Using Poems to Get Students Analyzing
A great way to get students thinking at the analysis level is by using a song or poem of the week! Each day students will read and dive into thinking about the text through a different lens than before. Each time they reread, they grab another piece of new thinking and learning to add to their schema.
Start with a short poem or song that most students already know. (i.e. 5 Little Pumpkins or Taylor Swift's Shake it Off).
Example Questions to Guide Thinking to the Analysis Level
Day 1: What is the author's message? (Theme)
Day 2: How did the author say their message? (Author's craft)
Day 3: How is the speaker (character(s)) feeling? (Author's purpose)
Day 3: What words or phrases help you understand the speaker or character's feelings? (Inferencing)
Day 4: What is the author NOT saying in their text? (Inference)
Other Questions for Thinking at the Analysis Level:
- Do you agree with the speaker of the poem? Why or why not?
- What can the reader tell about the character or speaker?
- How is the speaker similar to yourself?
- How is this text similar to ____________?
- What do you think the character or speaker will probably do next?
