[etni] Fw: Teacher-for-Teacher: literary "situation" lesson plan

From: "Ask Etni" <ask@xxxxxxxx>
To: "Etni" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:01:19 +0200
----- Original Message ----- 
From: laurie ornstein - laurenmadeline@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: Teacher-for-Teacher: literary "situation" lesson plan

I'd like to share with you another lesson suggestion presented by Adham 
Zoabi from ORT El Hoashallah School in the Negev. This was an open lesson 
for all ORT Bedouin school teachers in a series of in-service counseling 
sessions I've organized, "Teacher-for-Teacher". The faculty discussion we 
held afterwards was also enriching to us all. Many thanks, once again to 
Adham for his sensitive approach to the present situation and for his 
thought-provoking and creative literary lesson. (11th grade 4 points)

"Grass"by Carl Sandburg

Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo,
Shovel them under and let me work -
I am the grass; I cover all.

And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years and passengers ask the conductor:
What place is this?
Where are we now?

I am the grass.
Let me work.

Adham began the lesson by passing around 2 photographs depicting the 
atrocities of war. No soldiers or weapons shown. The pupils studied the 
photos and commented.
Next he wrote the title of the poem on the board and the class brainstormed 
the title, suggesting their associations with the word "grass".
Before reading the poem, the pupils were also given a short biography of the 
poet; 2 paragraphs were read aloud and discussed. The teacher pointed out 
that Sandburg was an anti-war poet and the fact that he had been a soldier 
in the Spanish-American War.
Then the teacher read the poem aloud to the class while they followed the 
text. New vocabulary was addressed and written on the board.
Of course, Adham asked simple comprehension questions before moving on to 
analysis and deeper understanding of the poem. There was an element of 
history here, too and the pupils were asked about the places/battles 
mentioned in the poem, different wars from different times.
Adham went on to ask the pupils about the speaker in the poem and the grass' 
job, to cover up of the bodies/the war...all the wars. Also discussed was 
the fact that people don't learn from their mistakes. In addition, the 
pupils were asked about the grass' attitude toward the bodies; the bodies 
are objects and less than human.
Afterwards, time was devoted to discussing the structure of the poem written 
in free verse and "why" Sandburg chose this style without rhyme or meter. 
Repetition and symbolism were also addressed and of course, the poet's 
attitude towards war and the future.
Last, the pupils were asked to write their reflections on the poem  - their 
homework assignment.
Adham will have a follow-up lesson on the poem. He also plans to bring Bob 
Dylan's anti-war song, "Blowin' in the Wind" to the class; this is a poem as 
much as it is a song! I'm truly looking forward to singing it with his 
pupils next week.

I think this poem was an excellent choice for these hard times and also one 
that teenagers can relate to. This was eveident from the pupils' comments.

With wishes for peace,
Laurie


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[etni] Fw: Teacher-for-Teacher: literary "situation" lesson plan

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