience and purpose of each poem and report back to the group.
4. Students will practice language development strategies and tools such as thesaurus, word mapping, word substitution, denotation, and connotation using the
original poems from diction small groups.
5. Students will practice insertion, deletion, and/or substitution with one Dickinson poem from diction small group to change the purpose and audience by creating a
re-envisioned poem.
Feedback to Students
1. The teacher will provide informal feedback with probing questions throughout the small group discussions and diction analysis sessions.
2. The teacher will continue the discussion of language nuances to compare/contrast poems used in diction small groups with the whole class to examine discoveries
and observations of Dickinson's use of language.
3. The teacher will monitor and guide the language development with ongoing critique throughout the process.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
1. List of words to use (word bank) for deletion and insertion.
Reference website http://thesaurus.com/ to use in creating a word bank.
2. List of connotation and denotation word list. Reference website: http://www.merriam-webster.com/.
Extensions:
Further research of Emily Dickinson's poetry by examining the commonality of words, usage, and how language affects audience and purpose for writing or other
aspects of her language and style.
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Computers for Students, Internet Connection, LCD Projector, Overhead Projector, Microsoft Office
Special Materials Needed:
Photo stories PowerPoint of Emily Dickinson’s environment to capture the context of the writer. PowerPoint can include her home, the gardens, her room, family,
her favorite books, and artifacts of her time.
Resources available to create the PPT can be found at the Emily Dickinson Museum http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/ and Jones Library Digital Amherst
http://www.digitalamherst.org/
Emily Dickinson poems “Tell all the truth but tell it slant” http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/1129.shtml and “The Soul Selects her own
Society” http://www.bartleby.com/113/1013.html
Thesaurus, dictionary, denotation/connotation or tone words
A three column form can be used to organize information for small groups, research, and class discussions.
Further Recommendations:
1. Plan your day according to the pace of the students in your class. You should make adjustments as you progress through the assignments.
2. Review and prepare your samples of each assignment to prepare for potential struggles for students.
3. Be flexible. Remember to use the guiding questions as a guide for student success and achievement.
4. Prepare the PowerPoint for photo stories using the current available websites to make the opening engaging while piquing student curiosity.
5. Have multiple copies of the poems and materials available for students in advance. As students progress move on to the assessments and application of knowledge.
Additional Information/Instructions
page 4 of 5 By Author/Submitter
Note: Lessons #2 and #3 in this unit have been attached as related CPALMS resources.
1. Select groups prior to class meetings.
2. Consider when grouping students writing ability and critical thinking skills.
3. Refrain from only grouping students by putting high low and middle ground students in a group; consider having high and medium, and medium and low together.
4. Remember to regroup, if a group is not working well.
5. Provide a grade(s) for group work; make students accountable.
6. Circulate and mingle with students in groups and independent assignments, facilitate knowledge with varied questioning and available resource materials.
7. Allow students time to present and share their accomplishments to serve as models for other students.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Yvette Gittens
Name of Author/Source: Yvette Gittens
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Miami-Dade
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
LAFS.910.L.3.5:
LAFS.910.RL.2.4:
LAFS.910.W.4.10:
Description
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.
b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language
evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
page 5 of 5