Lesson Plan for Teaching a Poem

Teaching Literature

Lesson Plan for Teaching a Poem:

          There are many ways of teaching literature in the class. Bright & McGregor and H.L.B. Moody suggest following outline for teaching a poem or story in their books. The selected sample poem is Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"

          Before a literary piece (poem or story) is taught, there is the stage of Preparation on the part of the teacher. This is a pre-class activity by the teacher. There are two parts of it:

1. Preliminary assessment -

          of the work. Here the teacher decides whether the work to be taught is easy or simple. What kind of difficulties are there? Difficulties can be linguistic (related to language), thematic (related to the theme of the work) or conceptual (related to the concepts occurring in the work.) The teacher will also make sure about the genre/nature of the work. Whether it is lyrical poem/sonnet/story/ one-act-play/tragedy /comedy/satire/modern/ancient etc.

          "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is a poem by American poet Robert Frost. It consists of 16 lines only. It is short and comparatively a simple poem. The only words/phrases needing explanation are "harness bells" and "downy flake." The difference between "wood" and "woods" will also need to be made clear. Ail other words are quite easy and familiar to students. It's a lyrical poem and talks about attractions or temptations of life which make us forget our goal. So the theme is also not difficult.

On the basis of this assessment the teacher comes to next stage i.e.

2. Practical decisions -

          Like whether he should begin with some authorial or background information. He will also decide whether the work can be taught in a single lecture or requires more lectures. He will decide about the best way of introducing the work in the class. He may begin with something similar taught in previous stages of learning. He may begin with an interesting anecdote or story or real life examples relevant to the lesson. He will also decide about the educational aids to be used in the teaching of that literary unit.

         In case of Robert Frost the general nature of his poetry can be given. The poem itself does not need any special background explanation. This is a short poem so it can be taught in a single lecture in an undergraduate class. Perhaps I can refer to a nursery rhyme while introducing the poem.

In-class activities involving the learners begin next and they include Introduction, Presentation and Discussion.

3. Introduction - 

          At this stage the teacher introduces the poem or story. He will give basic information about the author, the age in which he worked. If any background information (sociological, historical, biographical etc) is necessary that information will be given at this stage. Explanations related to theme, concepts or language can also be given here. The introduction part does not cover every thing about the poem/story. It is intended to arouse the curiosity of students and get over the hurdles in understanding of the text.

          The teacher asks the students to remember the rhyme learnt when they were children. The exact words of the rhyme are:-- Pussy cat, Pussy cat where have you been?/ I have been to London to see the Queen./ Pussy cat, Pussy cat what did you see there?/ I saw a little mouse under the chair. The cat in this rhyme forgot her aim. Instead of the Queen she was attracted by the mouse. Similarly the horse rider in the poem "Stopping by Woods" is attracted by the lovely woods for a few moments. But he reminds himself of his own goal and continues his journey.

4. Presentation -

          Presentation of a poem is to be done in the form of reading. The teacher reads the poem aloud with proper stress and intonation and the students listen attentively. This is necessary because poetry has musical quality and you have to listen to it to become aware of it. Sometimes a student can also be asked to read the poem if the teacher is sure of his pronunciation. If available, audio tapes/ cassettes/CD/DVD etc of the poem can also be used in the presentation of a poem in the class. At the primary stages singing of rhymes or poems is also possible.

          Let me read out the poem now. Just listen very carefully, no need to look at the text. (The teacher presents the poem by reading it aloud in the class and the students listen carefully.) The sounds of the poem (the rhyme and rhythm) make the first impact on the students. The same poem can be read again by a good student and this time students listen while looking at the text of the poem in the book. This helps the students to connect the sound and sense of the poem.

5. Discussion - 

          This is the most important stage in the teaching of a poem. The discussion is in the form of question-answer session. The teacher should begin with simple text-based questions about the title/ the theme//the speaker/listener in the poem. The answer to these questions are found in the text itself and they are intended to motivate students to look at the text carefully and make intelligent guess abcut the setting of the poem (people, place, time etc) After these basic questions more detailed and critical questions are asked by the teacher. These questions focus on the content and possibie interpretation of the poem. The emphasis is on close reading, self-discovery and developing analytical thinking of the students. After the discussion the teacher links all the points emerging from the discussion, summarizes the poem and concludes the class.

After careful listening/reading of the poem the teacher asks following general questions :

1. Is the title of the poem a sentence or a group of words?

2. What is the time mentioned in the title?

3. What is the difference between "wood"and "woods"?

4. Who do you think is the speaker in the poem? Is he alone?

5. What is puzzling or queer for the horse?

6. What does the horse want to ask by shaking his harness bells?

7. What are the sounds mentioned in the poem?

8. Which lines are repeated in the poem?

After these general questions, the teacher asks following detailed, analytical and critical questions :

1. What are the thoughts of the speaker mentioned in the first stanza?

2. Which are the two lines describing the place and time in the poem?

3. How is the nature described in the poem?

4. How is the last stanza different from the first three stanzas?

5. What is the speaker's comment about the woods at the end?

6. Why does he decide to continue his journey?

7. What is the significance of the repeated lines at the end?

8. What is the possible meaning of the word "sleep" in the last two lines?

9. Is the poem a dialogue or a monologue?

          In conclusion the teacher sums up the poem by saying that the poem is not just about a traveler and his journey. Life is a journey and every man is a traveler. The traveler in the poem is tempted by the beauty of the forest. Similarly we are tempted by many things in life. But we have to remember our goals and move on in the journey to achieve those goals. We can not stop and forget our goals. We have to fulfill the promises given to others and ourselves.

6. Reinforcement - 

          In this stage the teacher gives homework or home assignment to the students. The questions for this should be relevant to the poem and they should focus on the critical appreciation of the poem. Mere summary or paraphrase of the poem should not be asked. Suggestions for further reading, memorizing or re-reading the same poem from a different perspective can also be a good re-inforcement activity.

The possible home assignment on "Stopping by Woods" can be as under :

1. Attempt a critical appreciation of the poem and explain the symbolism in it.

OR

2. Imagine that the horse in the poem speaks and describe the events in the poem from the horse's perspective.

Also another poem by Robert Frost "The Road Not Taken" can be suggested for further reading and compare the ideas in the two poems. (Both poems talk about a journey. But the dilemmas in the two poems are different. Compare them.)