Waltrina D. Kirkland-Mullins
Day 1 - Group Share: Kwame Dawes' "Didn't I See Your Face"
Preliminary Activity: (Many worldwide cities are cited in Dawes' poem. Before using this book, prepare Post-It labels reflective of each city noted therein. The labels will be used during an interactive map study activity to highlight key locations specified in the poem. The use of an oversized map or Smart Board map image will be required. In this regard, poetic content and elements will be introduced on Day 2).
Open the day's lesson with a discussion regarding the trek of black people throughout the world. Then ask, "Based on our classroom studies to date and, where applicable, based on personal experience, in what parts of the world might black people reside today?" Allow students to share their views. Record their input on chart paper. Responses will vary and are oftentimes remarkable. (Several of my students noted that black people can be found throughout the Caribbean and parts of South America because of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and because of migratory trends that took place long ago. A few made personal connections because they came from mixed-race families and had had opportunities to travel abroad and see for themselves; they noted that black people can be found in such countries as France, Italy, and Ireland.)
Share that the distribution of black people throughout the world is referred to as the "Africa Diaspora" and that today they will examine Dawes' work to take a closer look at that phenomena. Before reading the poem, introduce the names of key places cited within the text. Also review directionality cues (i.e., north, south, east…). Read Dawes' work aloud. Encourage students to listen out for the names of cities cited within the text. After reading the poem, conduct an interactive map session. Using directionality cues, call on students to come up and post the appropriate labels on the map. Subsequently, have them identify the country and continent in which each city is located. Record their findings on chart paper.
Day 2 – Poetry Selections:
Kwame Dawes' "Didn't I See Your Face"
Reintroduce Dawes' poem, this time encouraging students to examine its poetic content, closely listening to its musical feel. Filled with rhythm, unpredictable cadence, and strategic rhyme, Dawes' words invite young readers to jump right in! Read as if you are engaged in conversation with someone with whom you are familiar. Gently introduce the opening lines and maintain an enthusiastic feel throughout, until the last four lines of the poem, where a bit more intensity should be added, ending the work in an assertive tone:
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I saw your face in Benin
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And in Ghana near Takoradi
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Then there on the plains of Bahia
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Your gentle eyes said hi
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I saw that face in Kingston
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Under a green cocoa tree
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And when I stopped at a Castries market
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Those same eyes welcomed me…
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…Everywhere I turn I see you there
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In the flat wetlands and on windswept coasts.
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I see your face look back at me
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Full of ancient stories and dreams
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That tell me we have traveled far
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And survived the journeys well.
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Ask students to zero in on the sounds experienced in the poem. Student responses will once again vary. Most of my students were fascinated by the names of the cities cited throughout the work. Tristan noted that the sound of "Takoradi" and "Kinsasha" made him see African people because they sounded like African names. When he heard the word "Brixton," he thought of Great Britain, because Brixton and Britain begin with a similar pronunciation. Craigrianna noted that when she heard "Castries' market," she thought of Caribbean countries like St. Lucia and Jamaica, where her family comes from. Dashaun noted that the cadence of the poem sparked a sense of movement, as if someone were traveling from one place to another. For others, the repetitive use of the line "I saw that face" seemed cyclic, sparking the sound of connectedness and familiarity. The use of that repetitive line helped readers experience that despite the miles between them, black people throughout the world are very much connected. Time and resources permitting, conclude this session by showing photo images of a few cited cities and its people to help students make deeper geographic connections. Follow up with an extension activity, having students share their views regarding why Dawes concludes his poem with the four closing lines noted above.
Day 3. Have students revisit the poems to enhance prosody skills and to review the overall theme and significance of the poetic work. During computer center time, allow students in groups of 4 to take a virtual tour of many of the places cited in Dawes' work (see On-Line resources). Have computer center-team students work together to find key facts about a select city featured in the poem. Allot 1 to 2 minutes for students to share their discoveries with classmates. Subsequently have them collectively create a travel brochure about the visited site. This will help students make a deeper text-to-global community connection.
