Lesson Plan - Nathanael

Lesson : Same Same but different, How culture affects interpretation the of imagery in relation to theme.

Level/Stream : Secondary 3 Express

Students : Class of 36 students, Mixed abilities, more visual and auditory learners

Learning Environment : ICT Resource room or Computer Lab where each student has his/her own computer station with internet access to facilitate individual and group work concurrently. The computers should share a network which would allow a sharing of information

Lesson Prerequisites: Prior to the lesson, students should be able to have knowledge on theme and imagery and have read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Lesson objectives: By the end of the lesson, students should be able to

1. state and explain how imagery can be used to convey theme.

2. describe how social context/culture plays a part in defining the meaning of certain images.

3. experiment on different ways that theme can be portrayed through adaptations.

Time: 2 periods (70mins)

Introduction: Does a picture speak a thousand words? (10 mins)

- The teacher flashes a series of pictures/images one at a time to the class. For every picture/image shown, students are supposed to come up with a short interpretation of the picture in one or two words. This may come in the form of symbols, emotions, hidden messages mood or tone evoked by the picture.

eg: Rose - Love, Owl - Wisdom, Elephant - Strength

- Students are also told to come up with explanations to their interpretations.

- The teacher then gets 2 or 3 students to share their interpretations and explanations for each picture flashed drawing attention to the fact that there are various possible interpretations to each image.

- The teacher then poses questions to the students to think of what factors came into play that led to the different interpretations by the students, hinting at culture.

Body: 1 play, 3 ways . (40 mins)

- The teacher revises what theme is with the students, and asks the students to highlight the various themes present in Romeo and Juliet.

- The teacher instructs students to form groups of 3 or 4 and in their groups to pick on of the following themes in Romeo and Juliet: 'Conflict' or 'Power struggle'

- Based on the theme chosen, the group is then instructed to look look at the prologue and Act 1 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet. In their groups, students are tasked to pick out certain images present in the piece of text that they think best conveys the theme of Conflict' or 'Power struggle' in Romeo and Juliet.

- After which the group does the same thing (Pick out images and how they convey 'conflict' or 'Power struggle') to the opening scene of three different adaptations of Romeo and Juliet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6zKB6_mo_M (Elizabethan Context - Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1954))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7lP4E_s80o (American Context - Romeo + Juliet (1996))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wmcgeer7Mk (Singaporean Context - Chicken Rice War (1998))

- Students will access to a simple graphic organizer in google docs (Created by the teacher) in which they compare and contrast the three adaptations with the original text in the efforts to analyze how different social contexts affect the way images are used to convey meaning and relate to theme.

Image | What meaning does it convey| How does it relate to theme| How is it similar or different from the original text.

Conclusion & Assignment : Be the bard (20 mins)

- The Teacher gets a few groups to share their graphic organizers to the class as a form of summary to the lesson to emphasize the point that images play a part in conveying theme in a text and that meanings of images can differ across different cultural contexts.

- The teacher then instructs the groups on the homework assignment which they would have to do. In this assignment, students are to pick any scene they like in the play Romeo and Juliet and come with with their own written adaptation of the scene which they would perform in the next lesson to emphasize how images can help convey meaning and relate to a particular theme of their choice in the play. The scene, about 5 - 10 minutes long, can be adapted in any context the students wish. Students are encouraged to use props.

Rationale

This lesson plan is based on the ideas of John Dewey, William Kilpatrick, New Historical Criticism and Reader Response Criticism. John Dewey argues that the school is a social institution that should represent life as real and vital to the student as well as it being a place for social interaction to occur allowing the student to be made aware of the present social consciousness. Culture is an important part of society and social consciousness. By exposing students to the idea of culture and how it affects in the way a society looks at things (eg: images) and also allowing them to make their own interpretations based on their particular culture, it creates an avenue for social consciousness to take place in students. The film 'Chicken rice war' presents a local take on the shakespearean play, allowing students to relate to play better which is further reiterated by the graphic organizer activity in which they compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the film and the text.

The assignment not only acts as a tie in activity that encourages collaborative, constructive and self directed learning, it also fits in into Kilpatrick's idea of synthesizing the different aspects of the learning process into a unified project, in this case a written adaptation of a scene in the play. This gives autonomy to the students to decide what they want to do, allowing intrinsic motivation. The collaborative aspect of the group project provides an avenue for social skills to develop in the students as well.

The activities in the introduction and the body tie in with the ideas of new historical criticism and reader response theory. I strongly believe in new historical criticism as I feel that the understanding and knowledge of the social and historical context of a piece of text is significant in the reading of the text. It allows the reader to understand the text better as one can better understand the purpose and intent behind the written piece of work. Hence, the idea of exposing the students to adaptations of the play allows them to see how the social context affects the way meaning is being conveyed. The introduction activity allows individual interpretation to take place which is related to the reader response theory where the text or in this case the picture is used by the students to actively and personally make out meaning. This also allows students to bring in their prior knowledge and cultural baggage or understanding into their interpretations. :)

Lesson Plan - Teddy

Class: 32 Secondary 3 mixed ability, self-motivated students with a preference for group work.

Estimated Duration: ~60 mins

Lesson Topic: “Atmosphere” in The Crucible

Learning Objectives/Outcomes: By the end of the lesson, students will understand how “atmosphere” can be used as a central literary device in plays, and how the lesson may impact their personal lives. They will demonstrate such understanding by:

1.     Completing the task worksheet; this worksheet scaffolds their understanding of how the playwright effectively creates “atmosphere”—in this case, the atmosphere of fear which pervades the play. Specifically, students will immerse into the point-of-view of some of the major characters/groups of characters in the play.

2.     Identify (upon personal reflection) in writing, how the lesson impacts their lives—in the sphere of decision-making (to be done as homework). That is, through the process of identifying with characters in the play, they become self-aware as to how fear often corrupts rational thoughts. As such, they are empowered to make more informed decisions under stressful conditions.

Prerequisites-and-Resources:

1. Students are to have read and briefly examined the plot and main themes in the play.

2. Students have been briefed on the concepts of (1) the use of “atmosphere”; and (2) the author’s point-of-view in a literary work.

3. In the previous two lessons, students viewed the 1996 video production of The Crucible. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115988/

4. Students have been divided into jigsaw groups of four (with a leader) in preparation for this lesson.

5. Students are to have brought their annotated text to class.

Lesson Procedure:

Introduction

1. Students form into their pre-assigned jigsaw groups of four. Teacher explicitly introduces and explains the first two objectives and tasks required of the students in the lesson. Teacher facilitates student achievement of the third objective by asking students to continually make the connection between the character’s thought processes and theirs throughout the lesson. (7 mins)

2. Teacher hands out scaffolding worksheet [please see appendix]. To discourage free-loading, teacher instructs every group member to take charge of the relevant scene-cum-character(s) involved in one Act in the play. (3 mins)

Development

3. Students in respective groups work on learning task by silently examining and annotating their assigned text segments. (15 mins)

4. Teacher forms temporary expert groups by having each member from each jigsaw group join other students assigned to the same learning segment. Teacher instructs students in these expert groups to share, consolidate the main points of their segments, and rehearse the presentations they will make to their jigsaw group. (10 mins)

5. Teacher instructs students to return to their jigsaw groups and present their findings to the rest of the group. Teacher encourages viewing members to peer critique and clarify doubts after each presentation. Student leader of each group to keep time. Teacher concurrently observes group presentations and facilitates understanding and learning by identifying learning gaps in presentations, if any. (15 mins)

Closure

6. Teacher rounds up presentation via a Q&A session. (5 mins)

Follow-up

7. For homework, the teacher instructs students to write a personal reflection piece not exceeding 200 words on the following question:

In what way(s) may this lesson be relevant to your personal life? To get you started, think of how the “atmosphere of fear” present in the play is intimately linked to each character’s/group of characters’ decision-making process.

Appendix (Suggested Sample Worksheet):

For your respective task segments, think as your assigned character/group-of-characters in the scene would—living among/as a Puritan—and identify in writing at least one decision he/she/they made in that scene. Think of the reason(s) why he/she/they made that particular decision.

Please use the question prompts as a means of “getting into” the minds of the characters/group-of-characters. You are strongly encouraged to draw on real-life experiences.

Act 1

Character(s)-Scene/idea(s) to focus on: Girls (Betty, Mercy, Abigail and Tituba) caught conjuring and dancing naked in the forest.

Think:

1. An occasion when you were caught for doing something forbidden (eg. underage smoking, etc.); and/or
2. An occasion when you did something mainly out of peer-pressure (eg. ostracizing a fellow classmate simply because your clique dislikes him/her).

*For both questions, consider: (a) Did you feel it was right to do it? Why or why not? (b) What did you do to get out of trouble/resolve the situation? What thoughts/feelings/emotions guided your decision in resolving the situation?

Act 2

Character(s)-Scene/idea(s) to focus on: The strained relationship between John and Elizabeth; and John’s reluctance to testify against Abigail.

Think:

1. An occasion when you hurt someone you love (eg. good friend, parent); and/or
2. An occasion when a person you love betrayed your trust (eg. good friend, sibling)

*For both questions, consider: (a) What did you/the other party do to resolve the situation? (b) How long did the healing process take? (c) Did your/the other party’s behaviour towards the other party/you change since then?

Act 3

Character(s)-Scene/idea(s) to focus on: Mary Warren and the power of rumours.

Think:

1. An occasion when you heard a rumour about someone you know; and/or
2. An occasion when someone tried to damage your reputation by spreading a rumour about you.

*For both questions, consider: (a) Did you immediately believe the rumour? Why or why not? (b) Did you or would you try to dispel the rumour if you know it to be false?

Act 4

Character(s)-Scene/idea(s) to focus on: John Proctor’s decision to preserve his name and dignity by dying for the truth rather than living a lie.

Think:

1. A value/idea you feel is worth dying for.

*Consider: Why do you feel the value/idea worth dying for?

Lesson Rationale:

Selection of text: The content of the play is an easy motivator, since supernatural and paranormal issues are topics most teenagers can readily identify with.

Pedagogical approach: This lesson plan incorporates key elements of both the Deweyan and Freirean approaches to education.

1. Deweyan: Dewey wrote that education is a moral enterprise. For Dewey, education (1) is life itself; and (2) receives its moral content from its intimate connection with social life.

(a) Education is life itself: Having students reflect on their prior knowledge (personal experiences) as a means of “getting into” the minds of their assigned character(s) makes learning personal for students. As such, they are likely to comprehend and retain the new information more easily. Both the main in-class activity and follow-up activity seek to further enhance student understanding of the learning objectives/outcomes via critical reflection on real-life decision making situations.

(b) Moral content: Immersion into the point-of-view of their assigned character(s) sensitizes students to the need to “step into the shoes of others” before passing judgement of any kind on them.

2. Freirean: Freire advocates a dialogic approach to education where students are actively involved in the construction of critical consciousness. The jigsaw group discussion strategy employed in this lesson is in line with such an approach. The teacher plays the role of facilitator providing the overall structure for achieving the learning objectives/outcomes, while students are the main persons in charge of their learning.

Sanny's Lesson Plan on Characterisation

Characteristics of students:
Secondary one (Express)

Mix of average and low ability students

Predominantly visual and kinesthetic learners

Class size:

30 students

Duration of lesson:
80 minutes (2 periods)

Lesson topic:

Characterisation

Resources required:

1) Extract from the Play “The Recognition of Sakuntala” by Kalidasa (In student’s textbook)

2) Mahjong paper and marker pens

3) List of adjectives to aid students with characterisation

Pre-requisite knowledge:

1) Students had a previous lesson to introduce them to characterization and are aware of what is expected (point, evidence, elaboration).

2) Students have previously worked on the extract and are familiar with it.

Lesson objective:
Students will practise the skills of characterisation through identification of points and supporting them with textual evidence and elaboration.

Lesson Plan:

5 minutes

1) Teacher recaps previous lesson on characterisation and connects it to this lesson.

2) Teacher shares briefly the lesson program and activities for the day.

10 minutes

To model characterisation, teacher uses an example of a character that the students are familiar with - Dawan from “Sing to the Dawn”

1) Teacher writes the following three big headings on the board:

a) Point

b) Evidence

c) Elaboration

2) Teacher ask students to give an adjective to describe Dawan and writes it under “Point”

3) Teacher prompts students to provide a piece of evidence to substantiate that point and writes it under “Evidence”.

4) Teacher prompts students to provide elaboration. If students are unable to (since they are new to it), the teacher will model one for them.

Example*:

POINT	EVIDENCE	ELABORATION
Dawan is mature	She accepted that her chances of winning the scholarship were low simply because she is a girl.	Dawan continued to work hard even though she knew her chances for further education were low. Her refusal to be defeated reflects her maturity and love for education.

* Teacher leaves example on the board for students to refer to when coming up with their own characterisation.

10 Minutes

1) Teacher checks understanding with students before breaking class up into 6 groups of 5.

2) Teacher briefs class about their group tasks.

- Each group will be randomly assigned a character from the extract to work on. Since there are three main characters in the play, two groups will study the same character.

- For each character, the group has to come up with 3 characterisation points, support each point with at least 1 evidence from the extract, and top it off with a short elaboration.

- Students are to represent their findings on a mahjong paper.

- Students will share their findings with the class.

20 minutes

1) Students participate in group work.

2) Teacher will walk around the classroom to make sure that students are on track and to help with questions.

20 minutes
1) Each group to share their findings verbally and visually (mahjong paper) with the class.

2) Teacher/students are free to ask questions or clarify any parts of the sharing.

The objective of this sharing session is…

a) For the teacher to clarify any misconceptions about characterisation with the class

b) For students to model characterisation for one another.

c) As the extract is one of the text for the exams, students can jot down notes during the sharing which they can use for revision.

10 minutes

1) Teacher sums up lesson by sharing some learning points from the activity pertaining to characterisation.

2) Address any concerns/questions regarding the topic.

3) Prompt students to think and share about the function of characterisation in their daily lives. (eg. that we all engage in it in our daily social interactions without realising it. In other words, make Literature alive for the kids!)

4) Lastly, distribute the list of adjectives to students and tell them to use it to expand the variety of adjectives they can use when characterising.

Lesson Rationale –

To be honest, this was a text I taught during my contract teaching. It was targeted at four express and two NA classes. As the students were behind time, I had no choice but to rush through the characterisation part so that they could pass their literature end-of-year exam. I found it quite unfortunate that their one and only lesson on characterisation involved frantic word-for-word copying of my prepared answers. (I had no choice…there REALLY was no time!).

So if given another opportunity to teach characterisation, I would conduct the lesson as described in my lesson plan above. I want to make it fun and engaging for my students, to sought their opinion of a character instead of prescribing it to them (which I was unfortunately guilty of!) As a literature student, I always enjoyed doing charactisation as it was not restrictive and I was free to analyze the character from every angle, like a detective!

In the summary of the lesson, one important component is for the teacher to connect the skills of characterisation with real-world context, in other words, make it alive for the students. By showing them that characterisation is a big part of social interactions and communications, it highlights the relevance of this topic and elevates Literature beyond of the four walls of a classroom. I believe that this is the function of Literature, or in this case, characterisation, to enable students to view others with fairness and objectivity, backed up by evidence and not coloured by their own bias perspectives. I believe that curriculum subjects have the power to teach these important values to students, and that is essentially how students should learn them, not only through CME classes where such values may be too explicitly taught.

I chose a secondary one audience because learning the skills of characterisation is foundational to the study of literature. Through characterisation, students will be able to understand the text better since the character’s behavior/actions will make more sense if they understand the his/her personality/motives. Dealing with Secondary 1 students who are of low to average ability, literature is not only new to them, but some or most of them may not even have a strong grasp of the English language. Therefore, this text is suitable for teaching characterisation since it is relatively short and easy to understand as the characters are engaging in dialogue. (It is a play after all!)

Freire mentioned that as teachers, we should “never provide the people with programs which have little or nothing to do with their own preoccupations, doubts, hopes and fears.” To me, Freire is simply saying that if the activities and lessons teachers are conducting in class does not connect with the concerns of the students, it has little or no value except to fulfill the requirement of the curriculum. The curriculum and culture of testing is not always something teachers can change, but how we as teachers adapt and turn these lessons into something bigger that students can relate to in their daily lives, that is what makes the difference between a dead or living subject.

Freire goes on to explain that it is important not just to share “our own view” and impose that view onto others, but rather to engage in dialogue with them “about their views and ours.” Group work encourages this view. The same lesson on charactisation could be done with each individually sharing their own views, however, by grouping them together to come to an agreement on their arguments, it is an opportunity for them to share their views and listen to other perspectives. In the midst of group discussion, usually the most objective arguments will prevail since no one can truly argue against an objective assessment. Therefore it meets the intention of characterisation in the Literature context and beyond that, a value that students should adopt in their social interactions with others.

Lastly, Freire also wrote about the importance of dialogue in education, that it both requires and generates critical thinking, communication and therefore, true education. Unfortunately, teachers often understand dialogue as solely talking to the students. A true dialogue cannot function without gathering feedback through listening and refection. When teachers prompt and ask students for their opinion and feelings to a subject/topic, students are actually contributing to their own and the education of their classmates. This component takes place through the sharing of findings by the groups.

Lesson Plan - Carrie

Topic -

Introduction to Feminist Criticism: Stereotypes of Gender using High School Musical 3's A Night to Remember (Youtube video)

Level - Secondary Two (Express)

Students' Profile - 36 students, average ability, mixed learning styles

Learning Environment - Classroom fitted with ICT equipment (visualizer, screen). Teacher should also have access to either a computer/ lap top with internet connectivity.

Lesson duration - 60 mins

Lesson Objectives - By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
1. Understand that men and women are viewed differently in society.
2. Provide examples of how gender stereotypes are perpetuated in society.
3. Understand that a reader is influenced by his/her own gender in reading a text.






Rationale:
When I started teaching the literature component of the Language Arts program in Dunman High, I was really taken aback at how much my extremely bright students really did not know about how there can be different perspectives, and how different arguments can all have their merits. My students felt that there has to be a right, or wrong answer to EVERYTHING; so they transfered this belief into their schoolwork as well. In my lit lessons, they became disconcerted quite easily, because there were often no right or wrong answers to the open-ended questions that I asked in class. There were either just more justified answers, or less justified answers. This lesson was created with them in mind, them students with high ability but extremely limited exposure to different perspectives in society.

I had to work very hard to convince my students that every one was entitled to their own opinion, and I am certainly not going to give them an answer that they should memorize to regurgitate on their exam scripts or assignments. That said, I must add that this did not deter them from pestering me for "model answers" after EVERY SINGLE LESSON, which I ALWAYS refused. And I was lucky enough that there were no smart alecky students who gave weird answers to my open-ended questions. Dunman High students are extremely docile in class, which makes them good followers of instructions, but I hardly had any student challenge what I taught in class. That is why I feel, that students should understand that content knowledge is not the ONLY reason why education is in place.

In my opinion, one of the purposes of education is to create socially conscious "global citizens". Students should be exposed to different world views and perspectives in education, to understand that there is more to the world than what they have been exposed to. Education should teach people how to care, have empathy for other people, and inculcate a sense of responsibility for the future of the human race. On a more personal level, the purpose of education should enable students to become cultured individuals, who live with integrity and dignity regardless of their social backgrounds. And a way this could be achieved, is through a dialogic education, which subscribes to Freire's belief that education should act as a great leveler for all in society, and provide a space for community.

My lesson allows students to be exposed to the different opinions in the classroom. The initial class discussion and the small group discussion allows students to contribute to their collaborative learning in the classroom environment. For the students who are usually shy and quiet, the small group discussions would allow them a chance to voice their opinions in a less intimidating setting. Since my hypothetical students are of an average ability, I felt that the concept of stereotypes would be clearer to them if it was more obvious (like that shown in the video clip: Boys do not know or care how to dress; Girls are super enthusiastic about makeup and dresses). By asking the students to reflect on whether these gender assumptions apply to them, the students will start to realize that not everything they understand about gender, or people in general, are true. The poster activity at the end of the lesson also allows for creativity on the students' part in expressing their own take-away from the lesson. This was done so that students are allowed to express in ways that are meaningful to them, the content that they have learned. This would serve as a better way to reinforce their knowledge, instead of the usual pen-and-paper reflections.

Lesson Plan - Joel

Topic

Role of the speaker in appreciation of Poetry

Level

Secondary 4 Express

Students’ Profile

30 students, high-ability, mixed learning styles.

Pre-requisites

- Students have been introduced to and taught how to interpret a variety of poetry and are aware of various literary techniques, though not necessarily experts. i.e. students are familiar with poetry as a genre as well as the conventions that are associated with it.

- Students have done practical criticism exercises.

Learning environment/Resources

- Classroom with teacher’s console, projector and working sound system.

- Handout with “Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost.

- Youtube videos:

Clip 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncIMCD0E5rE

Clip 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVXBFcnTn9U

Learning objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to show that they understand, accepting or not, the dialogical nature of poetry by expressing verbally how the speaker's intentions, experiences and other factors may affect the interpretation of a poem.

Lesson duration

90 minutes

Lesson activities

5 minutes

• Teacher pairs students up for pair work later in the lesson.
• Teacher to display on the projector screen the title of the poem: "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening.
• Teacher to inform students that he/she will be playing 2 clips from Youtube, which are 2 out of many different performances of the poem that are available, without displaying the visual projection i.e. students will receive only the auditory information.
• Before playing the clips, the teacher will instruct students to note down, and subsequently pay attention to as they listen to the clips, a few guiding questions:

1. What kind of imagery is created, and how?
2. What is the mood?
3. What do you think is the theme, and why?

25 minutes

• Teacher to play Clip 1 (1 minute 5 seconds) twice, then allow around 3 minutes for students to respond to the clip individually using the earlier guiding questions.
• After which, students will be instructed to talk to their partners about their responses for about 5 minutes.
• Lastly, the teacher will invite a few students to share their responses with the rest of the class.

25 minutes

• Teacher to play the Clip 2 (approx. 3 minutes), then allow around 3 minutes for students to respond to the clip individually using the guiding questions.
• Students will then talk to their partners about their responses to this clip for about 5 minutes.
• Lastly, the teacher will again invite a few students to share their responses with the class.

10 minutes

• Teacher to distribute handout with the printed poem.
• Teacher to instruct students to now look at the printed text and analyze the poem using the practical criticism techniques that they have been taught.

15 minutes

• Teacher to lead a discussion on how or why there are so many different ways that people have chosen to perform the poem. Some questions that might help the discussion along:

1. Do you like the 2 clips that you have heard? Why?
2. Do you think those interpretations are "wrong"?
3. Why do you think the speaker chose to perform the poem that way?
4. Do the performances go against your textual analysis of the poem?

Follow-up

Students are to look for more videos of Frost's poem or any other poem that they like on Youtube and submit a review of the one that they like best.

Rationale

One characteristic of most of our students is that they, more often than not, prefer to have "correct answers" for everything. Even though the role of the teacher nowadays has shifted from that of a giver of knowledge to a facilitator for knowledge acquisition, it remains a prominent trend that students are reluctant to seek knowledge and new meaning themselves. This may be due to reasons like disinterest, lack of knowhow, among others. Indeed, with the explosion of Internet resources especially with the likes of Google and Wikipedia, it is ever more convenient to retrieve information.

It is my belief that as facilitators for knowledge acquisition, it is necessary for us to encourage our students to adopt a critical approach towards knowledge, and how knowledge is presented. Otherwise, they risk being undiscerning recipients of knowledge. Freire (1970) expresses this necessity most succinctly when he says that "no one can say a true word alone–nor can he say it for another, in a prescriptive act which robs others of their words." As he argues, meaning, and knowledge, is constructed through dialogue. If our students are passive participants in the exchange of knowledge, then they are subjecting themselves to what Freire calls "oppression". Although the real world can never be fully dialogical, it is still important to equip our students with a critical mind.

Accordingly, this lesson is designed with the sole intention of debunking students' conception that there is such a thing as a right answer. One important assumption of this lesson plan is the ability of the students. The students are assumed to be high-ability and at a level of maturity capable of handling such challenges. Although students should have already been taught that "there is no right answer" when analyzing poetry, especially in adopting the new criticism approach, students may still form opinions that there is a certain "correct" way to analyze the text of the poem. The lesson activities will hopefully lead them towards realizing that while a purely textual analysis of a poem has its merits, a belief in a pure form of literary analysis is naive, as there will always be multiple parties and perspectives involved in meaning. Teaching this idea through the use of poetry, in which there is the poet, the text, the speaker, and the listener would be apt. Furthermore, by keeping all factors except one (the speaker) constant, students will hopefully be shown how a variation in one participant can make all the difference. These ideas will not be explicitly verbalized to the students directly. Rather, it is my hope that by responding to the guiding questions, as well as the teacher-facilitated discussion, students will be able to come to a conclusion that related to this idea. Given that the students are of a high ability, it is not entirely unrealistic to expect that the students are able to come to such conclusions with skilful scaffolding by the teacher using appropriate questioning techniques.

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village, though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.