Your assignment is to analyze a collection (3-5 poems) of work from a poet you have chosen from a list provided by your teacher, and write a style-analysis essay. You will will then select one of the poems you analyzed and present an oral analysis of the poem, which includes background information about the poet, to the class.
planning
Review the listof poets provided by your teacher. Briefly research potential poets and their writing on the Famous Poets and Poemsand Poetry Foundationwebsites. These websites won't provide all the information you need for your project, but enough to help you choose a poet.
Once you've chosen a poet, use the ProQuest: Learning Literature databaseto find in-depth information concerning your author's background, the historical context for his/her writing, as well as the themes that appear his/her writing. The PLL database requires a user ID and password when accessed away from school. Mrs. Hanson will provide you with those.
Read through a collection of the poet's work and choose three to five poems to analyze for this task. Mark and annotate the texts using the TP-CASTT handouts.
Review the analyzed poems and look for recurring patterns within the text. Generate a working thesis that identifies the author's style and its effect on the poem.
Fill in the graphic organizer and begin structuring ideas for your essay.
Using ideas from your graphic organizer, generate a first draft of your essay.
revising your essay
Review and evaluate your draft by color-coding the text to identify elements of organization listed in the scoring guide for the essay. Revise your draft and add any missing elements so that your ideas flow coherently.
Share your draft with your peers and get feedback to revise for the following:
Analysis of style
Clarity of ideas
Your peers will fill out a revision sheet for your essay. It will give you suggestions on what to change. Review the suggestions from your peers, consult the scoring guide for the essay, and revise the essay accordingly.
editing your essay for publication
Reread and edit your draft for seamless integration of quotations and for correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. If you are handwriting your essay, write legibly.
Create an appropriate title, and prepare a final draft for publication.
planning and rehearsing your presentation
Select the poem that most intrigues you from the poems you studied and prepare an oral interpretation and analysis of the poem in order to present to the class. Mark and annotate this poem for purposeful use of movement, gestures, inflection, props, and sound effects and complete theTP-CASTT.
Rehearse your oral interpretation in a mirror and be sure to have an attention grabber. KNOW your audience.
Use the format below to organize your performance:
Brief introduction of the poet and his or her style.
Oral interpretation of the poem.
Brief rationale for your oral interpretation.
Describe the historical context in which the poem took place and connect it to the recurring themes.
You need to prepare a visual (trifold or poster) which can be used during your presentation.
Check that your presentation has a logical progression of ideas and a clearly stated point of view.