Reading-Writing Connection
ReadingFareast Book VI Lesson 3
Poems of Wisdom
國立鳳山高中
洪滿江
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The Text
Loss and Gain
by Henry W. Longfellow
When I compare
What I have lost with what I have gained,
What I have missed with what attained,
Little room do I find for pride.
I am aware
How many days have been idly spent;
How like an arrow the good intent
Has fallen short or been turned aside.
But who shall dare
To measure loss and gain in this wise?
Defeat may be victory in disguise;
The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.
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Teaching Focus
1. Comparison
2. Inversion
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Teaching Procedure
1. Briefly introduce Longfellow, his influence and works.
2. Have the class read the poem.
3. Analyze the poem and guide students to discuss the
main ideas, imagery, metaphor and simile in the poem.
4. Practice how to compare things.
5. Practice using inversion.
6. Lead the class to complete their drafts
step by step.
7. Have the class revise their drafts.
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Raising Students’
Awareness
The Road
Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
• Review one or two poems learned
before.
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Raising Students’ Awareness
• Read a short biography of Longfellow.
1. Young H. W. Longfellow
2. Old H.W. Longfellow
3. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow with his wife,
Frances Elizabeth Appleton, and two of their
five children, Charles and Ernest.
Sources of pictures: (from left to right)
1. http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/specialrpts/longfellow/images/longfellowportrait300.gif
2. http://www.wwu.edu/depts/skywise/cosmo/longfellow.jpg
3. http://brandichambless.blogspot.com/2007/04/village-blacksmith.html
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Many of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s lines are as familiar
to Americans as rhymes from Mother Goose or the words of
nursery songs learned in early childhood. Like these rhymes
and melodies, they remain in the memory and accompany
Americans through life.
There are two reasons for the popularity and significance of
Longfellow's poetry.
First, he had the gift of easy rhyme. He wrote poetry as
a bird sings, with natural grace and melody. Read or heard once
or twice, his rhyme and meters cling to the mind long after
the sense may be forgotten.
Second, Longfellow wrote on obvious themes which appeal to
all kinds of people. His poems are easily understood; they sing
their way into the consciousness of those who read them.
Above all, there is a joyousness in them, a spirit of optimism and
faith in the goodness of life which evokes immediate response
in the emotions of his readers.
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Raising Students’ Awareness
• Group/pair discussion:
“Defeat may be victory in disguise.”
For shy students:
For outspoken students:
1. Write down their examples in English
1. After discussion, the teacher simply
2. Choose a reporter to read from picks some groups to share their
their notes.
thoughts.
2. The teacher help clarify student’s
examples by writing down some key
words on the board.
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Presenting the Text
Before discussing the content,
introduce “inversion,” “simile,” and
“metaphor”.
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Presenting the Text
Inversion
Little
realize how expensive the restaurant is.
Hedoes
littleherealizes
Little
do I little
know about the latest fashion trend.
I know
I Little
find little
roomroom
do I for pride.
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Presenting the Text
Simile
My love is like a red rose.
He is as busy as a bee.
1.
2.
Sources of pictures:
1. http://lh3.ggpht.com/ieemdai/SCfpHjGhlbI/AAAAAAAABd8/_mkOVCXT8dc/s400/True_Love_Forever,_Red_Rose.jpg
2. http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/images/bee.gif
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Presenting the Text
Metaphor
She has a heart of stone.
1.
2.
I’ll make him eat his words.
3.
Sources of pictures:
1. http://www.planetperplex.com/img/ocampo_hos.jpg
2.http://www.hpmuseum.net/upload_htmlFile/PrintAds
/Ad1988_800Series_EatWords_Computerworld-27.jpg
3. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I
/61KZ9J7KQ0L._SL500_AA240_.jpg
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Presenting the Text
Stanza 1:
Ask students what makes the poet
feel not so proud of what he has
achieved so far.
Stanza 2: Ask students to write
down some personal examples of
“time idly spent” and “unrealized good
intent.”
Stanza 3: Ask students to write
down a personal experience to
explain “defeat may be victory in
disguise.”
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Bridging Practice to Writing
1. After reading and discussing
the poem, ask students to find
a partner.
2. Ask students to think about what they
have gained and lost in 2007, and then
fill out the following form.
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Bridging Practice to Writing
Worksheet
What I have gained
What I have lost
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Bridging Practice to Writing
3. After students finish the form, they exchanged
their worksheets with their partners and start
reading the finished worksheets.
4. After reading what their partners have written, they
have to conduct a peer conference. By doing peer
conference, they ask each other questions in order to
discover more about what their partners have written.
By doing this, students are “forced” to think about
what they have written and elaborate their thoughts
and writing.
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Bridging Practice to Writing
5. While conducting peer conferencing, students
have to write down questions and feedback from
their partners. This serves as a reminder for
students to extend their writing content. In
addition, positive feedback from their partners
can encourage them to write for their readers.
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Bridging Practice to Writing
Peer Conference Worksheet
Questions from your partner
Feedback from your partner
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Bridging Practice to Writing
6. Students review what they have written
and what their partners have contributed.
They have to choose a word or phrase to
describe their year 2007.
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Bridging Practice to Writing
7. Students start writing their draft beginning with
the sentence:
Comparing what I have gained with what I have
lost, 2007 was a year full of __________. (The
teacher ask students to fill in the word or phrase they’ve
chosen to describe their year 2007)
Or
Comparing what I have gained with what I have
lost, 2007 was a __________ year. (The teacher
ask students to fill in the word or phrase they’ve chosen to
describe their year 2007)
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Bridging Practice to Writing
8. Ask students to write their drafts
in class when their memories of the
discussion and peer conference are
still fresh.
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Students’ Works
Student’s
finished worksheet
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Students’ Works
Student’s draft
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Students’ works
Student’s
revised writing
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Conclusion
• Reasons for conducting peer conference
before writing:
1. Most students enjoy discussing their thoughts
with their readers (other students). Writing
becomes less intimidating and more fun.
2. During the discussion, they actually help each
other brainstorm more ideas. As a result, some
students are inspired to write more for their
readers.
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Suggestion
Always encourage students to give
their partners some positive
feedback or comments during peer
conference so that together they can
create a more dynamic writing
experience.
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