DebbieAnne Baione

CEE 588

Dr. Mandel

April 9, 2002

 

Grade Level: 10^th

Time:  30 minutes

 

OBJECTIVE:

• By the end of the lesson, students will have an understanding of the literary terms: speaker, audience, voice, and tone.  Students will be able to identify these elements through close reading of the text and analyzing subtext.

 

 

RESOURCES:

• O’Brein, Peggy.  Shakespeare Set Free.  New York:  Washington Square Press.  1993.  P. 65.
• William, William Carlos.  This is Just to Say.  The Norton Anthology of American Literature.  Vol. 2.  New York:  W. W. Norton and Co.  1998.  P.  1224-1225.
• Drury, John.  The Poetry Dictionary.  Cincinnati:  Story Press.  1995.

 

 

MATERIALS:

• Pens, paper
• Blackboard, chalk
• Handouts:

• Copies of the poem This is Just to Say, by William Carlos Williams  (from the Norton Anthology).
• Copies of the definitions of the terms:  speaker, audience, voice, and tone (from The Poetry Dictionary).
• Charts for the identifications of these elements in the poem.
• Index cards with the subtext situations:  “How lovely,”  “So what,” “Look out,” “I don’t believe it,” and “I understand.” (from Shakespeare Set Free)

 

 

 

MOTIVATION:

• In order to bring students into the subtext frame of reference, five students will be given index cards with the phrases:  “How lovely,”  “So what,” “Look out,” “I don’t believe it,” and “I understand.”  Then, each of these students will be asked to say the word “Oh” by adding the subtext tone indicated on the card to their voice.  The rest of the class will be asked to guess to subtext for each speaker (Shakespeare Set Free).  (5 min)

 

PROCEDURE:

• After students complete the motivational exercise, each student will receive a copy of the definitions of the terms:  speaker, audience, voice, and tone.  Volunteers will be called upon to read each of the definitions out loud to the class.  (5 min)
• Once all of the definitions have been read, students will have the opportunity to ask questions about them.  Then the students will be broken up into groups of three.  Every student will be given a copy of William’s poem, This is Just to Say, and a chart to identify whom they believe to be the speaker of the poem, the audience, the tone, and the circumstances that would cause such a tone in the poem.  (10 min)
• Once they have identified these aspects, students will be asked to perform the poem using tone/subtext.  (10 min)

 

 

HOMEWORK:

• Students will be asked to choose one of the situations performed in class or one of their own in order to write a response to the speaker of This is Just to Say from the point of view of the audience.