Learning English Poems

               

            Brainstorming by using Xmind

   Lesson Plan Description

topic	No man is an island	presenter	陳嫚霓
Students	Senior high school, 2nd grade	Time	50 minutes
Prerequisite Knowledge	The students have learned the vocabulary and grammar in junior high school.
Material Sources	1.      遠東高中 Book 4 Lesson 11: Sing with the Poets. 2.      Poem No Man is an Island by John Donne
Teaching Objectives	1.      Be able to understand basic concepts about poetry e.g. rhyme, foot etc.. 2.      Be able to express their feelings or thoughts about poems 3.      Be able to read simple English poem and understand the meaning of the poems 4.      Be able to compare the differences between English and Chinese poem

             

         Activities and resources used in class

Activity	Content	Resources
I. Read the poem	Read the poem & listen to the poem	1.      Youtube video 2.      Appendix 1: worksheet
Ⅱ.Take a closer look at poetry	1.      Teach poetic concepts 2.      Listen to the poem 3.      Students read the poem	1.      Youtube video 2.      Appendix 2: student’s poem reading
Ⅲ. Kahoot Time!	Poetic concepts review through a game	1.      kahoot
Ⅳ. Culture shock or culture resemblance?	Application and critical thinking of Chinese and English poems	1.      Xmind
Ⅴ. Homework: Poem Writing	Write a poem

               

            

               Poetry is a very important part of life, both in Eastern and Western worlds. A poem can represent the culture of people, the sensations a person is encountering, and also a way of life. Speaking of poetry, it is usually accompanied with elements such as music, sounds, beauty, and emotions. And thus some people regard poetry as the most beautiful and aesthetic type in all kinds of writings.         

               Have you ever tried to read a poem out loud? Have you listened to others' reading a poem? Or have you even tried to write a poem by yourself?

              Let's read the poem below, and step into the world of poetry together
              *appendix 1: worksheet

 No Man is an Island

 - John Donne

  No man is an island,

Entire of itself,

Every man is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less.

As well as if a promontory were.

As well as if a manor of thy friend's

Or of thine own were:

Any man's death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind,

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; 

It tolls for thee. 

I.            Read the poem

Ø   For the first time, listen to the reading of the video, and do not look at the screen. After only listening to the reading, what do you feel? What images or imaginations do you have in mind? Or even, what story do you think perhaps cause the narrator to recite a poem as such?

Ø   Now listen to the poem for the second time, and during this time, try to understand the meaning of the poem and figure out what the theme may be?

Ⅱ.            Take a closer look at poetry

Besides the features of this poem written by John Donne discussed before, there are still other important poetic concepts about English poems.

Ø   Rhyme

Ø   Foot(tempo)

Ø   Sounds and music

Ø   Common theme

    Listen to the poem one more time. Try to pay attention to the poetic concepts we just talk about. Think about how these poetic concepts function in this poem? Do you like it or not, and why? Also, try to compare this version to the previous one.
  

✽ The teacher will as well invite some students to read the poem and record it in the computer classroom. After the reading, the students can share their recording and their thoughts about this       poem and why he/she reads the poem in this way. At the same time, the teacher will ask some of the listeners to share their opinions about the classmate's reading.

*appendix 2: student's poem reading  

Ⅲ.            Kahoot Time!

Let’s play a small game on Kahoot(free software), in which questions and discussions are displayed. Answer to the items on the screen, and we will have more discussion about them.

questions & discussions upon poetry

Ⅳ.            Culture shock or culture resemblance?

Now please search for a traditional Chinese poem. Examine the poem and compare it with No man is an island. What do you find different/same from the two poems according to their rhyming/length/theme/…?
During your research and exploration, please make notes, the teacher will thus arrange your findings by using Xmind(free software) on the screen.

Ⅴ.  Homework: Poem Writing

The students have to try to write down a poem based on the poetic concepts taught in the lesson. The poem has to be at least 50 words. In the next class, the teacher will ask some students to share their poems and read the poems on the stage.