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The Victorians
Lessons and projects by students and teachers on the works of British (and Commonwealth) authors of the Victorian Era.
Tennyson's "The Lady of Shallot": A Comprehensive Performance, Discussion, and Critical Thinking Exercise
They (whoever "they" are) say that you really don't understand something until you teach it. I'm not sure how true that is, but I do know that my understanding and appreciation for this poem, "The Lady of Shallot," continues to grow with every year that I teach it. In order to have the students make the biggest "critical thinking leaps" with the text, I have created a multi -parted lesson -- that I try not to hit the students over the head with. The first part involves some improvisational skits that the kids will perform in front of the class -- the situations may be found in handout #2 below. Each of the situations prepares them in a different way for the poem - from a small ignored child at an adult party to watching two students have access to something that they never can.
Come to the Window: An Illuminated Text of Matthew Arnold's "Dover Beach"
If there was ever a poem that was "ripe" for being made into an Illuminated Text, this poem by Matthew Arnold, is one. The presentation by Chen Feng and Shimeng Yu unfolds the poem, not through the teacher's eyes but from their own unique perspective. The words - the sky, the beach, the water all meet each other on the screen and replicate the movement of the verse through the animation of Power Point. It is a personal perspective -- and one that is quite appropriate for such a personal poem. When the poet asks the reader to come to the window - on the screen the words gather and hover in front of the image of the window. Very well done.
Golden Grove Unleaving: A Class Discussion of the Poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins
LISTEN TO AUDIO. Gerard Manley Hopkins is known to most high school students for two of his poems, "Pied Beauty" and "Spring & Fall: To a young Child." In this audio recording our class discusses these two poems -- but before "Pied Beauty" I bring in an early poet, Robert Herrick, who wrote a similar poem but with a decidedly different tone. "Spring & Fall," is a very personal poem as most adults have dealt with death and also had to explain the idea to young children. The final poem, "The Caged Skylark," is as difficult as anything that my class discusses during the course of the year
Senior English Final Presentation
This lesson is a final senior English presentation for the end of the year that asks students to chose a particular work they have studied, then relate it back to a modern times via a specific theme. The main point of the lesson is to teach students that literature, and its themes, are timeless and are consistently always relevant to any current situation. If you have not taught any of the attached pieces, then please replace them with what pieces and themes you have taught. Also, please feel free to adapt the lesson to fit your own curriculum.
Hey Hey, My My: Lord Tennyson Group Work on "Ulysess," "Tears, Idle Tears," "In Memorium," Neil Young and Elvis
Towards the end of the year it is even more fun to try to pull together different material that the students have read and have them make connections between those texts. The main point of this exercise is to get students to see the relationship between Tennyson's "Ulysses," "In Memorium," "Tears, Idle Tears" and the Neil Young song about Elvis ("better to burn out...."). But the students are also asked to compare one or more of these poems to earlier works such as Grendel, "Tintern Abbey," etc.
Gerard Manley Hopkins: An Illuminated Text of "God's Grandeur"
Since I am keen to introduce illuminated texts into my classroom, I decided to work on a few myself in order to learn the process. I chose this poem because I think it is stunning and because of the distinctly different mood between the first and second parts. (Note: music and some animations have since been updated)
The 'Art' of Analysis in Wuthering Heights - a creative assessment
This assignment is a final assessment for a study of Wuthering Heights. It is an artistic creation that illustrates the student’s examination of the novel. The student creates a ‘painting’ of images and text that traces the development of theme and character throughout the story. Through discussion circle work students begin building up ideas for a creation that acts as analysis. Students can draw images or collect them from other sources such as magazines or the internet. The medium in which they create is student directed.
A made opportunity - A collection of missed classes and works for Honors English III
In the 2008-2009 school year - we were so strapped for time - we were forced to miss some classes that, I believe, are essential for any student (and that will show up again and again - literally and figuratively in your lives).
For each of these classes, I have enclosed handouts that you should read, group works that you should complete (with a friend is fine - just do it right and honestly), and discussions that should be listened to. At the end of completing these - you may take a test - and get a certificate showing that you did it and that you did it on your own.
Matthew Arnold: 2 poems, a playlist, some song lyrics, and historical background
There are four handouts here. The first one is for the teacher and has a playlist of the audio and sound effects that I use for my discussion and lecture on Matthew Arnold. The second sheet has the lyrics to "There'll be bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover" and a "Dover Beach" song by The Bangles (with a background of the twin towers). Then there is a copy of the two poems that I go over in class: "Dover Beach" and "Self Reliance" (see the audio lecture).
Stephen Dedalus Facebook Project
This project combines James Jocye's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man with the popular social networking site Facebook.
Split the class into groups (2 - 5 should work) and give them the assignment guidelines (see attached). Be sure to provide them a weblink for the PowerPoint template (you can use the one I have created here).
Each group will create a mock Facebook profile for Stephen Dedalus as he progresses through each chapter in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (5 chapters - 5 phases - 5 profiles). The profiles will need to be created in PowerPoint (simply add images and text) and then either printed (slide handout) or submitted to the teacher electronically.
Thomas Hardy a Personal Journey 3 Poems – “Channel Firing”, “The Darkling Thrush”, “Ah, Are you Digging on My Grave”
This group work is usually given towards the very end of the year (which means the Victorians are about as far as we get). Students look at the poems mentioned in the title of this assingment - and are given very specific times to complete each question - as those questions are leading up to the last two questions - which are not group work - but instead ask the students to try and sum up their experience in the class through the poems that we have studied (the ones they remember anyway) - much as Hardy uses poetry to work through his own experiences.
The Brownings Outside: Reading the poetry of Elizabeth and Robert Browning Outside under the trees
LISTEN TO AUDIO. To me there are few greater educational (and human) experiences than reading poetry outside -- sitting on the grass -- and under the trees. We used to be able to do this several times a year -- but time constraints mean that usually this one time -- outside reading the poetry of Elizabeth and Robert Browning is the only time that we get a chance to do it. It can sometimes be a challenge with the many distractions that go on outside -- but once you get past that - it is more than worth it.
Dickens and Bronte Characterization Assignment
Students examine two different passages in the pursuit if examining characterization. Both Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte present depictions of school life. In this assignment students read an excerpt from Dicken's Hard Times and Bronte's Jane Eyre. Students then annotate the passage and focus on the question (see attached .doc). Responses are one length in page. This is a simple one day activity that can be used to introduce character
Building an Immunity: Why we read poetry - A.E. Houseman, et al
LISTEN TO AUDIO In this class discussion - we read a few poems by A.E. Houseman and talk about why we read poetry -- especially, why we read such sad, serious poetry and the discussion ends with a personal story about how poetry had a huge effect on my own life. We also discuss whether or not certain poems should be censored from the high school classroom. It is the discussion that is meant to nearly cap off a years worth of reading, discussion, and thought. The handout that I use for this lesson can be found below.
Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning - Some Poems
Not really a lesson - these are some poems and quotes by the Brownings. It does help if the reader has read some biographical material first (not in understanding the poem - but perhaps in giving them a kind of "depth"). These are wonderful words to be read under a tree, on the grass, on a spring day. They include: "My Last Duchess," "Porphyria's Lover," "Love Among the Ruins," and three poems by Elizabeth Browning.
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