Eighth Grade Humanities English Summer Study Introduction: This activity is designed to accomplish three goals: 1. To expose students to poetry written during key moments in America s development 2. To connect to the New York unit of study 3. To immerse students in the use of figurative language and poetic devices Task One, Poetry from four points in American History First, choose one poem from each section of American history, a total of 4 poems (list attached). All of the poems have been created into a Googledoc. You will need to Save a Copy each work, renaming it with your last name, first initial and historical period. At the top of the document, you will include a heading in right justification which includes: Name, Class, Instructor s Name, Date. While reading, make annotations using highlighting, underline and comment features of Googledocs. Record the following information as part of your annotation: important words, phrases, and clauses; figurative language (metaphors, similes, anaphora, symbolism, personification etc.); poetic and story structures (juxtaposition, rhyme, etc.); literary elements (theme, main idea, character (narrative voice), point of view, etc.); and finally and most important, any questions you have while reading. Second, students must complete a learning log on this poem. A learning log records your personal evaluation of the literary work that strictly adheres to the requirements of the question and the response. The learning log is a continuation of the same Googledoc that holds your annotation. Learning logs must satisfy the following criteria to be declared successful: Title: Learning Log Author Title of Poem Paragraphs must be five sentences, and not more than one page in length Paragraph one should address the following: o Focus on one literary device evident in the poem. o Write a paragraph that substantiates the existence of that literary device in this poem using evidence from the text to support your claim. Paragraph two should address the following: o Develop a logical conclusion evaluating why the author uses this technique in his/her work. Please consider the author s audience and purpose. All paragraphs must be written in third person, in present tense, and in active voice and should be five sentences. Use the following checklist to assess your work: My learning log has an appropriate heading, title, and length. My learning log has a paragraph one that addresses the use of a literary device in the poem. My learning log has a paragraph two that addresses the use of the device and its effects on the audience and purpose.
Task Two, Commonplace Blog (formerly known as the Commonplace book or Poetry Journal) "Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man." - Francis Bacon (1561-1626) Commonplace book or Poetry Journal: (noun) a book in which quotable passages, literary excerpts, and comments are written. Since the sixteenth century, when writing paper became cheap and common, many writers have kept Commonplace book or Poetry Journals. They are collections of quotations from literature that writers find from their own reading. Writers copy the quotations into their Commonplace book or Poetry Journals, and they often comment in the margins, or below the text about what was so striking about the passage. Often, Commonplace book or Poetry Journals contain quotes that run along a single theme or are otherwise similar. You will keep a Commonplace book or Poetry Journal in the form of a blog as you read over the summer. Since our first unit and our New York trip will focus on descriptive writing, imagery, sensory perception, and figurative language, you will collect specimens of particularly striking descriptive language as you read. The requirements for the Commonplace blog are below. 1. The Commonplace book or Poetry Journal will draw on your blogging experience from seventh grade. Each student will be invited to one of four blogs created for this purpose. Detailed directions of how to post on your assigned blog will be sent to you at your easternms.org e-mail address. 2. Each student is responsible for at least twelve entries. An entry is comprised of (1) a quotation taken directly from the text of your choice that includes highly descriptive language, (2) the author and name of the text, and (3) your own reaction to the quotation 3-7 sentences). The quotation can be as long as a paragraph, as short as a couple of words, or anything in between. Your reaction may include any thoughts you have about the quote. What made it so striking? What particular phrase was important to the description? Of what did the quotation make you think? 3. Of the dozen quotations you on which you reflect, at least 4 must come from the poetry selections. The other six may come from other reading material that you self-select* over the summer. 4. A sample entry is below: 1. " He cheats as he enchants" (Dickinson, Emily One of the ones that Midas touched ). This phrase strikes me because I like the way it sounds. The repetition of the ch sound, in the words cheat and enchant, makes me pause to think about their meaning. I wonder why the contrast of the two creates such a strong visual image. I imagine the bird singing sweetly to lull me into a daze as it swoops down to steal an apple from the orchard. The phrase reminds me of how appearances can be deceiving. *Self-select assumes that you will be reading over the summer -- that is an expectation! However, I want you to know that any type of print worth quoting is fair game yes billboards, other advertising, music lyrics, and even clever quotes from your friends. The purpose is to pay attention to how language usage creatively conveys different ideas. Make sure you reference your sources!
Assessment: Your learning log will be evaluated using the above stated criteria, earning a met standard or not met standard score. Both Learning logs and Commonplace blogs are due on the first day of school. No credit will be given for work submitted past the 3 rd day of school. If you have any questions while completing your summer reading, please feel free to email: kcantergiani@easternms.org or Kiernan_O_Cantergiani@mcpsmd.org I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing summer and look forward to meeting you soon.
Poetry from the Colonial Era Bradford, William From my years young in days of youth http://www.pilgrimhall.org/bradfordwilliampoem.htm Bradstreet, Anne The Flesh and the Spirit http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/212.html Bradstreet, Ann Prologue http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/216.html Brewster, Martha Wadsworth An Acrostic for my Only Son and An Acrostic for my Only Daughter http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/becomingamer/ideas/text4/brewsterpoems.pdf Taylor, Edward Huswifery http://harvardsquarelibrary.org/poets/taylor.php Poetry from the Revolutionary Era Anonymous Revolutionary Tea http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tirevtea%3bttrevtea.html Frenau, Philip On the Death of Benjamin Franklin http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/on-the-death-of-dr-benjamin-franklin/ Frenau, Philip The Republican Genius of Europe http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-republican-genius-of-europe/ Wheatley, Phyllis On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitfield http://www.uoregon.edu/~rbear/wheatley.html#10 Wheatley, Phyllis To the Right Honorable William, Earl of Dartmouth http://www.uoregon.edu/~rbear/wheatley.html#25
Poetry from the Romantic & Transcendental Era Bryant, William Cullen Sonnet to an American painter http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/bryant/sonnettocole.html Dickinson, Emily One of the ones that Midas touched http://www.bartleby.com/113/2013.html Emerson, Ralph Waldo Humblebee http://www.emersoncentral.com/poems/humblebee.htm Thoreau, Henry David Rumors from an Aeolian Harp http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/thoreau/thoreaupoems.html#rumors Whitman, Walt Crossing Brooklyn Ferry http://www.whitmanarchive.org/published/lg/1867/poems/76 Poetry from the Civil War Era Hopkins, John Hurrah for the South http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/ampage?collid=amss&filename=cw2/cw200860/amsspage.db&recnum=0&itemlink=r?ammem/amss:@field( DOCID%2B@lit(cw200860)) Howe, Julia Ward Battle Hymn of the Republic http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgibin/moa/pageviewer?ammem/coll=moa&root=/moa/atla/atla0009/&tif=00151.tif&view=50&frames=1 Mason, Caroline A. The Will For the Deed http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgibin/moa/pageviewer?ammem/coll=moa&root=/moa/livn/livn0071/&tif=00248.tif&view=50&frames=1 Randall, James R. Maryland http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/ampage?collid=amss&filename=as1/as108500/amsspage.db&recnum=0&itemlink=r?ammem/amss:@field(d OCID%2B@lit(as108500))
Happy summer! This is your United States History teacher, Mrs. Martin. I am looking forward to studying the history of our country with you next year. Here is your summer assignment. The due date for the assignment is the first day of school and the deadline is the third day of school. Typing is much appreciated. 1. One of the first things we will do before our New York City trip is study the push and pull factors that led European immigrants to come to America. In a well-developed paragraph, respond to the following prompt. In the 1600s and 1700s, what are some reasons that might push someone to immigrate from Europe to America? In the 1600s and 1700s, what are some reasons that might pull someone to immigrate to North America from Europe? 2. After you have reviewed the poems chosen by Mrs. Cantergiani, write a well-developed paragraph about each poem you actually chose by answering the following prompt. From what historical point of view is the poet writing? How does this point of view affect his/her message? If you need to contact me, my email is Pamela_M_Martin@mcpsmd.org. I will be out of town the last week of July and the first week of August.