Lesson #1
PROCEDURES
OPENER Students will complete a vocab Do Now
BODY OF THE LESSON I will have students clam computers and ask a student to hand out hard copies of Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl.” I will ask students to read around the room, each person reading until they come to a semi-colon (I will point out the order students will read to ensure this goes more quickly; alternately, I could have students read it back and forth in their groups…). I will then ask the class to work with a partner to answer questions such as identify who they think the speaker of the poem is and who they are speaking to, marking three quotes for each question that reveal clues about the characters. These questions are on the back of the paper. They will have 10 minutes to do this together, and then we will return as a class and I will call on students to share their thoughts. I have removed the name of the piece so that I can ask them if they can identify the gender of the speaker and the subject of the poem. If they say female, I will ask them to share quotes from the poem that make them think that they are female and to explain why. We will discuss the concept of voice and whether the speaker is one or many voices, as well as what kinds of messages the poem is addressing about gender. I will then introduce the writing assignment; I may share student examples for inspiration if it seems useful. They will write for the rest of the period.
CLOSURE Students will be reminded that this is homework and that they will share their work the next day in class so must submit their work to Edmodo or have a hard copy in class.
ACCOMODATIONS Students will be supplied with a hard copy of the text, questions, and writing assignment. They have time to work both in class and at home. No special accommodations are built in to this assignment but may be adapted as needed.
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION Student participation in class and group activities will be recorded. Their “poems” will be marked according to their fulfillment of the assigned requirements rather than evaluated aesthetically as poems.
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS / NOTES
LESSON #1 Appendix:
Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry; don't walk barehead in the hot sun; cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil; soak your little cloths right after you take them off; when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sure that it doesn't have gum on it, because that way it won't hold up well after a wash; soak salt fish overnight before you cook it; is it true that you sing benna in Sunday school?; always eat your food in such a way that it won't turn someone else's stomach; on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming; don't sing benna in Sunday school; you mustn't speak to wharf–rat boys, not even to give directions; don't eat fruits on the street—flies will follow you; but I don't sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school; this is how to sew on a button; this is how to make a button–hole for the button you have just sewed on; this is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming; this is how you iron your father's khaki shirt so that it doesn't have a crease; this is how you iron your father's khaki pants so that they don't have a crease; this is how you grow okra—far from the house, because okra tree harbors red ants; when you are growing dasheen, make sure it gets plenty of water or else it makes your throat itch when you are eating it; this is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard; this is how you smile to someone you don't like too much; this is how you smile to someone you don't like at all; this is how you smile to someone you like completely; this is how you set a table for tea; this is how you set a table for dinner; this is how you set a table for dinner with an important guest; this is how you set a table for lunch; this is how you set a table for breakfast; this is how to behave in the presence of men who don't know you very well, and this way they won't recognize immediately the slut I have warned you against becoming; be sure to wash every day, even if it is with your own spit; don't squat down to play marbles—you are not a boy, you know; don't pick people's flowers—you might catch something; don't throw stones at blackbirds, because it might not be a blackbird at all; this is how to make a bread pudding; this is how to make doukona; this is how to make pepper pot; this is how to make a good medicine for a cold; this is how to make a good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child; this is how to catch a fish; this is how to throw back a fish you don't like, and that way something bad won't fall on you; this is how to bully a man; this is how a man bullies you; this is how to love a man; and if this doesn't work there are other ways, and if they don't work don't feel too bad about giving up; this is how to spit up in the air if you feel like it, and this is how to move quick so that it doesn't fall on you; this is how to make ends meet; always squeeze bread to make sure it's fresh; but what if the baker won't let me feel the bread?; you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won't let near the bread?
ANSWER WITH A PARTNER:
WRITING ASSIGNMENT
This has been called a 650 word sentence. Your task is to write your own. Start by brainstorming the ways you have been socialized. Think of all the messages you have received on how to be the “right” kind of girl or boy. Think about all of the people who have given you these kinds of messages: parents but also siblings, coaches, teachers, friends, religious leaders, etc. Also consider the messages you receive from media: music, tv, movies, magazines, ads, billboards. Think of stereotypes you may have been encouraged to adopt: real men don’t cry; nice girls don’t sleep around. Brainstorm a list of messages informally first, then write them all out in a similar format, and include some of your responses, as Kincaid did, in italics.
REQUIREMENTS:
· Use a standard header
· 12 pt. Times New Roman font
· Double-spaced
· 650 words
· Includes specific instructions or messages and detailed, descriptive language
· Due at the beginning of class tomorrow (hard copy or submitted to Edmodo)
OPENER Students will complete a vocab Do Now
BODY OF THE LESSON I will have students clam computers and ask a student to hand out hard copies of Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl.” I will ask students to read around the room, each person reading until they come to a semi-colon (I will point out the order students will read to ensure this goes more quickly; alternately, I could have students read it back and forth in their groups…). I will then ask the class to work with a partner to answer questions such as identify who they think the speaker of the poem is and who they are speaking to, marking three quotes for each question that reveal clues about the characters. These questions are on the back of the paper. They will have 10 minutes to do this together, and then we will return as a class and I will call on students to share their thoughts. I have removed the name of the piece so that I can ask them if they can identify the gender of the speaker and the subject of the poem. If they say female, I will ask them to share quotes from the poem that make them think that they are female and to explain why. We will discuss the concept of voice and whether the speaker is one or many voices, as well as what kinds of messages the poem is addressing about gender. I will then introduce the writing assignment; I may share student examples for inspiration if it seems useful. They will write for the rest of the period.
CLOSURE Students will be reminded that this is homework and that they will share their work the next day in class so must submit their work to Edmodo or have a hard copy in class.
ACCOMODATIONS Students will be supplied with a hard copy of the text, questions, and writing assignment. They have time to work both in class and at home. No special accommodations are built in to this assignment but may be adapted as needed.
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION Student participation in class and group activities will be recorded. Their “poems” will be marked according to their fulfillment of the assigned requirements rather than evaluated aesthetically as poems.
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS / NOTES
LESSON #1 Appendix:
Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry; don't walk barehead in the hot sun; cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil; soak your little cloths right after you take them off; when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sure that it doesn't have gum on it, because that way it won't hold up well after a wash; soak salt fish overnight before you cook it; is it true that you sing benna in Sunday school?; always eat your food in such a way that it won't turn someone else's stomach; on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming; don't sing benna in Sunday school; you mustn't speak to wharf–rat boys, not even to give directions; don't eat fruits on the street—flies will follow you; but I don't sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school; this is how to sew on a button; this is how to make a button–hole for the button you have just sewed on; this is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming; this is how you iron your father's khaki shirt so that it doesn't have a crease; this is how you iron your father's khaki pants so that they don't have a crease; this is how you grow okra—far from the house, because okra tree harbors red ants; when you are growing dasheen, make sure it gets plenty of water or else it makes your throat itch when you are eating it; this is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard; this is how you smile to someone you don't like too much; this is how you smile to someone you don't like at all; this is how you smile to someone you like completely; this is how you set a table for tea; this is how you set a table for dinner; this is how you set a table for dinner with an important guest; this is how you set a table for lunch; this is how you set a table for breakfast; this is how to behave in the presence of men who don't know you very well, and this way they won't recognize immediately the slut I have warned you against becoming; be sure to wash every day, even if it is with your own spit; don't squat down to play marbles—you are not a boy, you know; don't pick people's flowers—you might catch something; don't throw stones at blackbirds, because it might not be a blackbird at all; this is how to make a bread pudding; this is how to make doukona; this is how to make pepper pot; this is how to make a good medicine for a cold; this is how to make a good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child; this is how to catch a fish; this is how to throw back a fish you don't like, and that way something bad won't fall on you; this is how to bully a man; this is how a man bullies you; this is how to love a man; and if this doesn't work there are other ways, and if they don't work don't feel too bad about giving up; this is how to spit up in the air if you feel like it, and this is how to move quick so that it doesn't fall on you; this is how to make ends meet; always squeeze bread to make sure it's fresh; but what if the baker won't let me feel the bread?; you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won't let near the bread?
ANSWER WITH A PARTNER:
- Who is the speaker of the poem?
- Mark 3 quotes that tell us about the speaker.
- Who is the speaker talking to? Do you know anything about their age, gender, or personality?
- Mark 3 quotes that reveal anything about this character.
- Do all of these lines seem like things the speaker said aloud, or are they things that have been inferred (unspoken but understood)—or both? Explain your response:
- What do you see as the central conflict in this poem?
WRITING ASSIGNMENT
This has been called a 650 word sentence. Your task is to write your own. Start by brainstorming the ways you have been socialized. Think of all the messages you have received on how to be the “right” kind of girl or boy. Think about all of the people who have given you these kinds of messages: parents but also siblings, coaches, teachers, friends, religious leaders, etc. Also consider the messages you receive from media: music, tv, movies, magazines, ads, billboards. Think of stereotypes you may have been encouraged to adopt: real men don’t cry; nice girls don’t sleep around. Brainstorm a list of messages informally first, then write them all out in a similar format, and include some of your responses, as Kincaid did, in italics.
REQUIREMENTS:
· Use a standard header
· 12 pt. Times New Roman font
· Double-spaced
· 650 words
· Includes specific instructions or messages and detailed, descriptive language
· Due at the beginning of class tomorrow (hard copy or submitted to Edmodo)