Reading and Analyzing Poetry

Introduction

In this Webquest, we are going to practice reading and analyzing poetry. I know poetry can be hard or maybe you just do not enjoy reading, but I am hoping this Webquest helps you further understand poetry and changes your feelings towards it. In this Webquest, we will analyze a few famous poems and learn some tips on how to analyze each poem. Watch the video below before beginning your quest because it is meant to refresh your memory on what exactly poetry is.

 

Good luck!

Task

1. You will read "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost and answer the questions that accompany the poem. 

2. You will learn about a TP-CASTT and use fill on out based on "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes.

3. You will analyze a theme found in "History Lesson" by Natasha Trethewey and write a written response to a prompt.

4. Find 3 poems online that you would like our class to read.  

 

 

Process

1. Read Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken." Click the following link to get to the website: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken

2. Answer these 4 questions on "The Road Not Taken" on notebook paper. Please make sure to number your questions and note which poem the questions go with. 

  • Did the speaker rush his decision when choosing which path to take? How do you know? Cite text evidence from the text.
  • What is a possible theme found in the poem? 
  • Describe the road the speaker chooses to walk down. 
  • Re-read the final stanza of the poem. What is the overall meaning found in this stanza? 

3. Visit the following website and read about a TP-CASTT. http://www.huffenglish.com/tpcastt-a-method-for-analyzing-poetry/

4. When you finish reading the article about the TP-CASTT, pick up a copy of the TP-CASTT off of the back table. Use the poem, "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes to fill out the TP-CASTT. 

5. Read "History Lesson" by Natasha Trethewey. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47538/history-lesson-56d2280d442a7

6. Continuing on your notebook paper, answer the following prompt in paragraph form about the poem:

  • After reading "History Lesson" by Natasha Trethewey, notice the theme of nostalgia found throughout the poem. In a paragraph, define nostalgia and how it can be seen in the text. Use textual evidence to support your answer.  

7. Browse https://www.poetryfoundation.org to find 3 poems that you would like to suggest our class read and analyze. 

Evaluation
Criteria Proficient Acceptable Needs Improvement
The student fully answered the analytical questions on "The Road Not Taken" and provided textual evidence to support his or her thinking.  The student fully answered the analytical questions in great detail. The student provided strong evidence to support his or her thinking.  The student answered the analytical questions in some detail. The student provided evidence to support his or her thinking, but the evidence was weak.  The student attempted to answer the analytical questions, but the student did not seem to understand the poem. The student used irrelevant evidence to support thinking. 
The student completed the TP-CASTT on "Mother to Son" by answering the questions fully with an explanation for each answer.   The student fully answered each part of the TP-CASTT by providing a detailed explanation and evidence for the answer. The student fully answered each part of the TP-CASTT by providing a brief explanation for each answer.  The student answered most parts of the TP-CASTT but did not provide any explanation or details for his or her answer. 
The student answered the writing prompt on "History Lesson" by explaining the theme of nostalgia. The student's explanation included details from the text. The student explained what the theme of nostalgia means and how it fits into the text. The student used examples from the text to support his or her analysis of the theme.  The student explained the theme of nostalgia and briefly described how the theme fits with the text. The student used a few examples from the text to support his or her analysis of the theme.  The student did not explain what the theme of nostalgia means. The student attempted to connect the theme to the text, but he or she supported the analysis with irrelevant examples from the text.

 

Conclusion

I hope you all enjoyed this poetry Webquest! I had you analyze three very different poems in an attempt to show you the variety of poetry that is out there! If you enjoyed this activity and have a newfound love of poetry, www.poetryfoundation.org is a great place to begin expanding your love of poetry! 

Credits

Websites you will use: