(1) navigating the internetcab46142/pdf/7.pdf · nmap wcat vncviewer or any other remote desktop...

Name: Adrian Bewley June 16, 20051:16 PM

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(1) Navigating the Internet: A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is the unique address which identifies a resource on the Internet for routing purposes. Know how to interpret URLs.

• Use a "traceroute" program such as "WhatRoute" (Mac) or Neotrace (PC) to trace the route between your computer and and a website outside of the United States. Include a screen shot showing a map and the text of the specific route taken when contacting the website. Compare your findings with those of others in the class. Are websites always located in the country in which they are registered? What does this show about the nature of Internet-based business and commerce?

• Compare the connection in the CSUN laboratory with your connection at home or

school. What are the IP addresses of the computers you are working with? What kind of connections are your working with (dial-up, DSL, cable, 100-Base TX (twisted-pair LAN), 100-Base FX (fiber LAN), etc.)? Compare are your connection speeds.

• Most schools have developed Acceptable Use Policies (AUP) and have installed

filters to keep student focused on education. Include text (scan or download is easiest) of your school's AUP and a description of the filters in place. If a school AUP is not available, provide a sample AUP, cite its source, and provide a link. If your are not working in a school, summarize how filters work.

It’s clear that websites are not always located in the country in which they are registered. This shows that Internet-based commerce can be flexible and convenient for both sides, but also that complete safety is precluded. Online, it can be difficult to distinguish who is legitimate and who is not.


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As I’m working on this now in 2115A, my IP address is 130.166.109.207. At home, my IP address is 70.32.183.55. My connection speed according to the LunarPage test is 2651 kb. At home, I work with Broadband. It’s fast, but not as fast as the school computers – especially in terms of getting online quickly and consistently. I still have trouble at home sometimes with the router and have to restart my computer or unplug and re-plug-in the power chord on the router.

Acceptable Use Policy from High Tech High-LA:

Parent Permission Letter/Acceptable Use Policy

Internet, Network, and Electronic Mail Permission Form

HighTechHigh-LA (HTH-LA) Acceptable Use Policy

We are pleased to offer the students of HighTechHigh-LA access to the school computer network for electronic mail and the Internet. To gain access to e-mail and the Internet, all students under


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the age of 18 must obtain parental permission and must sign and return this form to HighTechHigh-LA. Students 18 and over may sign their own forms.

Access to e-mail and the Internet will enable students to explore thousands of libraries, databases, and bulletin boards while exchanging messages with Internet users throughout the world. Families should be warned that some material accessible via the Internet may contain items that are illegal, defamatory, inaccurate, or potentially offensive to some people. While our intent is to make Internet access available to further educational goals and objectives, students may find ways to access other materials as well.

We believe that the benefits to students from access to the Internet, in the form of information resources and opportunities for collaboration, exceed any disadvantages. But ultimately, parents and guardians of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards that their children should follow when using media and information resources. To that end, HighTechHigh-LA supports and respects each family's right to decide whether or not to apply for access.

HighTechHigh-LA Internet and E-mail Rules

Students are responsible for good behavior on school computer networks just as they are everywhere in the school environment. Communications on the network are often public in nature. General school rules for behavior and communications apply.

The network is provided for the students to conduct research and communicate with others. Access to network services is given to students who agree to act in a considerate and responsible manner. Parental permission is required. Access is a privilege, not a right. Access entails responsibility.

Individual users of the district computer networks are responsible for their behavior and communications over those networks just as employees of corporations are. It is presumed that users will comply with school standards and will honor the agreements they have signed. Beyond the clarification of such standards, HighTechHigh-LA is not responsible for restricting, monitoring, or controlling the communications of individuals utilizing the network.

Network storage areas may be accessed by network administrators to review files and communications in order to maintain system integrity and to insure that users are using the system responsibly. Users should not expect that files stored on HighTechHigh-LA servers will be private. There is no expectation of privacy at HTH-LA.

The following are not permitted on HTH-LA Systems:

Sending or displaying offensive messages or pictures Using obscene language Harassing, insulting or attacking others Damaging computers, computer systems or computer networks Violating copyright laws Using another users password Trespassing in another users folders, work or files Intentionally wasting limited systems resources Employing the network for commercial purposes Violations may result in a loss of systems access as well as other disciplinary or legal action. Use of the following programs and software is strictly prohibited (including, but not limited to):


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ANY File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program or software ANY Telnet/Remote Control program or software ANY File Sharing Applications (Kazaa/AudioGalaxy/Gnutella/Bearshare/WinMX/Morpheus/etc) ANY Operating System or Network Probing Utilities including, but not limited to:

Netsend NMap Wcat VNCViewer or any other remote desktop software Password Cracking Software Desktop Theme Software Portscanning Software Network Sniffing Software Chat and instant messaging applications including downloadable java clients. Anonymous Proxy Software or websites Shortcuts to any dos programs (that aren't academic programs)

Also prohibited on the system is any video game or copy of any video game that was not written and designed here at HTH-LA. This goes for console and desktop PC video games.

Please do not bring any copies of any commercial or shareware software (such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Winzip, etc.) into the HTH-LA System or attempt to download any such software from the Internet, your home system, or any foreign system to the HTH-LA System.

Do not attempt to copy any file off of any HTH-LA computer via network, diskette, zipdisk, USB drive, CD-R, etc, except those explicitly created or intended for your use. Do not attempt to copy or pirate any software.

Do not attempt to gain passwords from other users through watching keystrokes, guessing, persuading (social engineering), cracking programs, or by any other means.

If a student wishes to have any software installed on the HTH-LA System please submit an email request to [email protected]. DO NOT install any software on the HTH-LA System.

No HTH-LA IT (Information Technology) equipment of any kind (hardware and software) should leave the classroom or be brought to any students home at any time.

Personal laptops of any kind are not allowed to be used or carried in HTH-LA. If you bring a personal laptop to school, it must be checked in to Mr. Brian Krinsky. Failure to do so will be grounds for confiscation of the laptop.

ANY exceptions to any of the above are to be cleared by the Director of IT (Mr. Brian Krinsky) ONLY, before any activity is conducted or performed.

Violation of any of the above guidelines will result in a possible separation from the computers or depending on the severity, and a possible expulsion hearing. During a time of separation the student's computer account will be disabled and the student is not allowed to use any other computer accounts at HTH-LA. During this time the student is expected to continue all normal coursework but is not allowed to use their computer privileges at HTH-LA.

To clarify acceptable behavior while on a HTH-LA System, we've included the following:


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User activities on these systems are subject to all applicable HighTechHigh-LA regulations and Federal and State laws. Any known violations of these regulations or laws will be referred to the appropriate departments or agencies for review and may result in termination of the violator's computer account, suspension, probation, or other sanctions as outlined in Section 41301 of the CA Administrative Code and criminal charges under Section 502 of the CA Penal Code as well as additional civil penalties.

General behavioral guidelines for using the system:

Protect your password. You are responsible for the activities in your account, so do not let anyone else use your account. DO NOT GIVE YOUR PASSWORD TO ANYONE!

Do not attempt to guess passwords, break in to other accounts, or defeat security mechanisms in any computer system or computer network.

Do not attempt to access other user or system files without permission.

Do not run programs or issue software commands that will interfere with the normal activities and operations of a user or system.

Your account is to be used for HighTechHigh-LA related work only, not for commercial purposes.

The proper use of electronic mail comes down to common sense and good citizenship. Do not send unwanted or harassing E-Mail or files to any user or system. This means users are not to send SPAM (unsolicited email), messages that could be interpreted as sexually harassing, or hateful messages.

Do not create publicly readable files of sexually explicit material or display them on any workstations.

Abide by all rules and regulations of remote computer systems, networks, and network bulletin boards.

DO NOT attempt to browse, download, or otherwise use or display inappropriate material or material that is or could be offensive to others.

Again, we have the highest expectations for personal conduct of all our students both online, offline, and at all times. Please conduct yourselves in a professional manner and the consequences laid forth in this document will then, hopefully, never have to be exercised.

Questions or comments regarding this policy should be directed to either Marsha Rybin Director of HTH-LA [email protected] or Brian Krinsky Director of Technology [email protected].

Plagiarism

It is plagiarism to go to the Internet, find an article, copy it to the clipboard and then drop it into your word processor. This is plagiarism. Please note the following:

Any time that you use the words or ideas of another person without giving credit, it is considered plagiarism, WHETHER IT IS INTENTIONAL OR NOT!


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Differences between direct and indirect quotes:

A. Direct Quotes: Include the exact wording from the source.

B. Indirect Quotes: Summarizes or paraphrases the content from the source.

Punctuation requirements: ALL word-for-word quotations MUST be placed in quotation marks.

Exception to the rule: Common Knowledge - if the same information can be found in three or more sources and those sources don't cite an earlier source, the information is considered common knowledge. Also, commonly known facts (e.g., Washington D.C. is the capital of the U.S.) do not need a citation even if you had to look them up.

Parent Permission Form 2003

As a user of the HTH-LA computer network, I hereby agree to comply with the above stated rules, communicating over the network in a reliable fashion while honoring all relevant laws and restrictions.

I have read and reviewed the attached document with my son or daughter and we have agreed to abide by the terms within.

FILTERS:

We have a Bluecoat Proxy Server Appliance and it uses a filter provided by the Blue Coat Web Filter but you can integrate and use any of the major filtering vendors such as Websense, SurfControl, and SmartFilter. The box also protects against malicious and aggressive activity from spyware, Instant Messaging, and P2P applications.

(2) Knowing your School: Teachers should have a good understanding of their school, students, and thc communities they represent. Much statistical data can be gained using online resources. *TPE-tip You may wish to develop a case study of your school using this and you personal observations to meet TPE 8.

• Develop a written profile of your school and students. Your profile should include the following: • School distinctives : Study your school website and discuss school history,

distictives and goals. • Geography: Describe your campus and its community using satellite photos

and maps. Using the photos, describe the nature of the community (commercial, apartments, single family homes, industry, etc.)

• Socioeconomic status: Include maps showing the socioeconomic status (SES) of the communities contributing students to your school. Discuss two or more prominent SES characteristics of the school population.

• School performance: Include test scores and the Academic Performance Index of your school. Discuss the academic climate of your school, including test


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scores, API, change in scores, dropout rate, English learners, students requiring special education, etc.

1. High Tech High-LA was spearheaded by Roberta Weintraub after she visited High Tech High in San Diego. She agreed with the growing consensus that today’s high schools are ill-equipped to prepare students for today’s workforce. She wanted to provide the technology and academic rigor to students who could not afford private schools. The school began three years ago with a 9th grade cohort working out of bungalows at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys. The following year, they added two teachers (so now the total was 4) and took in a new 9th grade cohort. Over the course of last summer, the amazing new facility that we worked out of last year was built. The design is open with lots of glass and walls that can be removed facilitating team teaching and small-group break-offs for project work. And, of course, the technology is incredible. Every student has a laptop. The resources available to the teachers are amazing. The goal of the school is to help students get used to using technology as a tool regardless of the subject area in which they are working. It is also a school built on the idea of project-based learning with emphasis on group-work, in-depth inquiry, freedom of choice in terms of products and how a problem should be solved, as well as an authentic audience for those final products that involves professionals from the community. 2. Geography: Our charter school is located on the campus of Birmingham High School in Van Nuys – and urban area made up of minority communities (Hispanic and African-American) for the most part. The area is surrounded mostly by apartment buildings and small houses. Interestingly, our student population is much whiter than the surrounding area. We have a large Hispanic presence in the student body, but we are working on outreach in the surrounding area to get more African-American and Hispanic students to apply to our school. Admission is by lottery and is open to any student in the state of California who can get to the school.


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3. Socioeconomic Status: Our student body ranges from middle to low income in an area that borders the more affluent Encino area closer to the hill. Van Nuys is practically surrounded by more affluent neighborhoods which makes for an interesting dynamic, especially for kids being bussed in. I’m getting the impression that our students are primarily from families with parents who did not go to college, which presents a huge divide between my expectations for them and their expectations for themselves.

4. School Performance: High Tech High-LA is too new to be in this database, but I’ve included some statistics from Birmingham High School (on whose campus we are located). In terms of HTH-LA, though, the 9th grade cohort’s scores on the language arts and math tests were low. It was my first year, but from the reactions of fellow teachers, it seemed to me that they were especially low. Of course, there were exceptions, but the overall scores predicted the problems we had in terms of trying to keep high standards and expectations and the kids’ abilities and work ethic. We haven’t had dropouts, per se, but we have had students leave our charter school. I only had two or three students out of a freshman class of 120 who really had difficulties because of language. Many lagged in writing skills, but this extended well beyond those students who were speaking English as a second language. I had six students with IEPs last year and 4 with 504s (mostly due to ADHD). They were all freshman. Up until this year, the school only had two students with IEPs. The climate of the school is interesting – very privileged in terms of technology, but lacking many things that make regular high schools fun: sports, lots of clubs, yearbook, etc. We’re a start-up school with only 10 teachers, and we’re all swamped, and we can only sponsor so many clubs – and unfortunately a sports program (even a PE program) are beyond our reach. It does effect the climate of the school and the attitudes of the students, most definitely. There is a lack of student buy-in into the higher standard of academic rigor overall, I would say.


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(3) College Advisement: Secondary teachers often have the opportunity to advise students on decisions pertaining to college. In many environments, teachers are the only individuals students know who have been to college.

• Describe a real or hypothetical student (interests, family SES, personality) who is interested in pursuing a career in a field related to what you teach. Recommend a major and 4-year college and explain the rationale for your recommendation using information found on college websites. Provide active links to the colleges, and quote relevant information.

• Provide a paragraph of advice to the parents of this student regarding financing

college. Consider their financial and family situation.

My student, Ashley, is interested in a major in English literature, but a drama program is also very important to her – both subject areas I teach. She is African-American and would qualify for need-based financial aid. I recommended Loyola Marymount


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University based on the following criteria: She wanted a 4-year university in the western part of the United States – preferably in California. She wanted a guarantee that she would be able to live on-campus. She wanted strong programs in either American Literature or English Literature in general, but a strong drama program was also important to her. Essential, also, was financial aid both need-based and not. “Awards such as the Trustee, Presidential, Leadership, Jesuit Community, Thomas P. O'Malley, Marymount High School and CSF Scholarships are all for first-time freshmen. Only the Jesuit Community Scholarship requires a separate application, which is available from the Admissions Office at LMU. CSF Seal bearers must send a copy of their certificate to the Financial Aid Office by February 15th. Applications for outside scholarships, that is, scholarships from corporations, unions, religious and fraternal organizations, clubs, etc., are available to all eligible students and arrive at the Financial Aid Office throughout the year. Please check the listings under the Scholarships Center” (from the Loyola Marymount website).

Ashley is very family-oriented, so this university – being in Los Angeles – is, I think, a perfect fit. http://www.lmu.edu/home/ To the parents, I would say: Do not be daunted by the expensive tuition. It is often these universities that have the means to finance large needs-based scholarships and loans that less expensive universities and colleges could not. Sometimes, these very expensive universities are within reach whereas colleges with more modest pricetags are not. Be tireless in your research and pursuit of different scholarships, grants and loans. Be sure Ashley spends the next four years concentrating as much on community and extracurricular activities as she does on academics. (4) Professional Growth: Teachers should model "life-long learning" by attending workshops, reading journals, and participating in professional organizations.*TPE-tip You may wish to research professional organizations and employment opportunities and include plans for professional involvement and career development as part of your Individual Induction Plan required for TPE 13.

• Describe a professional conference (related to your field) you may benefit from attending. Describe the purpose and scope of the professional organization sponsoring the conference and provide a synopsis of the conference and one or more selected workshops or presentations you would like to attend. Include a link to the professional organization and to the specific conference.

There is a series of writing workshops being given by NCTE (http://www.ncte.org/) over the course of this summer/fall. The next one is Ann Arbor, Michigan (http://www.ncte.org/profdev/conv/workshops/writing) August 11th and 12th. I’m interested in it because of some of the philosophies and strategies they discuss in the overview of this series – specifically having students reading “backwards” from an essay and then back to the prompt that produced it. Also, their discussions of the connection


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between writing and reading and the connection between writing and talking sound like things I would like to hear. (5) Employment: Most schools and districts advertise job openings on the Internet. Teachers should use such resources not only to find employment for themselves, but also to attract others to their schools and thus build strong departments.

• Find a job announcement for a teaching position for which you are qualified. Include a screen capture of the advertisement. Describe the school and community using information found on the Internet. Cite your resources.

American Cities Atlas Project shows surprising diversity in this wealthy area. Santa Monica is where the diversity is found, not Malibu. But that diversity ranges from extremely wealthy to the poorest demographic. According to the Santa Monica City website (http://santa-monica.org/business/demographics/population.htm), the white population has decreased since 1980 from 78% to 72%, while the Asian/Pacific Islander and Latino populations have risen. The African-American population has remained steady at 4% since 1980. Also according to this website, $79,890 was the average household income in 2000.


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(6) Multi-media resources: Numerous educational videos, sound clips, and animations are available on the Internet. Teachers should be able to find appropriate multimedia resources, and link to or download such files.

• Identify an audio resource appropriate to teaching your subject (music, speech, animal sound, poem, newscast, etc.). Download the file and embed it in your portfolio, or provide an active link to it. Cite the source and describe how and why you will use it in instruction.

• Identify a video or animation appropriate to teaching your subject. Download the

file and embed it in your portfolio, or provide an active link to it. If you provide a link, also include screen captures of key sections of the video or animation. Cite the source and describe how and why you will use it in instruction.

1. AUDIO: Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. This is a speech that is included in the 9th grade textbook I use. While we are provided with a CD accompanying the textbook that has the speech on it, I think using this link would be a good way to present the idea to students that they can find a lot of different audio files online for any kind of research they may be doing. pnm://www.SpiritSite.com/writing/markin/dream.ra

From SpiritSite.com. http://santa-monica.org/business/demographics/population.htm. (Accessed July 15, 2005) 2. VIDEO: Romeo & Juliet. This is a film clip of a ballet production of Romeo and Juliet by the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb. I spent the unit last time around comparing and contrasting three versions of the story – the 1968 Zeffireli version, the 1996 version with Leonardo DiCaprio, and West Side Story. I wanted to demonstrate how many interpretations one text could inspire. This clip of the story told entirely through dance would be a good addition to this unit. Below is the link to the video clip. I could not get screen captures for it, though, for some reason. Maybe it was too dark? Each screen capture turned out to be a solid black box… http://www.hnk.hr/media/romeo_i_julija.wmv From the website for the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb. http://www.hnk.hr/en/novosti.php?id=177. (July 15, 2005). (7) Interactive/Linked Unit Plan : Many application programs (including word processors, presentation managers and spreadsheets) allow users to hyperlink to local (e.g. movies, animations, presentations, text) and remote files. This can greatly facilitate the development and use of a unit plan. *TPE-tip You may wish to incorporate this material into a unit plan for TPE1.

• Develop a unit plan (or augment an existing plan) for the subject you teach,


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incorporating as many resources as possible developed in this class.

• Incorporate two or more good third-party lesson plans for teaching your subject. Cite the author and URL of the resources, and include screen captures of the relevant parts of the lessons.

• Include links in you unit plan to at least five relevant external internet resources.

Use a search engine with Boolean search features to locate web sites relevant to your subject. Embed the URLs for at least 5 excellent sites (or local files) that are related to a lesson you will provide.

• Provide links to other relevant documents or resources you have developed.

Poetry Unit

Grade: 9 Time: 4 weeks State standards: Reading 1.1: Identify and use the literal and figurative meaning of words and understand word derivations. Reading 2.4: Synthesize the content from several sources or works by a single author dealing with a single issue; paraphrase the ideas and connect them to other sources and related topics to demonstrate comprehension. Reading 3.7: Recognize and understand the significance of various literary devices, including figurative language, imagery, allegory, and symbolism, and explain their appeal. Writing 2.2: Write responses to literature: a) Demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of the significant ideas of literary works; b) Support important ideas and viewpoints through accurate and detailed references to the text or to other works; c) Demonstrate awareness of the author’s use of stylistic devices and an appreciation of the effects created; d) Identify and assess the impact of perceived ambiguities, nuances, and complexities within the text. Language Conventions 1.2: Understand sentence construction (e.g., parallel structure, subordination, proper placement of modifiers) and proper English usage (e.g., consistency of verb tenses.) Listening and Speaking 1.1: Formulate judgments about ideas under discussion and support those judgments with convincing evidence. Listening and Speaking 1.7: Use props, visual aids, and electronic media to enhance the appeal and accuracy of presentations. Listening and Speaking 1.8: Produce concise notes for extemporaneous delivery.


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Listening and Speaking 2.6: Deliver descriptive presentations: a) Establish clearly the speaker’s point of view on the subject of the presentation; b) Establish clearly the speaker’s relationship with that subject (e.g., dispassionate observation, personal involvement); c) Use effective, factual descriptions of appearance, concrete images, shifting perspectives and vantage points, and sensory details. Major Themes/Concepts:

• Students understand well the concepts of metaphors and similes. Now, they will begin coming up with their own examples of figurative language, incorporating them into their own poetry and prose.

• A thorough knowledge of more complex [poetic vocabulary] and concepts (e.g., trochee, iambic pentameter, rhyme scheme…)

• The idea that form is as much a creative expression as is the content of the poem. • An understanding of different types of poetry (e.g., ballads, haiku, etc.) • Introducing students to well-known poets they may not be familiar with. • Introducing students to contemporary poetry as a living and vibrant art form. • Exploring how different poets express similar universal themes, and especially

how their use of mood, tone and diction helps achieve their purpose. Rationale: An understanding of the power of figurative language, as well as that of the connotative meaning of words, is crucial in understanding writers of all genres. Whether it is a news article, a novel, a biography or a poem, an understanding of “reading between the lines” is an essential element of critical thinking. Creating critical thinkers, to my mind, is the mission of education. Figurative language is most obvious and descriptive in poetry, and it is an important place to begin exploring how language can be layered and have multiple meanings. Relationship: I am using this poetry unit as a bridge between the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and Romeo and Juliet, a full-length play in verse. An understanding of the elements of poetry will, I hope, make for a richer reading of the Shakespeare play. Objectives:

1. Reading and Writing: Given the poem “Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson, the student will determine the universal theme tackled by Dickinson in the poem and then write a poem of his or her own addressing the same theme. The poem must be at least 5 lines and include one example of each of the following: personification, metaphor and simile. The poem must be followed by a one paragraph explanation of the theme of Dickinson’s poem, how his or her own poem addresses the same theme, and identification of the figurative language used in his or her poem.


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2. Reading and Writing: Given five or six poems by the same author, students will

write a 5 paragraph essay comparing and contrasting two of the poems and defending their position that these two poems address the same universal theme. They must explain what that universal theme is in their thesis, then cite at least 3 specific examples from the texts to support their thesis.

3. Language Conventions: Given 10 sentences, each with verb consistency

problems, students will identify the problem verbs by circling them in at least 8 of the 10 sentences. Also in 8 of the 10 sentences, they will write the correct form of the verb circled in the space provided.

4. Listening and Speaking: Given one of the poems they have written in class,

students will read the poem to the class, then present a visual aid they have created to accompany the poem. They will clearly explain how the visual aid captures the mood and tone they tried to create in the poem. They will be able to clearly and correctly identify the figurative language and their meanings to the class.

Materials and texts:

• Prentice Hall: Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes, Gold Level. • The Literature Network (www.online-literature.com/dickinson/) • Chicana Falsa and other stories of death, identity and Oxnard by Michele Serros • Neigborhood Odes, by Gary Soto • “True Love” by Percy Bysshe Shelley • “Frost at Midnight” by Samuel Coleridge • “Design” by Robert Frost • “Traveling through the Dark” by William Stafford • “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll • “Oh, My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns • Contrasting the Mood of Poems handout • Similes, Old and New handout • Understanding Poetry handout • Types of Figurative Language handout • Poetry Notebook packet • Poetic Structure Integrity handout

Favorite Links:

• Poets.org • Poetry.com (Post your own work!) • Poetry 180 • The Eserver Poetry Collection • Poetry Archives


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Activities and Teaching Strategies: Initial Activities:

1. “Discovery folders”: Explain to students that they will be writing many poems over the next three weeks, and that they need to begin collecting “sparks” – ideas, articles, other poems, photographs, artwork – anything that strikes them and gets their creative juices flowing. They will dive into this folder at the beginning of each writing assignment as a way to get started on the poem they need to write.

2. “Poetry and song lyrics”: Students will use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the E. E. Cummings poem, “maggie and milly and molly and may” with the lyrics to the rock song “At the Bottom of Everything” – the first song off of the contemporary band Bright Eyes’ latest release entitled I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. Both address the universal theme of being part of something bigger than oneself, as well as looking to nature and the universe for a sense of belonging and completion. I hope this will increase the likelihood that students will be open to the relevance of themes in poems written by poets from generations other than their own.

Developmental Activities:

1. “Similes, Old and New”: Handout. Many similes have become clichés. If given the first part, can the students fill in the rest? (e.g., “green as ________.”) The second part is: Can they create a new simile? Instead of “green as grass”, they would come up with a different comparison. From there, they would identify similes in poems that we read and explain what’s being compared and how the simile contributes to the effect of the poem.

2. Introducing vocabulary (over 3 weeks, 10 terms per week). See supporting documents for vocabulary terms. “Figurative Language Types” worksheet. Students will come up with their own examples of the following: symbol, personification, hyperbole, paradox, trochee metered line of poetry, iambic pentameter metered line of poetry, several different rhyme schemes, onomatopoeia, consonance, assonance, oxymoron, and alliteration. Formative assessments will given throughout the unit in the forms of quizzes and verbal questioning of students.

3. “The Raven,” by Edgar Allan Poe. Lesson plan by Margaret Rhyne. http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LATheRavenAtmosphereSymbolismIn-Halloween612.htm


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4. “Poetry Detective”. Using the “Understanding Poetry” handout, students will

begin picking apart the meaning of texts – beginning with easier poems like Robert Burns’s “Oh, My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose” and Langston Hughes’s “City”, and graduating to more difficult texts by the likes of Emily Dickinson and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The work will be both in class and as homework so that students get plenty of practice answering specific questions about specific poems.

5. “How to Write a Comparison/Contrast Essay”: In preparation for writing a 5-paragraph comparison/contrast essay on two poems by the same author, students will take Cornell notes on pp. 968-971 in the textbook which deals with how to write this type of essay. The notes will be to turn in, and I will check them to see that students are getting the main ideas from this informational text.

6. “Poetry Notebook”: From “The English Room,” a lesson plan by M.S. Rogers. http://www.msrogers.com/English2/poetry/30_days_of_poetry.htm As a culminating task, students will create a booklet of original poems of different types. Based on handouts I will give them illustrating how to write the different types of poems, students will gradually work on this project throughout the unit. Some parts will be classwork, but most will be homework. The types of poems they will be writing are as follows: concrete poem, nominal acrostic, haiku, diamante, cinquain, “I Am”, five sense poem, humorous epitaph, found poem, and “If I Were in Charge of the World” poem.


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7. “Contrasting the Moods of Poems”: Based on a graphic organizer template provided in the handout I will give them, students will practice writing a short essay comparing and contrasting the moods of two poems – “My Dog,” by Marchette Chute, and “Old Dog,” by William Stafford.

8. “Analyzing a Poem”: Finally, based on a thorough and challenging list of questions and criteria, students will go deeply into two poems of their own choosing. The four sections of this handout are: a) STRUCTURE (e.g., How many lines? How many stanzas? How many lines in a stanza? Is each stanza the same, or are some indented or arranged in a way to make them stand out?); b) IMAGERY (e.g., What pictures do you see in your mind?); c) SOUND (e.g., Look for rhythm and rhyme scheme; Look for internal rhyme, where words rhyme within the line; Look for slant or off rhyme, where words do not rhyme exactly) ; d) FIGURES OF SPEECH (e.g., What kind of poetic devices does the poet employ? [similes, metaphors, extended analogies, etc.])

Culminating Activities:


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1. “Terminology Competition”: I will divide the class into two teams, then one

person from each team will go to the board. I will read the definition of one of the terms we’ve studied over the course of the unit, and the first of the two who writes the correct term with the correct spelling on the board scores a point for their team. All the members of the winning team will get three extra credit points on their final exam.

2. “Poetry Notebook”: Each student will complete a collection of ten poems they’ve written. In addition to the ten original poems, each notebook will include a specially designed cover, a title page, a dedication page and a personally designed illustration for each of the ten poems.

3. “Poetry Notebook Peer Review”: Each student’s poetry notebook will be reviewed according to a rubric (attached) by three fellow students. The peer reviews of each student’s project will figure in to their overall grade for the assignment.

4. “Oral Presentation”: Each student will read aloud the poem of his choice from his or her poetry notebook and explain both the illustration he or she has created for it, as well as identify any figurative language used and provide an explanation of each example.

Assessment/Evaluation:

1. “Poetry Notebook”: this project will be worth 225 points. See the attached rubric for specifics of assessment.

2. Formative 20-point quizzes on vocabulary. 3. Summative final exam on vocabulary, and verb tense consistency. This exam will

also include the first objective listed above in which students, previously introduced to Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for death” and given time to write a poem tackling the same theme, will – in short answer format – identify the theme and explain how his or her original poem tackles the same theme as Dickinson’s work.

4. Students will write an in-class 5-paragraph essay comparing and contrasting two poems by the same author that deal with the same universal theme as explained in objective #2. Rubric for this essay is attached.

5. Oral Presentation. The rubric for this assessment is attached. The criteria mostly deals with general skills related to the Listening and Speaking California State Standards.

See Supporting Documents for assessment rubrics.