We, Too, Sing America
G. Casey Cassidy
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Give FeedbackII. Goals. Objectives and Strategies
My unit objectives are to present an overview of Afro-American poetry, beginning with an analysis of Paul Dunbar’s dialect poetry, moving through the Harlem Renaissance period with a major focus on Langston Hughes’s offerings and culminating with an interesting perspective of the urban poor by Gwendolyn Brooks. Because the majority of my classes at Roberto Clemente Middle School are Afro-American students, I would want them to develop an awareness of and appreciation for poetry created by fellow African-Americans preceding them who have contributed to a narrative history of the Afro-American experience. Additionally, students will be expected to identify themes and underlying messages, especially as we move from “veiled” situations to the oral blues tradition. Having the opportunity to study three famous poets across a period of almost seventy years, students will be able to compare and contrast styles of writing, treatments of themes and literary techniques. Finally, they will become better readers of poetry, improving their comprehension abilities and their critical and analytical reading skills. Hopefully, my students will be motivated to excel and to enjoy themselves as well.